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Surprising as it may seem, clients can sometimes get as tongue-tied asking questions in a pitch as agencies can when answering.  Nerves, large groups of people, discussions or presentations that run over time can all contribute to important questions being left unasked.

And worst of all, is that stoney, deafening silence when someone asks: ‘any questions…?

We’re often asked by clients to talk through some ‘big-picture’ questions before heading into a pitch and here are a few that may provoke some revealing answers about who you’re meeting with, their philosophy towards client relationships and yes, whether they’re right for you:

Thought leadership

Who here on the call actively participates social media for business purposes? 

Ask for an online show of hands as to who’s generating content for blogs, Instagram, or tweeting about what’s going on in the industry.

Why the question’s important:

The purpose of the question is to see where the unrehearsed thought leadership is really coming from and how valuable that thinking could be to your business.  Who put their hands up? The CEO?  Or was it the junior account guy? All of them? None of them?  If the word “digital” or “social” was mentioned even once in the pitch, you should have a reasonable expectation the prospective agency is practicing what they’re preaching.

Once you know who’s doing what, ask for some examples of specific -recent – tweets or blogs to get a feel for the content, commentary and subject knowledge.

Other success

Which of your current clients can we talk to you about recent results? 

Why the question’s important:

You’re eliminating the subjective and getting right to the bottom line.  This isn’t about how the agency works or what the chemistry is like  – it’s about current or recent tangible results that the prospective agency has actually achieved for current clients.  And in case anyone’s forgotten, the role of any agency (whether brand, digital or media), should be to deliver results for clients (including you).

Specific costs

If we were your client today, what would this meeting have cost us?

Why the question’s important:

It cuts through hypothetical fee proposals and rate cards and gets to the heart of how the agency bills for its time and services across a broad spectrum of resources.  Consider that you’ll likely be tapping on all the resources that showed up for the pitch at one point or another – so why not find out what things really cost now?  One more thing… make a note of the final number and if they’re the winning agency, you’ve got a benchmark for future strategy and / or campaign development.

Why us?

Tell us why do you want to work with us.

Why the question’s important:

The agency’s answer should give you some insight into the potential fit with your team and your business because it should encourage them to highlight what’s really important about you as a client to the pitching agency.  Generally speaking, you want to hear answers that reflect a passion for whatever business you’re in – or skills and resources that would be a perfect match for you as a client.

First result

What’s the first result you’d reasonably expect to achieve if you won our business?

Why the question’s important:

Their answers will give you a perspective on how they view your business as it stands today and their proposed initial areas of focus.  In most cases, marketers are searching for an agency that can hit the ground running and make a measurable difference in the first ninety days or so.

If the answers are vague, or focused in areas that you don’t think will make a short-term measurable difference, you should probably think twice or, at the very least, ask more questions.

So if you’re heading into a pitch any time soon and want to avoid an awkward silence after ‘any questions...?’ – wonder no more.  And the answers might be quite revealing.

I’m a little embarrassed to admit our website hasn’t been changed in um… a few years.  OK, eight.  And it’s been way too long.

It’s not often I get to play in the creative sandbox.  As marketing management consultants it’s our job to help find the right agency, help clients ask the right questions or negotiate the deal.  Never do we get the opportunity to play creative director!

And anyway, as marketing consultants how creative could we be…?  But I figured if we’re going to walk the talk, we should at least have a website that doesn’t make people yawn.

So, we made a conscious decision: No stock photos. You know the ones – people laughing hysterically at the arrival of  blueberry muffins, or high-fiving in front of a pie chart like they just won the lottery. We’re pretty sure those photos are responsible for at least 30% of internet fatigue.

The Quest for Non-Boring Visuals

We needed something different. Something that reflected our effective approach and solid reputation but something that was also little off kilter to enable us to stand-out from being ‘just another consultancy…’

Enter the incredibly talented, and thankfully hilarious, Rachel Riordan.

