Article: Working In Partnership

partnership

There is a time and a place in any industry where going it alone is not the best option (and sometimes it’s downright foolish), which is why we thought we’d broach the subject of partnerships.  To further clarify this – potentially complicated – subject; we refer specifically to agency partnerships whilst working on individual accounts.

The first question that has to be addressed in relation to any kind of partnership idea is – why bother having one?

Well, the single greatest reason for any kind of agency partnership is for the benefit of your client.  Every agency of every sort wants to believe thaT their clients will never need more than is already on offer in any given project, but the truth of the matter is simply that we can’t be everything to everyone!  There are always other players out there who offer an extra dimension in one particular direction, that have access to certain things that you do not and who, in short, would enhance your clients campaign if you brought them on board. Your client has shown faith in your judgement and your brief by awarding you the contract. You, therefore, have the duty to execute that contract to the best of your ability and this can often involve drafting in another team member.

With this realisation comes the somewhat counterintuitive understanding that if your agency is confident in their quality and recommends another agency to fulfil some part of their obligation to the client then that client is likely to return to you precisely because you are able to display creditable objectivity and, crucially, are able to suggest options that whilst potentially detrimental to yourselves are clearly to the benefit of the client. This kind of behaviour not only earns respect, it earns loyalty.

The second point under “why bother” is one that has been touched on already – agency partnerships really can (and do) result in an enhanced client campaign and greater success for that client.  This should always be your end aim (no, difficult though it may be to believe, profit is not the be all and end all…).

So, partnerships can result in increased success for both you and your client. Brilliant, but what’s the best way to go about it all?

Working in partnership has its pitfalls, different companies behave in different ways, hierarchies and methods are different – none of this should put you off. No, the key to making sure any partnership works is the initial organisation and agreement between the companies involved. The trick is to clearly define roles, points of contact and seniority in any given instance – and to establish the parameters immediately.  There’s nothing more destructive than a partnership that gets into difficulty quickly over small things and then spirals into disintegration in front of a horrified client!

With the ground rules in place collaboration can become a fruitful and enjoyable affair – for all concerned.  Indeed, as well as the client getting a better service delivered all round it’s more than possible that agencies who collaborate find benefits to their relationships that they hadn’t previously considered and, as a result, work together more often across accounts. It’s also true to say that companies who engage in these collaborations and prove themselves skilled and fair in their dealings will be favourably looked on by the rest of the industry (of course word gets around…people talk you know) and may find themselves receiving collaboration requests from diverse and unexpected sources.

In short, collaboration isn’t an admission that you can’t handle the job by yourself – it’s a choice that brings great benefits for your client and your company.

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