Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York & Los Angeles

Are client meetings a waste of time? Seriously...

There was a recent post on Monster's blog called Are Company Meetings A Waste of Time. And are they really necessary? This got me thinking about some of the countless client meetings we sit in on at the agency level with our clients. Some are so much fun and dynamic and you leave with a buzz. Others, well to be honest I want to run for the door.

Let's talk, how many of you out there are PR pros and get pulled into client meetings to talk about sales, marketing, packaging... everything but PR. Sure all departments work hand in hand with one another but is it really a good use of our time? Shouldn’t we be pitching the press right now?

I often find January and February to be the months that clients want to sit down with us and go deep with their company’s communication programs. That is to be expected. But let's have a quick recap on what you should and should NOT be doing when you’re meeting with your PR firm to discuss the public relations programs.

The Do's
1. Set an agenda for the meeting
2. Establish a start and end time
3. Rotate top and middle management in and out of the meeting as you progress to deeper issues
4. Share your vision for your company
5. Project your ROI goals. Every action you appoint should have a goal.
6. Discuss your budgets openly, 2 plus 2 does equal 4 it's really that simple.
7. Be open to new ideas. We are paid to think out of the box, so if we bring you a circle, listen!
8. Review past performance. Creating an audit review on past annual impressions is always helpful.
9. Lead by example, if you cannot communicate what you want, show it in physical form.

The Don'ts
1. Don't argue with your team in front of your PR firm about strategy
2. Don't hide your financials or lack there of to support PR
3. Don't make your business plan your PR plan, there is a big difference
4. Don't try to copy your competitors and go to your PR firm with a strategy that you have taken from another brand in hopes that you will be a hit like them.
5. Don't waste the PR firm’s time. They are not your arm charm.