As many a financial year runs from April to April, it isn’t just the vernal equinox which is getting PR people to think about growth.
Through the curiously temperatured winter, discussions will have taken place with clients about their plans for the year ahead, but for many of them, chemistry and confidence will have melted away.
As business author Noah Fleming says ‘loyal customers are the beating heart of every great business’. Might sound obvious, but think about it. And also personally speaking, looking after clients we fight so hard to win is one of the major opportunities to help us achieve great things in our own careers. Who you’ve worked with and what you’ve done for them is arguably what it’s all about at the end of the day.
As the PRCA’s recent ‘Pulse Check’ on the PR industry this month demonstrates, storytelling and media relations are seen as important growth areas in the next 12-18 months – but if agencies aren’t listening to what their clients want (and we all know that briefs evolve) - they’ll be in peril.
Launch celebrates its 15th birthday this year and several clients have been with the agency since it was founded back in 2001 – through generations of in-house teams. In our view, understanding a client’s business, game changing thinking, honest and realistic counsel - and results, supported by accountable reporting, are all critical to delighting clients and delivering the best possible return on investment.
Review meetings with our clients also show that it is responsiveness, an ability to ‘get on with things’ and turning commercial challenges from their businesses into opportunities, which give them confidence.
Making individual clients look good is also pretty important. It’s always a privilege to be asked to contribute to a client’s appraisal or write a testimonial. Hiring the right agency is arguably one of biggest risks an in-house client takes in their career and failing to spend time with clients outside the meeting room, going over their heads, giving them surprises or failing to deliver are all issues which will create an ‘us and them’ dynamic.
So, when it comes to growth, both from an agency and personal perspective this Spring – spending time on the nest is key.