A Day in the Life.

I meet many, many agencies. Most of the time it's very enjoyable. I love meeting interesting people, seeing cutting edge creativity, innovative techniques, break-through technologies and learning about new ways of doing things.

While certainly selective, most agencies are very interested in new business—or at least the prospect of building a relationship that could lead to new business. (That’s just smart, right?)

Agencies have different styles. I like to meet the team, get a sense of their capabilities, successes and what they do best. Sometimes agencies give a “dog and pony show” with bells and whistles, other times it’s just meaningful conversation with a stellar portfolio and proof points. I find how an agency presents their agency to me is often how they present themselves to clients.

PR agency search is underway for a really cool company and I’m making the rounds. ALL the agencies on my list had impressive client rosters, which was why I was made the meetings.

So, imagine my surprise at a recent agency meeting. I arrived on time, but was kept waiting for almost a half hour while the Big Wigs were in an internal meeting. A few kids chatted aimlessly about their personal lives; no one offered coffee. Upon the start of our meeting, I was informed they had another one starting shortly. They boasted about their A-list client roster. Expensive, they only took on smaller accounts when begged. Repeatedly. They gave the same old “why we’re different” in an under a minute spiel. (They sounded just like any other agency.) They didn’t ask any questions. One of the most impressive things about this agency was their egos. Yikes. My clients were really mellow, down to earth folks; this wasn’t going to be a personality fit.

Flip over to my next agency meeting. They were just as busy, and I was also kept waiting for about 20 minutes; but apologies were forthcoming. But everyone that worked there—juniors included—couldn’t have been nicer or more accommodating. I was put into a conference room and given coffee while I waited. The meeting had a very different “feel.” This agency had an equally impressive, A-list client roster. Successes were rattled off. Questions were asked. There was engaging conversation. I got the impression they really care about their clients.

I believe that my experience with an agency is often indicative of what will be a clients’ experience. All things being equal, it's the small things make a really big difference.