If you are a PR pro who’s ever worked at an agency, then you know this scenario far too well.
One of your clients – let’s call them Joe’s Laundromat – has a huge launch coming up. Big money has been invested in it and Joe thinks this is the biggest news to hit the industry since the invention of the steam iron.
Upon hearing this news, the agency PR team gets together and writes out a strategy that they believe will help drive success for this launch. However, the agency’s plan does not involve all of the tactics that Joe is eager to move forward with. Despite the agency’s counsel, Joe wants to move forward doing things his way. The agency agrees.
So what am I trying to get at? For starters, every client (and every agency for that matter) is different. Some clients will do everything you tell them to do, others will do the exact opposite. When this happens, the key is to try and not get frustrated. At the end of the day, you can only push back so much. A client is ultimately going to make the decisions no matter how persuasive your argument may be. Whether their way works or doesn’t is irrelevant. Your job is to provide the best counsel possible no matter what.
There will always be new opportunities to provide counsel to clients, and even those like Joe’s Laundromat will occasionally surprise you and take your advice. So don’t get down and out. Be patient, keep working hard, and good things will happen eventually.
