“There is no point in engaging people for their talent and then restricting their contribution.” So says Ismail Merchant in the Financial Times (July 21, 2001). Here he’s speaking about filmmaking but he could as easily be voicing the frustrations of any consultant who has stood by bereft as his project is picked apart and ultimately destroyed by a client who thinks he knows better.

Why do clients engage in the ironical behavior of hiring someone to do a job only to arrive at the conclusion that they themselves will do it better?

And while we are on the subject, how come the client can do it better? Why are they stuck with generic products that look suspiciously like they rolled off the template assembly line when they are hiring people who are meant to be more talented than they?

Let’s just review some of the stages of the tenuous relation between client and consultant. The beginning is generally rosy enough. Typically the client reviews a handful of current agencies and/or new players before embarking on a project. Ideally, the client provides specs, the agency/consultancy responds to the pitch requirements, an agency is chosen and the project begins.

But let’s just back up a minute here. The agency spends (usually) out-of-pocket money in researching the project, preparing the pitch and (sometimes) travelling to meet with the client. The client sits through countless grueling pitches where the moon is promised and every wish will purportedly be catered to. Similar to a marriage, the client is left to ruefully recount these vows later when the deliverables turn out to be less than adequate.Where does it go wrong? We spoke to clients and discovered that the complaints range from agencies misleading clients’ expectations to agencies’ lack of understanding of local limitations in implementation. Agencies, on the other hand, had a lot of “off the record” things to say about the lack of time, budget and creative freedom... although they weren’t quite so succinct or plainspoken.

One thing is certain: this is obviously a hot button issue – one that all of us face on a day-to-day basis. So we welcome you to tell each other what’s eating you. Perhaps a little airing of differences will lead us all to serve one another a little better. Or if nothing else, at least you’ll have gotten it off your chest.