*   Client and Consultancy : Equal or Unequal partnership ?    

 

If choosing a Consultancy is hard - keeping the relationship on a happy and even keel is possibly even harder.

But it is very very important.

As we all know your greatest assets leave every night at half five.

Its in your interest that those assets like you.

However not many Clients get to know their Consultancy(ies). It's not too far a stretch of the imagination that a Consultant will work all the hours for a Client they like and for one that displays hmmmmmm negative traits, the Client gets the minimum of professional satisfaction. A thank you, a thank you note goes a very very long way. 

Anyway the nuts and bolts of that relationship is that the Consultancy is constantly working to deadlines. And the Client keeps changing their mind. Consultants' timetables can be ignored by the Client. Then finally the work is completed and the Client has no compunction on blaming the Consultancy  for everything that's gone wrong.

We are speaking from years of experience from both sides of the fence. Although we have to admit that we have been stunned at the incompetence arrogance and even lack of marketing knowledge by your average Consultant.

  *   seriously though . . .    

 

So the business of a Marketing Consultancy is so dynamic and getting into all areas of business that it's not easy to lay down a hard and fast set of rules. Compare that to an advertising agency whose Client relationship is a lot more straight forward. The agency plans prepares and places the ads for money.

So the relationship that we setup with our Clients involves loads of varied factors. But let us highlight some things that we feel you ought to be made aware of from our perspective.

These areas are where we feel we should both be aware of and sensitive to.

  *   Where things go wrong    

sometimes - maybe . . .   *   

  in Client-Consultancy relationships   *   

• Not enough forward planning

• Not enough time set aside for each milestone

• Poor brief

• Bad communication of the brief - back of an envelope type thing

• Decision making by committee

• Money - terms, who gets what how and when

• Passing the buck when things go wrong

• No Client/Consultancy contract

• Suspicion that both are shafting each other  re time and money

  *   So - how can we get this right from the outset ?    

 

Let's go through the above points one by one. 

We believe that you'll agree so that by the time you get in touch then you'll have a fairly good idea of what we can do to get our relationship started on a fantastic even keel, by reducing the chances of the big issues looming their little heads above the parapet

So how about having a look at  them then ?

back to the  intro . . .