The year-end business review is a great strategic tool to ensure that you and your clients are aligned on goals. It provides an opportunity to recap the value of your work and define plans for the coming year. If you are planning to ask for a rate increase or increased scope, the year-end
review can facilitate the process. Reviewing results and successes gives you tangible proof of the value you offer. This makes renewal easier and keeps the focus on value rather than how much more money they are going to spend.

While you are reporting on progress against goals and validating objectives all year long, having a defined review meeting with you (and your team if applicable), and your client’s team is an essential step to maintain a good relationship and be able to produce your best work. You can do it annually, bi-annually or even quarterly (although it is usually difficult to stick to a quarterly cadence). You will want to do year-end business reviews with your key clients, as the planning process can take time. Of course, if you choose you can do a scaled down version of te review for smaller clients.  

Discussion Topics

The review process should be approached strategically. A few topics that you want to consider include:

Real results. Focus on a few key metrics that are meaningful to the client. This discussion should not be a running tally of activity but should tie back to the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that you and your client agreed upon. 

Opportunities. Highlight opportunities that they may be missing, this could be anything from a new use case for a product/service, expanding in a different market or targeting a new audience.

Roadblocks or obstacles to success. Are there barriers to an even more successful PR program? Focus on the positive by presenting recommendations to have an even stronger program in the coming year. 

Additional services. Your client may not be taking advantage of your full range of expertise. At the review meeting you can share additional things that you can offer.

Year-end client reviews are an important strategy to align with your clients and use insights from the current year to agree on strategy and scope for the coming year.

Do you have any tips for year-end review meetings? Share in the comments or on social media using #solopr.

This post is an excerpt of a Solo PR PRO only resource, “Preparing Client Year-End Business Review.” Join Solo PR Pro Premium to get the full guide and access to other resources specifically designed for independents, and microagencies.

Photo by Amy Hirschi on Unsplash