Client Newsletters

WHAT EXACTLY DO CLIENTS WANT & EXPECT FROM A SEARCH CONSULTANT?

The current Porsche review raises that question. Plans for the review had been in the works since early November 2006. When the story broke in the press on March 8th, it stated the client was "currently considering consultants to handle the review process." On March 23rd, they announced they had made that appointment. Most clients assume the consultant plays a pivotal role in the identification of candidates, yet this "pre- consultant" announcement and the 15 days hence gave more than adequate time for every agency in the country with an appetite for a car account to pounce. Time to prepare and dispatch another FedEx bouquet. I know for a fact that many of our agencies did just that.

In a client search, I know what we do. Our virtually fool-proof process identifies agencies that have precisely what the client (or consultant) says they want. Meaning previous category experience, services, target markets, size, age, location, even type of firm. We facilitate all that up-front imperative, but in most cases, we fall back in the shadows after we issue the invitations. Historically, AgencyFinder clients prefer to manage what happens next. We're there to help, but we don't "run" the process. From the client's perspective, they love the confidentiality, the broad selection of agency candidates, and the fact that they get everything we offer at no-cost. From

the agency perspective, most love it, since they always get to speak directly with the client and don't have to speak through any contrived "screen" that we could impose.

There's no particular standard for "search consultants", so it would be helpful for conventional consultants (those hired and compensated by the client to do their bidding) to share, to explain, even to publish a bit more detail of what they do and when, how they affect the ultimate decision, and even how (but not necessarily how much) they get paid.

IF YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT AN AGENCY REVIEW, GET STARTED NOW!

If you're thinking about conducting a search for an agency (new or additional) or some public relations assistance, let me encourage you to begin almost immediately. Memorial Day triggers the agency "summer" - and that generally means half-day or no-day Fridays. I suspect you'll want full attention from your contenders; register here at AgencyFinder this week or next so we can get you started down that path. It's a serious commitment for any client, and we'll help you each step of the way.