When I was starting in adland, I would hear people talk ‘schmoozing’.
You know what it is, where a client is taken out – normally by someone in client management – and “entertained”.
Now the thing is, people would always say the word ‘schmooze’ as if it was dirty … the equivilent of cheating on your wife but buying her a bunch of flowers on the way home. From a petrol station forecourt.
Now of course I know there have been all manner of dirty, filthy, morally corrupt things done under the guise of “entertaining the client” … however I would still say they are the exception rather than the rule, especially in adland.
Schmoozing doesn’t mean being underhand. Nor does it mean being slimy … intact I’d go as far to say that schmoozing is a really important thing and planners should be doing it far more than they do.
I’m not talking about long lunches, strip clubs or games of golf … I’m talking about the simple act of having a meal together.
Now I appreciate that might disappoint some … however the simple lunch or dinner is an amazing weapon.
I don’t mean it because you can try to win favor by getting them pissed … I mean it because it allows you to talk to them in a neutral environment … where previously ‘sensitive’ issues suddenly lose their explosiveness … where you can talk about life, not just work and start to connect on a deeper level – at least more than the day-to-day interactions you probably normally manage.
You get to discuss the future … fears, wants, hopes and dreams … and then you can go back to the office and try and do something about making it happen … something that can open the door to mutual benefit and belief … something that can get you more influence and creativity over their approach … something that can get you to deliver them stronger and more meaningful results.
Something that let’s you both remember how powerful, effective and important the advertising business can actually be …
You might think this is all airy-fairy, but as I wrote previously, half the battle to getting good work is having trust, respect and understanding and if all your interactions are based around an office table, rather than a dining table – the chances of you being able to achieve that get seriously limited.
So next time you’re wondering how you can get a client to start doing better, bolder, more meaningful things – forget about thinking of ways to show them how “utterly-fucking-amazing-you-are-and-how-stupid-they-must-be-if-they-turn-it-down” and give schmoozing strategy a go … because having a strong relationship with the client doesn’t mean you’re a creep or in account service [that is not meant to sound like I’m discounting them, in fact, I think they possibly have the toughest job of anyone in adland], it means you’re increasing the odds of doing the sort of work that others out there will talk about with a distinctly envious tone in their voice. And green eyes.