It’s been a very busy start of the year for agency reviews.
We’re currently managing or wrapping up 11 different agency reviews, covering a wide range of needs and agency types.
With so much activity, some clear themes are emerging that may help agencies and clients. What are we seeing and hearing?
1. Agencies (still) can’t help talking too much about themselves.
We are still seeing agencies kick off their presentations with “a little bit about us”.
The prospect wants to hear you talk about their business. They already know a bit about the agency – that’s why you’re in the room! You’ll increase your chances of winning the day by focusing your energy maniacally on their business and their challenge. Limit any prepared agency background to “the 5 slides”, late in the presentation. See our notes on “The 5 Slides” in our recent book It’s Not About You: Winning New Business in a Crowded Agency World.
2. Some consultants have very bad practices.
An agency recently told us that a specific consultant would not declare how many agencies were included in a review.
There apparently is a consultant that requires submissions to be in Google docs.
We continue to hear about consultants requiring video submissions.
And of course, there continues to be the “pay to participate” consultants that require agencies to pay to be included in a review.
Clients need to take charge here and demand better practices from the consultants they engage.
3. Deadlines don’t seem to matter.
This is a crazy thing to report. Some (not all!) agencies seem to think that deadlines are optional when it comes to almost anything, ranging from confirmation of participation to completion of important pitch materials.
If your agency is too busy to participate, then pass. It’s not a “good look” when an agency is constantly late or needs reminding of due dates.
4. Pitch teams are still relatively common.
We are seeing many pitches where most of the agency presenters are not in the scope of work.
Prospects want to see the team they will work with.
Nobody wins when the agency runs out a pitch team. The client walks away wondering who they will work with, and the agency typically loses.
5. Some senior agency execs talk too much.
In most pitches, a senior agency exec/sponsor should open and close and let their team handle the presentation. This approach showcases the agency’s commitment, as well as agency leadership’s confidence in their people.
Yet… we frequently see the most senior agency exec presenting too much of the content, “adding on” after each agency presenter, or dominating the Q&A.
Our advice: take a seat. Relax. Let your team shine.
Steve Boehler, founder, and partner at Mercer Island Group has led consulting teams on behalf of clients as diverse as Ulta Beauty, Microsoft, UScellular, Nintendo, Kaiser Permanente, Holland America Line, Stop & Shop, Qualcomm, Brooks Running, and numerous others. He founded MIG after serving as a division president in a Fortune 100 when he was only 32. Earlier in his career, Steve Boehler cut his teeth with a decade in Brand Management at Procter & Gamble, leading brands like Tide, Pringles, and Jif.
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.