Comments on: 10 Questions A PR Agency Doesn’t Want A Client To Ask

By: Chris @WebMindset

Chris @WebMindset — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 16:47:52 +0000

Kel is absolutely correct. It takes experience to compose AND answer these questions and I found them enlightening. After I sold my business in 2007, I’ve had some time to think about what it took to get to the point of sale – 10 years of hangin’ on and taking risks. One thing’s for sure, a few more years and experiences under the belt has made me a more shrewd purchaser of services. Kel’s perspective is dang refreshing! I’m in

By: Kel

Kel — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:26:47 +0000

robin, it sounds like you have come up with a creative and fair way to meet the needs of your clients. my guess is that even the smallest of results will help these kitchen table entrepreneurs. the fact that you ground your approach in fairness makes all the difference. as a fellow pr professional, i thank you for your contribution towards positively impacting the perception of our industry.

By: Kel

Kel — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:22:06 +0000

eddie, thanks for swinging by my blog. i appreciate your perspective, but disagree. i have built a multi-million dollar, successful agency under the framework described above. my margins are tighter, but my client retention is through the ceiling and clients are our biggest source of new biz referrals. we have no billable hours. our average age is 40+. seems to be working for us. our clients — like zappos — love the model. i think you misunderstood my point bout strategy. we handle all the strategy work for our clients. peace out.

By: Eddie May

Eddie May — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:29:05 +0000

This all sounds very client-friendly and lovely and it might work if you are a one-person or very small agency and you want to keep it that way, but mostly it’s unrealistic if you accept that an agency exists primarily to grow, employ people and make a profit.
If a client has unlimited budgets and doesn’t mind overspending massively, then by all means look for an agency team with an average age of 40+. Of course, that means that average salaries will be extremely high and the client’s budget won’t go very far. In reality you need a team with a mix of experience and a sensible cost base.
You say it’s all about strategy – true up to a point, but a client shouldn’t hire an agency to tell them what their business strategy is. That’s the client’s job. The agency is there to turn that strategy into an effective campaign.
If you don’t tie your fees to team hours, then how else do you structure your agency cost base? Yes, clients don’t really care about the hours put in, but if there’s no correlation between fees and hours, how do you plan your agency’s resourcing, how do you know if the campaign is realistic and what’s the difference in resourcing levels between a client paying $2,000 per month and one paying $20,000?
Best of luck.

By: Robin Taney

Robin Taney — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:40:35 +0000

Kel,

Thank you for this post! As the owner of a PR business for creative types and “kitchen table entrepreneurs” (who can’t afford retainers and high billable hours), I’ve struggled with how to set up my fee structure so that they aren’t raped, but still feel like they’re getting value. I ask clients to sign a one year contract, but they get to choose the number of hours they want a month based on their PR plan and budget. What do you think?

By: George Mc Quade

George Mc Quade — Fri, 15 May 2009 08:02:50 +0000

Good questions: You might make it a dirty dozen. For example:

11. How many people at your agency have actually been a working member of the press, TV, radio or print.

12. Do bill for faxing my news release or calling the media on your cell phone or is
it included in overall fee?

By: Kel

Kel — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 21:10:58 +0000

brennan, i hear you and believe there are always exceptions to any general perception. nothing would make me happier than to have you prove me wrong!

By: Brennan

Brennan — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:55:16 +0000

Being someone who is very young and has been in PR for awhile I can’t completely agree with you on the age thing for obvious reasons but I really do agree with you on providing examples of coverage for those clients who came in with zero-awareness. It is always easy to gain more awareness for something that already has a huge story as it comes down to just taking the many phone calls of people wanting to cover them but I really measure a company by how they can take a client who has nothing and get them exposure. This shows how connected, creative, and hard working they really are.

