I’m sure all of us have dropped the ball at one point or another.  But we aren’t going to focus on these occasions because they are so few and far between (right?).  Rather, let’s touch upon this mysterious occurence where clients simply don’t produce on their end.  You see, when a project is tackled, it takes effort on both parties to make it right.  I think that, in many cases, clients tend to want to close their eyes, click their heels and have the project materialize before their eyes.  What many of these newbies don’t realize though is that if they don’t manage their own time very well, have underestimated the work/effort that needs to be put into a project, or realize how important efficient and timely communication is - the project is destined for some problems.

How many times have you started what was supposed to be a 3-4 month long project and it extended to over a year?  Sounds crazy, but every agency I speak to has very similar stories.  And most of these stories have a very consistent theme - where the client basically just delays the project.  Whether they fail to get back with timeline feedback, from some reason can’t deliver an approval on a piece, are unable to deliver needed materials or direction, or simply just have to ‘put the project on hold’, it is nearly always the client that will delay a project.  And this is even more mind-numbing, because nearly all clients are very concerned at the beginning of the project as to whether the agency will be able to deliver on time or not.  (scratching my head).

So, what to do?  I’ve heard many o’ rumors that there are compensation plans that are tied into the timeline.  I’ve also heard that agencies will charge for client delays (let us know if you have examples of this).  But if you think about it, this can be an interesting issue.  Managing the client/agency relationship is tricky enough without a payment penalty looming over a contract.  A wise man once said that its better to dangle a carrot that crack a whip (or something to that effect).  Yet, even this requires some delicate manuevering if one tries to create a payment incentive for keeping with a project timeline.  Does that mean that you mark-up the costs by default and offer a standard pricing if the client hits their requirements (ie. responding to all requests within 48 hours)?  Not sure.

I think the important thing to remember is this.  The longer a project lasts, the more it will cost the agency.  Period.  So, when a project that was supposed to last 4 months reaches month 12 the agency has already lost money. It takes a lot of resources to continually close and open (close and open...) a project over time.  Not to mention, an extended project can kill creativity, reduce morale and hurt other projects.  This is unacceptable.  So be very careful what projects you take on, watch for warning signs, avoid certain personalities, but always commit yourself to doing good work...but not at the expense of your client’s shortcomings.