With many clients within the professional services sector, we were pleased to be invited to join the committee of the Yorkshire group of the PM Forum, the association for marketers in professional services.  The seminar I attended this week raised some familiar themes and I was interested to hear how some of the region’s leading legal and accountancy firms were handling them.

It’s not very often that you are able to question the managing partner of a leading regional professional services practice about his marketing strategy, let alone quiz four at the same time!  But this was the opportunity presented by the PM Forum event which took a Question Time style format.  The panel consisted of partners from four well-known organisations in Yorkshire with law firms represented by Paul Ayre of Gordons and Jonathan Oxley of Lee & Priestley; plus Kevin O’Connor of Baker Tilly and Richard Williams of Deloitte providing an accountancy perspective.

Ably chaired by James Buckley of Deloitte in the role of Dimbleby, it was a refreshingly honest session with the partners sharing some of the common challenges and frustrations of marketing within the professional services arena.  They gave an interesting insight into traits they look for when recruiting their marketing team.  Desirable characteristics include resilience; a ‘can-do’ attitude; creativity and enthusiasm.  They agreed that they need people who will champion marketing initiatives and are genuine team players, able to work across specialisms in the firm.  Whilst some of the partners stated that a background in the firm’s profession was very useful, others felt that a fresh approach with a marketer from a different sector could also give significant benefits.

There were a number of recurring themes, perhaps the most significant was the need for the entire organisation to ‘buy in’ to the importance of marketing and business development.  Whilst it might not always be a practical solution to make this element part of an employees’ performance review, one of the partners stressed the importance of a top-down approach saying that because he as managing partner had a weekly meeting with the marketing team, everyone in the firm was aware that business development activities were a priority. 

Making Marketing a Priority

There were comments from the audience that marketing was often seen as a secondary function to client work and also that it was sometimes difficult for marketers to challenge the opinion of partners who were senior to them, but perhaps had a limited understanding of marketing.  There was a consensus that it was the responsibility of the marketer to champion the best strategy for the firm and to find a way around any resistance.  It was also agreed that although every partner had to be a fee-earner, he also had a responsibility to market and promote the firm. 

The importance of cross-selling services within a firm and the role a marketer could play in this process was also stressed.  With the market still tough for winning new business, the opportunity to sell additional services to existing clients presented a much more attractive proposition.  However, with professionals sometimes ‘blinkered’ within their own department, a marketer with a broader perspective could prove invaluable.  It was also felt that those involved in business development must engage with clients.

Interestingly, all of the partners said that their marketing activities had not retracted during the recession with business development acknowledged as a crucial part of the management process.  In some cases, marketing activities had grown although resource had been re-focussed on sales generation.  As with marketing in any sector, the key is to ensure that every initiative has clear and measurable objectives.

The power of social media has made the crisis management minefield even trickier to navigate, opening businesses up to attacks where there was previously no platform. Rallying public support using a channel that has the capability to reach thousands in a very short space of time, these campaigns can have a very rapid detrimental effect on a company, no matter how solid their CSR policy.

While elaborate, visual stunts are normally the name of the game for Greenpeace, the fact that this latest attention grabber, arguably one of its most successful, built up a storm from behind a computer screen, illustrates exactly how a well-targeted social media campaign can harness the power of online gossipers and bloggers, pick on the flaws of a multi-national’s crisis management plan and muster enough momentum to leave a large corporation’s reputation in meltdown.

Greenpeace’s strategy was simple – no scaling London landmarks, no storming North Sea oil rigs, no hoisting banners on the tailfin of a BA jet at Heathrow. OK, they did dress up as orang-utans at various Nestle offices. But aside from that, its best tactic was to throw a line to the masses, posting a hard-hitting video on YouTube which replaced chocolate fingers with some of the ape variety, whilst brewing up damaging chatter on Nestle’s Facebook page.

The result? A campaign that highlighted Nestle’s inability to handle its social media channels effectively – its ham-fisted response saw representatives trying to delete wall posts from the Facebook fanpage as soon as they appeared, responding to wall posts in what was taken as an aggressive, holier-than-thou tone, whilst attempting to block YouTube views.

It wasn’t necessarily Greenpeace’s actions that caused such damage, but the way Nestle reacted to them – rather than stem the flow, they angered consumers who then fuelled the fire, and the story blew into an international news item as a result.

