Rick Leonard Managing Director Stanton Communications

Marie Domingo Principal Domingo Communications

David Erickson Director of e-Strategy Tunheim Partners

Jason Mandell Partner and Co-Founder Launch Squad

Marie Domingo, director of public relations at Silver Peak Systems (and principal at Domingo Communications), agrees. "The agency's value to its clients generally isn't that they're merely extra arms and legs, but rather strategic counselors," says Domingo, who spent many years on the client side at such companies as Sony and Sun Microsystems. "Senior leaders at agencies should empower all junior staffers to live and breathe our day-to-day thoughts and consider what keeps us up at night."

The gift that junior staffers have is they generally can think outside the box, she says—"up and above the press release." The question isn't whether you should be doing this; the question is: How do you do it effectively? Here are some of the insights offered by those who have been there.

1. Practice intense immersion and keep staff current. The best way to train junior staff members is to immerse them in the client's industry, says Domingo. "Do that very early on," she says. Allow them to ask all the questions they may have.

David Erickson, director of e-strategy at Tunheim Partners, agrees. "The key is for junior staffers to stay current," he says. "We emphasize with our staff the importance of anticipating problems and opportunities for our clients by knowing their industry thoroughly, staying on top of trends and sharing their insights with our clients." One of the basics you need to reinforce—across all levels—is your staff's need to know the clients and the reporters/bloggers covering that client. That means you may need to do your own homework.

2. Leverage social media tools to boost client touch points. If your people are going to be able to do their research well, you must give them accurate information. "All too often, I hear from established journalists venting that they can't believe that someone from XYZ agency just pitched them on a new product, technology or executive that they'd never cover," says Domingo.

Social media is a critical part of this "homework," she says. Erickson agrees. "Our junior staff use social media extensively, so they've got their ear to the ground for client-related online chatter. We have clients who follow our staff on Twitter for their insight and the resources they share in that venue."

3. Convey five proven precepts of stellar client relations. Cultivating and sustaining client relationships are vital components of PR. They may be soft skills, but they're as important as any other your people have. "Even if you do an amazing job at getting results for a client, if you can't develop a good relationship with them, it's almost all for naught," says Jason Mandell, partner and co-founderof Launch Squad.

He offers a seminar—open to all levels, but focused on junior staffers—about this very issue. It's based on these five basic precepts:

• Listen and learn. All clients are different, have different styles. There's no client-relations template.

• Be proactive, not reactive. Constant communication is crucial.

• Be accessible and responsive. You need to be available: Client calls do not go to voicemail.

• Cultivate trust and credibility. Be honest, straightforward. Build an "on-the-level relationship."

• Reflect. At times, step back and assess the relationship.

You want to help junior staffers learn to read clients, listen and react, and tailor services and approach appropriately, he says. And perhaps the best way to do this is to…let them do it.

5. Set staff loose and provide elbow-to-elbow support. One mistake some larger firms make is not letting junior staffers engage with the client from the outset. But making them wait builds up tension, fear, and anxiety. "We throw them into the fire pretty quickly," says Mandell, of Launch Squad's approach. "For some people, working directly with clients comes naturally. Others need a little more encouragement and feedback.

Since Launch Squad uses a team approach, there's always someone to help the less-experienced staffers. "There's a lot of elbow-to-elbow learning," Mandell says. The junior staffer doesn't have to go it alone, but neither does he or she have to wait to become involved.

On a similar note, Stanton's Leonard included younger staffers in a recent business roundtable. The event included current clients and prospects, as well as a panel of experts—and it gave those staffers a sense of what's involved on the marketing side.

Perhaps more important, it involved them in the future of the firm, he says. It gave them not only an investment in their own work, but a role in the agency's continued success. "They learned that new business is everyone's responsibility," says Leonard.

Roxanna Guilford-Blake [roxannaguilfordblake (at) yahoo (dot) com]