If you’re feeling dissatisfied with your agency team, you’re not alone. Having an “inconsistent agency team” was one of the eight frustrations healthcare marketers indicated experiencing with their agencies, in a survey DEFY conducted.
Some of the things we heard in our survey…
“I was pitched by the great people, then I got the B team.”
“The team just doesn’t have the right experience for my business.”
“Turnover is a problem. Once someone knows my business, they’re off my business.”
Everyone agreed that the team you’re working with is essential to success. If your team has experience, you’re going to get results. If the agency really did pull a classic “bait and switch” during the pitch, you’re going to face real challenges that are usually really unfair.
Fortunately, there are things you can do to ensure your agency is everything you were promised and then some. The leadership team at DEFY has been on both sides of the client/agency relationship. When it comes to getting more from your agency team, here’s what they recommend.
1.
Raise the issue with agency leadership.
That saying about the “squeaky wheel” really is true. Communicate your concerns and don’t hesitate to move up the agency leadership ladder until someone takes action. You want to make sure that the agency staff assigned to your brand are best positioned to make the most of your time and your dollars. To get the results you want, make some noise and be clear about what you need and what you expect from your agency team.
2.
Demand a strong account lead.
Don’t be shy, this is your business after all. Ask hard questions about your account lead’s experience to ensure they have the ability to provide the strategic thinking and expertise you need on a day-to-day basis. Try to determine if that person is going to be able to understand the strategy, make strong recommendations and effectively translate what you’re looking for into clear instructions for the agency’s creative team. If you didn’t get the right person/people at the start of your relationship with the agency, ask for a change. As you’ve probably heard in more than a few movies…”It’s not personal, it’s just business.”
3.
Insist on specialized input when needed.
Unfortunately, a lot of times agencies aren’t exactly transparent at the pitch. They make lots of promises, but in the end, you don’t really know who’s working on your day-to-day business until it’s too late. Even worse, you only interact with the senior level people you’ve been promised at yearly brand planning meetings. When the meetings end, so does your access. Once again, don’t ask, insist. Your agency obviously has top people or you wouldn’t have awarded them your business. Make sure your brands are a priority for the agency and make sure you have access to the people who have the expertise you need.
4.
If your agency isn't willing to make the changes you request, it may be time to switch agencies.
Our survey respondents agreed: If you’re unhappy with your agency team, don’t hesitate to make a change. The more time you invest in a poor relationship, the poorer the outcome for you.
If that’s where you find yourself these days, it may be time to try DEFY.
We specialize in tailoring agile teams based on the exact needs of your brand. With DEFY, you work with senior level people and you only pay for the talent you need. As we like to say, unlike most advertising agencies, we’re unlike most advertising agencies.
