How to work effectively with a creative marketing firm

I've never encountered a business owner who does not have some sort of gripe with marketing firms. (Granted, there are a lot of flaky people out there delivering questionably valuable marketing services of all sorts.)

At the same time, I've never known a creative person who does not complain about clients. It goes both ways.

So if you want to work effectively with a creative marketing firm, both parties need to be openminded and empathetic. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

It takes a thick skin to keep working on the creative side of the marketing business. After 30-plus years working will all sorts of clients on all sorts of branding projects and campaigns, my skin's as thick as a coat of armor.

Most arrows bounce off, but there are still a few situations/outcomes that sting a bit.

For instance, when years of hard work, great ideas, and exceptional execution get thrown out the window. Just because.

Sometimes it's because there's a new Sheriff in town. I've seen this a lot... a new GM moves in and shoots down every bit of work that was done under the previous regime.

There's no thinking behind the move.

No data that proves the existing work wasn't converting.

No strategic plan that says, "we've decided to move in an entirely different direction, and here it is."

It's just one person's opinion... a knee-jerk reaction and maybe some ego-driven territorial muscle flexing.

That's frustrating...

Most golf operators and golf entrepreneurs don't appreciate the cost of that type of wholesale change. They don't grasp the scope of work involved in starting over from scratch. It's not just an executional exercise, it often entails a whole new strategy.

So it's a tough pill to swallow when a new decision maker decides to UNdo all the good stuff I've done.

But that's the job.

That's the reality of life when you're doing something as SUBjective as brand advertising.

Another scenario that's disheartening to me is when clients can't muster the guts to simply say, "No, that's not it. I think you missed it. Let's try again."

I'm not perfect. My team's not perfect. Sometimes we swing and we miss.

Sometimes the ideas that seem like a home run are just not in line with what the client had in mind. I actually had one client who told me "it's just too creative for us."

Guess what... that's fine! Failure is part of the creative process. That's how we got the thick skin. There's always more ideas... The well here is deep.

Give us a little more time and we'll conjure up something a little less "creative" but a little more likable.

But it's super annoying when, instead of providing objective input, and letting the pros go back to the drawing board, the client gets cold feet and just bails on the entire campaign.

It's like forfeiting the game after one strikeout in the first inning.

So if you want the best results from your creative marketing team, be brave! Recognize that the best ideas are probably a little out of your comfort zone. Be ready to say yes to something that's "a little bit out there."

Because those are the ideas that get noticed.

And when you decide to reject an idea, remember... that's not the time to throw in the towel and trade the whole team. Use the opportunity to communicate your strategy more clearly, and inspire the next round of ideas.

I promise you, any marketing person worth his salt will work even harder the second time around. And chances are, we'll hit it out of the park eventually.