Most of us don’t want to be confrontational with clients, let alone prospects.
It’s natural, then, that many agency leaders leave incorrect expectations or assumptions unchallenged.
But that’s a mistake.
If you hear (or sense) that a prospect or client has an expectation that is unrealistic or simply doesn’t match your own, then you need to raise it as soon as possible.
The longer an assumption or expectation lingers, the more difficult it is to address.
I’ll talk about this more later on in this week’s newsletter, but first let’s take a look at what Jen has rounded up for us this week.
— Chip Griffin, SAGA Founder
Weekly Roundup
Below are some articles, blog posts, podcasts, and videos that we came across during the past week or so that provide useful perspective and information for PR and marketing agency owners. While we don’t necessarily endorse all of the views expressed in these links, we think they are worth your time.
— Jen Griffin, SAGA Community Manager
Latest from SAGA
- Preparing your agency for an uncertain future (Agency Leadership Podcast)
Articles & Blog Posts
- Your Culture is a Safety Net (Punctuation)
- When Brands Skip the Pitch Consultants—and Go to LinkedIn Instead (RSW/US)
- What Does Great Leadership Look Like? (Hint: It’s More Than Just Results.) (Anchor Advisors)
- How To Start a Podcast for Free (And Why Your Agency Should) (AgencyAnalytics)
Podcast Episodes
- The Uncomfortable Truth About Brand Storytelling (Spin Sucks)
- When Your Clients Talk to Each Other (2Bobs)
- Surviving the SEO Evolution: How Brandon Leibowitz Adapted to 17 Years of Industry Changes (The Digital Agency Growth Podcast)
- Utilizing Zero Click Content for Better Engagement (That Solo Life)
- Building a Model for Your Agency, with Carson Pierce (The Agency Profit Podcast)
- Navigating SEO’s Evolution With Nick Musica (The Marketing Agency Leadership Podcast)
Videos
- “Should we use proposal template software?” (The Sutter Company)
AI in focus
- AI: Opportunity vs. Risk, with Adam Nathan (The Innovative Agency)
- Does AI Put Communication Expertise At Risk? (For Immediate Release)
- The AI-Ready Agency: 5 Steps to Reducing Your Agency’s AI Risks Right Now (Legal + Creative)
- Meet Your New Team Mates: AI Agents Can Help (Bureau of Digital)
Challenge mismatched expectations with clients early
As I sometimes do, I will start with a confession.
I have kept my mouth shut when I heard a prospect or client say something that I knew was unrealistic or unachievable.
My rationale was that they would simply forget about it (they don’t) or I could steer them in a different direction later on because of my extraordinary abilities (rarely worked).
It’s common to seek to avoid confrontations — even friendly ones — with prospects and clients. We want them to like us, and we want to avoid friction that might keep us from winning, retaining, or growing the account.
But it’s a mistake.
When we leave mismatched expectations unchecked, we are setting ourselves up for failure later on.
If we have a prospect who is expecting coverage from the Wall Street Journal, and we don’t push back they will be disappointed at some point — even if we got what we know is a homerun placement for them somewhere else.
I actually now view it as a win if I push back on expectations and the prospect still doesn’t agree.
If our expectations aren’t aligned, I would prefer not to have the account.
My goal is to secure clients who share an understanding with me about what can be done, how it will be done, and what it will cost.
When an agency and its client aren’t on the same page, it makes things stressful for team members on both sides. It often impairs profitability as the agency tries to accomplish the impossible — or over-deliver elsewhere to compensate. And it usually ends in an unsatisfying (and sometimes messy) breakup.
So when you notice a prospect’s expectations aren’t aligned with your own in a new business meeting, push back and try to find common ground.
If you notice a client’s expectations not matching your own in a strategy session or other setting, resolve it as quickly as possible.
Success comes when agencies and clients have aligned their expectations well.
