Communication Overtones Comments
Kami:
This is a nice post. There have been a few accounting/ethnical problems reported lately at PR firms. I'm not sure how rampant overbilling is over at PR agencies, but it is certainly a problem. Maybe fixed price contracts might be a way to avoid this problem.
Re: Google Trends I wrote a post on the tool recently where I examined how it might help communications pros get a small sense of how marketing campaigns are influencing behavior (at least when it comes to motivating people to search for more info). Click here for more info. I think that Google Trends is a nice tool, but (as I say in my post) it should be combined with other tools. Re: saying that one brand is stronger than another? I'm not sure if you can use this tool to make that assertion.
First off... you're late. Where were you the other day with the Fleishman story? Apparently, fundraising for a baby shower.
Secondly, where's the outrage?! See http://allied.blogspot.com/2006/
...bout.html#links or http://www.strumpette.com/archiv...on-the-
Rag.html
Kami, it’s like you don’t get the gravity of it all or just how widespread the problem is.
- Amanda
Well, at least you get a comment from the infamous Amanda Chapel! My same-day post did not elicit a peep from "her."
Thank you for the link to the PRSA Advocacy page...I am in the process of deciding if I want to renew my PRSA membership. What does PRSA offer me? Is it of any substance? I hope to learn more from your posts.
Lauren; Believe me, it is more an honor for me when you visit that a character-blog-commentor looking for a little traffic.
I have left it up in this case, especially since one of the links is to Jeneane Sessum (Allied), who has the courage to post some pretty direct stuff under her own name. I also think her challenge to big PR is one they should meet, to swear they haven't overbilled.
Now as for membership in PRSA. I am a member first because of my APR status. Also, I have made some great local, and increasingly national associations through it. In fact, almost all of my local clients came through PRSA, but that is starting to diversify since I started my blog.
I understand that when you have to pay your own way (which I do incidentally) that it can seem less useful, especially if you are trying to make ends meet and your employer doesn't seem to recognize the benefits. In your case, maybe you should join once you get your APR? If you do join, the greatest benfit comes from how much you put into it, mostly at the local level. Join the committees, get elected to the board, and you will find it a very worthwhile, if not busy, endeavor.
I like this new feature; nice idea.
As for overbilling, it obviously occurs. Until the last year, I've always been on the client side and I've dealt with it quite a bit. But it's no different from any other outside firms I've dealt with; in fact, the advertising firms and large management consulting firms are far worse than PR firms in general, because the dollar amounts are smaller.
Seems like any client should look carefully at any bill they get each month -- particularly from a large agency. I many times have asked someone from the agency to walk through the bill and the hours applied specifically to different tasks.
Seems like that would solve the problem; always worked for me.
Thanks Scott, and I think you make a good point. I have always been on the client side myself and always scrutinized bills.
I also see the failures in the retainer system. It sets a limit for the client, which is great for budgeting, but it may have the effect of undermotivating productivity.
On the other hand, if there is "value billing" going on to inflate hourly rates, this needs to be stopped.
My question, I have heard a lot of ranting, but I haven't heard a lot of solutions to the problem.
I know PR isn't the only industry with these issues. So, let's get some beef here. What are the recommendations?
I'll start. What about better line item billing, or a list of services and a resonable hourly cap on these (if the contractor goes over they eat the cost).
One interesting post I saw recently about consultant pay suggested telling your clients you will send them the bill, but they can pay you "what they think it was worth." Interesting concept.
Overbilling can be a problem. My company uses a product called SureTime (www.suretime.com). This program is a new "billing assurance" software product designed to authenticate hourly billable time by combining an activity trail both on and off the computer with any time sheet or invoice. http://www.suretime.com
Carey; What about activities that aren't tied to a desk, like client meetings, how does your software work with that?
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