We know that landing the pitch can be a cause for celebration in itself but there are many tools and tricks any marketing agency (or client) can use to strengthen their position and ensure they deliver the best meeting possible. With this in mind, we’ve put together our list of top tips

When it comes to the agency search and selection process, what do both clients and agencies expect from a chemistry meeting?

At FindGood we have been exploring this topic on both sides for many months. In that time we have noticed one size does not fit all, but first impressions still count.

Here, our head matchmaker Annabelle looks to bridge the gap between clients and agencies

Preparation

Clients do like an agency to come to a meeting fully prepared (forgive us if this sounds obvious but you'd be surprised), but this entails more than knowing the full background of the business.

Like most firms, every day, we answer the question ‘Who are you; what do you do; what makes you different?’ And, of course, we have our elevator pitch prepped and ready to go. But, it always comes out slightly differently depending on who is speaking, whom they’re speaking to and what else is our minds. I suppose we have this in common with most other companies around.

So, just in case you were wondering and have landed on this page:

Back in 2000-01, I was working agency-side and just about every new brief was for a website pitch. At the time, we’d go into the client’s offices (or invite them into ours) and discuss our methodology for developing a great website, gather their brief, show them relevant examples of our work for others and provide a proposal and estimate thereafter. As ours was a small boutique creative agency and the average site build was less than $30,000, this was most often adequate to win the website pitch.

Now, in 2012, things have changed–obviously. As surfers today, our online behaviour patterns are ingrained and we now have access to much more sophisticated analytical tools to assess user’s actions. So then, why do so many small, boutique digital and integrated agencies still pitch in much the same way?

In many ways, selecting a PR firm is a lot like selecting a life partner. Companies must select a firm in which they have confidence to operate with good judgement as their proxy.

The typical marketing procurement manager within a big, global corporation faces many challenges. And in speaking with them, we’re regularly reminded of how tough their job can be. So, our aim here is to take a bit of a journey in their shoes.

Taking a step back for those unfamiliar, marketing procurement professionals work within large corporate firms. These individuals, if working for a firm which adopts an agency roster, may manage the selection of marketing and communications agencies full time. However, other marketing procurement professionals arent afforded the luxury of focus. Instead, they may be sourcing an accountancy firm one day (or worse, toilet roll!) and a marketing agency the next. So, the primary challenge of non-dedicated marketing procurement folks is lack of focus. And this lack of focus means that in many cases, procurers will have to start fresh in re-educating themselves on the industry whenever a new firm or agency network is required, as selection may occur just once ever three or more years. Of course, they’ll have their network of internal marketers’ ears whenever they need help or advice, but it can be a lonely world as they are in some cases feared (if not unpopular) amongst agency management.

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.

As a first step, we often receive briefs from client-side marketers with a couple key problems:

Many brands that we speak with are suffering overwhelm. Social media has changed the way they need to operate. They’ve previously hired interns to handle social media, but have found that social media’s such an important aspect that they need someone with a bit more worldly perspective to generate good, worthwhile content. Meanwhile, loads of journalist friends are finding themselves in a new world. No longer employed by news outlets, they’re having to find jobs in the business world and suffering a bit as they don’t feel that they can be as objective and independent as they were once able to be.

Increasingly, we’re seeing journalists take (oftentimes invent) posts as client-side social media content developers; a perfect marriage which fruits impressive results. And, what’s more, this client-side role is easily done as a freelancer, allowing journalists near-complete autonomy. A recent post floated up on Stumble Upon along this theme.