How Do You Get at Scope Expectations Early in the New Business Process?
Review Central is a terrific initiative by the 4A’s.
Farmer & Co. hopes that agencies who participate in searches will either ask for or be provided with detailed Scopes of Work that can be analyzed to determine the amount of work, the complexity of the work, and the headcount/seniority of required agency resources.
Too many advertisers ignore Scopes of Work during their searches and jump into fee negotiations without any discussion of the specific amount of work to be done.
This is one of the many strategies used by clients to negotiate low fees.
If there is no SOW as part of the search, you can be sure that the “agreed fee” will prove to be inadequate once the actual work rolls in.
Review Report Cards should note whether or not clients have provided an appropriate SOW that can be used by agencies when they prepare their fee submissions.
If you are a 4A’s member and your agency needs guidance figuring out how/when to obtain Scope of Work information during the new business process, Farmer & Co. is available to provide telephone consultation and a SOW template. If you are a 4A’s member and if you have a straightforward question about scope of work dynamics during new business give Farmer & Co. a call (212-909-2650) for a no-cost consultation.
Michael Farmer
mfarmer@farmerandco.com
