You don’t want fast-food creative. And neither do we.

Things you need to know when hiring an agency.

We love working with all kinds of companies and people. However, one of our biggest challenges is helping clients who’ve never worked with an agency before understand how the process works. Our goal is to avoid statements like these: “Why can’t I have my completed work the week after we have our first meeting? And what’s all this about thinking and creating? Just do it!”

Here are some things for the first-timer to keep in mind.

There’s not an “average time” for projects.

“Average” projects are a rarity in this business. You’re unique, your project is unique, and you wouldn’t want your agency delivering one-size-fits-all, assembly line work. Do you really want fast-food creative? We want to give you the work you deserve, not the fastest thing we can slap together.

Longevity matters.

At Grabowski & Co., we don’t add new employees to “ramp up” for busy times, only to have to fire them a few months later if things slow down. We believe in the quality of the people doing your work, not the number of them. And our people have longevity in the business. That means you can relax a little and let go, trusting their instincts.

Yes, you need to let go a little.

Many times, clients who have not worked with an agency before have someone doing double duty as their contact with the agency. Often it’s the president of the company, who already has plenty of other things on his or her plate. So there can be a resistance to letting go and trusting the agency’s opinion and expertise. But, you did hire us, after all. So letting us do what we do makes sense, right?

We truly want what’s best for you.

We make decisions based on our professional opinion of what is best for your business and your brand. When we offer an opinion or stand up for an idea, it is because of this. It’s not because we’re looking for a battle of wills or want our idea to “win.”

Try to get used to thinking more conceptually.

It saves your time — and your money — if we can first work in concepts, rough sketches and ideas. You will have to use your imagination a bit. Think of it like visiting a tailor. You would never have a tailor make an entire suit just to see if you like it in brown. Heading down a marketing path without first discussing and concepting is pretty much the same thing. And if you can’t budge from “I’ll know it when I see it,” that’s fine — but plan on spending lots of time and money to get what you want.

Know what revisions are important (and when to make them).

The time to “nitpick” is during the initial concepting phase. Once production starts on your material, changes to the initial ideas and concept are expensive. Once you see a work proof, the proverbial horse is out of the barn. Any changes at this phase should be significant and of major, material importance. Be hard-nosed with yourself. Are you the only person in the world who is going to notice this tiny detail? Remember, your prospects and customers will be sold on a quick scan of the material … or not at all.

The ideal scenario.

In an ideal world, every client would have an internal communications person who interfaced with the agency. These folks are up on how things are done. But don’t fret if you don’t have one. You can still learn a lot by thinking like one:

• Understand the importance of supplying background information at the start of a project.
• Provide “subject matter experts” for us to talk to.
• Understand how words and visuals work together in a graphic design (we can help you with this!).
• Manage the approvals process on your end.
• Learn how printing works (ask us).
• Accept that website development always takes longer than you think it will.
• And, crucially, understand that things take time. And why.

Once you sink your teeth into fresh, real marketing, you’ll understand the difference. And you’ll be happy with the result.