They finally got a grip on the situation with a calm, detailed and transparent response to the offending issues which would have gone some way to help. But it was posted on Nestle’s corporate website, not at the battlefield itself and was therefore completely missed by the Facebook feeding frenzy.

Nestle’s reputation has taken a serious battering and it will take a huge amount of time and effort to restore this. For businesses and PR agencies, it is a valuable lesson and one that highlights how important it is to advocate the development of robust crisis management strategies, with clear plans directed at social media.

The key is to engage people from the start – find a balance between openness and brand control and try to keep the platforms from which people can grumble or insult in a place that you manage and facilitate. People need to be in a place where they’re talking to you, so that you can deal with the problem, provide answers or explanations and keep them aware of what’s happening.

They also need to be talking to someone who understands the situation and is clear about the company’s brand objectives; a) so that they don’t cause further fury by responding in an inappropriate, stuffy and condescending way and b) so that they can toe the corporate line.

Like it or not, people will always discuss, debate, complain and spread their opinion of brands online. And with a plethora of new websites, forums and apps launching every week, managing online reputation is a challenging task that needs serious consideration.

Engage the public, respond to complaints, be transparent, don’t try to stifle cyber-chat and most importantly, work with your PR team to develop a comprehensive crisis plan that covers all eventualities. Leave the gaffs to Nestle.

I wish there was some decent guidance about developing ‘apps’ for iPhone, BlackBerry and Android platforms, but there seems to be a conspiracy by ‘techies’ to keep the process as mysterious as possible!

We have been working on several in the past few weeks (that aren’t launched yet, so we can’t mention them), but they are the current hot trend.  Figures from last summer reported 50,000 iPhone apps  and by November 2009 this had increased to 100,000!  As a regional PR agency, one of the most useful recent launches for us has been

TheBusinessDesk.com Appwhich arrived in the Apple store just a few weeks ago, but is already proving indispensable.

We thought it might be useful to share some of our recent learning about how to go about developing an iPhone app, and many of these tips also have value for developing BlackBerry apps too.

1. Plan well ahead – Shortlist a few specialist app developers (we have worked with several and know of a few more, if you want recommendations, drop me an email) and get prices to a tight spec, just as with a web developer.  The scope of what you need will greatly affect the price, but £2k is a decent starting point and the sky is the limit if you need all the bells and whistles!  Expect to spend two weeks planning, four weeks developing and two weeks testing, unless you can focus everyone to compress the work needed into less time.
2. Get draft designs – you must really brief the designers well, and be sure you like the draft designs before the build process begins – changing the look of an app can be costly…
3. Manage timings – developing web site and apps usually over run, as you are dealing with managing business people (whoever the client is) and techies, so there are always a few snags and delays
4. Test, test and test again – When you think you have your app designed, test it over and over before submitting it to the Apple store.  You can test apps on your own devices before you launch them with Apple, using a convoluted process of downloading zip folders and pushing files into iTunes on your own PC.  It is well worth doing as you always find more snags the more time and test users you have (10 – 20 is a good test audience) and it saves time and effort if you have all the snags ironed out before you first submit.
5. Register with Apple as an app developer  – I recommend registering as a developer ($99 cost) and setting up your own developer account.  This gives a number of benefits, the main being that your details on the iStore are flexible, and you control the access to stats etc too.  Your app developer will most likely be able to do this for you, steer clear of using their own developer account unless there is good reason.
6. Be prepared to launch PR – When you finally upload the app, there will be a delay of between 24 hours and five days before it is live on the iStore.  You have no control over this, and you must be ready to put any PR plans into action as soon as you see the app is live.  Countless online sites trawl for new apps, and you can’t control who will write about your app first.  It is amazing how many sites download and review even UK only apps, especially in the States, so make sure you make the most of the PR opportunities.
7. Utilise social media and app PR sites – there are a number of good ways to distribute media releases about the launch of apps that cost a little but deliver a lot in terms of online coverage and back links.  PR Web www.prweb.com/ (£110 upwards) is worth a look, as is the cheaper ($30 USD) Mac PR www.macpr.co.uk/

So, don’t be put off developing an app just because you haven’t done it before; you just need common sense and the support of a good designer.  Personally, I think that as long as the app has a purpose and is useful to the user (sounds obvious, but there will be people who develop pointless apps) they are a great way to get huge PR value, and they also to bring a fresh and added value aspect to your web offering. 

