So the dilemma happens; your client has a chunky piece of work they need help with which is outside of your agency’s wheelhouse. Sure, your agency could admit you don’t dabble in this area, but this could open the client up to venturing elsewhere in the long run (and nobody wants a breakup). Instead, your agency opts to team up with another agency so you still have project input and the work gets done.
As a PM, this can present some tricky obstacles depending on how you choose to approach the team-up. To prevent this, one of the first things you’ll need to do is figure out how you’re going to present your teams to the client.
There are generally 3 options for your agency collab, which we’ll dig into below:
Riding ‘solo’: Two agencies become one
The services of one agency are whitelisted under the other, like a solo artist with a badass bunch of producers behind them.
When it’s suitable: Usually this will occur when one agency brings in another agency for a smaller piece of work they don’t specialise in (for instance, an Adwords campaign, marketing services or branding). The type of project is usually simple enough to be possible without direct contact between the client and the other agency.
Pros:
The primary agency maintains their established relationship with the client.
This is simpler for the client to understand because as far as they know, you are the sole provider.
Cons:
It’s rare for agencies to whitelist their services under another because agencies generally rely on client referrals.
Important feedback or requirements can get lost in translation from the client to the primary and secondary agency.
PM Considerations:
Getting clear communication from the client and then communicating this exactly as they intended to the other agency is paramount here. This might mean re-confirming your interpretation of the feedback with the client before passing it on.
Deadlines, budget and scope should take into consideration the extended feedback loop.
The Duet: A separate, but united front
Like Sonny and Cher or Jay-Z and Beyonce, both agencies come together to deliver a balanced duet. Both take ownership of their pieces of work and there is a clear separation to the client and openness about bringing in another agency to tackle the project.
When it’s suitable: This is common for large projects where two agencies tackle separate parts. For instance, one agency may design an app and bring in a development agency to manage the dev and QA.
Pros:
Both agencies can be present for all relevant communications with the client and be open about their roles.
Communication comes directly from the client to both parties so there’s less chance of chinese whispers when it comes to feedback and requirements.
Cons:
This can be confusing for the client unless there is a clear separation of agency roles they can refer back to when needed.
Having two agency PMs, plus a client PM can be complicated. For tips on how to work with other PMs, check out our article here.
PM Considerations:
Both agency PMs should jump into a meeting to hash out how they’re going to present the team-up to the client in the simplest way possible.
When two agencies are working on the same project, it can be easy for grey areas in the scope to occur. For instance, some UX tasks may fall under both website design and development or a feature could be miscommunicated. Both teams need to hash out who is dealing with what and to decide when collaborative reviews are needed during the project.
The Sidekick: One agency is there to assist
One agency (usually the agency with the existing relationship) takes the lead as the primary agency. The other agency will have a clearly defined, lesser role.
When it’s suitable: This works in a lot of situations and is particularly great if there is a temporary project requiring a specialist provider. For instance, this could include a marketing agency bringing in a development agency for a website build.
Pros:
There can be one PM in these situations, which can make it easier for the client and both agencies involved.
The primary agency can maintain their strong relationship with the client and role as project lead. The other agency should be clearly viewed as assisting the project.
The ‘assisting agency’ can still be included in direct meetings with the client, improving communication.
Cons:
Can still be a little confusing for the client with more people involved.
PM Considerations:
Communication with the other agency regarding deadlines and scope inclusions is super important here.
Two agencies are bound to have different processes so it’s best to chat this through in detail beforehand and get on the same page.
Overall, the most important part of any potential collab is getting on the same page with process, scope and deadlines and making roles clear to the client (and your own teams!). If you keep your PM goggles on and stay extra alert, your team-up should run smoothly. Hands in everybody!