I’ve known Rachel for years.  A visual soulmate. Wrapped up with an acerbic wit not to be trifled with.

So I wrote a brief (yes, really…) and asked for illustrations that were eye-catching, memorable and, dare we say, a little bit weird (in the best way possible). Rachel’s quirky sense of humour and her ability to translate that into charmingly odd visuals was a match made in illustration heaven.

When I tell you that Rachel described the collaboration process as ‘designs fueled by Prosecco and mental breakdowns…’  interspersed with uncontrollable giggles, you’ll get where we’re coming from…

The final product? A website that doesn’t take itself too seriously but gets the information across.

So please, mosey on over to listenmore.ca and have a look. And we promise, no forced smiles or blueberry muffin-induced euphoria required.

A Standing Ovation for Rachel Riordan as I can’t sing Rachel’s praises enough. Check out her portfolio at luckybones.ca

And now it’s your turn… Let us  know what you think of our new digital digs.

Our annual Canadian Agency Pitch Report is complete! Findings reveal a 15% increase in pitch activity in 2024 compared to 2023. The report, which tracks agency pitch activity across Canada, finds that despite economic headwinds, 176 pitches were tracked in 2024.

We believe the continued upswing in pitch activity, particularly following the record-breaking 195% increase in 2022, demonstrates a dynamic shift in the marketer landscape

Key findings from the report include:

Even with the most modest improvement in economic conditions, we expect this trend to persist into 2025, as AI-driven solutions continue to redefine agency and marketer responsibilities.

The goal of the report is to provide the marketing community and Canadian agencies with an overview of the buoyancy of the Canadian agency pitch market, while providing insight on the most and least active sectors year over year.

The full report can be purchased by clicking here

When it comes to assessing, reassessing or creating new agency agreements, most marketers now ask us about structuring some kind of pay for performance terms as part of their overall agreement.

But coming up with a pay for performance model is actually the easy part. The hard part is ensuring our clients are corporately prepared for what pay for performance really means, the implications for managing such agreements and how they need to be administered. Once you’ve reached the ‘yes, we want something like that in our agreement’ stage, there are some tough questions to ask of your own organization before attempting to craft pay for performance terms. In our experience, there are typically six key questions marketers should be asking themselves:

Do you have executive level buy-in?

Pay for performance is a commitment from your organization to do just that – pay for an agreed level or standard of performance across a number of pre-defined metrics. Generally speaking, other executive functions are going to want to know, understand and agree to those metrics – even if it’s only as far as the CFO. What you don’t want is your CFO (or anyone else for that matter), baulking at terms after you have an agreement in place.

Do you have sufficient budget?

Any marketer that enters into a pay for performance agreement needs to be prepared to pay for the maximum upside that’s contemplated in an agreement.  Sufficient budget needs to be set aside in the event your agency(s) hit it out of the proverbial park, so that you can pay them within the time period specified.

Can you define meaningful, measurable metrics?

Yes, this is the tricky part. The success of most pay-for-performance agreements hinges on marketers and their agencies agreeing on specific, measurable, and meaningful metrics directly tied to the performance of the agencies concerned. Marketers must look at a balanced mix of agency behaviours, marketing activity developed by their agencies and tangible business results tied to those activities.

Do you have a robust evaluation system?

Any pay for performance needs to be based on some kind of predefined and formalized evaluation process. Your agencies are going to want to know how they’re going to be measured, who’s going to be evaluating, and when their evaluations will take place each year. The keys to any evaluation system are that your process and timelines need to be consistent, and of course – fair and objective.

Are you prepared to share your results?

No, I mean – really share your results. Because performance metrics will have some measure of marketing or business results tied to them – whether it be sales, conversion rates, year over year growth or other potentially sensitive information – you and your executive team need to be ready, willing and able to share those results with your agency(s) and back-up their respective sources.

Are you in it for the long haul?

