By Danny Sullivan
Proactivity is something that all clients desire of their PR firms – an ability to move the program forward without having to check in and report at every stage. It’s certainly not an unreasonable expectation, and one that any agency worth its salt should be capable of meeting.
But proceed with caution. Agency proactivity, while a stated desire of the client, can be a double-edged sword for an agency. There are a couple of pitfalls to watch out for.
First, don’t be so proactive that you overstep the mark and make strategic changes or decisions without some form of approval from the client. It’s all very well to change a strategy for the right reasons, but these reasons usually need to be raised before the change occurs. It is important to establish at the outset of the program what kinds of decisions need to be made in conjunction with the client.
Second, proactivity can lead to periods of radio silence. If the program is one where the results will not be immediately apparent, then the client will be wondering what their agency is doing. An invisible agency won’t be around for long.
The key to avoiding such pitfalls is in effective communication with the client. There is no need to appraise them of every step that you take, but regular updates on progress that don’t require any input from them will go a long way to ensuring that you continue to be both proactive and visible.
