Last week, I talked about the importance of making your relationship with your marketing agency as productive as possible. I shared the first two rules that I’ve learned over the years of being on both the client and the agency side (1. Be respectful and 2. Share). Here are the other two simple rules:

3. Expect the best: If you agency turns in something you think isn’t up to par, tell them so. Don’t accept anything less than their best work. You deserve it and good agencies will enjoy the challenge and the expectations.

4. Treat them as a partner in your success: Your agency is there to help you. Whether it’s for strategic planning and ideas or creative execution, or both, they are there to make your life easier. If you treat them as a partner in your success and share your successes with them, you’ll have a strong client-agency relationship.

The other thing I didn’t mention last week is that if you have a strong agency relationship, you’d be amazed at all the little things they do for you and for which they never charge. Many clients are surprised when they suddenly don’t have that agency anymore for whatever reason and they realize how many little projects they sent to their agency and how much it can suddenly cost. Agencies don’t bother with billing for very small projects because it can cost more to bill for it than to just do it.

A great agency relationship is definitely a primary way to optimize your marketing spend and expand your capabilities quickly.

Jenn

Whether you’re just starting out working with an agency or have been doing so for a while, it’s important to know how to make this relationship as productive as possible. There are four simple rules that I’ve learned over the years of being on both the client and the agency side:

1. Be respectful: Respect your agency’s time and resources as you would your own. Agencies are there to help. Let them do that by giving them as much warning as possible when you need a project done, so they can rearrange their resources to accommodate your needs. And be sure to pay on time – there’s nothing more disrespectful than someone who doesn’t pay promptly.

2. Share: Include key agency people in important meetings and tell them any organizational news that is shared internally. Again, give them the tools they need to help you be successful. If they are in the dark about the winds of change, they can’t be thinking of solutions for you.

Next week I’ll share rules #3 and #4.

When you have a strong agency relationship, you’ll have a partner who can pull you out of almost any pickle that can happen in a rapidly changing environment. And that is worth its weight in gold.


Jenn

Now that you’re hired that great agency, you need to understand what you can expect from them as your partner for success.

You should expect great performance. Every agency person wants to be able to do a great job. If you share relevant information and give them reasonable deadlines, they should be able to produce great work for you. Work that takes your breath away. Agencies and creatives live and die by their last project. We walk on a knife edge every day and we love it. So you should expect nothing less than great performance.

You should expect flexibility. Agencies are built around their client’s changing business requirements. Agency life is unpredictable and not for everyone. But for those that thrive on challenge and change, those crazy requests are like a gauntlet thrown down and the drive to fulfill is a thrill. You need something tomorrow? Call your agency as soon as you know. You might be surprised at what they can do.

You should expect them to be a partner. Your agency is as much a part of your organization as any other team. They should be as invested in your success as you are. Be sure you have clear metrics for success and hold them accountable. Most agencies will welcome the inclusion and the expectations.

It’s okay to have high expectations for your agency. You have high expectations for your company and they are a part of that dream now. Next week, I’ll share some guidelines for how you can get the most from this dynamic relationship.

Jenn

So you’re thinking about hiring an agency. Good for you! That means you’re ready to expand and are taking the next step of securing help so you can get there. Whether you’re looking for a marketing agency, a PR agency, or an integrated agency, there are some important guidelines to help choose:

1. Learn the agency’s style and philosophy: Some agencies are what I call “order takers” – they will do whatever you want without asking any questions or suggesting improvements. If you have a dictatorial style, and are frustrated by people who ask questions, this is your best bet. If you prefer someone who will partner with you at a more strategic level, will challenge your assumptions, will ask questions and make suggestions for improvements, then you need an agency with people who will be able to do that. Be clear about your own needs and be sure you understand who you’re working with before you sign on the dotted line.

2. Check their client list: I am not suggesting this for the usual reasons most people do this, which is to see which “big names” are on their list (sometimes they may have done the creative equivalent of stuffing envelopes for a big company …). You want to know who is on their client list because that will help you address where YOU fit in. You do not want to be their smallest account, nor do you want to be their biggest. The ideal place is to be on the upper side of one of their larger accounts. That kind of client gets the very best attention. The agency has enough experiences and resources to cover most of your needs easily and is hungry to fill the ones they don’t have immediately available.

So go out there and choose a great agency. You’re taking an exciting first step towards realizing your company’s dreams.

Jenn

A branded executive event can do wonders for your sales cycle. I recently attended an executive forum hosted by a large payroll company and it was a great experience for many of the attendees. The company was seeking to have the attendees sign on as customers, but they provided solid value in the form of information and netwroking opportunities.

The one-day, two-night event was hosted at a beautiful inn in Yountville, in the heart of Napa Valley. The agenda for the day included speakers from the venture capital community, risk management experts, and HR experts from various companies. The speakers were informative and helped the attending executives take a broader look at their businesses. Additionally, the day provided many opportunities for isolated C-level attendees to share their concerns with fellow execs. It's often difficult for execs to discuss the challenges they face with anyone inside their own company so being able to connect with others who share the same concerns is a very valuable experience.

