In an ideal world, clients would never need to hold an agency pitch, and agencies would never have to take part in one. In that world, we'd hear about the perfect agencies from a friend or colleague, and hand the work straight to them. Or perhaps, all agencies would be equally skilled at everything, and chemistry would never be an issue. Clients would pick their agency for eternity. We'd all get on, and all everything would simply work perfectly -- forever.
But we all know things fall apart, relationships break down, or perhaps were never right in the first place. New technologies and expertise levels come and go, great account handlers leave, and sometimes you need a fresh way of thinking.
Finding the right agency, in the right way at the start of the process can make or break the creative relationship from day one. When there's a gulf in communications and actions, there's also a gulf in understanding, which is unhelpful for everyone. A long and productive relationship between agencies and clients is the gold standard, and that has to begin with a well-run pitch process.
Unfortunately, there still seems to be some disagreement on what such an agency pitch might look like. We recently conducted some research in this area and found there are some enormous gaps and misunderstandings in the pitch process -- on both sides.
The pitch process is riddled with misunderstandings and unfulfilled expectations which will clearly be costing both client and agency a lot of time, money, and moreover, stress.
So if there were five pieces of advice for keeping pitches pain-free, they'd be as follows:
Be clearer than you would ever think necessary -- or ask for clarification
You might think you know what you mean by a "tissue session" -- and so will the other party. It's just that the two of you might not be actually thinking or expecting the same thing.
It's the same with "chemistry meetings" and "just a casual chat" meetings. In order to save time, money, and pain, be explicit about what you're expecting from the other party (be that creds slides, the MD, and the full team to turn up -- or simply, genuinely, just a coffee). Make sure you give an idea of the information you're hoping to take away so that the other party can do the right sort of research.
Don't just keep it simple -- keep it small
Large pitches are a bugbear of agencies -- and for good reason. Having many agencies involved in a pitch makes it inefficient -- and if agencies are aware of the size of a pitch list, some may even decline to be involved. Having six agencies pitch is hard for both sides, and if the right preparatory work has been done, there's no need to involve so many people. Three is an ideal number -- or four if an incumbent is involved.
Make sure you've considered whether you need to pitch at all
Is pitching the right approach to finding the expertise you need? Holding a pitch, even a very well-run one, is time consuming and might not give you the answers you are looking for. So much comes down to chemistry and getting the relationship right at the start, which of course doesn't always require a pitch. Finding agencies via word of mouth and a series of informal meetings may help you reach a decision without having to go through the process at all.
Be as clear as you can on budgets -- even if the amount might change
A lack of clarity on budgets is one of the biggest problems we've uncovered in our recent pitching study. For many clients, setting the budget is something of a chicken and egg situation -- in that, until the work has been scoped out, it's hard to assign a figure to it.
However, if this is the case, rather than setting an arbitrary amount (for which an agency might struggle to deliver on expectations), be honest and explain the potential for a budget range, and be honest about the likely upper limits. If you're an agency, try to ask for this information. This way, you avoid receiving -- or pitching -- solutions that are either too simple or far too ambitious.
Feedback -- or no one gets a chance to improve
One of the most surprising things we uncovered in our latest round of research was a massive discrepancy in feedback perceptions. Twenty six percent of clients also say that they give feedback to those unsuccessful in a pitch every time, but just one percent of those pitching say they always receive feedback.
Obviously, this is one of the biggest problems of all. Because while many people might be unhappy with how pitches play out, the only sure fire way of improving things for the future is to give feedback on strengths and weaknesses. And even at 26 percent, we're still looking at a very low number. It might not be the most pleasant or exciting part of pitching, but the more feedback given, the less, over time, we might need to give.
To find out more about the pitching process from both the client and agency perspective, download our free client/agency relationship survey report, where we surveyed nearly 1,000 client-side marketers and agencies.
