For smaller, niche pubs, agencies are a complete pain. I've always sold the client when possible. Clients who are targeting your niche want to know what you know. In my experience, agencies pretend to know your niche. When the client compares the value of my knowledge vs the agency's, I win, as does the client.

We have also found ad agencies to be asleep at the switch about our magazine. But when the client likes what we offer, they speak to the agency about us & suddenly we're important to them. We keep both the client & the agency up to date about the magazine.

Mark - What type of magazine do you sell? My guess is that it's one that does not have much ad potential through agencies which tend to avoid small and regional magazines. This blogger, and I still want to know what magazines he has sold for in his 25 years of industry experience, suggests never calling an agency unless the client insists. My experience indicates that if the have an agency, they always insist. It's a good idea to get to know the client whenever possible and to have them on your comp list, but if they have an agency, the correct protocol is agency first and client only if the agency is non-responsive.

I agree with the blogger. The client is your best bet.

I agree with Mr. Goodrep. Stepping on toes is not the best way to manage your relationship with an agency. They are quite often very "prickly" when you bypass and marginalize them.

Is anybody reading this? Believing it? Making an enemy of the agency is the quickest way to ruin.I'm begging to know this guy's creds. What magazine has he ever sold ads for? Please reply.