Once you’ve initiated a pay for performance agreement, marketers should be prepared to stick with it.  In a scenario where you’re paying out on year one for example, shouldn’t have you running for the hills and tearing up the agreement.  Agreements work best when fine-tuned year over year and performance weighed against previous year’s results. So if pay for performance is something you’re contemplating now or in future agreements, consider whether your organization is really ready and how you’ll manage internal and agency expectations.
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Whether or not you’re currently contemplating a pitch, chances are it’s something you’ll have to deal with at some point in corporate life.

While it’s true, some pitches can be complex and the process can be time consuming or disruptive, they don’t have to be. There are some simple steps you can take to set your pitch process up for success and perhaps even enjoy the process along the way.

Whether or not you’re contemplating an agency search consultant to help, here are some dos and don’ts to help get your pitch process off to a great start and keep things on track while you select the agency that’s right for you:

THINGS TO DO

Come to a strong point of view on why you’re looking for a new agency

Sounds easy but unless you’ve got some outside help, the real answers can be tough to uncover.  Ask yourself why you’re looking for an agency now. How does your incumbent agency really feel about you as a client? Do they have insight into how your organization works that would help in searching for a new agency?

Drill down into what you’re looking for and why

One of the things we hear most often is “creative! – they’ve got to be creative”.  Fair enough.  But is your incumbent creative?  And if so what aspects of the relationship aren’t working?  Quality control?  Budget planning? Delivery?  Or is the incumbent not creative because there’s a briefing or other input issue?  Finding out the why’s now will help deliver a stronger solution at the end of the process.

Be prepared to ask and answer some tough questions

Parting ways with your incumbent agency can be a bit like a divorce.  Set aside the harsh comments and take a really good look at your own organization, process and teams and ask what you could have done and will do better in future.  Again, this is difficult without outside, objective help from an Agency Search Consultant, but asking tough questions can reveal a lot about your organization, how you work and the kind of agency that’s really suited to your needs.

Be flexible

You think you’re after something in particular when in reality the qualities you’re most looking for may appear unexpectedly. The search process, if done correctly, should provide a spectrum of agency approaches and capabilities which help frame up what’s really right for your business.

Empower a small, dedicated team

It’s very difficult to steer an agency search by committee, so creating a small empowered team to help manage your pitch process will help deliver the best result. And yes, you may have corporate in there, the marketing group wants key representation, IT want to make sure you’re not hiring the techno-illiterate, finance want to look at the numbers and several other groups have found time to come up with their own opinion.

But I implore you to whittle those numbers down and create a focused and empowered team to drive this process on your company’s behalf.

Make sure your (real) team meets their (real) team

OK, it’s true – sometimes the agency brings their ‘A’ team to party and the pitch team isn’t always the team that’s going to work on your business.  And if we’re honest here, sometimes the same can be said of clients.  Senior executives are part of the pitch process and those in the trenches sometimes never get to meet the agency until handover day. So at some point in the process make sure you have a live working team meeting.

And then…

THINGS TO AVOID

Forget you need a budget

The reality is, the pitch process is going to cost you something and it’s obviously good business practice to make sure you’ve accrued enough to see you through the process.  Are you going to compensate agencies for strategic or spec work? How many agencies times how much? Is there travel involved?  Do you want to capture soft costs against time spent?  The other benefit of this exercise is it can help keep everyone focused on keeping the process on track.

Have all the presentations at your office

Sounds silly but it’s true. To get a true measure of agency chemistry, where your future team operates and how their agency is physically set-up can be insightful.  Are offices open and set up for collaboration?  Do you get a good sense of teamwork?  Does everyone seem happy or are they running around like headless chickens – and how would they integrate your business into their day-to-day?

Throw everything you can think of into a project brief

A project brief should a window into how your proposed agencies tackle problems, think, work and demonstrate their ability to come up with solutions within a defined period of time.  Expecting agencies to solve a massive strategic challenge in one pitch meeting is unrealistic.

