How The Smiths Can Help You Make a Tough Agency Decision

Posted on June 16, 2011

This week, specifically June 16, 2011 was the 25^th anniversary of the song Frankly Mr. Shankly and The Smith’s seminal third album that it came from.

I will go ahead and say, they do not make them like this anymore.

Now, before you ask why this is suddenly a music blog, a partial line from the song provides the gist of this post:

Frankly, Mr. Shankly, this position I’ve held

It pays my way, and it corrodes my soul

The “corrodes my soul” part is pure Morrissey (the lead singer of The Smiths) and although a bit over-the-top, it applies to agency new business in this way: if you’re taking every piece of work that’s coming your way, you’re probably doing yourself a disservice. And yes, perhaps even corroding your creative soul.

We had an agency principal in our offices considering coming on board this week and the topic came up. His agency is still fairly young but is already at the point that they can and do turn down business that isn’t the right fit for them.

I don’t have to tell you, that can be a painful decision.

He mentioned a two week span recently where he had turned down what could have been a few potentially lucrative pieces of business, but for several reasons, he knew they weren’t the right client.

I asked what the stress level (and potential alcohol intake) looked like over that period as he debated the right course of action.

He responded that the decision to turn down the business was actually very freeing, and included very little stress, because financially it would not make or break them and he knew in his gut it was the right move.

It wasn’t always that way for them, especially, unsurprisingly, at the beginning.

It’s easy for someone on my side of the fence to advocate this course of action, but as Morrissey says at the end of the song: Still, I must speak frankly, Mr. Shankly.

You know it to be true, and those of you experiencing something similar right now at your own agency, maybe you’ll weigh the benefits, and the detriments, a bit more carefully.

4 responses to "How The Smiths Can Help You Make a Tough Agency Decision"

David Rodnitzky 16/06/2011 23:43 pm Reply

Awesome post. Referencing the Smiths in an article about agency strategy – brilliant!

Glad you didn’t use Girlfriend in a Coma as your reference though.
Lee McKnight Jr 17/06/2011 07:28 am Reply

Ha, appreciate it David. That would be a tough one to work into a post but it might be fun to try.
Dean LePoidevin 17/06/2011 08:07 am Reply

Excellent point, and quite true. As soon as we began to be a bit more selective with whom we worked it was not only very freeing, as your client stated, but it proved to the staff we were serious about our work and product. In addition, as soon as you begin taking anything that comes to you, you begin to appear desparate and prospects — and worse, clients — can sense that. Not good.
Lee McKnight Jr 17/06/2011 08:26 am Reply

Thanks for reading and commenting Dean, much appreciated. Great to see the point affirmed and selectivity working for you.