Get The Most Out Of Agency & Vendor Relationships

Don't be the disaster client, agency or freelancer!

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Our commentary: Mashable have interviewed several designers regarding what makes an effective and productive client relationship, I felt their post was interesting because it has echoed some of my own experience of working with many clients of lots of different sectors in an agency>client relationship. Having also spent 4 years 'client side' I have also seen an alternative perspective! As Mashable note, nobody really wants to be 'that guy' whether you're the supplier or the buyer of products or services. The consequences of poor relationships are obvious, from delayed timings and ultimately impact the bottom line for both parties.

Marketing implications: So, what's the key to nurturing good relations - here is my take on Mashable's 5 lessons:

• Honour your commitments: this is the worst. How frustrating is it for anyone to be told one thing and then another thing happens. The basis of any relationship is trust, so knowing you're going to do what you say, and when you say it, is probably the most important
• Communicate clearly and often: Establish deliverables and build in check points where both parties can keep aligned, having a starting point to define cost, scope, and process against is of course key to that
• Who's doing what: determining roles before beginning the process avoids headaches, what is it that you and the external team will actually do, who has sign-off on what and accountable for what. Deviating from those definitions will necessarily incur added time and expense
• Let talent shine: Though Mashable focus on "let designers design", projects are processes requiring a range of expertise and you need the best person doing each job - are designers best at defining the user experience prior to wire-framing and applying graphics, not necessarily. Clients especially should recognise the talent they've chosen to partner - we're back to that 'trust' word
• Foster an open relationship: Open and honest feedback is a two-way street. Giving and receiving constructive criticism, and being able to share concerns early, are two obvious examples. If everyone is aligned and motivated on deliverables it shouldn't be hard, but sometimes egos can get in the way, being able to say so is important

There's a raft of advice that you can share here - what are your experiences (without naming names!)?

Recommended link:Don't be the disaster client