How to be a Good Client in Five Easy Ways!

Ankita Mahabir, Founder, Socially India shares her perspective on being a good client with this fun read.

Over the last few years, we’ve seen a number of articles do the rounds around the internet for “how to pick a good agency” or “how to make sure your agency’s the right fit for you.” Sure, these are valid issues to talk about but you know what - working with an agency is a two-way street!

We’re speaking as people who’ve worked in client servicing for nearly two decades and we’d like to go on record saying that it takes two to tango, people. Sure, you need to carefully vet your agency before signing them on. And you need creative, intelligent, and hard-working people who “get” your brand in the same way you do.

But! As a client, you can also take a few essential steps to make this tango a lot smoother for your agency.

Honestly people - we want  to work with you and we want a happy, long-term relationship with you. But it’s not always us. Sometimes it’s you too. And to reset the balance, we’d like to share a few pointers with all of you on how to be good clients as well.

Ready? Here we go!

1. Pay on Time, Please

This one’s a no-brainer!

We understand there can be delays with processing payments but there’s a difference between issues arising and casual negligence (and we’re good at telling which one’s which!).

But just for a second, consider this - you’ve hired an agency where a team of people works really hard for you; timely payments for the team should be a given.

And don’t duck under the radar when we come calling for our invoices to be cleared. We see you when you’ve read our messages!

2. Don’t Play the Blame Game

Listen, things go wrong everywhere and all the time. Yes, we make mistakes, but ya know what - you make ‘em too.

Do you remember that time when you got really worked up about something you thought was your agency’s fault? Vs. that time when someone on your team made a mistake and you responded with a really small and sheepish “Oops”?

Yeah. We remember it too.

Tell you what - if we make a mistake or do something you don’t like, talk to us like the mature professionals you are. Don’t paint us like we’re the worst people to exist on the planet and we’ll be more than happy to go out of our way to help you.

3. Work as a Team

We’re going to let you in on a secret - we DO care about your brand, because it’s also in OUR best interest to keep working with you.

And by the way - please note that we said working “with” you, not “for you”.

Treat your agency - with dignity - like an extended team, keep us involved with the internal changes and decisions that affect digital and you’ll see these small changes working wonders for your business and your own clients.

Also Read: Client agency relationship: A myth in today’s day and age? 

4. Mutual Respect

This one’s another no-brainer, but it’s quite surprising how often this very basic fundamental aspect of a working relationship is missing.

Respect goes both ways and if you treat your agency poorly, you’ll never get their best work from them. As digital agencies and as creative people who want to see people happy, we have a natural tendency to bend over backwards for our work to be liked.

However, when your interactions with us lack respect, a tiny bit of our love for your brand dies. We’ll still do what’s needed but you won’t get that extra mile we’re always willing to go for the people we love.

5. Have Fun!

How is this not a thing already?!

We truly, madly, deeply love digital marketing because it knows no bounds. You quite literally don’t know what will take off with your consumers when you wake up in the morning.

And best of all, it’s just a whole lot of fun! And fun begets more fun, so let’s redo the grave stance at meetings, because we’re not passing around jail sentences here.

We bring a tonne of energy and enthusiasm into our work and into all of our meetings with our clients - please tap into it and let’s just enjoy working together!

This article is authored by Ankita Mahabir, a digital nut who's in love with the well-written word and brings over 8 dedicated years of experience in digital media. She believes that an excellent digital strategy is rooted in good content.