Get distracted by shiny objects

I’ve never been a big fan of stunts, short-term one-off technical maybe’s, or highly finished creative simply because it distracts from the core question:  Is this agency right for our company for the mid to long-term?  There can be any number of criteria you’re looking to evaluate so make sure those criteria are held front and centre – even in the face of shiny objects.

Make the process inconsistent

Once you’ve started your search – you have to be consistent and ensure there’s a level playing field for all participants. This applies to process, answering questions, evaluation criteria and consistency of participation among your core team – either in or out from start to finish.  Again, this is something an Agency Search Consultant can help you with.

Overthink the process

Yes – switching agencies can be disruptive. It can be time consuming and it can prompt tough questions within your own organization about your own marketing approach. But in the end, remember the reason you’re in a pitch process is to create a stronger marketing offering and to help create a stronger business for your company.

If you’ve done your homework and hold fast to some of these basic principles during the process you can rest assured you did good.

So do good. And focus on finding the right agency that’s right for you. If you’d like to know more, call us or ask the Association of Canadian Advertisers for their best practice guide on Searching For A Marketing Communications Agency Partner authored by us.

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For most marketers (and agencies), the answer to the question, ‘when’s a good time for an agency review…?‘ is likely, ‘never!

Yes, sometimes the decision to undertake an agency review is clear:  International alignment.  Competitive conflict.  Regional mandates.  Perhaps even irreconcilable differences. But what if the reasons aren’t so clear yet there’s something gnawing at the back of your mind that an agency evaluation or review is something you should consider?  Those reasons can often point to bigger issues and underscore the fact you’re not maximizing value from a particular agency relationship. So whether you’re contemplating a full agency review or thinking about a formal agency evaluation with agency search consultants, here are ten warning signs that your agency relationship isn’t as strong as it needs to be:

Team members are leaving and retention is becoming an issue

Whether it’s your team or at the agency, poor retention is an early warning sign that the relationship could use a check-up.  If the team members are within your own organization, take extra time with an exit interview and really dig for the underlying causes.  If the team members are on the agency side and you really valued their contribution to your business – find them on LinkedIn and ask for their feedback and perspective on the relationship.

New ideas aren’t forthcoming

When was the last time your agency came to you with a really innovative idea for your business?  I’m not talking about an added service, I’m talking about the excited call or e mail that says, “hey, I’ve been thinking about your business and I’d really like to talk about how this could make a difference to your business…” If you’ve not had one of those calls in a while – why not?

It looks pretty but…

The creative is great and perhaps winning awards.  But is it working?  What do the numbers look like?  What does the tracking study point to?  And how’s the competition doing relative to your share? Are you maximizing real, measurable value from your current campaigns?

Your teams dread agency meetings

If this is the case and you’ve noticed attendance or enthusiasm dropping off, pull some team members aside and ask why.  Is it a time issue?  Are meetings too long or just unproductive?  Or are there conflicts that won’t go away?  Is the chemistry off?  If you see a pattern emerge, perhaps it’s time for an agency evaluation to try and head off issues before they become barriers to your business.

You’re reluctant to bring up agency issues to your management team

If you’re reluctant to bring up agency issues to your executive management team, consider the underlying reasons.  Is it because issues are coming up too often?  Is it results based?  Is it a cost issue?  If you’re seeing a recurring theme in agency issues, then perhaps it’s time to address the issue head-on so your next executive management meeting can be solutions focused on the issues at hand.

Why are we doing this?

If you’re wondering if you’re work is having an impact, or you’re having difficulty extrapolating any kind of meaningful ROI, you need to up the ante.  In today’s multi-dimensional digital ecosystem, ROI calculations have got to make sense – no matter what the medium.  If those calculations aren’t forthcoming, an agency evaluation process can help underscore the importance of an ROI mentality from everyone who works on your business.

Agency costs are becoming difficult to predict

If you dread opening an agency estimate or you’re getting that gnawing “how do they come up with these numbers” question in your mind, it’s a sign there’s more transparency needed in the estimation process.  And that’s ok if the problem’s fixed quickly.  But don’t let the problem linger – because the longer you leave it, the harder it’ll be to change behaviours.

