So I have stared at this blank page for days trying to find a witty, pithy, creative opening on how to deal with clients when it comes to the creative process.  Why did they pick me for this topic? All I can think of is that my 16 years on the “client side” of the process gave me some insight others might not have.

Now that wasn’t so witty, pithy or creative…why? I’m not a copywriter and more often than not, neither is the client.  As a client I always made the best use of my resources, after all isn’t that the luxury of being the client?

I left media buying to my media buyers, graphics to my art directors and the copy to my copywriters. Unfortunately not all clients view the process the same way. This is where the “manager” in account manager comes into play. You are managing the process, which means a lot more than just meeting deadlines. Managing the process also means managing client expectations and the personalities involved.

Deep down inside all of us, including clients, there is a little voice that says, “I wish I had come up with the GEICO gecko!”  or “I’m sure it didn’t take genius to write– Things go better with Coke!” I’ve spent a career being jealous of those Madison Avenue creative types with the corner office and view of Manhattan who can turn a phrase that not only becomes part of our everyday vernacular but “sells” the product! It’s a gift! Too many episodes of Mad Men could lead you to believe otherwise, because they make it look so easy, but believe me it’s a gift and one we don’t all possess. It can be a tightrope walk finding the right words to tell the client that the copy his son wrote in class or his wife wrote at the gym just isn’t going to work on radio.

In managing the process, it is my job to walk the client through each phase of scripting, casting, production—all along acknowledging their expertise about their product/service, while never letting them lose sight of our expertise in finding the right creative to sell it.

Advertising industry legend Leo Burnett once said, “I’ve learned that any fool can write a bad ad, but that it takes a real genius to keep his hands off a good one.”

Put the client in the role of “genius.”  Robert Fleege, another industry insider once said, “The client will always pick the concept that you like the least, so never present any concepts you don’t like.” Guide the client in the right direction.  She ultimately makes the decision, but isn’t it better for everyone when her decision is based on the agency’s expertise?

In managing the process, we make our clients look good to the people they answer to. We get to play superhero and it’s always better when we don’t get our cape stuck in the door!

Monica Caraffa is a Senior Account Manager at The Radio Agency. Please follow The Radio Agency’s Blog “Sounding Board” by subscribing to the email or RSS links above. Visit our website TheRadioAgency.com