Finished? Okay now, 3) write down the directly related, tangible results
that are evident at the conclusion of your client projects. In other words,
what are the specific features of the results you or your agency delivers
to your clients that your competitors do not deliver to theirs?
Now, 4) write down precisely how these results fulfill the brand promise
you use in your marketing and your pitches.
Was this simple exercise easy for you? Were you able to make your lists
without hesitation? Did everything work out as expected and did the results
you listed describe your original promise? How many of you got stuck somewhere?
If you got stuck anywhere on this little exercise, I’ll bet that you
have the feeling that at some point in your projects you or your agency
go from being special and inspired to being plain, mundane, run of the mill,
…average. Somewhere along the way, you lose your brand promise. Why? I’ll
bet that the reason some of you lose your brand promise before the end
of your projects is that you get drawn into the uninspired, apathetic,
myopic, “make do” world inhabited by your clients.
At some point many projects go from being about what you or your agency
can bring to your clients’ vision and execution to being about just satisfying
clients’ low expectations and getting the project finished, done, out
the door. Regardless of what the reasons are, this result means that you’re
failing on your promise to your clients. Specifically why this happens
is surely an individual issue, as the possibilities are manifold. But
there may be some things you can do to prevent this sort of failure, or
at least enlist your clients’ help in preventing it.
Define the promise and define responsibilities
Your clients hire you or your agency for specific reasons. In each case
it is likely that your brand promise was significant in their decision.
Or perhaps it was how you or one of your staff members seemed to “get
it” and shared an inspired vision and result during initial meetings about
their project. In any event, they hire you to deliver something you suggested
you could deliver – something that they believed none of the others they
spoke to could deliver.
So when they sign your contracts, in their minds they’re contracting
with you to receive that special something that you seemed to have …something
they want or desperately need. So where is that “something” defined in
your contract? Well, surely it’s not defined in the contract because that
result is only possible with the client’s full cooperation and participation,
right? And we all know how most clients would rather pass a kidney stone
than cooperate and participate sufficiently in their own creative/Web/marketing
projects. And we’re usually powerless to compel them to do so.
At some point many projects go from being about what you or your agency
can bring to your clients’ vision and execution to being about just satisfying
clients’ low expectations and getting the project finished, done, out
the door.
So define these promises and responsibilities in the contracts. Really,
detail how the specifics of the inspired and elegant results are wholly
contingent on the client’s commitment and participation. But DO NOT merely
state how the client must deliver content by such and such date, or how
they must be in–contact during the project or specific phases of it, or
how timely approvals are essential. This is all necessary but it has nothing
to do with your ability to deliver the special results they’re expecting.
Instead, your contracts should have specific references to the high ideals
and special qualities of the desired results that were integral in their
decision to work with you; how your brand promise meets their specific
needs. Your contracts should be as much about your requirements of the
client for your being able to satisfy those needs – as they are about
quantifying the deliverables.
Your contracts should have passages that state your client’s responsibilities
to work at your level – not the other way around. You’re the professional
they hired to do what they cannot do or conceive of themselves. They are
required to work at your high level rather than their own (most likely)
make–do, apathetic level. Make sure that they understand that the results
of the project will directly reflect their own participation and level
of commitment.
Detail in the initial meetings that you cannot simply “flip the switch”
and make their company seem great. They’re required to live up to the
ideals they set forth with you. In fact, it might be a good idea to give
them a little speech, something like this:
In signing this contract with us, know that you’re also committing to
a contract with yourselves; with your employees and your own customers.
Your commitment to this project will define the character of your company
for your employees, your investors, your customers, and potential customers.
Your commitment to this project will be directly reflected in the results.
By hiring our agency you’ve enlisted our expertise at how best to accomplish
the goals that your team and our team have defined. In order to accomplish
those goals we require your untiring and enthusiastic participation and
cooperation – even if you don’t fully understand some of the elements
of that participation (which we’ll work hard to make clear). In the end,
we can only accomplish what we are allowed to accomplish; the quality
of the result will depend significantly on the quality of your participation.
Something like this should probably be spoken during your initial meetings
and a copy of something similar should absolutely be included in the contracts
– made conspicuous, repeated, and referred to often.
What about your commitment?
So that last part takes care of some important commitments required of
clients, but this only allows you to have the chance to do what you promised.
You’re ultimately responsible for the quality of the result. If you don’t
believe that, you’re in the wrong profession.
Remember the start of this article …the 4–step exercise to see if you
even know how you or your agency is supposed to provide value to your
clients? In order to fulfill your responsibilities, you’ve got to be clear
on each step and the results have to describe the original brand promise.
If any of the steps give you trouble, you do indeed have trouble.
Having a clearly defined sense of what makes you or your agency special
or superior is essential in your being able to responsibly serve your
clients.
If you’re not able to clearly define number one (your brand promise),
I’m not sure what I can say to help you. You’ve either got no clearly
defined passion for your work or your company is without an identity.
Some would say, without a soul. Best of luck to you.
If you’re okay on one, but number two is problematic (your precise role
in delivering on the brand promise), again I’m not sure what to say. This
should be a no–brainer. If you or others in your group/company don’t know
how their work fits into the scheme of delivering the specifics of your
brand promise, you or your company have no business helping other companies
with design or marketing of any kind. I sincerely hope this is not the
case with you or your agency.
Numbers three and four are where most of us will run into trouble (tangible
results and how they directly relate to your brand promise). I believe
that having a strong sense of the concepts in the first two questions
goes a long way toward ensuring that your promise is fulfilled, in some
measure, at the conclusion of projects. If not, or if not completely,
I expect that there are morale problems at work or an unclear idea of
what exactly your brand promise is and how you’re supposed to ensure it
gets fulfilled.
Having a clearly defined sense of what makes you or your agency special
or superior is essential in your being able to responsibly serve your
clients. Some might say that one can do professional work, just make a
good living, without any real sense of how you embody and deliver quality.
But I say that’s professionally irresponsible. I say we’ve got to have
a clear set of superior ideals and a clear method for delivering on those
ideals. But it should also be clear that ideal results are not possible
without clients assuming responsibility for the requisite level and quality
of participation. We’ve got to work to cultivate commitment on both sides
and to define the relevant responsibilities for both sides.
Here’s a question for you to answer for yourself: How are you doing this
now or how will you in the future?
