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the basis that ‘we just want to see how
ESTABLISHING INTENT
Hopefully you have established as a
first step what we call ‘intent’. Are we
serious here with this pitch? Does the
client really want a new agency? We all
remember that potential major piece of
new business last year … it took them
six months to decide to leave their
business with the incumbent agency.
The biggie for me here is the
absolutely ridiculous situation whereby
many clients give you a few weeks to
sort out their entire communication
strategy and messaging for all their
stakeholder targets. This is done on
blame but ourselves. We are stuck in
you think’. That’s not intent people.
That’s contempt. And maybe, just
maybe, we deserve it.
And you, the oh-so-professional
agency business manager, do you really
want this piece of business? I mean,
really want it. If you are running one of what I call ‘Pitch Etiquette’. Poor briefs
the holding agencies you will have no
choice. Your growth targets will dictate
that you have to pitch on everything
that moves to have any chance of
reaching those double-digit targets.
All this, of course, in an advertising
industry with a single figure growth
outlook (average 4,8% predicted over
the next five years in Australia).
As an industry, we all know that
the pitch process is notoriously
flawed. Ridiculously short lead times
or mind-numbingly long lead times;
pitch lists as long as your arm; layers
of client management consensus
? And when we win, do it all again
We all know the
pitching process
is seriously flawed
needed to select the new agency;
meaningless paperwork for the RFP
(request for proposal).
Then there’s the lack of access to
decision makers. My mantra is that she
or he who has the power to approve
the new agency’s appointment, must
do the brief. There is nothing more
debilitating than dealing with people
who have the authority to only say
‘maybe’. Add in cost pressure to do
the brief’s creative work for nothing;
coughing up your intellectual property,
etc. The list goes on and on.
INDUSTRY IS TO BLAME
But, my friends we have no-one to
August–September 2016 strategicmarketing 37
what [leading strategist and thinker]
Dr Edward de Bono calls ‘repetition
and routine’, which he alarmingly
describes as ‘the kiss of death’ for
business. And he is right.
As agencies we put up with the lack of
with no timetable or structure; short
presentation times; un-returned emails
and phone calls; key decision makers
cancelling out of presentations at the
last moment; discourteous handling
of news to the unsuccessful agencies.
Clients take the creative pitch route
because they know there are any
number of willing suckers out there in
agency land ready to roll over and say:
“Of course we’ll pitch! We are delighted
to spend our money on your business
over the next six weeks; to rush through
expensive research, make huge
strategic calls on your brand, and push
our people and our existing clients.”
because now we are going to get the
real brief because the CXO (chief
experience officer) was away during the
pitch and she/he is not happy with the
outcome. Yep, love to pitch! (I apologise
for the moment of petulance).
NEW METHODS REQUIRED
It’s time for change and we have to
consider other methods. I say ‘we’
because clients are not going to change
overnight. It’s up to us to provide some
leadership here.
Here’s the earth-shattering point: The
fundamental reason for a successful
client and agency relationship is …
people. I know, it’s a hard concept to
grasp, but there it is.
It’s people who understand each
other; who get the brand; who get the
business. It’s people who build rapport,
establish credibility and reduce the
risk. Think about it. Most clients, in the
superficial world of the creative pitch >>