Client

The client is the representative entering into a contractual relationship with a public relations firm for the purpose of securing the firm's expertise. The representative can be an individual, such as a political candidate or an entertainer, a department or subsidiary of a larger organization, a corporation, and so on. Firms are hired by that client for any number of reasons ranging from general promotions to strategic planning and issues management. Larger organizations may contract with several firms for needed specializations, such as hiring one firm for international relations work and another firm for crisis management. These relationships may be short term, such as for the duration of a crisis, a particular special event, or the publication of specialized collateral material, and in these cases the client sets up some project-based method of payment for the services. The business may also be long term based on providing longer-standing services through continued counseling or augmenting the organization's staff in particular areas, in which case a retainer method of payment for the services is the usual preference.

The client initiates the relationship, of course, by recognizing a need for some kind of assistance in the area of public relations. The better the client can explicate its objectives, the more likely the result is an efficient and highly successful search. The search can range from informal to formal. In some cases, one representative of the client handles the entire process, and in other cases the team may include several representatives of the organization. Ideally, the team includes the key contact person for the firm and the final decision maker, because these players are critical in establishing the relationship with the firm selected.

If the search is handled informally, it may be based solely on contacts. The client possibly had a productive past relationship with a firm and chose to renew that relationship. If the need for the firm is local, very specific, and specialized and the budget is limited, the search may be a matter of simply determining availability of a local firm.

In the more formal cases, the selection process may be managed either by the client or by a consulting firm that specializes in assisting groups with the details involved in a formal search of public relations firms. Time may be a determinant in whether the client organizes the search or hires out the search process. Using a consulting firm means that the firm identifies the public relations firms most likely to be of interest, manages the request for proposals, and organizes the formal agency proposal processes.

Regardless of whether the client or another firm manages the search, it begins with networking and general research to identify potential firms. The firms viewed as most interesting in terms of perceived capabilities and reputations are sent requests for proposals (RFPs). RFPs are questionnaires designed to narrow the field of potential firms and may include demographic data related to the firm (size, length of time in the field, specializations, and so on) as well as a few screening questions to determine expertise in the client's area or ability to handle the issues at hand. RFPs allow the organization to examine the firms from a distance to determine the firm's expertise, its style, and especially to identify any conflict of interest if one of the potential firms is representing a competitor. RFPs, furthermore, allow the public relations firms themselves to “self-select” their formal participation in the search; for example, some firms may opt out of the process due to other commitments, or the size of the project is either too large or too small for their preference. The organization then generally chooses three to five firms to interview. The client may want to consider finalists for the continued search process based on variety—of size, services (full service to boutique), location, ownership (independent to multinational)—as well as various specializations. Including a variety of firms allows the client to better assess a range of issues affecting the final decision. Smaller firms with fewer clients may be able to provide more attention to the issue, whereas larger firms with offices throughout the United States and overseas may be better prepared to manage international product introductions or other broader based public relations programs.

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