Client Management in times of Crisis: A Marketer’s POV

By Joyce Alonzo, Account Manager

Client management is no piece of cake – especially in times of crisis. This puts all of our brands in the same space: adjustment period. More than ever, managing client expectations goes beyond the expected service delivery. It requires more empathy, adapting to new situations and simply speed. Sense of urgency trumps civility.

Naturally, there needs to be a shift in how we deal with our clients and brands to complement the status quo. But in our day-to-day servicing, there are three vital perspectives that need to stand out in how we do business with them.

Genuine care

Let go of transactional conversations. Listen, empathize and respond. Our clients will appreciate our genuine care for their brand as their marketing agency. Logically, their business survival and operations will come first no matter what industry they are in. When we understand and make them feel that we are there to listen and accommodate, the true value of being a partner will cut across. The discussion needs to jump from just mere brand visibility to business continuity.

Talk to clients how you will talk to friends. Acknowledge the gravity of the situation and offer valuable solutions or advice. Put aside the need to sell and be a problem solver. A partner is a companion. Be there to listen, take notes, brainstorm together and apply your expertise tailor-fitted to their circumstances.

Don’t manage your clients

Ironic as it may seem, the last thing clients need right now is to feel ‘managed’. At this point, they need to hear and know the blunt truth as it happens. Be quick to report delays, feasibilities and threats. More than just managing deadlines and feedback, manage expectations. They need hard and fast facts that will help them make an informed decision to recuperate from the economic blow. Predictions show that short-term plans will be more effective in these trying times. In order to keep operations rolling, don’t leave them hanging and offer practical solutions quickly but effectively.

Their success is your success

The fact is, we are still running our own business and company and we, too, are experiencing the unforeseen adjustment. But as a marketer, our clients’ successes are ours, too. We need to think like them and for them, so in turn, we are more effective in delivering excellent service. Going back to the point of being a partner, we are in this together with our brands. Expect to stretch some more. Devote more time and energy. Think of it as an investment to a more fruitful relationship. After enduring the crisis, our partners will remember how crucial our role was in helping their businesses survive.

The COVID-19 impact is one phenomenon that most of the world has not seen in a while. Everything is new and it calls for a new way of looking at things. But at the core of each person’s anxiety about the pandemic, the truth remains that care and empathy is the best way to connect. A meaningful connection is at the core of what we do as client managers. There may be nothing new there but what we learned is that beyond servicing, connecting as humans is even more imperative amidst a great challenge.