Heart Break Destiny

I consider myself fortunate to have now worked in the public relations agency business for more than 15 years. It’s the best job in the world with new challenges to take on, exciting market segments to work in and the opportunity to contribute to big-time success stories.

Like most professional services firms, the environment is often intense with a constant requirement to exceed expectations. And the benchmarks that clients use to evaluate performance (and funding) are typically unique to each engagement and, in many cases, outside of the agency’s control. They include:

-Market expertise
-Strategic counsel
-Tactical results
-Competitive pressures
-Macro economic conditions
-Responsive service and attention to detail

A sobering realization I have reached is that all client relationships will one day come to an end. I’ve had some personal heart breakers. Accounts like American Management Systems, SES Americom, Cysive, Tellabs and SAGA Software which helped shape who we are as an agency.

At Strategic Communications Group (Strategic), we strive to learn from every client engagement with the goal of improving our delivery of service, client responsiveness and market expertise.

Two recent surveys got me thinking about the fragile nature of client relationships:

Client turnover high in tech, southwest, survey finds

New Survey Reveals What Clients Want in an Agency


We are in the midst of conducting our own client satisfaction survey to evaluate Strategic’s performance in 2008 and more clearly define areas of focus for the coming year.