Good Intentions Often Don't Make Good Clients

The gut-ometer was clanging loud and clear. I ignored it.

I wanted to be a nice guy. Here's a talented entrepreneur with a new product--kinda quirky, kinda fun--and he needed help sharing The Story. And everything he'd done was coming out of his pocket. So I broke my agency rule. We didn't charge him a start-up fee. We didn't settle on a monthly amount of money to accomplish the tasks, activities and goals. And now, 40-plus billable hours later and zero dinero, he's upset because nobody seems interested in his product.

Now, the entrepreneur's words are sharp, strong and vicious. Via e-mail, he castigated, criticized and complained. How do I feel? I'm disappointed. Angry too. But mostly, I'm working on getting past the emotion, stepping back and examining all the pieces of the puzzle--How'd this happen and what can be learned?

Some thoughts:

• Listen to the gut-o-meter.
• Slow down.
• Never minimize service and value--always charge something for services rendered.
• Continue to stress the importance of setting up and managing expectations.
• Vet prospects before they become clients.
  

What I do know? PR is an ever-changing, ever-competitive game that requires consistency, persistency and a stubborn drive to keep "keepin' on," even if one news release or idea doesn't catch the media's interest. You've got to find the hooks they will find interesting, keep sharing and showing, and being relevant. Be polite. Be persistent. And be real with the media, and your client.

Above all, make sure you serve media and client in a professional manner. Deal honestly and forthrightly. Treat them the way you prefer to be treated. Be kind. Focus on what clients need, want and expect. Make sure you're really a valuable resource to reporters--not a hounding hype-ster that bothers and bores them. And lastly, diligently vet those prospects before they become clients.