The massive rush towards iPhones that started last year when the Vodafone 02 and Orange networks got the handsets is compelling.  I personally think they have been a massive boon to our business at Appeal and we all love them, and I believe they will be the standard business handset in 18 months’ time.

If you think you could grow sales or offer clients an improved experience through an iPhone or BlackBerry app, go for it.  Especially if you are able to get in before the competition…

As a result of criticisms levied at the Beeb over the past few years, a strategic review of the public broadcaster’s remit and services has been undertaken ahead of 2012 when all households will own a digital television.  Its proposals put forward to the BBC Trust include:

-          Closing down digital radio stations BBC 6Music and the Asian Network

-          Shutting down half of all BBC websites and cutting both online staff numbers and the £112m online budget by 25 per cent

-          Axing teen offerings BBC Switch and Blast!

-          Capping sports rights spending at 8.5 per cent of the licence fee (about £300m)

-          Reducing the £100m budget for foreign broadcast acquisitions by 20 per cent

The argument is that with its huge guaranteed income, the BBC represents unfair competition to its rivals who are struggling to survive in the face of falling advertising revenues.  The corporation has come under fire from beleaguered commercial rivals and senior politicians alike as the power of its online and expanding digital TV and radio channels has continued to grow.  An attack by James Murdoch, head of News Corporation in the UK, claimed that the BBC’s position made it impossible for rivals to make online news a viable business.

I’m sorry, but I find it difficult to sympathise with the current plight of commercial TV stations and traditional media.  When revenues were booming in the 80s (and I was a lowly BBC researcher), I remember the chaos caused by huge cuts at the BBC with staff axed and programme commissioning moved to independent production companies.  

Might it be that the BBC is actually better than its rivals and has simply out-performed its commercial competition?  Looking at my own viewing habits, I probably choose BBC TV or radio programmes 80 per cent of the time.  As a nation, the British are very good at mocking themselves whether it’s our incompetence in Olympic ski jumping (does anyone remember Eddie ‘the Eagle’?) or our less-than-memorable Eurovision song contest entrants, we seem to take a strange pride in being the underdog.  In contrast, we have a British institution which, despite criticism and whinging, has continued to produce probably the best programming output in the world (in fact, BBC Worldwide generated annual revenues of £1 billion in 2008).  Why can’t we just be glad and celebrate our success in leading the world in quality broadcasting? 

What’s more, I was even more incensed to see that the corporation’s plans to launch news and sports iPhone apps (what a fantastic idea!) were being opposed by the Newspaper Publishers Association (NPA), again because it might ‘hinder competition’.  Come on, this really is pushing things too far – surely, if the BBC is able to successfully harness technology in order to deliver something for which there is a real demand, than we, the licence payers, have a right to benefit from it?

With the thorny issue of BBC funding once more at the top of the agenda, it seems that as a public service broadcaster, the corporation is in a no win situation – it would be slated for wasting licence payers money if it wasn’t doing well and now it’s being attacked for being too good at its job!  There’s no doubt that the Beeb enjoys widespread public trust and affection and, in my view, deservedly so.

Apparently, although the number of new users is still growing with an impressive 6.2 million new accounts per month (or between two and three per second), less than a fifth of those registered are actually using the site.  It seems that only 17 per cent of those who sign up become users.  The majority of accounts remain inactive; a quarter has no followers; 80 per cent have tweeted less than ten times and 40 per cent have never tweeted at all!

In fact, the number of new accounts was 20 per cent lower than the peak of July 2009 when there were 7.8 million new users.  What’s more, the tweet rate fell to an all-time low in December with only 17 per cent of registered twitterers sending a festive chirrup.  So was last year’s Twitter craze a case of the emperor’s new clothes with people signing up just because everyone else was? 

Despite some of the negative statistics, RJ Metrics which carried out the research believes that Twitter users are becoming more engaged over time when viewed by age sample and, they say, ‘Twitter remains a powerhouse despite the high percentage of inactive users’.  This opinion is based on the fact that despite the high fall off of users with only 20 per cent of tweeters coming back to tweet in their second month, those that don’t fly the nest tweet so much that it makes up for all the people who left.  Also, it appears that users who joined in 2009 tweet more avidly in their first few months than their 2008 counterparts, indicating that active users are actually becoming more engaged over time.

