Avoid these 3 agency pitch mistakes

In our work managing agency reviews for clients of all sizes, we see a different reality. We often see good agencies fail once they get into a pitch room with a prospect. And it is heartbreaking. The at-bats are infrequent enough that squandering any opportunity can be very disappointing.

In our experience there are three major mistakes that seem to derail many agency presentations. Agencies that avoid these mistakes can significantly increase their odds of winning.

After sitting in on thousands of pitches, we can tell you that there are three main missteps that account for most pitch failures:

1. The agency is focused on themselves.

When the agency focuses on themselves instead of the prospect, everyone loses.

The prospect loses interest. The agency loses the opportunity.

We’ve often witnessed agencies spend the first 20 minutes of a pitch talking about themselves, and then say, “enough about us.” Our thought is generally “it was enough about you 20 minutes ago”.

Remember, you typically wouldn’t be in the room if the prospect didn’t already know enough about you to set aside valuable time for a presentation. And these meetings aren’t really about you in the first place; they are about the client’s business. You differentiate your agency by focusing on the client and actively showing value in helping to address their concerns, not by talking about your agency.

Always remember:

You bond with a prospect over their problem, not your solution.

2. The agency fails to address key business issues.

Agencies often fail to focus on the key business issues of the prospect.

Your fantastic pitch and presentation is a waste of time if you’re not addressing the prospect’s real issues. Remember – no one wants to buy advertising. Or PR or media or digital marketing. They want help solving their business challenges.

A strong focus on the prospect’s business challenges helps convey thoughtfulness, expertise and showcases that you understand their business. You “get” them.

Agency selection is an important considered purchase for a client. It is a risky decision. Clients can lose their jobs for hiring the wrong agency. Give them the confidence they are making a sound decision by showcasing how well you understand their challenges.

3. The agency leads with tactics, not strategy.

Many agencies focus on tactics without having a strong strategy in place. This approach rarely works well. When an agency leads with tactics, there is no logic to how to evaluate the tactics nor whether they should work or not.

Basically, the agency is asking the client to decide if they like something without having provided the criteria for evaluation.

The strategy is the criteria for whether the tactics are sound.

Strategy is glue that helps you connect the dots between the client’s business challenge and your proposed solutions. It helps you tell a seamless story and helps explain why your tactics should work.