As a growing agency, we’re looking to expand our client roster and to hire great talent. But just as you don’t hire every candidate, it’s essential for an agency not to take on every potential client. This is a relationship and it’s important for both sides to ensure client-agency fit. Some prospects are easy to pass along. The challenge comes when the call is more nuanced. To help, here are few guidelines we use to make sure we’re the right agency:
Factors to assess client-agency fit
Ability
This is the hardest one. You need to take a cold, hard look in the mirror and know whether you can make a real success of the campaign – better than any other agency. Sure, you might be able to win the account, but can your team knock the execution out of the park? Some clients feel right and are on home turf, others are a logical extension. It’s the ones which are two degrees of separation from your domain that are probably best passed up. Just be honest about what you are good at – that will help your client’s reputation and yours.
Scale
Does this client fit in terms of the scope of the program? Yes, in terms of budget but also the types of activities you’ll be doing. You don’t want a skinny scope where you can’t make a difference. Harder to turn away are the outsized clients you’d love to win, but just don’t have the resources to handle. True, someone has to be the largest client and you need to stretch, but don’t let the current roster suffer as a cuckoo client takes over. If a client is 50% larger than the next or more than 20% of revenues, think carefully whether you are the right firm.
Personality
You have to develop a sixth sense about what the main client contact will be like to work with. This is important for both parties since we each have different working styles. You can’t allow a dysfunctional relationship to develop – it’ll cost you time, energy and potentially staff. The best time to prevent that is before you engage.
Potential
Is this company a winner? You want to work with companies you believe in and that will succeed. They want a team which is committed and on-side. Late market followers or startups which can’t execute are hard to promote and often fail. By contrast, the leaders and disruptors tend to be bolder in their marketing, push harder, hire A-grade staff, and have a more robust pipeline of developments, which goes to fuel future success.
Attitude
How does this company view marketing? Are you going to be a partner or does the company have a track record of churning agencies? That can signal internal issues which they should resolve before engaging another firm.
No prospect who in good faith approaches an agency wants to feel like they are being ‘qualified’. I still hear tales of companies getting turned down flat because their budget is lower than $20k or whatever. That just comes off as self-important and frankly rude. In those first interactions, we’re both looking for the foundations of a successful long-term campaign. It’s in all our interests to guide prospects through that process smoothly, even if it’s not a client-agency fit. But done well, I’ve found these guidelines to be useful in determining if my firm is a match, and in referring clients on when it isn’t. And I’ve found the resulting campaigns and relationships to be the stronger for it.
About the Author
Morgan McLintic is the founder and CEO of startup marketing agency,Firebrand. Firebrand works with early- and late-stage startups to help raise awareness and drive demand. It does this through integrated programs involving PR, content marketing and digital marketing. The firm was recently recognized as the Boutique Agency of the Year by the PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) and awarded Gold Winner of theB2B PR Campaign of the Year by The Drum. Firebrand works with startups in sectors spanning fintech, cybersecurity, AI/ML and infrastructure such as Emburse, Human Interest, Planful, Weaviate and Yubico.
Prior to Firebrand, Morgan was the founder in the US of LEWIS, a global communications firm, which grew to $35m in revenues and 200+ staff in the US, and $75m with 600 staff globally. He has over 30 years' tech experience, both consumer and B2B. At LEWIS, Morgan lead the acquisition of three companies - Page One which was integrated and rebranded as LEWIS Pulse; the Davies Murphy Group, a 65-person PR and marketing consultancy; and Piston, a 50-person full-service digital advertising agency.
Morgan has been a speaker at events for AlwaysOn, Holmes Report, MIT / Stanford VLABs, OnHollywood, PR News, PRSA, Social Media Club, Social Media World Forum, Venture Capital and Private Equity Group, and WITI. PRWEEK named him to its Global PR Powerbook in 2015 and 2016.
Morgan is the host of weekly startup marketing podcast, FiredUp!
