Sometimes the simplest mistake could be averted by thinking and remembering that someone is always looking over our shoulders in this crazy Advertising business.

Sadly, I don’t always practice what I preach. For example, a couple of years ago we were dealing with a client who had a Marketing Manager who just was way over his head. While we always talked about him in-house, we were careful and considerate in person. Well one day he asked me, via e mail, one of the stupidest questions I had ever heard. So I sent it around to all my staff who worked on the account, to think about how we could answer him. At the end of the e mail I sent to my staff I said, “What a dumb ^%$* jerk is this $#*% idiot and where in the hell did he lose his brain if he ever had one!”

Well of course you know what I did! I hit reply instead of creating a new e-mail and yes, my staff all got it because I cc’d them, but so did the jerk. Shortly after he received the e mail he sent one back that asked if it had been sent to him by mistake. So I danced a little for him and explained our frustrations and tried to wiggle out of it. The good news is the owners of the business realized I was right and fired him a couple of weeks later. But what if he had the clout inside to have me fired. This account (which we still have) is the 1st or 2nd largest in AGI in the firm.

I’m a lot more circumspect now because of this experience…you should all be careful. For another take on this subject check out my good friend Drew’s blog.

Yup, we did: a new, big one that we have had for less than three months. Why did we lose it? For several reasons, some our fault and some the client’s.

The number one reason we lost the account…we never should nave taken it. We all take on new business because; well that’s what we do. But in some cases you should walk away when it doesn’t feel right. This time it did feel right but it did not work. This leads me to the second reason my agency lost the business…me and my big mouth. During a recent conference call I pushed this client back a little on some of his comments. It was quickly apparent I had hurt his feelings. So I tried to smooth it over by reminding him that I had promised him we were going to tell him what he needed to hear–no matter what. I did and we got fired.

The third reason we got fired is the client did not know what he wanted from an agency. What he did know was that he wanted us to be the silver bullet and help him stem a double-digit decline in an industry that we have years of experience in. He did not like our suggestions (hey, it’s his money) and he did not like it when we challenged his assumptions.

What I have learned is that no matter what I tell potential clients when they sign a contract, they just don’t believe that my staff and I will speak our minds. Perhaps we both should have read this PDF by The Hayes Company before we got married. I’m sorry to see the business go because it now means I owe my staff lunch…once for getting the account and now for losing the account. It is always my goal to have at least 10 years between the celebratory and parting lunches, but not this time.

That’s right! Sounds simple doesn’t it? Well it’s not. Having the right people in your advertising agency can make all the difference. I know plenty of agencies that have really creative people with great ideas. But that’s not enough. You must be able to explain your idea not only to the client, but also to your co-workers.

Many times selling a concept to a client is left to the account team. So what happens if the creatives and the account team are not on the same page? I’ll tell you what happens. You lose a client and have bad morale in your building.

I have stressed over the years that I would rather have a senior staff that gets along and sees the big picture, with a few young folks sprinkled in for energy, than any other combination. Chemistry not only works in the lab–it works in business. Especially our business.

Too many agencies often don’t make the right hiring decisions. (Yes, I can think of a few in the last 10 years.) You CANNOT just hire creative people who think they have all the answers. You must hire people who can, and more importantly will, work collaboratively. I stopped checking references of potential hires many years ago because all I found in today’s litigious society were people who would tell me lies or worse–nothing. So now I let other people interview potential new hires. They give me additional feedback as to whether or not this person fits our culture. A final thought–don’t be afraid to trust your gut. The reason we are successful entrepreneurs is because we were unafraid.

Making good advertising means hiring good people!