By: Kel

Kel — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 18:57:14 +0000

cyril, thanks for your comment and inquiry. the answer probably varies by agency.

for kel & partners, the first thing we establish is if they are a fit for us. our sweet spot is consumer focused, internet-based brands.

once we get over that hurdle, i usually try to figure out if they are a “dog that will hunt.” see http://www.kelandpartners.com/kelkellyblog/2008/10/12/the-dog-that-wont-hunt/

next i try to root out what they believe pr is and isn’t and what they hope to achieve. if someone says, “i want to be on oprah” i usually run.

the rest of my decision is based on the energy and interaction between k&p and the prospect. my experience is that i can usually tell within the first three minutes of conversation if they are someone i want to bring into our agency environment. i look for intelligence, respect and humor.

red flags for me include:

* someone who talks endlessly and doesn’t listen

* someone who thinks they are so newsworthy that they are “deserving” of unlimited top-tier coverage and believes they are a slam dunk

* someone who thinks they know everything about pr and just wants us to execute their ideas

* someone who just fired an agency because they didn’t think they got enough coverage when in fact i thought they got great coverage

* someone who tries to drive down the retainer to a point of it being ridiculous and unfair

* someone who says “convince me why i need pr.” i never want to be in the position of ever having to convince anyone. if they don’t know why now, they will never get it and we are doomed out of the gate. i walk away the second i hear this.

again, i’m sure this varies by agency, but those are my visceral thoughts.

By: cyril kirian

cyril kirian — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 07:57:00 +0000

Hey there…
the points raised were quite interesting…
but i also would like to know the flip side…
i tried googling ‘questions a PR agency should ask their clients’…dint get an impressive number of hits…infact the first page was full of the questions a client should ask an agency before or while hiring them…

now that you on the ‘anti -agency’ agency side…please tell me..what are the questions you ask your clients…you know…questions that can help an agency get better in terms of delivering…please do revert…regards.

By: Kel

Kel — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 12:26:23 +0000

karla, unfortunately there is no single fee that fits all situations. it depends on how many resources are needed on the account. i would be happy to discuss with you. call me at my office at 508.366.2099 x111. thanks!

By: Karla

Karla — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 23:50:37 +0000

Hi Kel – How much should a small PR agency specializing in ethnic markets be charging per month? What is the industry average that a PR agency should bill?

By: Kel

Kel — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:29:49 +0000

christopher, thanks for the link! it’s good to hear these agencies are really plugged into their client’s objectives. it benefits everyone — the client, the agnecy & the pr industry as a whole.

By: Christopher

Christopher — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:04:49 +0000

As a relatively young practitioner, I’ve been almost exclusively on the agency-side. I love these oints you;ve posted – is it okay to link to this post fom my blog?

I’ve been fortunate enough to work with two agencies (one that fin. industry PR and the other that does investor relations) that report directly to C-level execs. These agencies regularly make sure that their results aren;t just decorations, but actually contribute to clients’ top- and bottom-lines.

In front of clients they ask the question: What do these media hits mean for your business? Have we been able to drive new investors to you? Have we been abelt to sway investor sentiment? These can be a tough questions to answer, but as long as an agency keeps them in mind and makes sure that the client DOES ask these, they can be assured a healthy, productive relationship with any client.

Thanks for your insight, Kel!

Christopher
Media/IR Associate in Boston

By: chia

chia — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 21:37:31 +0000

THANKS! You’ve blown it for us hacks!

By: Kel

Kel — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:58:43 +0000

art, thanks for posting. these comments are not from buddies and i certainly didn’t make them up. curious as to why you ask.

By: Art West

Art West — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:22:18 +0000

Are the comments made up or from buddies?

By: Kel

Kel — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 01:43:10 +0000

thanks crystina! always a bonus to get a comment on an older post and know it’s still kickin’.

By: Crystina Beckwith

Crystina Beckwith — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:18:11 +0000

I think this is a powerful perspective!! All the best! Crystina

By: matt

matt — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 03:22:37 +0000

great points.

kel hit us up.

we need national help.

matt

http://www.theaayp.org

By: Chris Bradley

Chris Bradley — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 23:49:39 +0000

Well said, Kel! Even though my experience is limited, I have to say that my best experience as a (non-profit) client has been with our present agency, a smallish, woman-owned agency in Norwich, CT, which, as I think of it, is not unlike Kel and Partners. You go, girl!