Building Chemistry in the Agency-Client Relationship

A big foundation of being “marketing matchmakers” is our belief in the power of chemistry. Not only do we believe chemistry to be one of the most important factors in the agency-client relationship, but we have proof to back it up. 

In the Setup Marketing Relationship Survey, conducted at the end of 2019, brands ranked chemistry as one of the top four determining components when selecting an agency, alongside the agency’s ability to understand the business, creativity, and specialized capabilities. 

What we know from love in movies and real life is that chemistry cannot be manufactured or taught. However, since marketing is a human-to-human business, and it is more effective for brands to select the right partner the first time, brand and agency representatives can learn to invest in people and develop objectives to form better partnerships. 

Here are the steps to developing chemistry in a business partnership:

Step 1 | Communication 

We’ve said it once before, and we’ll say it again: communication is key. 

Most problems between people require clarity which can often be articulated through communication. Although it would be nice to know what people are thinking from time to time, we’re pretty sure no one can read minds. In order to reveal what client-side and agency-side marketers have in their minds that they wish their partners knew, we asked them. 

Most clients wish agencies would: 

1. Research everything to understand the brand’s business before asking, 

2. Act as strategic partners, 

3. Help navigate bureaucratic red tape, 

4. Act as an extension of their team, and 

5. Understand that not all ideas can be executed. 

If you’re an agency-side marketer, read more about the 5 Things Clients Wish Agencies Knew, and act on these requests. 

Most agencies wish clients would:

1. Be patient,

2. Lean on the agency for their expertise,

3. Provide crucial information upfront,

4. Understand an agency’s bandwidth, and 

5. Treat the agency team with mutual respect. 

If you’re a client-side marketer, read more about the 5 Things Agencies Wish Clients Knew, and be cognizant of how you can make the partnership more beneficial for both parties. 

Sometimes a partner may not have the knowledge to know how to ask for solutions, and that’s where open dialogue shines. 

Step 2 | Understanding the person 

Just like your partner from your middle school relationship is likely not similar to your current partner, not every agency-client relationship is going to be the same. That is why it is important to not only communicate, but to also have empathy.

Whether you take a personality test, an enneagram test, or share your marketing love languages, having an awareness of your partners’ different personalities/working styles will make working alongside one another easier (especially for longer periods of time). 

Forbes outlines four different working styles as such:

• Pioneers | value possibilities and spark energy and imagination

• Guardians | value stability and bring order and rigor

• Drivers | value challenge and generate momentum

• Integrators | value connection and draw teams together

Developing chemistry results from understanding WHO you’re working with and forming those stronger bonds to become advocates of one another.

Step 3 | Understand the business 

In Setup's work alongside agencies and clients, we have uncovered that client-side marketers value when agencies put in the up-front work to understand and continue to learn more about the client’s business. From research to collecting survey data, agencies can take the steps needed to familiarize themselves with their client’s business.

The main complaint we find when working with brands is that their agencies are not data-driven. Everything from decisions to pitches needs to be backed by data. Creativity can only truly thrive when influenced by data. And, since creativity is one of the most important factors when brands choose an agency, agencies should all work to have creative ideas and solutions supported by data. 

Read more - Finding the Balance Between Creative + Data in Marketing

Clients, on the other hand, can be more transparent with their agency partners from the beginning about budgets and goals. When expectations are laid out on the table, it saves time, leads to less frustrations and smoother processes, and creates less change orders. 

A transparent and open agency-client relationship results in less tension and a more beneficial and powerful relationship. 

Step 4 | View each other as partners 

An agency is the extension of a client’s team. This means that the agency is a partner through and through - when the brand succeeds, the agency succeeds, and vice versa. It is also the duty of the agency partner to help educate and provide thought leadership to other marketing executives on the client’s team. The closer the agency is to multiple board members, the more valued they are as a partner. The more the marketing department is proven to provide value, the less likely their budget will be cut. 

Oftentimes, marketing does not get the credit it deserves due to a long history of having “vanity” metrics to support marketing efforts instead of concrete data. This, however, is a common misconception because marketing, more than ever, is being tracked by analytics. Thanks to digital monitoring taking place online and offline, consumer behavior is being tracked in stores and on websites. Despite the present value, the C-suite may still need guidance to buy-in completely and understand the importance of marketing, and that’s where the agency has an opportunity to step in. 

Read more - Getting C-Suite Buy-In

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At Setup, we  love a good connection (check out our new Marketer Matchup initiative if you need more convincing)! And we know that finding a good partner can be difficult (download this guide if you’re struggling)...making the wrong choice in either a business or personal relationship can be a waste of time, energy, and money. The easiest thing to do in a relationship of any kind is to communicate (and to remember to view the agency-client relationship as a true partnership - not just a service).

NAVIGATE THE AGENCY SELECTION PROCESS EFFECTIVELY.

The Complete Guide to Finding a Marketing Agency

This guide teaches client-side marketers to how to plan, select, and onboard marketing agencies to get the most value from the partnership in the long run.

Click here to download the free, interactive PDF.