Calls / emails aren’t returned promptly

If your agency is engaged on your business, you should reasonably expect a call back the same morning or afternoon.  Not the next day, not the day after.  If that’s not happening, you need to ask what’s stopping that from happening.  Are your key contacts focused on other business?  Are they too busy fighting fires?  Or is there an underlying issue that needs to be addressed?

It’s too comfy

This is a tough one.  You love your agency, the work looks good.  And you’ve known them for years.  All good, right?  Not necessarily.  Focus on the results and whether you’re really maximizing value on agency initiatives.  When did you last do a 360 evaluation? How competitive are their services?  The communications business has transformed itself in the last five years – has your agency stepped up?  Has your organization benefitted from that transformation?

The focus is on them not you

So the awards are good. And business evolution is imperative. But how much of that change is focused on you?  Are the awards and changes benefiting your business?  Are you seeing growth?  Are you seeing benefits in productivity?  Lower costs?  Better ROI?   In case anyone needs reminding, the agency business is about you – not them. Bottom line:  If you’re getting that gnawing feeling in more than one of these areas, perhaps there’s some substance behind the questions. Like anything else in your business, you’re paying for results.   And if some of those results aren’t being delivered, perhaps it’s time to make a change sooner rather than later.
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Calling an agency review is like breaking up. It’s rarely easy, and it’s usually a last resort. So what typically drives clients to this drastic, last step?

In our experience, agency reviews are generally called for only a comparatively small number of reasons and, for the most part, many reviews could potentially be avoided if the underlying reasons were properly diagnosed and addressed in the early stages of their first symptoms. While that may sound a bit like a surgeon’s health warning, the analogy isn’t far off.

Aside from corporate governance, realignment or conflict, here are our observations on the top ten client / relationship killers – and how to avoid them:

Revolving door

In cases where the agency has a ‘revolving door’ of staff on the account, both the client and the agency should work together to understand why because it doesn’t necessarily follow that it’s the agency to blame. Marketers should ask the agency why resources are constantly changing and be prepared to address feedback that may point to their own organization contributing to the high rate of staff turnover.

Lack of Trust

This is the toughest issue to resolve because it goes to the very foundation of the client / agency relationship. Resolving a lack of trust between a client and an agency can generally only be resolved if it’s addressed as soon as the issue surfaces. The longer the issue is left unresolved, the more likely it is the relationship will be unsalvageable. Irrespective of which side the lack of trust originates, the marketer or the agency must confront the issue with their counterpart and resolve it or resign themselves to the fact they have a terminally ill relationship and an agency review will – sooner or later – be inevitable.

Cost

Ah yes… although cost comes up frequently as a cause for agency dissatisfaction, marketers should actively seek an accurate and independent assessment of what their scope of work should cost in the current market before contemplating an agency change. Costs may be a sore point, but it’s rarely the sole culprit in agency dissatisfaction.

Lack of creativity (or so they think)

If your agency isn’t delivering the creative you want, the key is to understand the real reasons why. While some agencies have stronger creative resources and all marketer creative challenges aren’t created equal, it’s important to understand what role your own organization plays in this perceived lack of creativity. Underlying causes may be in the briefing provided, the lack of insights identified in the planning process or perhaps in the evaluation of concepts when they’re presented.

Performance

Performance is another area where marketers need to understand the real reasons their agency isn’t performing. Identifying underlying client-side business challenges, misalignment of objectives or perhaps media issues unrelated to strategic or creative output could then avert the need for an unnecessary agency search. Determining the true reason behind the performance issue and resolving it can create a far more powerful agency relationship than an agency review ever could.

Material change in scope

When a marketer has a material change of scope, the question is then whether the incumbent is capable of managing to those revised requirements. If the scope is so radically different from before, the marketer must also ask how their internal teams are going to manage that change and perhaps whether an additional specialist agency would be more helpful than a switching out the incumbent.

