Florida recently imposed a law requiring couples to receive counseling before they could get married, the latest state's effort to try to cut back on the 50% divorce rate
across the U. S.
In the PR business today, the prognosis for client-agency unions is no better. Maybe we could take some lessons from marriage guides, which warn that the seeds of failure are
in three courtship myths.
Myth 1: You'll know Mr. (or Ms.) Right when you meet him (or her).
Since it's easy to get swept off your feet in a courtship, the marriage guides all recommend setting expectations in a mate before jumping into the hunt. Most agency/client
matches go wrong after the post-selection honeymoon, when the agency and client discover they view the assignment very differently.
Before a client even starts an agency search, the senior PR officer should set PR objectives that support the company's business goals and that contain tangible criteria of
successful agency performance. For example: "Within six months of the launch of our new software product, agency will supplement our internal media relations efforts by obtaining
and publicizing third-party endorsements from at least 30% of each of our key influencer groups - major research analysts and consultants, securities analysts and our 25 largest
customers." The Institute for Public Relations (352/392-0280) publishes a useful "Guide to Setting Measurable Objectives."
A wise client company also will involve its in-house PR staff in articulating the agency's role in achieving said objectives. I once hired a PR firm only to find that my own
staff felt that I had given the agency all the sexy strategic responsibilities, leaving them the drudgework. More often, what happens is that both in-house and agency staffers
end up tackling the same tasks without communicating with each other. This makes for inefficiency and cloudy accountability, not to mention wasted resources. If you don't
delineate responsibilities prior to agency selection, your in-house and agency teams will begin their relationship antagonistically competing for the "fun" jobs.
Myth 2: Playing the field increases the chances of finding Mr. Right.
In searching for a mate, some people expend so much energy and meet so many candidates that they never get around to making a decision. Then, with time running out on the
biological clock, they rush to make a selection - and are left to pick from a much-diminished field of candidates.
I can name one high-profile agency search with eight competitors that's currently scheduled to drag out through the entire summer for an assignment that will begin in the
fall. Won't the agencies all be a blur when the client gets around to making its choice? And how many excellent agencies do you suppose passed on the opportunity to
compete in that overloaded horse race?
In today's hot public relations market, most agencies have more work than they can handle. To maintain the quality of their work for current clients, the more prudent agencies
are restricting the new business they pursue. They're also evaluating the sensibility of the selection process and the odds of success. And unless an agency is desperate for
business, eight-to-one odds aren't very sensible.
It also doesn't make sense for clients to put their own staff through the distractions of a prolonged agency search. Three or four candidates will offer an ideal range of
choices. Clients should invite a mix of national/local, specialist/generalist, and big/small agencies. Most of the PR trade publications offer directories from which a client can
create a short list. The Council of Public Relations Firms also offers an online search tool that screens candidates by size, location, specialty and industry experience. (http://www.prfirms.org/findafirm/)
Myth 3: Good romancers don't always make good spouses.
Marriage experts warn that most marriages fail due to factors that simply can't be experienced and tested during a courtship, such as disagreements about parenting and the
pressures of aging. Clients often have a selection process that encourages a false sense of security, leading to the choice of a firm that's good at pitching new business, but
weak in long-term client service.
It's tempting, for example, to ask candidate agencies to prepare elaborate strategic and creative proposals to win your business. But that presumes the PR firm has the type of
knowledge of the client company that can only be developed with the in-depth research and strategic insight that comes after an agency is hired and becomes an insider. The
practice devalues the strategic nature of PR counsel and rewards romancing instead of results.
The best way to find an agency you can grow old with is to review case studies in which they solved problems similar to yours and enjoyed successful, long-term relationships.
For extra insurance, seek references from former and current clients and meet with the agency staffers who would work on your account to assess personal chemistry.
Jack Bergen is president of the Council of PR Firms, which offers a detailed checklist of successful agency selection practices, called "A Guide for Clients in Hiring a PR
Firm." To obtain a copy, call 1-877-PRFIRMS.