Are you the kind of client that agencies desperately want to acquire and retain? Do you know what it takes to be a great client? In “Think Diff erent,” I emphasized the unique qualiti es industry leaders like Apple exhibit with their agencies to get outstanding work. In “How Clients Drive Their Agencies Crazy,” I spoke to the common mistakes made by brand adverti sers working with their agencies that ulti mately lead to poor relati onships and performance. Successful brands are known to be great clients, because unless they are, they are unlikely to succeed. No wonder this is one of most commonly asked questi ons: what will it take to be a kick-ass client?

This is an increasingly demanding environment, and no client can aff ord to miss out on the opportunity to turn roster agencies into highly eff ecti ve and competi ti ve growth engines for their organizati on. Aft er reviewing and compiling the results of our clients’ agency evaluati ons, we can confi dently say what agencies consider great clients to be, and what they share in common.

Great clients…

#1. GIVE ENOUGH TIME AND RESOURCES:Great clients understand that agencies can’t always be in fi re-drill mode to deliver strategically sound work. They give enough ti me for the agency to deliver against their objecti ves. They provide them with the necessary resources to deliver great work.

#2. ARE RESPECTFUL AND COLLABORATIVE:Great clients are straightf orward yet respectf ul. They act with considerati on and show respect – to the agency team, to the work, to the process. They value their agency’s opinion. They act fairly and are always transparent. They foster a spirit of partnership and teamwork to encourage cross-agency collaborati on.

#3. PROVIDE CLEAR DIRECTION:Great clients give clear and consistent directi on to the agency on business challenges. They invest ti me upfront to prepare and use the agency resources wisely. They take ownership of the brief and use it as the reference point throughout.

What Will Make You a Kick-Ass Client

What great clients do to turn their agencies into powerful growth engines.

By: Bruno Gralpois Author/Speaker, Thought-provocateur, Client/Agency Guru, Entrepreneur, Innovator

Our clients’ conti nued accomplishments result from cutti ng-edge practi ces in the area of client/agency performance evaluati ons. See how stronger relati onships contribute to bett er marketi ngContact us at www.agencymaniasoluti ons.com

#4. ARE RISK TAKERS:Great clients are open minded and let their agencies push them. They take calculated risks. They challenge the status quo or encourage their agencies to do so. They are open to innovati ve ideas and criti cal thinking. They encourage and reward innovati on and creati vity.

#5. ARE DEMANDING OF OTHERS AND THEMSELVES:Great clients set realisti c but high expectati ons. They set the bar high. They defi ne success clearly and ensure everyone is focused on driving business results. More importantly, they lead by example.

#6. PROVIDE CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK:Great clients are fair and realisti c, and they realize that they get what they pay for. They provide constructi ve, clear, consolidated and ti mely feedback and rati onalize their decisions.

#7. COMMUNICATE PROACTIVELY:Great clients communicate oft en, share relevant informati on and make themselves accessible to their agency partners. They make sure data and relevant informati on are freely shared between team members and agencies. They involve the agency early on.

#8. INSPIRE OTHERS:Great clients moti vate others by inspiring them and making them feel valued and appreciated. They are talent magnets. They know how to best leverage the talent of their agency. Agencies actually enjoy working for them.

#9. CHAMPION IDEAS AND ARE ACCOUNTABLE:Great clients stand behind the work, no matt er the outcome. They feel mutually accountable for the work. They champion big ideas and help bring them to life. They approve work in a ti mely manner or get input from key decision makers.

Bruno Gralpois is the co-founder of Agency Mania Soluti ons, a premier service and technology fi rm specialized in helping companies realize the transformati onal value of managed partnerships. Bruno is the author of best-seller “Agency Mania” and the former chair of the Associati on of Nati onal Adverti sers (ANA) Client/Agency Committ ee and a faculty member of the ANA School of Marketi ng.

If you would like to learn how to drive greater value from your client/agency relati onships, consider reading Agency Mania www.amzn.com/159079205X or signing up for our complimentary Industry Update www.agencymaniasoluti ons.com/subscribe.

GIVE ENOUGH TIME AND RESOURCES

PROVIDE CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK

ARE RESPECTFUL AND COLLABORATIVE

COMMUNICATE PRACTIVELY

PROVIDE CLEAR DIRECTION

INSPIRE OTHERS

ARE RISK TAKERS

CHAMPION IDEAS AND ARE ACCOUNTABLE

ARE DEMANDING OF OTHERS AND THEMSELVES

TAKE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITYARE APPRECIATIVE AND SUPPORTIVE

#10. TAKE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY:Great clients understand their role in making the relati onship successful. They are willing to look under the hood and address behaviors that negati vely impact the relati onship and the work. They are willing to listen and take acti on resulti ng from the agency’s feedback.

#11. ARE APPRECIATIVE AND SUPPORTIVE:Great clients acknowledge great work and celebrate talent, which in turn contributes to talent retenti on and ulti mately bett er work. They believe that a successful agency translates into bett er talent and service.

The famous and visionary Dutch arti st Vincent van Gogh used to say: “Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.” The same can be said of great clients. Follow these best practi ces, be the client every agency wants and see the work quality and performance thrive.