The key to creating a lasting relationship between a PR agency and a client is to never take his or her loyalty for granted, even when things are going well. That’s easy to say, but hard to do consistently. Taking your foot off the gas pedal for even a short time can strain that loyalty, which you earned with hard work, intelligent counsel and business-driving results. Here are four things we strive to do for clients that aren’t written into our contracts:

1. Always be enterprising. Sure, you have the PR plan in place and everyone is rowing the same way to gain momentum, but the news cycle is “always on” and that means savvy PR pros constantly find fresh ways to insert their clients into the conversation – even when “it’s not in the plan.” Not all of the ideas will be homeruns, but a handful of doubles and triples per quarter generated from enterprising ideas is a sure way to keep a client happy.
2. Anticipate needs. A solid PR team sees itself from the client perspective, and understands what problems will likely arise and how to solve them before they become issues. If your PR agency frequently seems “flat-footed” in times of crisis, the relationship will gradually become broken.
3. Fail quickly. This seems counterintuitive, but there’s value in recognizing that a PR initiative isn’t working, and quickly pivoting to a strategy or tactic that will yield results. A smart PR team understands the difference between a good idea and wishful thinking, and knows (as mentioned above) that not every idea will be a homerun.
4. Don’t be a slave to the scope of work. Yes, it’s important to manage the agreed-upon scope of work with the client, so as not to radically overwork the account. That doesn’t mean, however, that initiatives falling outside the scope should be dismissed without considering the opportunity cost. Will it only take you a couple of hours to help out the client in meaningful way? Just do it. It costs far less to do your client an out-of-scope favor than to replace that revenue and valuable relationship. And on the flip side, an upstanding client knows (or should know) when they’re pushing too hard – just like in any good relationship.

There will always be outlier client-agency relationships that simply don’t work, no matter how hard each party tries. But if your PR firm does the above to the best of its ability, the chances are good for a successful, lasting engagement.

It’s snowing. Again.

While it’s easy for some folks to get frustrated by the weather, I look at a snowy day when I can’t get into the office as an opportunity to make some progress on the to-do list. Considering that I’m located in New England, these snow days happen often in the winter! When I work from home due to weather – like you might be doing today – I take advantage of the situation and get things done. Here are a few ways that PR and social media professionals can make the most of a day when you can’t make it to the office:

First, clean your inbox. Take full advantage of fewer interruptions and tidy up. It’s likely that your inbox is the central nervous system of what happens in your organization and across your teams, and a day at home may help to keep that system in good, functional shape.

Second, shut down your email (and other process interrupting devices!) and finally address that long-overdue writing assignment. Cherish the quiet time, channel some creativity and get it done! There’s no better time, really, and you’ll show up in the office the next day having checked something significant off of your to-do list. (Blogger note: don’t forget to fire-up your email when that writing assignment is complete!)

Third, use the time to research the top-tier targets on your media list, and dig deeper than you normally do. Research priority topics, article trends and key care-abouts, and pull together a strategy for getting the media result you and your clients seek. With fewer interruptions you may find the sought-after nugget of information that provides a channel for editorial success.

Fourth, get organized for the rest of the week. Inevitably, your snow day will come to an end and soon after you will be on your way into the office. Take a good look at the calendar and think of ways you can contribute (even more!) to the commitments you see. I’m certain your colleagues and clients will appreciate the extra effort.

Finally, end your day early and have a beer in the comfort of your own home. You can toast to your colleagues and clients, and you should reward yourself for all you’ve accomplished! And listen, no one will know when you have that first beer!

What do you do to get ahead on a snow day?

I’ve thought for some time that the start of February marks the official kickoff of the business year, particularly for those of us in public relations, social media and creative agencies. Here are a few reasons why that’s the case:

First, there’s a flurry of activity after the year-end break, but by the start of February you and your PR clients are in an action-packed groove, working off the plans you developed in Q4 and delivering results. It’s a busy month, but it’s a different type of busy, particularly if your clients are in markets that hold one of the big trade shows in January, such as CES, The Shot Show, The Builders Show or The PGA Show, to name only a few. Much planning related to business and communications success occurs in the months leading into these shows, but it’s game time when the events begin and that requires energy and effort at the very start of a new year.

Second, no matter how much time, energy and effort you spend in Q4 planning and preparing for the start of the new year, a number of clients and prospects wait to end one calendar before starting the next to make decisions about programs and budgets. So, while there’s plenty to do in January for clients who have made decisions before the end of the year, you tend to have a “wait-and-see” approach regarding proposals that have been delivered. (Blogger’s note: our “wait-and-see” approach is way more active than one may expect, due to the constant communication we maintain with prospects and clients during this time. The term really refers to solidifying resources, budgets, etc.)

Third, you can judge momentum by mid-February and you can rely on agency history to get an idea of how the balance of the year may go. Like the political analysts who “call” a victory when the results from only a few voting districts have been recorded – which is strange but really based on exit polls – I feel certain that you can predict how the year ahead will go by 45 days into the new calendar, and you can prepare accordingly. If your PR or social media agency is thriving in the first quarter of a new year, be certain your recruiting pipeline is rich in candidates and you have ample space to accommodate the new staff!

Fourth, you have a clear picture of who’s on your side for the year ahead. You may have lost a quality player or two to another good professional opportunity over the holiday or as soon as he or she returns from the year-end break – that happens, and some attrition is good for an agency – but for the most part you know where you can assign your trusted and experienced resources.

Finally, related to all of the above, February gives you solid perspective on what you should consider as business steps that will further differentiate your PR and social media agency from your peer group. Clearer than Q4 or the very turn of the year, you now know where to invest in internal resources to widen your portfolio of services, and the depth of the investment. You know the levels of management or staff appropriate for your growth, and the types of resources necessary to achieve programmatic success in the year ahead. It’s merely perspective that you haven’t had until February, which is why I believe the business year begins now.

What do you think? Does the perspective provided in February help you do more business?