Communicating with the Client Isn't Easy

As of right now, my Campaign Planning and Management class is entering its toughest phase. It is the time in which our professor is sending us off into the real world to apply everything we have learned in the past two months to a real-life client. This is my first time doing so, which makes me a bit apprehensive. Over the summer I was frequently exposed to client meetings, however, I was just an intern. I had no voice or role in the meetings. As I witnessed some communications issues, they did not bother me as much because I was only an intern. Now, with my client for class, I am experiencing miscommunication that is impacting my work.

My group for the consulting phase is already facing challenges with the marketing team. When we first met with them they were confused as to why we were even meeting. I thought this was interesting because my Campaign Planning and Management class has been leading up to this phase. The marketing management team did not seem to understand our purpose. So, I took initiative to explain to them what our purpose was.

My group, consisting of two other girls, is serving as a marketing communications consulting firm. The marketing management team has a client, who is Litron. Then, essentially, they "outsourced" for their promotional campaign and that is where my group comes in. However, as I tried to explain this to them, I saw we were at a standstill. I tried to explain what was going on in even simpler terms. I said that they were in charge of 3 P's (price, product, place), while my team is in charge of 1 P (promotion). Once I said that, I saw more understanding facial expressions.

Since the first meeting did not go so well, I am nervous about what the rest of the semester entails. I do not want miscommunication and ineffective meetings to affect my group's creativity and work ethic. For the first two months of Campaign Planning and Management, I feel as if we have grown into marketing communications professionals and have a lot to offer to Litron's marketing plan. The reason that the lack of cohesiveness impacts our campaign is because the marketing management's work directly affects our work. Professor Spotts has done a great job emphasizing that their positioning, missions, objectives are all things we cannot change. They serve as the guidelines for our promotional campaign. But, if the first meeting suggest ineffective communication, how can it get better?

This is a situation I know I will experience many times throughout my career. It is inevitable that when I am dealing with cliens that there will be miscommunication. It definitely is not easy. It is not easy to be on the same page, but it is something that will get better with experience and application. This phase of my Campaign Planning and Management class is the beginning to my consulting career and it can only go up from here.