We talk with agencies every day.
Since we manage so many agency reviews on behalf of clients, agencies often want to talk and present us with their capabilities. They want to be sure they are on our radar. It makes sense.
And we appreciate it. It’s part of our job! To best represent our clients in agency reviews, we need to have an up-to-date knowledge of the world of agencies. We’ll talk with any agency that wants to introduce themselves or update us on their clients, expertise, capabilities and scale.
Having been in thousands of such calls and meetings, there IS a way for agencies to handle the meeting, whether you are meeting with a prospect or a consultant. There is a magic first question the agency should ask.
Unfortunately, many agencies start such a call or meeting with some small talk and then dive right into talking about themselves. They want to share their work, talk about their successes, present their capabilities, share case studies. The result is the agency droning on and on and not impressing us in any way. The agency team is excited to talk about what they want to talk about without knowing what my team wants to learn.
This can be easily avoided. Use the magic question when you kick off the call or meeting. What’s that magic question?
“What specifically would you like to get out of this meeting?”
That’s it. By asking that question the agency is inviting the prospect into the discussion and essentially asking for help defining the agenda.
After introductions, you might set up the call or meeting like this:
“Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with us. We’re excited to get to know you and learn more about your business. Before we jump in, what specifically would you like to get out of this meeting?”
That’s it – it’s that easy. Ask your prospect what they want to accomplish and then orchestrate the meeting to that end. The prospect will find the meeting to be much more productive and you’ll make a better impression.
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.
