Gianfranco Grenar
Gianfranco Grenar
Gianfranco Grenar

Published in Efficiency

Image credit by Gianfranco Grenar

Steven Lewis

Steven Lewis

Publisher, Editor-in-Chief, Foam

January 7, 2025

💸 The Hidden Costs of Poor Talent Management (And How to Fix Them)

Inefficiencies cost time and money—here’s how to streamline influencer management.

Talent management isn’t just about signing Creators and landing brand deals—it’s about keeping everything running smoothly, efficiently, and profitably. When things go wrong, the consequences aren’t always obvious at first.

But here’s the reality: poor talent management isn’t just frustrating—it’s expensive.

A late contract, an underpriced deal, a Creator who jumps ship, or a brand that decides to work with someone else next time—these aren’t just inconveniences. They add up to real financial losses, wasted time, and missed opportunities.

The first and most obvious place money disappears? Time spent on things that should have been automated or streamlined. Too many talent managers are still bogged down in manual work—pulling together engagement reports, chasing invoices, or trying to coordinate brand approvals across multiple email chains. These tasks need to be done, but they shouldn’t be consuming valuable hours that could be spent on strategy, negotiation, and scaling the business.

Time gets wasted when campaign performance tracking is done manually, when brand communication is a back-and-forth maze instead of a structured process, and when finding new partnerships depends on cold outreach instead of data-driven brand matching. The same goes for onboarding talent without standardized workflows—each new Creator becomes a fresh round of disorganized emails and unclear expectations.

Fixing this means automating performance tracking so reports are ready when needed, using pre-approved contract templates to speed up negotiations, and leveraging AI-powered brand matching instead of relying on manual outreach. More time spent on admin means less time on growth.

Another major financial leak? Underpriced deals. If you’re still letting brands set the price, you’re leaving money on the table in every contract. Creators don’t always know their true value, and brands—especially those new to Creator marketing—will throw out a low offer just to see if anyone pushes back. If no one does, they assume they got a great deal.

Underpricing happens when talent managers accept the first offer without negotiation, fail to charge for content licensing, usage rights, and exclusivity, or base pricing solely on follower count rather than real engagement and conversion data.

A Creator’s influence is an asset, and if you don’t price it correctly, someone else will. Smart managers use data-backed pricing models, separate organic posts from paid ad rights, and push for long-term partnerships instead of one-off deals.

Losing a Creator is another hidden cost. It’s always cheaper to retain talent than to replace them. Every time a Creator leaves, it means rebuilding from scratch—scouting, onboarding, negotiating, and nurturing new talent, all of which is time-consuming and expensive.

Too many managers lose top talent because of inconsistent deal flow, poor communication, or slow payments. Creators want stability, transparency, and financial security. If they don’t get it, they’ll look elsewhere.

Locking in long-term brand partnerships helps ensure predictable income for Creators. Offering clear communication about deals and payments builds trust. Securing faster payment cycles prevents Creators from feeling like they’re always waiting for what they’ve already earned.

Brand relationships are just as fragile. A single missed deadline, vague deliverables, or an underperforming campaign can be the difference between a one-time deal and a long-term partnership.

Problems arise when deadlines slip, communication is unclear, or performance expectations aren’t met. If a campaign doesn’t deliver, the brand isn’t coming back. If a manager seems unorganized, the brand won’t take them seriously next time.

The best managers set clear expectations upfront, use AI-powered campaign tracking to make real-time adjustments, and build long-term brand relationships by proving value beyond a single campaign.

And then there’s the cost of a bad reputation. In an industry built on trust, word travels fast. If you gain a reputation for underpricing talent, having messy contracts, making late payments, or losing deals due to poor organization, it won’t just be one client or one Creator who stops working with you—it’ll be a pattern that’s hard to undo.

A strong reputation attracts better talent, bigger deals, and long-term partnerships. A bad one does the exact opposite. Being transparent with both brands and Creators, standardizing processes to ensure smooth execution, and focusing on long-term strategy over short-term wins are what separate the best managers from the ones constantly playing defense.

Poor talent management doesn’t just make things harder—it makes them more expensive. Time, money, talent, and reputation are all on the line. The managers who streamline, automate, and optimize will be the ones who stay ahead. The ones who keep doing things the slow way will find themselves playing catch-up.