So, despite Stephen Fry’s abdication as the king of Twitter (he announced last month that he was taking a tweet break to write a book to the disappointment of his million followers), it’s probably too early to dismiss this micro blogging site as a mere fad.  For me, the novelty of browsing my tweetdeck or summarising my life in 140 characters has somewhat worn off, but with 15 million highly active tweeters still hard at it, it’s a channel of communication that marketers cannot afford to ignore.

Granted, they do have the freedom to approach an issue however they see fit and it’s impossible for anyone, PR consultant or otherwise, to have editorial control over a story, no matter how good their relationship is with the person writing it. So for those unfamiliar with the territory, dealing with the press can be a daunting prospect and indeed, it is a critical area which should always be handled with caution. Always avoid saying anything to a journalist which you don’t want to see in print, unless they have agreed that it is ‘off the record’.

In general, media folk are not there to find the most damaging angle in a story. Treat them with respect; be as honest and transparent as possible in your dealings with them and they are likely to return the favour. Remember, the media is funded by advertising from businesses like yours and its customers are readers like you, so it isn’t actually in their interests to haphazardly alienate the business community.

The media should in fact be considered an important ally – well-placed articles and comment pieces in target publications can do wonders for a business’ profile, raising awareness of, and lending credibility to, its offering. Those who handle their journalist relationships well can certainly expect to reap the benefits.

Here are our top ten tips on how to cultivate winning relationships with your target titles.

1. Build a personal rapport with key journalists – invite them to lunch, introduce them to interesting people, give them good stories, become a useful source of information for important issues so that they know to come to you first. And remember it’s a two way road so be available and helpful when they need you, not just when you need them. Investing your time and personality will do wonders for your column inches.

2. Work out what kind of stories publications want to fill their pages with – give them stories they will actually want to publish, or offer a new approach to an issue which will be interesting to their readers. With deadlines to meet and pages to fill, journalists are busy creatures and will appreciate the effort.

3. Be aware of deadlines – journalists can ask for information with a very short lead time and it’s often necessary to act immediately if the PR opportunity is to be maximised. Don’t leave them waiting, they’ll close the story without you. If you’ve promised them some information, then make sure they get it, and within their timescale. If for some reason you can’t deliver, let them know there’s a problem as early as possible.

4. Make their lives easier – don’t send huge attachments which clog their inbox, do copy a press release into the body of an email and put the title in the subject line. Try to accommodate the style of the publication you’re targeting.

5. Don’t be put off – if a press release doesn’t make the news pages, don’t be tempted to simply not bother with your next story. There is no guarantee that a press release will be featured but this is not necessarily a bad reflection on your submission. There are lots of external pressures which can explain why something is left off the page.

6. Choose your timing – if you issue a press release quoting someone within the business, then make sure that person is available on the day it is sent to the newspapers – there’s nothing more annoying than not being able to contact quoted personnel if journalists need more information.

7. Know your subject – if you receive a follow-up call from the journalist, be confident about the topic you’re talking about and make sure your answers are clear and consistent. Decide beforehand exactly how much information you are able to give away.

8. Prepare for interviews – if a journalist wants to interview you for the radio or TV, give yourself plenty of time to get ready. Although you will find it’s very rare for journalists to disclose a list of questions in advance, ask for a briefing to get as good an idea as you can of the topics they want to discuss. Ideally, prepare a list of likely questions and consider your answers. Answer questions directly and accurately and try to speak in a natural, conversational tone.

9. Avoid ‘no comment’ – if you can. If you don’t know an answer, then say so. It sounds less suspicious and is also better than giving inaccurate information. If you have to refuse to answer a question, explain why wherever possible.

10. Be honest, open and helpful – once a journalist trusts you as a source and knows the information you provide will be useful, timely and accurate, you will become an invaluable resource to them and this in turn will do wonders for your profile.

When it comes to media handling, the more you put in, the more you will get back; any time and effort you use should be considered a worthwhile investment. It is, however, important to get it right – after all, you are representing your business and need to make sure you do so in a way that reflects how your firm wants to be perceived. You could always seek professional media advice to fine-tune your skills if you need it – as with any other marketing, when in doubt, ask the experts.

For those of us 40-somethings who remember the world pre-PC and have witnessed the massive developments in communications over the last decade, it has been a phenomenal ride.  Taking a career break back in 1997, I returned a few years later to find that the workplace had been captured by the world wide net – press releases were no longer issued by post and the fax machine was a thing of the past.  Since then, we’ve got used to having the world’s research resources at our fingertips; the email rather than the telephone has become our essential; and traditional media is in decline as we all absorb free news from the net.

