1. Share with them your marketing strategy – in this way they can make sure all activity fits the plan and can come up with relevant proactive input that will drive your sales
2. Let them join in your team marketing meetings – you’ll be surprised at the value they can add and how this can add to their knowledge of your product or service
3. Let them challenge what you do without cringing. If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.
4. Give them your market intelligence – If they’re any good, they’ll carry out some level of research for you, but you’ll have loads of info locked away in drawers and on servers that they can use to help you create and maintain a point of difference.
5. Be honest – always give full and frank feedback – get it off your chest – or the amends will go on forever as they won’t know what you really want
6. Give them enough budget to do a good job. A good agency won’t rip you off – you get what you pay for.
7. Make sure you put ROI first. Results are what we’re all here for! Use Smart objectives – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timescaled.
8. Measure everything. Responses.. conversion… timings… response method… product choice… average order values… it all helps us move forwards. Then share your results - as often as possible. Capitalising on completed activity is the way to move forwards positively – we have to keep learning!
9. Allow them to test! If we don’t test, we learn very little. It doesn’t cost much to create a simple test matrix and it can really improve results moving forwards
10. Smile and have fun! Let them take you out, have a beer, have a laugh. Relationships are what we’re all about.
