The Art of Client Service

Chapter 33Bring Your Clients into the Process Early and Often

Most of my clients have forgotten more than I ever knew about their companies and their brands, and that's not because I wasn't immersed in their business. It's just that my clients bring years of experience to the table, experience working inside their companies, experience I could never begin to fully comprehend, let alone duplicate.

I've always understood the benefit of taking advantage of that. At the onset of a new relationship or a new assignment, I tell my clients, “The agency is going to work incredibly hard on this, but we're going to ask you to work hard with us. We need you to be actively involved. We can't do great work for you unless you help us.”

Then I ask the clients to outline what they expect from the agency and how they would like to work.

Having this kind of client input helps avoid false starts. Early involvement also gives the client a sense of ownership of the work. This is incredibly important when it comes time for the client to champion the work to the company's employees and management.

So don't hesitate to get your client involved early and often. The work will be better for it, as will the process of creating it.