Last week we discussed the three most common reasons for staff not enthusiastically embracing spec spot creation. Here are eight steps you can take towards fostering a better relationship with your creative team, and towards having better spec spot results.

1.  Pre-qualify every account rather than relying on a spec spot to work magic in an impossible situation.

2.  Keep your creative people in the loop. If a spot doesn’t sell, get back to them and tell them why.

3.  Give your creative people as much information as you possibly can about the prospect’s competitive position, image and long term aspirations.

4.  Give the creative department some intellectual freedom….don’t hand-cuff them with sixties or thirties, and talk to them in terms of strategy, not tactics or “your idea”.

5.  When you get the spot, have a conversation to discuss the writer’s and/or the producer’s strategic thinking that went into the campaign. And say “thanks”!

6.  Sell, sell, sell! If you believe the idea is the right approach for a client, present it in the light it deserves, and don’t let the client’s personal taste interfere with the strategic correctness of the idea.

7.  If it doesn’t sell, let the creative people know why. Explain the steps you took to sell it, and discuss the next steps in creating a campaign which will be successful.

8.  Last but not least, prove to your people that their efforts were not in vain. Discuss what other clients might have similar objectives and tweak the campaign to fit them until someone DOES buy it.

P.S. A little financial incentive or recognition for every spec-spot sold can also go a long way.