Sometimes it is really hard to receive feedback. Perhaps it is because the person needing the feedback is not open to it and creates road blocks to allowing others to provide it. Perhaps it is because the person or persons who could provide feedback don’t want to give it for fear they may cause hurt feelings. There are lots of reasons why people don’t give feedback, but in my book, none of them are good!

I think it was Will Rogers who said, “My job is to be a speaker; your job is to be a listener. If you finish your job before I finish my job, please raise your hand!” But folks seldom raise their hands when the speaker is poor. They seldom raise their hands when the sponsorship program is not working well or there are other issues. I think we need to be more honest with our partners.

I have heard too often from sponsors who are clients that they just don’t plan on renewing a deal versus telling the property why. We don’t want to hurt people’s feelings. I had one sponsor say, “They are such a great organization. The staff members are so dedicated and committed. They are amazing. I really love them. But the program just isn’t working, and I don’t have the heart to tell them that what they developed isn’t working. I am just going to say we have shifted our focus or something and not renew.” Holy crap! If you love them so much, tell them why you are leaving. If you don’t, you can’t help them! They will continue to go down the same road with others and do a crappy job. As a sponsor, it is your responsibility to be honest and give your partner the feedback they need.

It works the other way too. No one knows a property like the properties themselves. Too often the sponsor comes along and “designs” its own sponsorship program. They tell the property what they plan to do. And the property knows very well that the plan will fail. Perhaps it is a traffic driving objective and the plan is all about brand awareness, with no call to action or incentivizing to drive traffic. But the property does not want to stand up to the brand or tell them what they need to hear. In this case, that would be, “Hey great branding plan. But with our property, I am pretty sure your plan will not drive traffic. Here are some ideas within the same budget that will work for you, though.”

I believe we have the obligation and responsibility to provide timely and honest feedback to our partners. Be bold. Do what is right for the partner and let them know what they need to hear—even if it hurts—even if it means you will lose the business. I have always stood by the motto that it is important to do what is right for your partner, not tell them what they want to hear just to keep the business!

© 2018. All rights reserved.