So the question is: Are you fixing these problems, or paying the price for them?

🔗 Fix Talent Management Inefficiencies with Foam.io →

Talent management isn’t just about signing Creators and landing brand deals—it’s about keeping everything running smoothly, efficiently, and profitably. When things go wrong, the consequences aren’t always obvious at first.

But here’s the reality: poor talent management isn’t just frustrating—it’s expensive.

A late contract, an underpriced deal, a Creator who jumps ship, or a brand that decides to work with someone else next time—these aren’t just inconveniences. They add up to real financial losses, wasted time, and missed opportunities.

The first and most obvious place money disappears? Time spent on things that should have been automated or streamlined. Too many talent managers are still bogged down in manual work—pulling together engagement reports, chasing invoices, or trying to coordinate brand approvals across multiple email chains. These tasks need to be done, but they shouldn’t be consuming valuable hours that could be spent on strategy, negotiation, and scaling the business.

Time gets wasted when campaign performance tracking is done manually, when brand communication is a back-and-forth maze instead of a structured process, and when finding new partnerships depends on cold outreach instead of data-driven brand matching. The same goes for onboarding talent without standardized workflows—each new Creator becomes a fresh round of disorganized emails and unclear expectations.

Fixing this means automating performance tracking so reports are ready when needed, using pre-approved contract templates to speed up negotiations, and leveraging AI-powered brand matching instead of relying on manual outreach. More time spent on admin means less time on growth.

Another major financial leak? Underpriced deals. If you’re still letting brands set the price, you’re leaving money on the table in every contract. Creators don’t always know their true value, and brands—especially those new to Creator marketing—will throw out a low offer just to see if anyone pushes back. If no one does, they assume they got a great deal.

Underpricing happens when talent managers accept the first offer without negotiation, fail to charge for content licensing, usage rights, and exclusivity, or base pricing solely on follower count rather than real engagement and conversion data.

A Creator’s influence is an asset, and if you don’t price it correctly, someone else will. Smart managers use data-backed pricing models, separate organic posts from paid ad rights, and push for long-term partnerships instead of one-off deals.

Losing a Creator is another hidden cost. It’s always cheaper to retain talent than to replace them. Every time a Creator leaves, it means rebuilding from scratch—scouting, onboarding, negotiating, and nurturing new talent, all of which is time-consuming and expensive.

Too many managers lose top talent because of inconsistent deal flow, poor communication, or slow payments. Creators want stability, transparency, and financial security. If they don’t get it, they’ll look elsewhere.

Locking in long-term brand partnerships helps ensure predictable income for Creators. Offering clear communication about deals and payments builds trust. Securing faster payment cycles prevents Creators from feeling like they’re always waiting for what they’ve already earned.

Brand relationships are just as fragile. A single missed deadline, vague deliverables, or an underperforming campaign can be the difference between a one-time deal and a long-term partnership.

Problems arise when deadlines slip, communication is unclear, or performance expectations aren’t met. If a campaign doesn’t deliver, the brand isn’t coming back. If a manager seems unorganized, the brand won’t take them seriously next time.

The best managers set clear expectations upfront, use AI-powered campaign tracking to make real-time adjustments, and build long-term brand relationships by proving value beyond a single campaign.

And then there’s the cost of a bad reputation. In an industry built on trust, word travels fast. If you gain a reputation for underpricing talent, having messy contracts, making late payments, or losing deals due to poor organization, it won’t just be one client or one Creator who stops working with you—it’ll be a pattern that’s hard to undo.

A strong reputation attracts better talent, bigger deals, and long-term partnerships. A bad one does the exact opposite. Being transparent with both brands and Creators, standardizing processes to ensure smooth execution, and focusing on long-term strategy over short-term wins are what separate the best managers from the ones constantly playing defense.

Poor talent management doesn’t just make things harder—it makes them more expensive. Time, money, talent, and reputation are all on the line. The managers who streamline, automate, and optimize will be the ones who stay ahead. The ones who keep doing things the slow way will find themselves playing catch-up.

So the question is: Are you fixing these problems, or paying the price for them?

🔗 Fix Talent Management Inefficiencies with Foam.io →