Agency Agony Uncle
Dear Uncle Carl,
I am a freelance designer who has not been paid for a month’s work at an agency which is now completely ignoring me whenever I contact them. While I really need the money, I can’t afford a lawyer to fight the case for me? Any advice?Bastards. I can handle people not paying huge conglomerates, I would even encourage sitting on invoices to banks if we could. The only people I encourage you to pay with a pained smile on your face is the tax man. But to not pay ‘the little man’ is just a fucking crime. Rant over. Keep talking to them, if they answer the fekkin phone.Approach your contact and then you approach the accounts department. They need reminding that you took the work on in good faith, you have your own terms and conditions (you do, don’t you?). You could start sending statements and demands that incur an ‘above base rate’ penalty charge. You can offer to take the cash in installments. You could name and shame them, you could even go after the fekkin client you worked on for them. But all of those would only be a last resort and reflect a total breakdown in the relationship.
The more desperate you are the more pressure you should apply. Keep at them but do not take your eye off your own business, keep working to the future. If this issue starts to eat away at you, then put it down to experience and make sure you learn some lessons when picking future business partners.
If you are reading this and your accounts team draw out payment days, or ‘are waiting for the next cheque run’ or tell everyone ‘he’s not here to sign the payment off’, just stop being a twat and pay ‘the little men’. We should revisit a ‘name and shame’ website where we could all post warnings of these fekkers to everyone else.
Dear Uncle Carl,As a marketer of more than 30 years I have worked for some of the UK’s top brands, but now I feel that technology is leaving me behind. Any tips for longevity in this digital age?Yes, don’t try to keep up. You can’t; it’s sodding impossible. Be interested and focused on the benefits, the case studies, examples of who is doing what and then find great people who can do it and want to do it for you. I know what SEO is and the benefits to business but I wouldn’t have a clue how to ‘do it’ and I am not interested in knowing how to do it really.
Einstein once said “I don’t keep anything in my head that I can find in a book”, and Henry Ford told a group at a meeting he could answer any question they put to him and when they did he simply phoned his team to come in and find the answer. Why should you be any different? Enjoy the fabulous benefits the often dark arts of digital bring to the table but don’t feel you have to swot up on them. There are many people like you in agencies and on the client and supplier side who want to deal with people like you; someone who they can still talk to and who understands them but then can offer solutions that may or may not include a digital aspect. There has been so much emphasis on digital over the last five years or so, coupled with a recession, lack of investment in recruiting the young guns and on training, that I believe there is a knowledge gap appearing of wider strategies beyond simply digital. A gap that people like you can help fill. Your day is not over just yet; people are still broadcasting, exhibiting, mailing, and printing. Get on with it.
Dear Uncle Carl,The agency I use for marketing has been acquired by a global group. I’ve worked with them for years and have been treated well, with top level resource from the agency. But I feel that now, as part of a huge machine, my business will not take the place it did before. Should I look elsewhere?Not immediately, no. Think of the benefits the larger group might bring, the deeper talent pool, the stability, new services, greater and wider experience. Look at it this way; you now have an agency which previously you would have thought was out of your league - what a great opportunity. So, don’t think that you have simply slipped down their league of important clients. The acquisition strategy may be to leave the agency to its own devices so nothing much will change. The incumbent management team, who now have a few quid in their back pockets, may be on a profit linked earn-out for the rest of their cash, so you may in fact see an increase in interest and support and a real desire to keep you and your business on board - trust me, they won’t get more money for losing business. You need to get your agency in and let them tell you how they believe the acquisition of their business will have a positive effect on the service you receive and ultimately on your business. Agencies need clients, they need you.
Dear Uncle Carl,I work hard at a busy firm that I have been with for a number of years, but over the past few months, I’ve started to feel like I need a new challenge. What is your opinion of the current jobs market?God forbid I should come across as soft and fuzzy but the first thing is, you should be discussing this with your partner, especially if, indeed, your family rely on your salary. You need the support of those closest to you otherwise if it doesn’t go to plan, or takes longer than expected, you may damage the thing that’s really important; your home life. Having said that, are you sure this isn’t just some mid-life crisis? If so, buy a sports car, motorbike or girlfriend (one may bankrupt you, one may kill you and one may ruin your home life anyway).
As for opportunities, yes it’s very tough out there and yes the opportunities are not so frequent but they are still there. Good businesses are still looking or are interested in meeting good candidates. Maybe this career itch you need to scratch is an entrepreneurial one, maybe you simply want to do something for yourself. If you do go looking for jobs, be sure to do your own due diligence research on the business. Make sure you ask them as many questions about their performance as they ask you about your experience. Perhaps a chat with your current employer over a new role, new responsibilities, who knows, maybe even a sabbatical for you to explore new interests or just to step back for a few months is what you need– employers are more flexible than ever. And remember; the grass isn’t always greener, now fuck off.