2-25-2012
As a boy, I used to play Stratego, a two-person, war-type board game. The object was to uncover the opponent?s flag before yours was found. Whenever a confrontation occurred between one of your pieces and one of your opponent?s, the hidden number behind the player was revealed. This decided who won that battle.
The same tactics apply when working with agencies. You must understand how they work, and you must find out what it is they really want. You must "uncover their flag.?
Here are five tactics you should understand when dealing with agencies:
1. Bring Ideas: Agencies want good ideas. Tom Haynes, who is now the Director of Strategy for Acuity Marketing, spent more automotive money than any agency I can recall in Houston, Texas. According to Haynes, his No. 1 need was fresh ideas for clients.
Many agencies are insecure about someone else taking the credit for a good idea. When an agency understands that you are trying to work with them and not against them, this can only enhance your relationship.
2. Understand the "15 Percent Rule": If the goal from the agency is $90 a point (CPP/CPM-points vary depending on the media), in most cases they have a spread to work with, and their real goal is usually 15 percent over what they quoted. They want you to give them a reason to come in over their original goal.
Sell the value of your media company. Can you deliver an exclusive audience they can?t get anywhere else? Following the event you tied their client into, do you put together a promotional recap? Do you run their schedules and placement of ads as they ordered them?
3. Build a Relationship With The Agency: Do you know the principal of the agency? The media planner? Account supervisor? Most importantly, the AE? We usually have a relationship with the agency?s media buyer, who in most cases is taking orders from her higher-ups.
If buyers ever change within the agency, you want to make sure you have relationships with people who can help you stay on the buy. Because they are used to working with you, this will also give you power in situations where you can?t meet CPP or CPM goals.
4. Know the Client: Who pays the bills? Clients change agencies quite often. Don?t get too caught up in having the relationship with just the agency. We overlook who we really need to cultivate the client. If the agency is too insecure about you going to see the client, it?s their problem, not yours. In the long run, the agency that?s like that tends to lose the account.
5. Provide Exceptional Service: Buyers want you to be the eyes and ears for their agency. Are you sending them industry trade articles from magazines that pertain to their client?s business? Have you ever walked the client?s business and done an in-store survey, noticing trends, demographics, and the psychographics of the business? Agencies want knowledgeable sales reps who are in tune with business.
Uncovering the flag in Stratego is no different than uncovering the real reason agencies will keep working with you. They want you on the team to help the clients achieve their goals, not just CPP/CPM goals.
Sean Luce is the Head National Instructor for the Luce Performance Group and can be reached at sean@luceperformancegroup.com.
(2/25/2013 9:44:23 AM)
So according to Luce, a radio station is supposed to provide the agency with the IDEA that motivates the client to buy the station, and let the agency take credit for the idea, with the client. Then, we are supposed to let the agency take 15% off our rates, and usually give the agency discounted rates also. Wow. Talk about a one-way "relationship."...
Empowering small-time "agencies" that basically do NOTHING, is precisely one of radio's problems right now.
(2/25/2013 9:21:26 AM)
Nothing to add here except that a huge missing part of the equation is the talent dynamic. It still gives me the heebie jeebies to reflect on some of the calls and conversations I've had with buyers over the years who got their butts chewed because some unprepared, under-qualified, over-zealous agency conquistador from a radio station caused mayhem inside the agency.
I believe that navigating the five points is a no-brainer in theory. In practice, it really requires a tremendous amount of care in talent selection & development with those specific goals in mind. Creating a trust-based agency/station relationship is all about touch, tactics and being seriously committed to the partnership--not just to getting the potential billing to fall in the quarter we need it to.
Being a true partner requires patience, a reciprocal trade of business intelligence, creativity and flawless execution that delights the client (and by association, the agency). When that happens...what a feeling!
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