Seniority – or lack thereof

The root cause of a lack of senior resources on a piece of business is typically that the agency isn’t being remunerated sufficiently to be able to afford to staff with greater seniority. In these cases, marketers should review their scopes of work with their incumbents to define an agreed staffing plan against an agreed (perhaps revised) budget or remuneration plan.

Change

If you’re a marketer looking for a ‘change’, ask yourselves specifically what it is in the relationship that you’d like changed. In most cases, agencies are going to be receptive to requests for change and accommodate them if their clients can be specific about what needs to be addressed – and why. An ongoing, honest dialogue will help create a stronger, long-term relationship and put the ‘grass is greener’ idea into perspective.

Weak Execution

While poor execution can be frustrating, there are many factors at play that should be isolated: Speed, cost, accuracy, quality assurance, lack of process (by agency or marketer or both), or too many confusing change requests can all cause a perception of ‘poor execution’. By being specific about what’s not working, your agency can then be challenged to address the specific concern within a defined time period.

Politics

Politics in any situation can be tough, but if they’re not addressed within an incumbent agency environment, the chances are they’ll spill over into the next agency relationship and resurface. If you can’t address the politics of a situation at an executive level, it may be that you have an underlying organizational design issue that needs to be addressed before you can begin to focus on searching for a new agency.

But…

These aren’t the only factors that kill agency relationships and cause clients to call agency reviews, but they are all irritants that can sour otherwise healthy relationships. And more often than not, it’s rarely one single issue in isolation that causes a marketer to pull the trigger on an agency review process, which is why regular agency evaluations are helpful as early warning signs of potential trouble.

So if you’re contemplating an agency review but haven’t identified the root cause – take time to do some introspection on your own organization and how your teams might be able to work differently to resolve some of the pain points. And if you’re stuck, our agency health-check system can help pinpoint specific issues on both sides within a couple of weeks.

How’s your agency relationship faring? A strained agency relationship can be like a ticking time bomb – so if you need to diffuse the tension, let us know – we’re here to help.

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We love it when a client says to us… “we’ve never thought of asking our agency that…”

More often than not, it’s the questions that haven’t been asked can be hugely valuable in assessing your current agency’s thought leadership capabilities and willingness to collaborate to from a better relationship.

Whether you’re considering hiring an agency or reviewing your current one, these five questions can offer valuable insights. (And yes, the answers might surprise you):

What’s your vision for your agency two or three years from now?

Why this is important: Essentially what you’re asking here is “what’s your vision for the communications business for the foreseeable future?” A good answer should provide insight into the factors you and your team should consider. These should be thought provoking comments that really make you think whether you and your teams are structured for success.

Which of your agency’s experts should we be following on social media?

Why this is important: Your question here is two-fold. First, you’re asking where the real thought leadership in the agency is coming from;  Is it in their strategy department?  Is it in Social leadership? Or is it coming from somewhere else (and why aren’t they on your business…)? You’re also assessing the general level of strategic thinking and industry insights offered by the agency. If (God forbid) the answer is “– er… no.” you should probably ask, “why not…?

What do you think of our current contract – how should we improve it?

Why this is important: Your question here is really about collaboration. Yes, there’ll be obvious “why do you ask…?” or “yes – we’d like a bigger retainer, please…” but what you’re fishing for is the real contribution being made to your business.  For many marketers, you’ll want to pay special attention to AI, if and how it’s being used on your business and what clauses should be considered to protect your data and your organization.

How do you think we can strengthen our teamwork?

Why this is important: You want to know how the agency sees itself fitting into your broader marketing picture and other agency partners. If the answer is, “we don’t know we never talk to X or Y…” it’s an indication broader collaboration is needed. If you suspect the collaboration isn’t as effective as it should be, despite positive feedback, take proactive steps to address the issue.

How is your agency leveraging AI (on our business)?

