Agency asking to use their email-address
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- FatDude
Say, you work for an agency as a freelancer, being a small web-agency yourself.
Would you agree to use an email address of the agency that contracts you, only to be used for client-contact with their clients?
- mydo0
ooh. interesting.
*gets pop corn
- SlashPeckham0
yes - its not your client (however i think they are being over cautious here)
- randalldon0
Of course, the likelihood is that the agency's client has no idea they are effectively outsourcing to a freelancer. Any large agency i work for prefers you to have an internal email address to ensure that, should there be any conversation involving yourself and the agency client, it would appear you are an employee. In my opinion its a perfectly reasonable request.
You'd probably want to check your contract too as its likely to be the case that you wont be able to promote the fact you've done that work for the same reason i.e. they wouldn't want their client coming across your site showing that you did the piece of work they thought the agency had handled internally.
- mydo0
my pennies worth.
My agency was contracted to design and develop a website on behalf of another agency. On the way to the meeting they asked me not to hand out my card. I flipped out at them, my point was this; further down the line, if the client finds out, because he needs to call me, or needs further work from you, it looks bad. Be straight with your client from the start.but... there are times where the client doesn't need to know and it's better for you. I think.
- pressplay0
sure... I can’t see your problem there...
- mydo0
If you're a freelancer then yes of course, if you're another company... it's a different story. I don't think you see that in other industries, construction for example?
- pizzafire0
how about simply: "your.agency.name"@"contracting...
may be a good compromise.
- SPECTACULAR0
ive been using my aol mail account because it sends my emails faster. i heard that google mail takes 2 days to deliver. aol mail has always been great to me.
- what?mydo
- hahahah wtf?kingsteven
- lolz
jimzy - hilariousacrossthesea
- karlo0
How can you be an agency AND a freelancer!?!?
- jamble0
I've always had an agency mail address if I'm contracted to the agency and not directly to the client.
It's their client, if they want the client to know you're a freelancer helping with resource, that's their call not yours.
- kingkong0
yes, stop being a baby. Use their email address. Really cant see what the issue is. As an agency owner I'd boot you off the premises and not pay you for using your own email address. Work with their rules or dont work with them. Very simple.
When an agency signs a contact with a client, confidentiality is often key to the agreement. You using your own email to speak to the client might compromise the contract.
- < yup. it's not your client. it's theirs. so their rules.randommail
- 'stop being a baby'?. Yes, you sound like an 'agency owner'babaganush
- nosaj0
Remember to keep checking it once the project is over.
- bored2death0
I suggest you don't use their email address and let them find another freelancer that's more professional.
- FatDude0
I think the general subtone here is kinda interesting. I never suggested not using it ("stop being a baby"), I was just asking fellow designers.
I think it's fine, too. I just started using their email, and it's ok.
@karlo: When you subcontract to agencies, you're a freelancer - when you have direct client contact, you're an agency.. No?
- You're not an 'agency', no.
Just a schmo, like everyone else.detritus
- You're not an 'agency', no.
- jimbojones0
use their email and add all your other addresses in the signature.
- imadesigner0
I think you're being a bit precious.
- kingkong0
iwanttohavemycakeandeatit@yourag...
- babaganush0
I think Mydo's post perfectly shows that stuff is very fragmented. Larger agencies like to employ smaller 'agencies' that actually have a specialized skillset. Those companies, individuals probably have their own smaller and trusted clients but obviously are open to working on larger accounts that are generally dominated by ad giants with holding companies etc.
So I don't think it's as black and white. We're assuming here that it is just a 'journeyman' thing and someone employed as a spoke but it isn;'t always the case and smaller entities these days can punch way above their weight in skillsets but don't have the big client history of 'agencies' but there's no reason it should be assumed they forgo their independence for a minor stake in something. Really depends upon the job, the duration, budget and or what the smaller company brings to the table.
Personally I think clients are 'over' big agencies trying to suggest they solve all the problems and are masters of all skillsets.
- FatDude0
Thanks for reasonable words, babaganush. This place has become a madhouse. Sad to see that. Hasn't always been like that.
- vaxorcist0
hmmmmmm....
I've done this number of times.... and sometimes felt a bit odd about it, as the ad agency has me pretending to be a fulltimer.... and clients may be expecting things like immediate responses to emails as if I was a fulltimer, when I'm not.... so a short conversation about expectations with the hiring agency may be a clarifying moment....
Also, there's a weird risk of the client finding your website by googling you, then somebody on the client beancounter side may think they could have bypassed the ad agency and hired you directly to save money....