The committee client
This client often leads off new partnerships by saying, "Our last agency said we were hard to work with." They know how frustrating their internal red tape can be, but at the same time, they know there is no way around it. This client is a cousin of the indecisive client, with whom approvals are a time-intensive process. Partnerships usually involve multiple layers of managers, product managers, points of contact and project coordinators. Communication among these groups is ineffective, to say the least, and this commonly results in longer-than-needed meetings and repetitive conversations.

What agencies can do: When working with clients like this, it is best to limit most communications to key points of contact, but keep all team members in the loop with weekly status reports. This way, day-to-day dealings will not be bogged down by "too many cooks in the kitchen," and the whole team will still be aware of progress. If necessary, have a conversation about noise versus activity. This will help keep the noise level down and allow the agency to focus on execution. Do the math and make sure the number of hours spent in meetings isn't at the expense of actual work. And by all means, be friends with everybody. Don't get involved in company politics -- agencies always come out the loser.

The client with internal team issues
Conversations at the beginning of meetings with this client begin like this: "Off the record, I talked with our IT team yesterday, and they do not agree with anything you have suggested." This client does not agree on much internally, and this can manifest itself in entire teams or just individuals. Agencies are tasked with reaching agreement with everyone, and unfortunately, this puts agencies smack in the middle -- exactly where they do not want to be.

What agencies can do: In these Hatfield and McCoy situations, it is important to focus on marketing. This will keep tangential conversations out of the mix as much as possible. It may be hard to ignore, but mending internal issues should not fall under an agency's scope of work. Concern yourself with delivering high-quality plans and products. Nod politely when teams vent about each other, and send deliverables up the food chain to ensure appropriate visibility.

While agencies are not responsible for contentment amongst clients' internal teams, it is partly an agency's responsibility to maintain positive and proactive relationships with all members of the project team. Make sure to concentrate on the work at hand and operate under a clearly defined scope of engagement.