By Elizabeth Miller
There's that classic scene in Jerry McGuire when the slick-speaking sports agent (Tom Cruise) tells the all-star football client (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), "Help me help you." Here at Advent Media Group, we might not be sports agents, but we do seek to create the best advertising products possible for our clients. As a client, here's some ways you can help us help you:
1. Let us know if you anticipate roadblocks for meeting your deadlines. We'll discuss options for the most efficient and effective ways to produce a project you love, without feeling rushed.
2. Going on vacation? Congrats! But let us know well in advance if you won't be readily available by email or phone. Providing the contact info of your assistant, or another office helper, is key in keeping your project rolling during your absence. It also helps to provide your cell phone number in case of emergencies.
3. Photos: If you don't have professional, hi-res images on-hand, let us know right away. We'll help you determine if you need to hire a photographer, and we can even recommend shots that look best on a page. If you aren't familiar with the techie lingo for high quality artwork (i.e., vector art, dpi, hi-res, Photoshop), we'd love to explain it.
4. We see this situation often: you're overwhelmed with a million other projects and can't find time to squeeze in this one. We'll work with your busy schedule. Tell us the best times and methods to reach you. (A cell phone call at 8 pm on a Tuesday night? Done!)
5. If your project will need the nod of approval from multiple people (i.e., legal/marketing departments, president, etc.), that's best to know up front. We'll budget plenty of time to meet the approval of all authorizing bodies.
6. Don't be afraid to tell us what you want. Color preferences, design ideas, style vibes? We want to hear them. But also don't be afraid to give us creative license. We're pros, and you can trust us to deliver something spectacular.
Remember, like Jerry, we're here for you. And the best way to help us help you is good communication.
