Jul 13 2010

Expectation management: What to do when you’re not on track to meet a goal

While it’s not the sunnier side of public relations, it’s something the majority of us have experienced. The dreaded moment when you realize you may not meet a client’s expectations. I know, I know. It’s not something we typically talk about. But, it happens. Why does it happen? From short turnaround time to poor planning, a number of things can impact the ability to meet expectations.

Here at Sevans Strategy we’re doing several learning exercises with our interns this summer. Our current learning opportunity involves “client expectations management” on a tight turnaround project with an aggressive goal. (In our exercise the “client” is Sevans Strategy.)

After sending a learning recap email to the team this afternoon, I thought I’d share it publicly, too. Here’s what we’re learning –

When managing expectations with a client, it’s essential to do the following before a project begins:

1) establish clear goals (i.e. measurable, typically involves a number or target);
2) identify an easy way to measure and report; and
3) create an executable publicity plan with tactics all view and agree to
So what happens when you know that a goal may be compromised? We’ve identified a few steps for Sevans Strategy team members to review and add to:
  1. Confirm the goal may not be met if current tactics are continued.
  2. Review the current tactic list and evaluate what is and what is not working.
  3. Brainstorm with other team members (if there’s time and applicable) to come up with a game plan.
  4. Update the publicity plan with new tactics and “strikethrough” any tasks eliminated.
  5. Seek final approval from project lead (or appropriate chain of command) before reaching out to the client.
  6. Proactively contact the client. It’s always better to show you’re aware of it first and that you’re working to correct it. Let them know exactly what you’re changing and what results you hope to get.
  7. Stay in regular contact with the client. If it’s only a week-long campaign, they should receive daily updates from you on current results.
  8. Still not on track? If you’ve exhausted all efforts, go the proactive route again. This time it may mean changing up the expectations. Look at what results you’re getting and what a realistic outcome will be in the time you have left. Debrief with your internal team before scheduling a PHONE CALL or FACE-TO-FACE meeting with the client.
  9. Plan a debrief meeting with the internal team at the end of the project. This should be done within one (1) to three (3) days after the campaign ends. During this meeting you will discuss what worked, what didn’t, and what you would do different next time.
  10. Record and archive the feedback so you can use next time. THE PROJECT LEAD SHOULD INITIATE THIS MEETING.

This is our starting point. What would you offer or add to the list?

7 Comments on this post

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  1. Tweets that mention Expectation management: What to do when you’re not on track to meet a goal -- Topsy.com wrote:

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Sarah Evans, Dino Quarin and others. Dino Quarin said: Expectation management: What to do when you're not on track to meet a goal http://shar.es/mBo1d dq:good thoughts here [...]

    July 13th, 2010 at 7:40 pm
  1. Excel Tutorials said:

    I’m actually surprised how tough it is to effectively manage expectations, whether it’s your manager, your team, your org, your customers … etc. It’s definitely an area for continuous improvement.

    July 14th, 2010 at 3:14 am
  2. Derek Markham said:

    Very comprehensive list of things to do in the event you come up short! Now if you could just write a post on how to meet their expectations… hahaha

    Thanks for this!

    July 14th, 2010 at 12:38 pm
  3. Excel Tutorials said:

    There’s some truth to it, but Europe’s energy consumption is rising steadily…which means only part of it can be attributed to the outsourcing of manufacturing.

    July 14th, 2010 at 10:14 pm
  4. Laptop Briefcase said:

    Good plan to deal with expectation management. You’re right that it is much better to contact a client ahead of time, rather than waiting for the deadline to tell them the goal will be missed. I also like how you plan a debrief meeting to ensure you learned from that project.

    July 15th, 2010 at 5:22 pm
  5. Mia said:

    I think this I great advice. The only thing I’d add is that it can work within your team too. There’s nothing more frustrating than waiting for someone else to finish something you need. If you’re not going to meet the deadline, let me know but also let me know when you think it’ll be done and what I can do to help.

    July 15th, 2010 at 5:56 pm
  6. tires said:

    Preparation and the mapping out of what will occur before hand is definitely something that needs to be done no matter what your job is. Something I would add to this, honestly can be a good route to go to if it’s not going to get done. I think any employer or client would be understanding if you gave them a logical answer as to why you will be missing your deadline. I always feel like, if you can pitch them exactly why you are missing the deadline and can give them a realistic date on when the assignment will be completed, and follow threw on that, I think you will gain alot of respect from your client/employer but you can’t do that too many times. That’s my view at least on it.

    Till then,

    Jean

    July 16th, 2010 at 1:11 am