Peter Levitan & Co.

The New Business of Advertising

Pitching

Advertising Agency Business Development Seminar @ Portland Ad Fed

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Agencies love their friends, their Rolodex’s (yes, we still use this word) and claim that they win more business from referrals than any other new business method. 3 reasons why:

  1. Friends are friends and friends have friends.
  2. Friends should recommend you.
  3. Current and past clients should recommend you. See “The One Number You Should Grow” from the Harvard Business Review.

But, there is a point when you run out of friends with friends and then its time to actually do some real business development. That’s why Rebecca Armstrong, Principal and Managing Director at NORTH; Ryan Buchannan, CEO eRoi and Peter Levitan, CEO Peter Levitan & Co. — oh, that’s me are speaking on how to grow your friends, contacts and prospect lists.

It is: An Advertising Agency Business Development Seminar – “New Business Is More Than A Big Rolodex”

Date: November 21.

Place: Portland, Oregon

Info from The Portland Advertising Federation (yes, new website coming soon….)

Need some language:

The more prospective clients you get to know, the more new business you will win. It’s that simple. Or, is it? New business is a presentation and hands-on workshop designed to help advertising agency management and employees create enlightened new business programs that will get more meetings and build relationships with the right prospects.

We will work together to examine and discuss a range of business development techniques used by successful agencies. We’ll explore list building and how to create and deliver compelling client insights that will grab the attention of the client-side decision makers you want to meet with – well before they put out that RFP. This seminar is for all agency employees because new business should be an agency-wide goal.

New Improved Advertising Agency Search Process: ANA / 4A’s

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Advertising Agency Pitching. Oh, The Uncertainty. 

Unfortunately, most client agency reviews come with a great deal of uncertainty. They shouldn’t, but that’s the way it is — or should it be?

The 4A’s and the ANA understand this issue and recently published a new set of guidelines for the advertising agency search process in their report “Agency Selection Briefing Guidance.”  From the ANA/4A’s:

The 4A’s and ANA believe there is an opportunity to further improve the agency search process by developing best practice guidance tools around the subject of briefings throughout the agency selection process.

And…

The ANA/4A’s task force believes that every phase of a review, or agency search, requires a thoughtful briefing that
provides specific direction to the agency. The review process should provide escalating information to the agencies as
the review progresses from the initial phases (e.g., RFI, RFP, credentials) to the later phases (including any strategic
and/or speculative work and finals presentations).

The report divides the search process into three phases.

  1. Initial list / RFI Phase
  2. Semi-Finalist RFP Phase
  3. Finalist Phase

This is an important tool that both agencies and clients should read and use for guidance. I think that when you are asked to pitch a new client that you share this document. While it might seem forward and somewhat pedantic of you, I’ll suggest that making the prospect aware of this ANA perspective will be proof of your professionalism and might even help the client tailor their process for success. And, hopefully, yours.

Attention, Interest, Decision, Action

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The savvy Rebecca Armstrong, Principle and Managing Director of Portland’s ad agency North, recently wrote the following to me about her perspective on new business. About creating a holistic approach. About creating the total package. About the realization that it takes a plan. I agree.

New business for me is a very holistic package of having an excellent creative and strategic reputation, having a strong, singular and differentiating POV, having vocal advocates in your existing client base, having kick-ass PR counsel, growing a culture of new business in the organization, chasing culturally-aligned clients yadda yadda. And then there’s the pitch, which is an art in itself.

It also requires…

alec-baldwin-glengarry-glen-rossAttention, Interest, Decision, Action

As Alec Baldwin said, “ABC. Always be closing.” Its called sales pressure. This may sound a bit intense. But, isn’t employing some form of ABC, maybe your own way of ABCing it, what it all comes down to? In the case of advertising agencies, I suggest keeping the new business machine working 24/7. Something we can do given our digital and social tools.

Full disclosure: I am not advocating a full-on old-fashioned way of doing that thing that puts fear into the hearts of advertising agencies — SALES. I am simply pointing out, by showing you one of your favorite movie scenes, that only employing passive business development efforts won’t work. You will need to find your own special sweet spot between doing nothing, building that holistic program and acting like Alec Baldwin.

So… for some of my very own ABC, think David Mamet or, in my case, Mario Puzo. Just call me. Think Corleone.

Advertising Agencies: “Do Not Pitch”

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Cruise around the world of advertising agency new business consultants and you will often hear that ad agencies shouldn’t ever have to pitch for new business. The “pitch” for not pitching is that if you do a well-targeted, brilliant in-bound marketing program you will get direct “I love you, I want you” incoming from all the qualified new clients you desire. Cool. You’ll get all the new business you want without the cost and hardship of pitching.

This “win without pitching” dream does come true for some agencies. And, I do discuss how to build and run targeted in-bound programs with my clients. These programs include the hyper-targeting of specific clients and selected categories and the employment of SEO best practices (understanding your target market; smart keyword strategies; use of longer posts; syncing your blog, Twitter, LinkedIn and Slideshare, channels; leveraging YouTube.)

However, for the vast majority of agencies, in-bound marketing simply isn’t enough.

Telling Advertising Agencies “Do Not Pitch” For New Business Is Simply BS

I’ve been involved in advertising agency new business since my first pitch (we won) for Western Union’s EasyLink email service in 1984 (yes, this was the first commercial email service — just a touch early.) I’ve run business development at Saatchi and my own agency. Guess what, unless you are the darling of ADWEEK; just won the Gold Lion and some Clios; do Apple or Samsung or Coke advertising; have some form of secret sauce (you are the first ad agency to actually get mobile advertising with ROI proof); have an outrageous database of marketing friends for continuous referrals or are well-know as a category expert…

Fuhgeddaboudit. Chances are rather high that you will have to pitch the accounts that you want. Sitting back and waiting for those love-child clients to call you ain’t going to keep your agency afloat. Wishing that you will never have to pitch is lunacy.

So, please, win without ever pitching? Maybe for the 1%. But, not the other 3,999 agencies.

My bottom line? Learn how to win more of the pitches you should be invited to. I’m going to start to write about how to pitch. It will be a good “pitch” for my business.

And…. Here is how to position your agency so you might win those pitches you are invited to.

Yo!… Don’t miss any of my brilliant (LOL, but I mean it) thoughts on new business.

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