As a result of the valuable information and the networking opportunities provided, the host company was bathed in a very favorable light. The host provided these busy execs with a nice retreat and great opportunity to look beyond the day-to-day. In my work with execs, I can tell you that there is precious little time for such strategic thinking.

As my associate said to them, "I really appreciate that today wasn't a pitch. I get that all the time. I appreciate that this was something valuable." So aptly said.

I have developed many executive events over the years and the best are always valuable versus merely a sales pitch -- as this event was in Napa. The execs know why they are there. The host company wants to sell them something. But never abuse trust that by pitching to them AT the event. Provide them with some valuable information, and lots of opportunity to network with their peers and they will remember you when it's time to choose the service or product you offer.

Let's talk about how we can create an executive event that supports your brand and leaves your customers grateful to you.

Until next week,

Jenn

Over the last three weeks, I’ve shared some common rules I’ve used in naming new companies/products/services over the years. Hopefully these guidelines will be helpful to you.

Another big decision in the naming process is deciding whether you really want a real word name (or a close approximation) like Apple or Google, or are willing to flex to something that’s an imaginary word made from combination of syllables, like Escalade. It is infinitely more difficult to find a real word or a variation of one that fills all of the criteria above, so if that is something that you have your heart set on, know that you may have to give up on one of the rules above.

Now that I’ve made the naming process sound daunting (unfortunately, it can be …), remember, this is also a fun process and will be an important part of your corporate identity for many years to come. Also remember that the name does not make the company, the company makes the name. Over time, the name you choose will come to be infused with all the brand characteristics that represent your new company.

Best of luck with your new company name!

Jenn

Over the last two weeks, I shared some important rules about naming a company/product/service including making short, memorable, easy to say, with a good URL and being sure it won’t translate into something awful in another language. The final two rules include that the new name should be:

6. Available in your category – you will need to register your name within a certain category (hence you’ll need legal help) and you need to be sure the name you want isn’t already taken by someone else in the same category. If you’ve followed Rule #2, you should be fine. I haven’t looked, but I’d be willing to bet a large diamond that “American Paint Supply” actually exists and that means that it’s “taken” in the “paint supply” category and you’d discover that once you applied for your new business entity documentation.
7. NEVER be an acronym – this is a major pet peeve of mine and one I see all the time. Folks say, “Well, what about IBM?” Yes, well, when you have literally billions of dollars to spend on marketing and branding, and several decades in which to establish that brand, go ahead, use an acronym. (IBM, by the way, was created because everyone got tired of saying “International Business Machines” (ten syllables … see Rule #1).

Next week, I’ll discuss some broader issues about naming that you should also be considering when you name your new company/product/service.

Jenn

Last week, I talked about the importance of keeping the new company/product/service name short and memorable. Those two rules are a great start, and here are a few others to consider. The new name should be:

3. Easy to Pronounce – if people can’t figure out how to pronounce it, that will make it harder to remember. Something that follows the natural rules of the English language work well.
4. Not Vulgar/Negative in Another Language – in this flat world, it’s crucial that you have a good linguist look at your list of names. It’s surprising sometimes what the translation can mean. Apparently Chevy had a hard time selling the Nova in Mexico when they launched it. A Spanish linguist could have saved them grief and untold millions since “No va” translates to “no go” in Spanish.
5. Available with a good URL – this is so critical as you need the URL to match with your company name. And, yes, all the good ones are taken. It’s much easier to buy a new URL than it is to try to wrestle it away from someone who’s squatting on your favorite new name. Check before you leap.

Next week I’ll share the final rules for choosing a good company/product/service name.

Jenn

Those of you who read my blog or who have worked with me during one of our Brand DNA Workshops, know that I stress that one of the key elements of a great brand is being bold in your brand promise. Take some cues from LifeLock. They know how to be bold!


Jenn

So you’ve decided to have a … company. One of the first (of many) decisions is what to name it, right? This is an important, and often emotional, decision that is no less crucial than naming a baby. Except there can be more than one Brittany or Jennifer (trust me on that one … there were five in my kindergarten class!) in the class for babies. Not so for companies, so it’s even more challenging.

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to share some of the guidelines I’ve used over the years of naming products, services and companies. The new name should be:

1. Short – meaning no more than 2-3 syllables. If it’s more than that, people will automatically shorten it and you’ll be forced to adapt. Beverages and More has gradually adapted to being called by it’s once nickname, BevMo. That works fine but it would have been easier to have kept the name shorter to begin with! And no, 1-3 syllables does not mean 4; it means 1-3 syllables. Period.
2. Memorable – some names are just of so forgettable. Typically they are either very weird (like Zilinx) or very generic, like American Paint Supply. Make it something people will remember, something with style. For this reason, I have never understood why car manufacturers name their cars using numbers. Very arcane and hard to remember. Your company is distinct – make sure the name is too!

Next week I’ll share a few more of the rules for choosing a good name for your new “baby.”

Jenn