The agency of the future – Long live the past
The advertising industry and agencies as their most visible proponents have thrived on the growth of the consumption class for the past 100 years. Shouldn’t the prediction that by 2025 a staggering 4.2 billion people will be part of the consuming class be great…
Perception vs reality; do you know or do you think you know?
In 20 years of assessing buyer-supplier business relationships, one of the constant themes we have seen is how often relationships suffer from the perception-reality gap. The implications of this can be commercially catastrophic if you are a service provider who thinks a client…
Electronic communication doesn’t build sustainable relationships
The most successful client relationship managers have one key skill in common: a commitment to spending what we call ‘face time’ with their clients. There was a time when it was accepted that, as part of working life, you would spend a lot of…
Ten guaranteed ways to lose a pitch
“Winning a pitch takes a lot of time and effort. Unfortunately, some suppliers seem to go out of their way to lose by lack of preparation and research.” Winning new business takes a lot of time and effort. There are a number of ways…
Working with clients: “it’s not just what you do; it’s the way that you do it”
Service providers should be quick to adapt their way of working according to client needs. Flexible business models can give competitive edge. Clients increasingly want to see more flexible ways of working from service providers. A one-size-fits-all approach no longer works when clients’ business…
Is your senior team ever enough to win a pitch by themselves?
Over the last few weeks I’ve been working on a number of reviews of pitches and tenders that have been lost by agencies and professional services firms. There has been a common theme that has contributed to all of these, and that has been the…
Brands need a higher purpose [Trends 2015]
“Today consumers want meaning and value.” Everyone is looking for meaning and fulfilment. Today, consumers want meaning and value that go beyond products and services. Consumers have developed a buying conscience and seek brands that vindicate their purchasing decision. Everyone is looking for more fulfilment…
It’s what you don’t know that gets you fired
In this article, I want to introduce you to a new concept called Relationship Risk Management. The notion of Risk Management is a well-established business idea. Managing stakeholder relationship is not traditionally associated with risk management but in our view, it could be the biggest…
Building Strong Client-Agency Relationships
Judy Neer, CEO of the Pile Group, recently asked in AdAge why an industry founded on the principles of good communications is so reluctant to engage in regular professional assessment of its service relationships. Given her own search firm has the most to gain…
Supplier Relationship Management – A series of short discussions
Managing supplier relationships to manage risk How seriously does your organisation take supplier relationship management (SRM)? In some organisations, the management of supplier relationships is delegated to those who may be at the more junior end of the experience continuum and adopt a heavily…