During this week’s Mirren Agency New Business Development Conference a roundtable of CMOs from Kayak, ESPN, and Time Warner Cable spoke about Agency-Client relationships.

One of their discussion points centered on the importance of providing good feedback to Agencies – even if it is a bit painful and might hurt their feelings.

The CMO from Kayak had spent much of her career on the Agency side of the business, so she knew first hand how tough it is at times for Clients to tell it like it is.

Feedback is critical – both during the pitch process and on-going during a relationship with an Agency.

The more they can understand where they’re falling down and how to better address your needs, the better the Agency community will be as a whole and the better your business will be.

Good feedback starts with establishing clear and succint objectives – or creative briefs if