How to improve the way you work with a marketing director, with Sam Bridger

Sam Bridger is an interim Marketing Director and consultant. She has worked in marketing for over 25 years, 14 of which have been spent as interim marketing director. Throughout her career she's managed many different agencies and so is in a very good position to provide the 'client side' perspective on how agencies manage her business. In this episode, she shares lots of tips and insights into what its like being a client and how you can improve the way you work with your client: * How to engage with your clients when they're not responding to you * Why you need to understand the role and associated pressures of your client * One of the best ways to make a cold approach to a prospective client * Why she thinks it's a great idea to ask your client for referrals where the relationship is strong * The worst thing agencies can do during client meetings and pitches * Why being genuine and empathetic is so important to the account management role * Why you need to take an interest in the client's product and learn as much as you can to be credible for clients * How to treat the client when having meetings and do your homework before meeting clients * The importance of taking the time to do your research before client meetings and pitches * Why she believes the traditional pitch process needs to change to a shorter term project approach before assigning all the business * Why helping the client deliver their objective is your key role * Why agencies don't ask for feedback enough after a pitch and her suggestion for how you can approach this * Why clients don't always know what needs to go into a pitch brief so asking the right questions is key