Swoop Factor

As MMs, we are always thinking about how to make the guy we answer to happy with the job we do. Funny thing is, we forget this is true when we're talking to other MMs. Sometimes, we actually prevent a task or project from happening as smoothly or successfully as it could have been if the top decision maker had just been included.

I've seen this happen in several ways lately...

As a vendor, I've seen clients I work with tell me they have decision-making authority, when in fact, their boss came in and questioned, undid, etc. something we had all agreed on months prior to his/her "swooping".

As a MM, I've seen my boss not totally thrilled with a vendor because I couldn't convey the personal attention I was receiving from that vendor. Its not that I was receiving better service than my boss, its that I was in charge of a project, so I was the one dealing with the vendor and getting all the service/attention as a result. I was reporting with informational updates to my boss, but those updates didn't fully convey all the relational aspects of that project with that vendor.

As a witness to a relationship between a client and another vendor, I've seen this also break down when a MM was in between the vendor and their boss. The end result was a broken relationship between those two orgs.

Ultimately, we walk a fine line as MMs between removing our boss from having to deal with our responsibilities and removing them from a relationship. Bottom line: keep the relationship intact between your boss and your vendors/clients.