The other day I had a conversation with an entrepreneur who wanted advice on a rather disappointing experience with his PR firm. Chief among his concerns were that the agency focused too much on activity and not enough on results; that the pitch team leader was nowhere to be seen after a few weeks on the account; and that there was a general lack of understanding of the business he operates in.

The problem for the PR industry is that these complaints seem all too commonplace. More often than not, when we are approached by potential clients considering changing agencies, these are the reasons given.

Nobody’s perfect, of course, but hearing these same complaints consistently over the years makes me think this is an issue the PR industry needs to take seriously. How can we ensure we deliver real value to our clients and enhance the reputation of our field? I believe there are a few guiding principles that will make us all winners in the long run.

Understand where the sweet spot lies. A successful PR campaign for one business might be another’s failure. It is critical that the agency uncovers the true measures of success for each individual client – and then creates a tailored programme to achieve that success.
It’s the results that count, not the effort. A client once said this to me and, painful as it was to hear at the time, he was right. If you are genuinely putting a lot of effort into something and it isn’t working, it’s probably time to rethink the strategy.

Be honest about what’s achievable. Telling a prospect at the pitch that you can get him into the Financial Times every week may win the business, but it will undoubtedly end in tears when you can’t deliver. If we are professionals, it is as much our job to tell people what won’t work as it is to provide them with options for activity that will work. And if you agree together to experiment with something, set a timeframe and don’t judge the outcome before you’ve given it a chance.

Put forward the team that will work on the business. Not long ago we lost a pitch because when asked if I (as the MD) would work on the account, we answered that I would be available, but would not work on it day-to-day. This was the truth – and the two people assigned to the account had a combined 20 years’ experience in the prospective client’s sector. Needless to say, our competitor was selected because it agreed that BOTH joint-MDs would run the account. (Some people advised me afterwards that we should simply have said ‘yes’ when asked the initial question!)

Fast forward 6 months and the company has come back to revisit our proposal – she had a disappointing experience with the other agency, as neither MD was particularly involved in the day-to-day activity.

It pays to specialize. If understanding of a client’s business is a top criterion for choosing a supplier, it pays to work with a specialist. This means clients have a shortcut to knowledge about how the market works, key players in the market, relevant journalists, analysts and social media, and the target audiences.

If the PR industry as a whole stuck to these principles, I believe competition would be fiercer than ever and we’d have a win–win situation for all.

What do you think?