Before the "Contract" program:
Unbeknown to the agency, this relationship was hanging by a thread. The client's VP of Marketing only agreed to do the "Contract" program on his slim hope it might save his company the $400,000 and six months distraction of hiring a new agency.
Our interviews revealed a climate of distrust, negativity, frustration and poisonous gossip.
In our pre-course research the highest score the client gave the agency on any measure was a 5, on a scale of 1 - 10. (Any score below 7 is weak.) Agency and advertiser each gave their highest marks, in the 6 range, to themselves.
On a scale of 1 to 10, the client team gave particularly low scores to:
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Agency delivers on promises | 4.1 |
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Overall creativity and innovation | 4.0 |
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Overall productivity | 3.7 |
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Agency team is pro-active | 3.1 |
Why did they do the "Contract" program?
Client was giving the agency its last chance to help build their business - or they'd
hire a new one. Agency wanted to wipe the slate clean.
After the program:
Advertiser and agency discovered that "ghosts" were running their relationship!
The origins of their problems were conflicts between people no longer with either company.
Program shifted attention and energy from a divisive past to a shared future,
empowered with new communication and productivity skills.
Two months after program, client reported:
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Resolving problems constructively up 81% |
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Overall productivity up | 86% |
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Agency is pro-active | up 87% |
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Agency delivers on promises | up 88% |
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Overall teamwork | up 90% |
The VP of Marketing wrote us: "Strongest leadership and management experience
I've had. I got far more out of this than just relationship/communication building.
I got excellent management training."
Sixteen months later he toasted the agency, saying, "This relationship was the worst.
Now it is the best I've had in 15 years in management."
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