Take a few minutes for a nostalgic trip back and just think about how different this Christmas will be to the one you enjoyed back in the largely analogue world of 1990.  This year, you’ll be choosing which sit-com repeat to watch from the huge number of options on your multi-channel TV; your turkey will have been ordered and paid for online before being delivered to your home; and most of your gifts will probably have come to you via Amazon rather than St Nick (not that you can expect any CDs in your stocking in this age of free downloads).  And you don’t need to fret about what to do with those unwanted presents, thanks to eBay…

You no longer have to worry about missing your favourite Christmas special, you’ve probably recorded it on your hard drive or you could always go online later and watch it on iplayer.  Family and friends abroad are now only the click of a mouse away, whether you make them part of the festive fun with photos and videos from your mobile; chat with them on MSN or Facebook; or skype them in real time.  

Back in 1999, less than half of us had ever been online and only one in five homes had a connection to the web and even then it was via a dial-up modem.  In 2001, connections averaged around 5,500 a week, but by 2004 over half of all UK households had an internet connection (a third of which were via broadband) and in 2009, 65 per cent of households have broadband.  Apparently, in the five years up to 2008, the UK saw the highest international increase in TV watching; became the biggest user of texts after the US; and had the third highest volume of landline calls in the world.

So, what technological advances are in store for us over the next ten years?  According to Ofcom superfast or next generation broadband will herald further innovations.  Delivering speeds of up to ten times the level of today’s broadband services, it could revolutionise home entertainment and communications.  Families would be able to perform several different tasks at once, such as internet downloading, gaming over the web or watching movies on high-definition TV.  We may also be able to talk to friends and relatives via video links, download albums in seconds and work from home more easily.

Despite being a ‘digital immigrant’ rather than a ‘digital native’ like Generation Y; I have to say that I am fast becoming a technology addict.  Having just taken possession of a shiny new iphone last week, I think I have found digital heaven and I cannot imagine a better hi-tech toy, but who knows what the next ten years have in store…

Sharing centre stage with seasoned commentator Greg Wright, deputy business editor of the Yorkshire Post, proved an interesting experience.  He was able to provide all sorts of practical advice from the usual pleas not to send long-winded, technical or irrelevant news releases, to avoiding the least convenient times to ring him (not around 11am or 3pm when the news meetings are held) and the easiest way of irritating a journalist – clogging up his inbox with oversized photos (be warned – apparently, the press, like elephants, never forget…)

My role was to give an overview of the value of PR and social media to professional services firms, and to offer some insight into the way the media is changing.  A somewhat daunting task when addressing an audience of switched on marketers.

Thinking about the key changes in the media, there are, of course, new faces and publications, but the major development has to be the meteoric rise of social media.  I have been staggered by the proliferation of social media ‘experts’ over the past few months offering their often very expensive services and ‘must-have’ seminars (take a look at a cracking skit that is a viral hit on YouTube called The Social Media Guru -  very well observed, if a little rich in its language, I am certain these self styled ‘gurus’ are breeding rapidly in the serviced offices of the UK).  I do worry that professionals are being panicked into tweeting, linking in and blogging without really thinking it through.  As with all marketing, a clear strategy must be the starting point.

Marketers are under pressure to exploit social media and there is no doubt that it has a useful part to play, particularly in monitoring brands and engaging with customers.   What’s more, some networks such as LinkedIn are extremely useful for all sorts of tasks, from finding suppliers to identifying potential job candidates.  However, it is becoming increasingly clear that whilst professional services firms need to embrace the world of social media, they must keep this tool in perspective and ensure that they use the proportionate resources to implement an SM strategy that suits their business. 

Don’t get me wrong, I am a strong exponent of social media (we recently undertook a very successful campaign to launch a new bargain fashion website TheFashionPixie.com – it was immediately picked up by Google and filled the first page of listings on the day it launched which would not have happened without SM).  However, I am trying to issue a word of caution amidst the current SM hysteria.  As the latest panacea, I fear social media could become the new wild west of marketing in much the same way as web design was ten years ago when clients could be charged five grand for a ten page brochure site designed by a 19 year old student in a weekend!  Finding the right social media partner, and avoiding the ones that cloak the common sense of social media in jargon and hype, isn’t easy, but there are some out there. 

