If you’ve participated in an agency search recently, you’ve likely noticed a shift. What we’re seeing: RFIs are met with unexpected declines. Shortlisted agencies withdraw late in the process. Clients feel overwhelmed by options, even with expert guidance. Agencies struggle to convey their unique value before the clock runs out.
What used to be “one-off” challenges, are now more commonplace. What’s happening? We believe at Mercer Island Group that it’s a market responding to new pressures. The agency landscape has expanded dramatically, specialization has blurred, and decision timelines have tightened. What worked five years ago no longer fits.
In our book, It’s Not About You, we outline three pillars for agency growth: being ready to be found, knowing how to be found, and pitching well once found. Today, these aren’t just growth strategies — they’re survival skills.
What’s Really Happening
Agencies are becoming more selective—often abruptly.
Late dropouts or sudden “no’s” end up looking like unprofessionalism. They can signal an agency realizing the fit isn’t right — sometimes too late. Without clear positioning, agencies end up in searches where they can’t win or don’t belong.
Clients are navigating option overload.
With thousands of agencies, in-house teams, consultancies, and specialists in play, clients face a paradox of choice. Even with a consultant, doubts linger: “Have we seen everyone? Did we miss the perfect fit?”
First impressions are make-or-break.
Websites and RFI responses often look the same—generic, self-focused, and indistinguishable. In a crowded field, sameness is invisibility.
A Path Forward: Less Noise, More Signal
For Agencies:
- Lead with clarity, not generality. Define who you serve and what you deliver better than anyone else. This isn’t limiting—it’s magnetic.
- Design your website for the hurried buyer. Within seconds, can a prospect think, “This might be for us”?
- Pitch with insight, not just ideas. Start with the client’s business problem, not your portfolio. The work must be pointed at solving the problems the client knows they have.
For Clients:
- Lead with the problem, not the procurement checklist. Share the real business challenge upfront. Be clear about your expectations from the very beginning. As Justin Shaw from BarkelyOKRP said in a recent client/agency meeting: “Ambiguity is a killer.”
- Look for focus over flexibility. An agency that says “no” to mismatched work often says “yes” with more conviction to the right work.
- Value readiness as much as reputation. An agency with a clear voice and a coherent website is often a more prepared partner.
Closing Thought
The future belongs to agencies that know who they are—and clients who know what they need. In a crowded market, clarity isn’t just differentiator; it’s the bridge that connects the right partners, at the right time, for the right work.
Adapted from It’s Not About You: Winning New Business in a Crowded Agency Landscape.
Robin Boehler is a founder and partner at Mercer Island Group. Robin has spent her career enhancing organizational effectiveness—often while fighting to be seen and heard in rooms that weren’t built with her in mind. She has led consulting teams on behalf of clients as diverse as Discover Financial Services, Viator, Sevrpro, Ulta Beauty, UScellular, Seabourn, Kaiser Permanente, Stop & Shop, Qualcomm, Giant Food, Brooks Running, and numerous others. She is an industry leader, captivating speaker and strategist that is often called upon to speak on a variety of marketing services and agency topics.
Mercer Island Group helps marketers and agencies succeed. Company leadership is as much at home with marketers and their C-Suites as in an agency’s boardroom. With marketers, Mercer Island Group is a top 5 agency search consultancy covering all types of agency relationships (creative, media, web, PR, experiential) and assists marketers with marketing organization structure, workflow and critical skill development (briefing, creative evaluation & feedback, etc.). The company also supports leading and aspiring agencies with positioning, pitch and strategy training and pitch support.