Starting off on the right footThursday 1st October 2015

AKA “Ah yes but…”

1. Background/Mindset

Understanding clients

New client New requirement

Statutory Dissatisfaction

Why clients change agencies

Top 10 things agencies need to remember about new business clients

1. They will ultimately end up post rationalising their decisions

2. They don’t like giving bad news! You will always “come a close second”

3. The majority of large pitches still tend to be “distress purchases”

4. Meeting someone at a conference doesn’t constitute “a relationship”

5. Most of them don’t enjoy pitches!

Top 10 things to remember about new business clients

6. At the early stages they are looking for reasons to exclude you

7. Agencies are often better when they are not right for everyone

8. They want to know how you can help them.

9. The best pitches are about finding the agency to work with, not just solving the problem

10. Clients are human beings!

The Agency Mindset

Do you really want to do this pitch?

The key factors to consider

MoneyCreative/ strategic

opportunity

Level of interest and

rewardAvailability

Other factors to consider

Process Reputation of client

Seniority of client Instinct

Do agencies pitch too much…

or not enough?

Average number of competitive pitches by discipline in 2014

Discipline Number

Advertising 10

Digital 11

DM/SP 13

Integrated 16

Media 22

PR 37

Never forget:Win the pitch…don’t just try

and solve the problem!

3. What makes a successful pitch?

The best pitches are well paced

Hunger and enthusiasm goes a long way

Agencies should never go over the Marketing team’s heads

The cult of the team, not the cult of the individual…

Why do agencies feel the need to swallow ‘truth pills’?

Engagement is key to chemistry...and starts the moment the client walks in the door

Have they met the other agencies/consultancies with whom the client currently works?

Make the best use of tissue meetings and Q&As

Know when to shut up!

Have they got the logo right?

Agencies shouldn’t spend the last day/days getting the last 5-10% right

Have they got the right number of people in the room?

Everybody must have a role, particularly if they are running the business!

Do they just talk to the most important person in the room

The authority to say “yes”, but the influence to say “no”

Less is more when it comes to creative work/ideas

Is there a recommendation

The best pitches are like good dinner parties

Summary

1. Clients want to work with hungry teams of people

2. Agencies need to put themselves in the shoes of the client

3. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse!

4. Clients will end up post rationalising their decisions

5. Never forget that clients (and agencies) are human beings!

Thank you