Judging by the reception my comments received and the discussions that followed, it was a bit of an ‘emperor’s new clothes’ moment.  Everyone (particularly in marketing) feels they should be fully conversant with this growing phenomenon , and they don’t want to admit if they can’t actually identify any mind-blowing benefits it would give to their own particular business.   My advice is to look beyond the smoke and mirrors and trust your judgement!

Imagine my delight at working on our latest project, the launch of www.TheFashionPixie.com, a free website designed for fashion bargain hunters.  The beauty of this site is that it does all the work for you – instead of having to subscribe to hundreds of retailers, it compiles all of the sales, discounts and special offers and even sends you a couple of email alerts every week to make sure you stay ahead of the pack. Yes, it has already become one of my favourite on-line tools – part of my daily checklist and something I have been passing on to my address book in lieu of individual sale snippets.

There’s nothing else out there that does what this site does. It’s brilliant. And it means I can satisfy my shopping appetite armed with the best deals out there. It’s quite a liberating feeling – I no longer have to depend on friends to pass on those they come across because I can check for myself at the click of a button. It’s a great concept that will make retail therapy that little bit more therapeutic. Although admittedly, it’s not doing anything for my bank balance!

So far, the site has showcased sales and vouchers for a huge range of retailers. I’ve been able to feed my shoe addiction with offers at Moda in Pelle, Kurt Geiger, Jones the Bootmaker and Jimmy Choo (the latter for window shopping only!), whilst getting more bang for my buck with my Christmas shopping (for me and others…) thanks to sales at Debenhams, Oasis, Dorothy Perkins and White Stuff. It’s an easy to use site that should be a staple for all money, style and fashion conscious ladies out there.

I know that I am not alone in my bargain-hunting addiction. In fact, picking up ‘a steal’ is becoming a fashion in its own right these days. It’s no longer embarrassing to admit that we trawl the sale rails and internet deals when stocking up our glamorous wardrobes. After receiving a compliment about a new item of clothing/shoes/handbag, we can’t wait to point out that we found this fashion must-have for a fraction of its ‘real’ price. 

What’s more, it’s only fair to share this type of essential female knowledge with friends. We knew that the viral nature of this project would make it perfect for a social media campaign.  On the day it launched, Google picked it up and its search listings filled the first page – unheard of for a new website and all down to the excellent SEO benefits of social media.  Just a week since its launch, there are already almost 500 fashion pixies subscribed to the site and they’re multiplying fast.

With many of the January sales arriving before Christmas this year, there are plenty of bargains to be had by the savvy fashionista.  So, take a quick peek at www.TheFashionPixie.com (and don’t forget to tell all your friends!) and you too can enjoy that frisson of excitement as the emailer lands in your inbox, knowing that there are yet more must-have essentials for your wardrobe, just a click away…

I had a quick lunch with a competitor Nathan Lane in Leeds last week, and was pleased to hear that he is as hacked off with the process of tendering as I am (as an agency we haven’t tendered for a couple of years).

My issue is simply that proper consultancy is a creative process that doesn’t suit the process of tendering.  Ask us to consult, to look at your organisation, the people involved and the business issues too and then we will propose the best activity to suit your business needs.

The fact is that some agencies like to tender. They have developed a framework that can be dropped in for any job that ticks boxes and wins work with little bespoke thinking or input.  They have junior staff rattling them off in a ‘numbers game’ approach.   

In-house marketers should appreciate that the tender process leads to duplication and lazy documents devoid of real creativity.  The most cost effective agencies don’t have the time to invest in bespoke tenders (as we don’t have fat margins) and most of the best ones don’t do ‘tick box’ proposals for any pitch because it is poor practice.

Why not have PR people invest their time into the solving of creative business issues, rather than ticking boxes?

A good example of the kind of irrelevant minutia that local government tender processes can involve could have a look at any council’s website.  Try this compelling detailed document from a recent Fenland District Council PR tender process, for crying out loud!

So, if you want to get the best consultants for your organisation follow these steps;

1)      Ask for credentials from between six to ten agencies

2)      Meet five or so and brief them face to face

3)      Ask for proposals from the most appropriate/impressive three

4)      Hire the agency that demonstrates a balance of best thinking and most cost effective proposal

I guarantee that if you run the process well and are open with the agencies you will have made a better appointment at the close than by implementing the dry and faceless tender process.  As a bonus your new PR partners will understand your issues better. 

Stick to tick box tendering, and you will keep hiring the people who are good at the tender process, not good at PR.