Now and again we get contacted by a potential customer who tells us that they aren’t happy with their current online marketing agency and they want to move over to ourselves if the terms are acceptable.
Bragging Rights
Now to many agencies, that would be great news. The chance to put one over a competitor is a chance not to be missed. The bragging rights alone would bring a smile to ones face for several weeks. So, arms open wide, Welcome new client!
Or is it? We all know there are two sides to every story and in this case you’ve just got the one. The fact that this person wants to move away from your competitor to yourself is a psychological high and because of that it’s going to cloud your vision. But you must dig deeper or you may regret it.
Always a Reason
There’s always a reason why a company wants to leave one agency for another and usually it’s because the client has been promised significant results in a matter of weeks (not delivered), regular online meetings (never happened) and monthly reports (never received). They have then signed up for a twelve month term and kissed their money goodbye as no appreciable gains have been made to turnover and profitability in the time frame and in some cases losses have been incurred.
In the above case then, the move is fully justified. However, there are other things to consider when you next find yourself in this situation.
Why Move?
We have had one or two of these situations and after we have investigated we have had to report to the potential client that in essence, their existing online marketing agency has done a pretty good job. They have done everything they said they would, costs are down, conversions are up, communication is regular, advice is data based and as a result the business is growing. So why move?
We usually find the reason is twofold.
1. it’s a case of a little knowledge is dangerous. The client is reacting to individual elements of the data and not looking at the big picture and the overall results.
2. The clients expectations have not been managed adequately. As a company that fully embraces transparency, we always undertake to educate the client that results will come but not in a matter of hours, days or even weeks. It’s not like flicking on a light switch, if it were that simple we’d all be millionaires.
Marketing, not Advertising
If your clients can understand that and realise that it is going to take time and money then you are both on the way to a long and successful business relationship. If they can’t, they won’t be around much longer. They need to realise that SEO is marketing, NOT advertising.
So there you are, do your homework: it’s possible that your potential customer probably isn’t the one you’re looking for…!