Why this is important: First, you need to understand if the agency is using AI technologies on your business and if so, what and how are they being implemented? Second, you want to understand how the agency’s use of AI will affect and potentially enhance your business. At the same time, you’ll also want to understand the agency’s roadmap for leveraging AI, what guardrails are in place, how they’re mitigating potential bias and what contractual issues you should be contemplating.

By asking some or all of these questions, you should be able to strengthen your vision into your incumbent agencies’ capabilities, strategic thinking, and commitment to delivering exceptional results on your business.  And if it’s sparked ideas for additional questions – please let us know!

 

 

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Pitch or pass? While it might seem tempting to say yes to every opportunity, discerning agencies know that not all clients are created equal.

And just as marketers carefully evaluate agencies based on their expertise, creativity, and cultural fit, agencies need to be as picky about the clients they pitch, as marketers are about choosing them. And in our view why chemistry, canvas, chaos and cash are the keys to decide whether to pitch or pass. More on those in a moment, but first, consider what it actually takes to pitch a piece of business:

Effort

If you’re in it to win it, you’re asking your pitch team to put in a tremendous amount of effort to put your agency’s best foot forward in an effort to win the business at hand. Almost always this involves double-duty for those working on existing businesses and a lot of late nights and working weekends to come up with a winning pitch.

Disruption

Pitch team aside, the rest of the agency has to keep existing business moving seamlessly through the agency, while the pitch team needs to take priority across valuable project management, strategy, creative and studio resources.  Both sets of business have to be squeezed through without sacrificing quality or sanity.

Missed opportunities

While focused on the potential new client and their pitch, what other opportunities might the agency miss along the way?  In addition to other new business opportunities that may be a better match or potentially easier to win, consider what incremental opportunities might be at stake from incumbent clients.

Employee burn-out

Time, effort, rehearsals, late nights and long weekends can all take their toll on those involved in a pitch, so being selective in how hard you work your pitch teams is key to avoiding burn-out.  Just as important is the impact on morale – because win or lose, pitch teams will want time to take stock of what worked / what didn’t and to recharge between pitches.

Money

Whether you’re doing spec work and getting paid for it, or not doing spec work at all, there are likely costs you’ll be incurring to get the pitch the way you want it.  Freelancers, overtime, rush studio charges and perhaps that ‘over-and-above’ idea your team wants to render, all take money away from the bottom-line at the end of the year. So… While pitching new business can offer potential growth, it also carries significant risks. Therefore, agencies should be as selective as clients when considering new opportunities. One agency CEO shared that he was lamenting a morale problem because his agency was pitching a ‘massive piece of business’ which he knew wasn’t a good fit and was turning them inside out.  “So why pitch?” I asked.  “Because there would be hell to pay from our [upstairs] if we didn’t…” was his reply. That’s tough for anyone, but even agencies without holding company parents are challenged when it comes to being choosy about who they pitch, and many don’t consider the ramifications of well-intentioned efforts. So back to chemistry, canvas, chaos and cash and an easy to remember way to size up whether a new business opportunity is right for your agency:

Chemistry

I’ve never seen a pitch that hasn’t ultimately been decided on the chemistry between the client and the resources who’ve pitched the business.  Yes, strategy, creative and cost all came into it – but for the most part chemistry was the thing that clinched it.  So figure out quickly whether there’s real chemistry between you and your prospective client.  And if there isn’t, let it go.

Canvas

Establish the canvas that the potential client offers and how it’s potentially going to add value to the agency.  Sure, profit is important, but will else is going to help raise your profile – as well as that of the client?  Is it strategic thinking, digital execution, a fresh creative platform, branding or perhaps design? Defining the non-monetary aspects of value will not only help you decide whether the business is right for you, but it will likely help you create a stronger value proposition for the client you’re pitching.

