Mistake #2 - Avoid Eye Contact

Mistake #2 Avoid eye Contact

Agency brands are important. They provide an indication of consistent agency performance for multiple clients over time. And, based on their performance, agency brands can provide a short cut to selecting an initial list of agencies that may be right for the company’s brand. However, the most important criterion in selecting the right agency is not the agency brand -- but the people within the agency who will be working on your account. Too often companies rush directly to a Request for Proposal (RFP) without a sense of whom they’re dealing with. Is the agency passionate about your business? Are they easy to talk with? Do they listen well? Can they think on their feet? Are their ideas stimulating? Do they share your business beliefs and standards? And so on . . . remember, these are the folks to whom you’re going to entrust your brand. Pause and get them to personally introduce themselves at the beginning of the search. Make sure they have one or perhaps even two chances to present their work during the search process. If ultimately selected, they will be extensions of your marketing family. Make sure you’re as comfortable sitting across from them at the dining table as you are meeting with them across the conference room table.

Best Practice:

In a world of social networking, voicemail, tweeting, email and tomorrow’s next iteration of remote communication, the business of ideas is still a business built by and for other people. The personality of the agency team must project the personality of the brand. In the interactive world that personality is amplified by one-to-one communications, individually relevant context and ongoing customer dialogue. Key to a good agency search result is ensuring interaction between the client and agency throughout the process that contributes to an atmosphere of a team-based, working relationship, not a sterile process that bears little resemblance to the real world.