I believe that enjoying what you do and getting on with the people you work with are the most powerful elements of a successful public relations programme.
I therefore consider my clients to be part of my team and we enjoy working together (or so they tell me!). As we have an excellent relationship that is more than half the battle won for successful PR.
Over the years, I have always regretted the rare occasion that I have ignored my sixth sense by working with a client that didn’t ‘fit’. It is vital that you get on as people and that both companies share similar ethics. If you don’t it is doomed to fail.
While I completely understand that public relations is rarely a client’s only priority, if they think that they can entirely outsource all of their PR without offering any input, that is also a recipe for disaster.
However, PR agencies shouldn’t expect to be spoon-fed ideas and must focus on how they can take the strain away from their clients. While I won’t ever sit back and wait for instructions, there is the important element of a commitment to make things work that is required from the client side too. Both client and agency must invest the time and effort to get to know and understand each other’s organisations, people, goals and issues
The agency should understand what the client faces in terms of priorities, budgets and other constraints, such as internal politics. Likewise, the client should be realistic about timings and results.
This link takes you to some more detail on the concerns that many clients and prospects have. Why we are different
