Search Results for: pitch

Does Your Ad Agency Use Storytelling In Its Sales Pitch?

February 12, 2016 By Peter 1 Comment

Agencies Do Storytelling

Advertising agencies love the idea of being storytellers. Storytelling skills have become one of the ways that agencies offer agency brand differentiation. To be clear, here’s a definition:

Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, sound and/or images, often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation, and instilling moral values.

I see three ways that agencies do storytelling:

The Agency itself has a story.

Frankly, this is an amazingly underused opportunity. Why don’t agencies use their own personal or business stories more often on their websites, in their new business programs and pitches? Need an example (yes, an obvious one): Ogilvy’s use of David. The

The Ogilvy website has David’s bio and the following ‘story’ about David that he wrote to his partners 3 years after he started the agency Hewitt, Ogilvy, Benson & Mather. He is writing about himself.

Will Any Agency Hire This Man?

He is 38, and unemployed. He dropped out of college.
He has been a cook, a salesman, a diplomatist and a farmer.
He knows nothing about marketing and had never written any copy.
He professes to be interested in advertising as a career (at the age of 38!) and is ready to go to work for $5,000 a year.

I doubt if any American agency will hire him.

However, a London agency did hire him. Three years later he became the most famous copywriter in the world, and in due course built the tenth biggest agency in the world.

The moral: it sometimes pays an agency to be imaginative and unorthodox in hiring.

My moral… This story reinforces the perception that Ogilvy is ‘imaginative and unorthodox.’ The agency delivers this compelling message neatly wrapped up in a founder story — not just saying it.

The agency sells its ‘storytelling’ prowess.

HubSpot published an interview “Have agencies Abused The Term Storytelling?” I did with Michael Donahue, ex-EVP of The American Association of Advertising Agencies about the art of brand storytelling . Is storytelling overused? My take? No, telling stories to help consumers build a better understanding of and a closer bond with brands works. However, how the agency describes this particular art must be distinctive. It’s the

6 Critical Elements Of A Sales Pitch

January 18, 2016 By Peter Leave a Comment

6 Critical Elements of An Ad Agency Sales Pitch

If there is one thing you must do when selling a BtoB service (as in your ad agency’s services; a tech solution; a great media or creative idea…) it is making sure you understand the needs and motivations of the person you are selling to when you craft your sales pitch. Sounds obvious, right? Believe me, after interviewing a wide range of clients and ad agency search consultants for my book on pitching I have to say that many agencies do not follow this golden rule. We are simply not spending enough time really thinking about the buyer and her perspective.

A Sad Ad Agency Sales Story

I had this lesson hammered home at my first media to agency pitch when I moved from Saatchi & Saatchi New York to launch the brand new newspaper website NJ.com. I figured I’d start selling the new fangled idea of internet advertising to my friends at my old agency (this was 1996). I knew the agency inside and out and had worked with its Executive Media Director Allen Banks for years. My pitch included a hockey puck graph of projected Internet usage and a discussion of digital advertising that touted our news website’s newfound ability to track how website visitors viewed and interacted with online advertising.

Sounds like a great digital media pitch, right? Was Allen smiling? No. His reaction?

“Are you f*cking kidding me? We have made a fortune not really knowing how, when and for how long consumers have been looking at our ads. I manage hundreds of millions in advertising media placement. Knowing how much of it doesn’t work will kill our golden goose.”

My point in telling you this story is that I didn’t really think through Allen’s motivations and potential objections before I delivered my early online sales pitch about tracking and analytics. I had only thought about how wonderful the Internet advertising solution was. By the way, Allen was right. The Internet sure seems like it killed some parts of the golden advertising goose.

Here’s some more advice from the world of sales…

Yes, some of these 6 elements may seem obvious (and yes, I am repeating myself) — however, I know for a fact that not everyone in your agency truly understands these simple rules. Many of your colleagues, even the folks on your new business or creative idea pitch team, probably do not have much direct sales experience.

Think like the client. The presentation (it’s a sales presentation!) must be written from the client’s perspective. What are they asking for, and what do they need and want to hear? You want to win them over, not your colleagues. This is the key reason why you have to learn about the individual clients, and if you have time, create personas for any new to you decision makers before you ever meet them.
Involve them. Don’t make the presentation one-sided. Try to involve the client in a discussion. You might be able to motivate the stone-faced clients by asking them a few questions at the right time.
Answer their questions. If the client has specific questions, stop talking and listen. Make sure you answer the question and confirm with them that you have. Think all agencies do this? I know for a fact that they don’t. Sometimes in the heat of the pitch, agency presenters will consciously or unconsciously deflect and even ignor the client’s question so that they can get on with their scripted presentation. This can be a major lost opportunity for dialog and might put off the client.
Deliver value. The client has invited you into their world. Return the favor by giving them something of value in return. In most cases, this might be a serious insight or a creative solution. This is your chance to demonstrate why this client couldn’t possibly live without you.
Be dynamic. Clients want agencies that are passionate about their work and ideas. Show your passion, and find a way to show passion for the client’s brand and/or quest. In a new business pitch, you might want to actually ask for the job.
Be different. Again, if you are in a new biz pitch, know that the other agencies that are pitching are good, smart and could probably do the job. You have one chance to look and sound different. Think very hard about how you will stand out from the pack.

