It’s the thing every PR professional has encountered at least once and dreads: the time when a client leaves you in the dark as to what they’re planning on doing, or worse, already doing. Sometimes it happens and there’s nothing you can do about it, but here are a few tips to help ensure you’re always in the loop:
1) Be Team Oriented: Help your client move away from the mentality that his business and your agency are two separate entities and start talking about the relationship as a team. You’re both playing for the same side, and should have the same agreed upon goals.
2) Pick up the Phone: Make time to speak with your client! It may sound simple, but when you have a hundred irons in the fire, sometimes this can slip through the cracks. If you don’t regularly touch base – via email, phone or in person – it’s likely you won’t be “in the know”, let alone be able to formulate a unified strategy.
3) Encourage brainstorming: Two heads are better than one, so organize a collaborative brainstorming session.
4) Establish Trust: This happens over time, but once it’s built, you’ll be amazed at how much easier your job will become. Suddenly your client will be telling you about his company’s problems before he tells his own advisors, and your recommendations may be accepted on the first go round. All because you’ve proven your commitment to the client and made him look good in the process!
We’d love to hear from you, so tell us how you developed a successful, collaborative partnership with your client in the comment section below.
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