Amazing as it may seem, there are still a few businesses out there that are happy to pay large fees to PR companies without expecting…or getting…much in return.
It’s a situation exemplified in a conversation we had with the boss of a well-known and successful local radio station. Citing one of our largest international consultancies, he said: ‘every month they send us a fee invoice, yet they do absolutely nothing for us in return.’
It was a confession that begged this jocose response: ‘You could improve your situation at a stroke – you could move your account to us and, if you like paying for a service you don’t get, we could charge just half that amount and still do nothing for you.’
Doing nothing for clients while taking their money is something foreign to our culture. How could we sleep at night knowing that we weren’t earning every penny we charge for our services?
Yet it’s surprising how many do.
Another example we came across was the case of a leading motor importer whose PR manager had engaged the back-up services of an outside consultancy. Commenting, one year into the appointment, she revealed: ‘I could sit in my office, week in and week out, and not once would they call me with a proposal they wanted to discuss. All the ideas still come from me.’
At Hall PR, we work by these simple standards:
One, we deliver quality advice.
Two, we give top class attention to our clients…always being interested in their affairs and forever striving to capitalise on the events, developments and opportunities that arise.
Three, thankfully, we deliver top class results…and we can name a string of clients who will testify to that fact.
Four, we don’t charge the earth…never in our 40 plus years history have we ever had a client dispute over fees.
If we’re the kind of PR firm you wish you had, but don’t… we’d be delighted to hear from you.