Working with a creative marketing firm for the first time often prompts a few concerns. How successful will they be in interpreting your needs? How can they meet those needs most effectively? How can they do it most efficiently? How much will it cost?

Laying The Foundation. The first thing most firms normally do after being assigned a project is to schedule an information-gathering session with you and your key staff. They’re interested not only in scheduling, budget and job specifications, but also in your competition, target audience, and objectives. And they want to know all the features and benefits of your product or service. This will help sharpen the focus and objectives and in turn, ensure that the solution they produce is not only creatively excellent, but strategically targeted.

The Right Ideas. It’s best if you designate only one or two key decision makers at your company to work directly with your marketing firm. This way everyone stays focused on real solutions and are not distracted by too many personal opinions. Expect the creative team to present only two or three initial concepts showing completely different approaches to the project at hand. Many clients ask for five, six, seven or even more concepts, but offering too many solutions up front only complicates things and usually results in a poorly developed marketing piece.

The Schedule. Despite popular misconceptions, good creative work doesn’t normally come in a flash of inspiration. It usually comes from much trial and error. This is why the creative team needs to take the time to consider several approaches, work them through, and revise them. In addition, your marketing firm usually needs to address budgeting, printing, media placement, scheduling, and other issues relevant to the success of the project. All this, plus the need to perform in a businesslike fashion, means that your promptness in providing materials and making approvals is crucial if your deadlines are to be met.

The Budget. All companies, all industries, all products have different marketing needs — and different methods of determining budgets. Introduction of a new company or product requires heavy spending based on anticipated results, while an established business might implement an annual marketing budget based on previous year’s sales. Although your creative marketing firm can’t tell you how much to spend, they can certainly help you maximize the return on your investment. You should leverage this expertise.