6 reasons agencies get canned

Jason,

I couldn't agree more that the burden of success falls to the client. The client must clearly define the goals, objectives, and what defines success or failure. Also, it's up to the agency to help cement expectations if the client is out in left field.

You called a spade a spade, I can appreciate that. There's no time for dancing around these issues.

We do live in a world of mediocrity and the reality is that many agencies do try to "fake it until they make it". What you outline however is just bad business practice period, not necessarily bad agencies.

I spend a fair amount of time training & consulting agencies on how to properly incorporate and manage digital services. While "best of breed" is not a title everyone can hang on their doors, the shady business practices you outline are far more prevalent in the world of hardcore DR rather than agencies/clients who aim to engage and influence consumers in other manners. Every agency has their sweet spot, and some pitch and say yes to business that they simply should not.

In all cases, DR or 'branding', clear and concise objectives and KPI's and a well planned are part of the recipe for a successful relationship. Of course having a team who can execute against that is the key.

Let's not give agencies all the flack though. Many clients have nothing more than hope and the last few months of what they read in the trades guiding their objectives and it pushes agencies to attempt to justify why they never reached the end of the earth overnight. Like any relationship communication, chemistry, commitment, and the ability to deliver what you promise is the key.

Ok long comment I know…

Sean:

I understand your need and desire to spend much effort in analytics and metrics. I for one believe in metrics and loads of data so long as the data can be turned into actionable insights - sorry Kip.

What I'm saying is you need to combine your efforts with innovative technologies and branding.

Life Insurance tends to be communicated dry but done right, you could do very well with some emotion hooks blended into your digital efforts. Think about Geico who revolutionized the way auto insurance is communicated. What about bottled water? Even governments today are integrating good design and emotions into their communications. And for your product Life insurance. To me it sounds like an opportunity waiting to be tapped. If you don't do it, your competition will.

Now off the subject of emotional branding, the web and digital technologies are about to change substantially. How user friendly is your website? Is there a backend system in place for the user to easily access their info while giving you the opp to sell-in stuff or inform them of content. Forget the newsletter. When I checked two of your pages your contact us page was broken and the content fell below the page.

BTW, I liked your article and it raises good points. I think you've worked with some wrong partners (not a good fit) and you certainly have been burned. It sound's now you have got a good team in place so it's good to hear.

Here's to working with the right client agency partnership.

Cheers!

Sean

All insightful tips from someone in the trenches.

# 3 especially should be tattooed on every agency owner's arm. Things go screwy. Campaigns get off track. It happens. And less time spent skirting the truth is more time spent solving the problem.

A solid agency/client relationship makes allowances for issues and provides room for correction. Don't tell me what you THINK I want to hear,

David Wiggs, Ad agency agent
Hitch: Connecting marketers + agencies
www.marketinghitch.com

And Nyob probably works for an agency that wouldn't hear a word you just said...like you just pointed out. ; )

Non yo biz, I appreciate your comments. However, the primary purpose of our site is to generate leads for our business and to educate consumers about life insurance products. While it is an important branding tool for most companies, branding is simply a byproduct of our site.

We do extensive multivariate testing, as well as A/B testing on this site, and compare response rates for our primary conversion metrics. We often find that the prettiest looking sites don't win. This maybe as much to your surprise as it was to ours, but what you or I think doesn't matter. It's about how customers respond. Multivariate testing allows us to find out what designs our customers like by the actions they take while they are on our site.

You may think that the site is dry, but keep in mind that it is LIFE INSURANCE afterall. The content, context, and the targeted audience is going to be VERY different than a that of a gaming or creative agency site.

Thanks again for your comment

Much of what you say is common sense for any agency or company - even yours Sean.

I just looked at your website and now I see why your comments and overly sensationalism with metrics and not branding is for you. Your website looks like it's 10 years old and very dry at that.

You should really start to think about UI and branding and get away from your analytical reports for a while.

Best of luck!

All great points, Sean. Several things you mentioned almost fall into the category of "common decency" (don't leave for vacation without a back-up, don't play be against a competitor client, etc.) -- agencies that simply treat you with respect will be more likely to ultimately come out as the winners.

Kevin, very good point. It illustrates the communication is important not just when things go wrong, but also when things are going well.

Also, great book recommendation!

Thanks for this great article. I am having trouble with some of the agencies I am working with... and it is early stages yet. These pointers really hit home with me.

OK. The title of this article guaranteed a clickthrough from me. I'll add one as well.

lack of communication re: success is another reason agencies get canned. the paradox of excellence (it's a great book, and fast easy read). if you're completely awesome but don't remind clients about it, we forget and then when something goes wrong, it is magnified out of proportion and without regard for the usual awesomeness delivered by the agency.

agencies should ensure that they're being extra proactive in communicating successes and extraordinary efforts they are undertaking for the client when things are going right. this can help add positive context for when things inevitably go wrong.

Chris,

Thanks for your comments. You're right.

There are many days I sit in my office thinking that common sense has gone out the window.

Kip,

You're dead on with that one. You just described our experience with an SEO firm a few years ago.

Lot's of insight here. I notice from the last commenter that you'll allow anyone in here!

I'll add one more: people.

Don't show me the A team when you are pitching the business, then assign the B team. Tell me up front I get the B team and why, or what their capabilities are. And then there is turnover, if the A team WAS working on my business, and a year later and 100% TO on the team results in me repeating everything again or rehashing the same ideas, well then I might as well start a new RFP and start the process all over again.

Awesome article! Incredibly, you would think that a lot of this would be common sense. However, sometimes you do need to be reminded of these things.

Great article Sean. I'm passing it around my shop.