By Rick Sannicandro – SVP, Revenue Operations
I adore my wife, and I like to think we have a relationship where we overcommunicate ─ but still, we have a dedicated block of time on our calendar weekly to connect on all things in our world, whether it’s finances, our daughter’s activity calendar, plans for the house, vacations, social calendar, etc. We make sure to connect. This helps us keep on track to mainly identify any issues before they arise and manage the steps needed for us to reach our family goals that we set for ourselves at the end of every year. I look forward to these check-ins because it’s improved the health of our communication beyond the day-to-day, where the details tend to get lost in between preparing lunch, running our girl to ballet or swimming lessons, or family and social events.
It’s no secret that relationships that work well have great communication. When and how you communicate, however, is critically important in both maintaining and growing those relationships. This can apply to marriages, friendships ─ and yes, even your client partners.
It’s easy to feel like you are connecting and servicing a client when the emails are flowing back and forth daily, but taking a moment to spend time with a client to offer context and support may uncover what’s lost in the shuffle (much like our chaotic household). It’s important to take a breath and review together. Here are some ways to establish a healthy communication plan both you and your client partners can shape together.
Start with “Why?” (Thanks, Simon Sinek!) But seriously – this is a no-brainer. Understand why your client chose you specifically as a partner. It’s nice to get a signature on a contract, but the person on the other end is expecting you to deliver starting on Day 1. You owe it to the partnership to understand why you were chosen over all the other potential partners. Knowing that alone will help you understand what is expected in terms of service and delivery.
Set a regular check-in to align on key priorities. Weekly, Bi-weekly, Monthly, Quarterly. Whatever the cadence. Put it on the calendar.
Schedule a weekly status update to share with your client all ongoing work and pending items for clarification or action.
Establish a line between your teams for essential candor (as described in the best-selling book “No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention”). We all hope that a client will not be disappointed with the work, but rule #1 is to give them permission to communicate constructively when expectations are not being met or something’s amiss. I find those conversations strengthen those partnerships ─ not the reverse. Often a client may identify a flaw in your process or approach before you do ─ and that helps make you better. If you want to get ahead of that, I reach out often with a “How are we doing?” message. Most times, your client will let you know, especially if they understand you’re not sensitive to critique.
Set KPIs with your client to understand their concept of success and how it’s measured. When everyone knows the goal(s), it’s easier to work together to get there.
If you work with multiple teams within your organization to service your partner client, set internal check-ins to keep up with milestones, deadlines, and creative brainstorming. I’m a huge fan of the 15-minute huddle a couple of times a week. Those meetings can last 3 minutes or run an hour long. As long as it’s on the calendar, then you’ll stay on track.
Come to meetings prepared ─ not just with an agenda, but tangible action items and ideas. Anticipate your partner’s questions. Plan for the meeting and bring ideas, ideas, ideas! Ideas are the catalyst for opportunity and add real value to a partnership beyond tactical execution.
I’ve been lucky enough to work with some of the largest brands and their agencies in the world, and one overriding theme and key to these successful partnerships has been prioritizing a high level of communication with consistency and predictability. Great execution doesn’t shield you when miscommunication comes into play. The above are just some of the ways you can operate with a model of open, thoughtful and honest communication to keep the little details from falling between the cracks.