Chaos

Yes, that’s right – chaos!  Agencies (and clients) need to consider how much chaos a piece of business is going to bring to an agency during a pitch process – and after it’s won.  Sizeable, highly demanding or complex pieces of business can not only turn an agency inside-out, it can fundamentally change its dynamic causing resource and financial turmoil.  So before pitching, sketch out your own chaos theory on what your new client could bring and how you plan to mitigate it before you start.

Cash

High profile brands or clients with big budgets can be an overwhelmingly tempting reason to pitch.  But at the end of the day, everyone needs to make a fair profit to make all the effort worthwhile, while considering the implications for the agency in the event budgets get cut or things don’t go the way you’d planned. So, pitch or pass?  Or just buyer beware?  In fact it’s neither.  It’s a reality check on the adrenaline of pitching new business and why agencies should be choosier in their new business efforts to create a win-win for everyone.  
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As marketing management consultants, we’ve observed numerous agency relationships that excel in functional skills but fall short in soft skills, ultimately overshadowing their technical capabilities. It’s crucial to recognize the significant impact of soft skills on agency evaluations.

Soft skills, as defined by Wikipedia, complement hard skills and are essential for effective job performance. They encompass emotional intelligence, intuition, and interpersonal abilities, providing a vital balance to cognitive skills. When selecting an agency, consider the importance of soft skills in fostering successful partnerships.

When defining agency requirements, it’s relatively straightforward to establish a framework of requirements – whether that’s around business expertise, specific capabilities or perhaps technical knowledge. But soft skills aren’t so easy to define and quantify because they require marketers to really understand themselves, and what attributes enhance their own unique business environments.

While soft skills are different for all marketers, here are eight of the most common attributes that we’ve seen make the difference – even when agencies seem to have the functional capabilities but the chemistry doesn’t seem quite right:

Innovation

As the marketing ecosystem has become more complex, innovation has steadily risen in importance for marketers when they’re choosing or evaluating agencies. The caution here is that “innovation” isn’t just another word for “creativity”. Innovation can take any number of forms – but it’s most often quantified around the strategic thought process and how insights are extracted.

Collaboration

Again, the complexity of the marketing ecosystem has spurned a growing requirement for multiple agencies to perform specialized roles. Agencies that can’t demonstrate an ability to collaborate and play nice in the marketing sandbox are typically ruled out faster because marketers want to focus on their own business, not their agencies.

Neutrality

Yup. It’s that complexity issue again. Now more than ever, marketers are looking for objectivity in their marketing mix modeling as ecosystems expand. Agencies that default to broadcast positions, or aren’t open to other agency partners leading a campaign launch, are often less appealing than those that demonstrate real neutrality in their approaches.

Accepting of criticism

We’ve seen marketers test criticism in agency pitch situations because they want to understand how easy agencies are to work with. This absolutely does not mean marketers are looking for agencies to roll over and agree with whatever’s being said – but it does require a balance between confidence in a point of view and taking input and criticism constructively.

Flexibility

Because plans change on a dime all the time, any agency that can demonstrate the flexibility and ability to adapt is appealing because it means the agency isn’t weighed down by rigid or layers of process that can’t flex when marketers have earthquakes. (And they do).

Curiosity

Curiosity is a hallmark of an ability to problem solve, provide insight and provides an important edge over competitive agencies. Any agency that is naturally curious about a marketer’s business is typically more appealing than one that’s just functionally proficient.

Ability to work under pressure

Whether it’s a last minute change of plans, high table stakes or virtually no time, working under pressure is a normal occurrence in marketing. So how the agency team can handle and deliver under pressure is a reassuring attribute that sets agencies apart.

Embrace change

Agencies that demonstrate adaptability and a willingness to embrace change are more likely to be long-term partners for marketers. While short-term fixes may be tempting, investing in a mid- to long-term agency relationship often yields greater rewards.

Soft skills play a crucial role in agency evaluations. We’ve observed that these skills can significantly impact an agency’s success. By understanding your organization’s specific needs and prioritizing the soft skills that align with your business, you can make more informed decisions when selecting an agency partner.

What other factors should you consider in your upcoming agency search?