6 simple rules. They work.

Head over to this link to see my post on the 12 worst mistakes agencies make when pitching. You’ll like the cartoons as well.

Anatomy Of An Advertising Agency Pitch: Part Two

September 17, 2015 By Peter Leave a Comment

Anatomy Of An Advertising Agency Pitch: Part Two

This is the second part of my interview with Tony Mikes, Founder of the Second Wind Network. It is his first-person perspective on how advertising agencies performed in an pitch for the National Aquarium in Baltimore. It is enlightening and instructive… to say the least.

The interview first appeared in my book, “The Levitan Pitch. Buy This Book. Win More Pitches.”

The interview is over three thousand words so I broke it into two parts. I urge you to read both – part one is here. At the end of the interview, I will give you my impressions on the lessons that every agency can learn from Tony’s experience and insights.

The Anatomy Of An Advertising Pitch Interview

PL: So to be clear, of the six agencies, how many wanted to know who from the client would be in the room?

Tony: Nobody else.

PL: That’s… crazy.

Tony: Yeah, I mean, I think that that’s a sin, maybe not mortal, but that’s certainly a sin. But nobody asked.

PL: Well that’s incredibly surprising considering the importance of making interpersonal connections. What else did the smart agency do that stood out?

Tony: There was a pitch leader, and he occupied the podium. The other three presenters sat on director’s chairs. The leader moderated the whole session. So anything that needed to be stopped or moved or changed or accelerated or decelerated – the leader had control. The leader read the room and controlled the flow.

PL: Did you have a sense that they were well rehearsed?

Tony: Yes. They certainly had rehearsed a lot. They started with a bang – without introductions. Dark room. Killer video. Which ended in a… here we are.

The video lasted about a couple minutes. It was really great.

PL: Was the video about them or about the client? [Read more…] about Anatomy Of An Advertising Agency Pitch: Part Two

Ad Agency Pitch Killing Mistakes

March 19, 2015 By Peter 1 Comment

Last Batch: Ad Agency Pitch Killing Mistakes

This is the third installment of my list of 16 ad agency pitch mistakes made by, um, you Ms. Ad Agency CEO, Business Development Director, Creative Director and other pitch team members.

This list is in my book, “The Levitan Pitch. Buy This Book. Win More Pitches.” Amazon is holding your copy for you right here.

I’d like to reiterate what I said in part one of the series:

This expert list is one of the last chapters in the book. I consider it a coda to my detailed advice on how to nail a presentation. In this case, I wanted to see what people who have listened to thousands of hours of sales presentations from what should be the best presenters in business (advertising, digital, PR and media agency executives) had to say about mistakes that occur all too often.

“All to often”. Yes, I know it’s crazy. Have you made these pitch killing mistakes? According to these consultants…. You do.

Debbie Morrison: Director of Consultancy and Best Practice, ISBA, thegoodpitch.com, UK

In terms of things agencies do wrong in pitch presentations, the biggest howler I have come across which instantly alienates the client, is disharmony in the agency pitch team!

Either the session is dominated by one senior person and no other agency team members ‘dare’ or are given the chance to input. Or there have been times I’ve experienced in pitches when there has been obvious hostility between agency team members resulting in open warfare during the pitch presentation! Highly off putting and results in an instant de-listing in most cases!

Dan Pearlman: CEO/Managing Partner, Bob Wolf Partners/TPG, California

In answer to your question: Most agencies don’t pay enough attention to the chemistry and culture aspects of their pitch. Where do the philosophies and values of their firm align with those of the client? [Read more…] about Ad Agency Pitch Killing Mistakes

7 More Ridiculous Ad Agency Presentation and Pitch Mistakes

March 3, 2015 By Peter 1 Comment

7 More Ad Agency Search Consultants On “The Single Worst Presentation Mistakes”

Here is Part Two of a list of ad agency sales presentation and pitch mistakes from some of the most experienced people ever to sit on the buyer’s side of a B2B sales presentation table. This list, and the next three parts are from my book, “The Levitan Pitch. Buy This Book. Win More Pitches.” The poster on the left has all of my top 12 agency presentation mistake cartoons. These are all in the book.

Don’t miss Part One of the series and its first 6 mistakes… it is right here.

Mind Blowing.

As you will see from this series on agency presentation and pitch fails, most agencies make these mistakes. Yes, it is hard to step up and say that you and your team also make these kinds of mistakes. But, according to my agency search consultant friends, and their zillions of hours sitting across the table from you, you are in fact making these mistakes.

Pete Bogda: ABA Consulting, Inc., Texas

The common/worst mistakes that agencies make is not starting with the folks who will be on the client team, but load the room with agency top brass and/or stars. [Read more…] about 7 More Ridiculous Ad Agency Presentation and Pitch Mistakes