Ugh, this. I actually work much more in B2C vs. B2B but the issue is the same....agencies are often afraid to ask the hard questions and do the upfront work necessary to be successful. I think they often get pressured by clients to get tactical (and get results) too quickly and while I respect the fact that we need to prove our worth and justify the cost of the investment, this is where I see major outages in PR programs. And if clients resist this part of the program...that's a red flag to me.
Do you also believe if B2C or B2B PR agencies pushed back on prospects that aren't prepared and won't soon be prepared for PR, many shops would close? I feel the signing of ill-fitting clients has roots in a weak industrywide backbone and need to keep the lights on, especially amongst leadership and biz dev teams. That has polluted the discipline. To think that's how countless agency-client relationships begin is disturbing. By rushing to prove their value, agencies jump into "prove it" mode. Thanks for taking the time to drop a thought here, Kathy.
John, I agree with this 100 percent. In fact, it was one of the reasons I left the agency world. Of course, I understand when you have a staff to pay you may feel the need to make certain choices, but I found that sometimes agencies were in such a rush to collect a paycheck that they jumped in without asking the right questions or setting boundaries and expectations upfront. I don't think enough agencies talk about how PR works and some of the realities of the process because they don't want to scare off clients. Too much pressure to close business at all costs to make revenue goals!
Ugh, this. I actually work much more in B2C vs. B2B but the issue is the same....agencies are often afraid to ask the hard questions and do the upfront work necessary to be successful. I think they often get pressured by clients to get tactical (and get results) too quickly and while I respect the fact that we need to prove our worth and justify the cost of the investment, this is where I see major outages in PR programs. And if clients resist this part of the program...that's a red flag to me.
Do you also believe if B2C or B2B PR agencies pushed back on prospects that aren't prepared and won't soon be prepared for PR, many shops would close? I feel the signing of ill-fitting clients has roots in a weak industrywide backbone and need to keep the lights on, especially amongst leadership and biz dev teams. That has polluted the discipline. To think that's how countless agency-client relationships begin is disturbing. By rushing to prove their value, agencies jump into "prove it" mode. Thanks for taking the time to drop a thought here, Kathy.
John, I agree with this 100 percent. In fact, it was one of the reasons I left the agency world. Of course, I understand when you have a staff to pay you may feel the need to make certain choices, but I found that sometimes agencies were in such a rush to collect a paycheck that they jumped in without asking the right questions or setting boundaries and expectations upfront. I don't think enough agencies talk about how PR works and some of the realities of the process because they don't want to scare off clients. Too much pressure to close business at all costs to make revenue goals!