A foundational principle that we believe in is for all of us to go about our work without the need for any follow up. We think it’s the best way to reaffirm our commitment to each other and to show that we respect each others time. For long in creative agencies, people have been hired for other’s weaknesses (especially operational weaknesses) & excuses like ‘not easy to work with’ or ‘they’ll respond in their own time’ have been normalised as a necessary ingredient for creative genius. We couldn’t disagree more.
Our research shows that account managers admit to spending around 1/3rd of their time (or 50% on a bad week) in following-up with others. Sending reminders. Calling repeatedly to find out why they’ve been left on read on text. Trying to hold off the client on a committed deliverable. Bumping up previously unanswered queries on chat. It’s the least favourite part of their job.
We believe we can find serious efficiencies in team structures & re-evaluate how we can actually spend all this saved time. We see ourselves disproportionately investing in makers over managers - especially in creative people who don’t need following up & account managers who don’t like following up.
So, if you’re working at Talented, following-up with yourself is your own job. Let’s get the simple things right. If you’ve made a commitment, stick to it. If you can’t make it in time for a scheduled meet, drop a text before the meeting starts. If a question is posed to you, try responding in a timely manner. If you realise you won’t be able to for whatever reason, communicate it as fast as possible. That’s it. This is literally how we plan to find early operating efficiencies. This is what our creative friends who’ve switched to the brand side are expected to do anyway. We’re normalising it on the agency side.