There’s an old, trite saying which goes ‘there’s no such thing as a silly question’. However, in the case of the agency pitch process, I beg to differ. Questions, which drive a discussion forward are well appreciated by everyone, of course, but other questions which show ignorance are obviously best avoided.
As an agency intermediary, we chat with clients and marketing agencies daily in an effort to properly match firms to appropriate briefs. So, it’s not at all strange for us to be the conduit for questions and answers. Many of those questions are worthwhile and important. But, sadly, others are time-wasters and hurt rather than help the agency’s impression in the eyes of the client contact.
Here are a few tips to ensure a good impression:
- Read and re-read the brief: By all means clarify the selection process and any necessary contents for documents and presentations, which will be submitted along the way. But, if a call to answer questions about a brief is offered as a first step, by all means ensure that all agency-side call attendees read (and re-read) the brief and that the agency-side group sit down a few minutes before the call to review their lists of questions they’d ask on the call. In this way, as a team, you can avoid appearing silly by asking a question during the call which is clearly answered in the brief.
- Do your homework on client-side attendees: If bios and/or roles and titles for client-side call/meeting attendees are not provided, check online to gather information about these individuals first before requesting those details from the client contacts. These days, being digitally savvy is a pre-requisite for all agencies, regardless of discipline. Rather than asking about titles easily found on LinkedIn, appropriate questions to ask would be related to which role (if any) each client-side attendee will have in selecting an agency.
- Share information amongst the team: Just like friendships, client/agency relationships develop over time. But, the difficulty is that agencies are not individuals, they’re teams. As such, detailed call/meeting notes should be kept from every interaction and shared with all team members who participate thereafter (or who are later assigned to work on the business). This will send a message to the client that agency staff are organized and well informed.
- Never lose an opportunity to build the story: Rule-follower types are often hesitant to step out of line, but by asking myriad questions early-on paint themselves into a corner focused only on delivering what the client expects rather than answering the bigger questions which loom. Yes, of course, clarify expectations. But, never lose an opportunity to put yourself in the client’s place and ask yourself what they need to know at each stage of the selection process—and ensure that with every interaction, your firm shares some new insight which makes it clear that both your relationship and your understanding of the client-brand is moving forward.
Of course, we help agencies and clients to navigate the pitch process daily. So, if ever you’re in need of some advice, just drop us a line.
