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Agencies asking who you are booked with, when its not their client.
I have been freelancing for many years and do much of my work through agencies. I have noticed a growing trend amongst consultants to ask where I am currently working, when I have a booking through someone else. Of course, they are interested in new business but I'm wondering how other freelancers feel about this question.
If I am booked through one agency with a certain client, I can only use this agency with this client. There is a period where I am contractually obliged not to go back to this client through a different agent. So if I tell the second agency where the work is, and they call the client direct, they could attempt to undercut the first agency. Then I lose out.
This has happened to me. I wonder if anyone else has experienced this problem and how you handle it yourself. Of course I want to maintain a good relationship with my agencies but they are in completion with each other, so there must be a balance between doing this and protecting the first agencies interests and my own work assignment.
Any thoughts?
If I am booked through one agency with a certain client, I can only use this agency with this client. There is a period where I am contractually obliged not to go back to this client through a different agent. So if I tell the second agency where the work is, and they call the client direct, they could attempt to undercut the first agency. Then I lose out.
This has happened to me. I wonder if anyone else has experienced this problem and how you handle it yourself. Of course I want to maintain a good relationship with my agencies but they are in completion with each other, so there must be a balance between doing this and protecting the first agencies interests and my own work assignment.
Any thoughts?
- Contact in PM
Opus
Messages count : 87Likes count : 3Registration : 4 February 2008I had this occasionally when I used to do more freelancing in agencies. Often it would be when I was in with a design agency that was a direct client rather than through another recruitment agency. Either way, they were just fishing for potential leads, dressed up under the excuse of wanting to avoid contractual conflicts.
There's no need for them to know - you can deal with any contractual conflicts if they arise, but you certainly shouldn't be obliged to be effectively giving them information about their competitors' clients. Just avoid the question or tell them you're working for your own non-agency clients if need be.Opus Creative Design Ltd