June 9, 2022
To Stop the CMO Revolving Door, Bring Brand and Performance Together
It’s a seldom referenced reality.
Some may deny it and say they can bring the same approach to everything they do in their lives while expecting others to do the same. But we’re human, and we’re going to be influenced and respond differently to situations based on external factors around us.
Let me frame it this way. Can you think of times when someone, something, or some event inspired you to be better than you ever thought you could be? Pulled something out of you that you never knew existed in the first place? Pushed you outside of your comfort zone and caused you to accomplish something great?
Here’s the secret: that happens in our client relationships at Metric Theory, too.
Clients that we have been fortunate enough to work with over the years at Metric Theory have pushed us, inspired us, and caused us to produce greater work than even we ourselves first thought possible. You can imagine what that might have done to their overall paid media performance.
Do you want to be one of those clients?
I went ahead and surveyed some of the most tenured, well-respected leaders across Metric Theory to see what client relationships and qualities have inspired them to do their absolute best work over the years. Not surprisingly, there were some common themes. Findings below.
1. Collaboration
Clients that see the best possible results with us are collaborative. They’re just as excited and invested as we are in their paid media program. Conversations happen in “WE” language – WE celebrate our successes together, as well as WE dig into how we need to get better collectively when things aren’t going as well as we had hoped.
Collaborative clients have open discussions, leave space for us to make suggestions, and challenge us with questions that go beyond the scope of our direct role. Collaborative clients listen to understand, not to dismiss.
2. Honesty
Clients that achieve the highest level of success with us are honest. They’re straight-to-the-point and upfront. They’re open about their shortcomings (and ours) but don’t overly dwell on them. Honest clients:
- Raise their hand when they don’t understand something
- Let us know when they don’t need a detailed explanation
- Tell us when and why they are upset or have concerns
- Tell us when and why they are happy and thrilled with progress
- Directly inform us when they think something is unproductive
3. Empowerment
Our best clients empower us to reach new heights for them. They ask us for feedback on how they can be better clients, and what they can do to help ensure we deliver our strongest work. They encourage us. They motivate. They coach.
Clients who empower have empathy. Empathy means understanding that we’re all humans with feelings. Empathy means understanding that your account manager is going to do everything in their power to work extremely hard for you.
4. Trust
At the end of the day, all of these themes lead to one core building block: trust. Our best clients at Metric Theory have trust, and they have it in abundance. Ultimately the relationship that drives the best results is built on the solid ground of trusting that everyone is in this together, working towards the same goal, and aiming to do what’s best for the program every single day.
Do you want to have this type of relationship with your paid media agency? We’d love to talk.
