Search Results for: pitch mistakes

How To Win New Business

Peter · September 15, 2015 · 1 Comment

Yes, How to Win New Business

Now, I am not so, um, naive to say that all it takes is to get out there with a compelling message and then go for it. But, guess what… all it really takes is to get out there with a compelling message targeted to the right people at the right time – a message that is unique to your business and is difficult to ignore because it goes right to the heart of an issue that is keeping your prospect up at night. There, I said it. Let me put it another way and I’ll coin it as…

SSP: Smart Sales Pressure.

OK, one more piece of advice. We all (and I mean all of us) make mistakes that kill pitches and deals. As you might suspect, being conscious of these mistakes is rather important to avoiding them.

Mistakes.

Here is the poster of the 12 mistakes that I outline in my book. For your viewing (and hopefully humorous) pleasure:

What Your Ad Agency Can Learn From The Army

Peter · June 16, 2015 · Leave a Comment

Your Ad Agency Failed. Now What?

“Oh well” should never be the last thing you say when your ad agency failed to sell in an idea, a new advertising program or are at the losing end of a pitch for a new account.

“Oh well” simply isn’t good business. Advertising agencies need to have a process for evaluating what did not work (even what worked) in order to improve its business systems — including how to pitch ideas. I suggest that agencies consider using what the U.S. military calls, the After-Action Review (AAR). Here’s a definition from the Air Force:

An after-action review (AAR) is a professional discussion of an event, focused on performance standards, that enables soldiers to discover for themselves what happened, why it happened, and how to sustain strengths and improve on weaknesses. It is a tool leaders and units can use to get maximum benefit from every mission or task.

Stop Failing… The Ad Agency After-Action Review

Charlie Hebdo, Cartoons and Advertising

Peter · January 18, 2015 · Leave a Comment

Charlie Hebdo and The Power of Cartoons In Advertising & Social Media

I have been watching CNN’s “Reliable Sources“, it is a thoughtful and smart TV news show that covers the media world. I highly recommend it. From CNN:

Now more than ever, the press is a part of every story it covers. And CNN’s “Reliable Sources” is one of television’s only regular programs to examine how journalists do their jobs and how the media affect the stories they cover.

As one would expect, the show’s been covering the Charlie Hebdo murders, ramifications for the worldwide press and how they are reporting the story in detail.

One of my biggest takeaways from the whole Charlie Hebdo story is how freakin powerful cartoons are. Which brings me to the point…

Why So Few Cartoons In Advertising and Social Media?

Cartoons grab attention.

Cartoons can be so powerful they’ve driven people to murder. OK, we are not looking for this level of passion in advertising. But, think about it. Why aren’t we using this storytelling energy more?

Cartoons are not boring look-alike advertising messages (see ‘be not boring’ below.)

Cartoons are visual and help cure some information overload issues.

Cartoons tell stories. I have 12 cartoons in my book on pitching. They make a strong visual point about what not to do if you WANT to fail in new business pitches.

Cartoons are visual content that have some staying power in a world that eats up content and spits it out a a rapidly growing rate.

Cartoons can be serialized to create campaigns.

Cartoons get shared.

Cartoons can run in print, social media and in video.

Cartoons fit on phones.

Our love of infographics is essentially a love of cartooning. A stretch? Maybe. But, I dig data-visualization vs. dull-data.

Use More Cartoons…

My good friend Steve Klinetobe runs the Cartoon Agency. Here is how they describe themselves:

We help companies be NOT boring using the universal awesomeness of cartoon storytelling.

Technically, we’re a content marketing agency. That means we help our clients plan, develop and deliver smart, buzz boosting content for their blogs, social media, and other such things.

But! There is a difference (or as us marketers like to say, a differentiator).

We create cartoons. That’s right, big-eyed funnies that reach out and grab your audience by the heart.

If I were a Creative Director or social media strategist, I’d be thinking of using cartoons. Why aren’t more advertising, mobile and ‘content genrators’ doing this? Even Google’s algorithms like cartoons.

Moving on to advertising agency new business: Why not use cartoons to begin to sell your agency on your website, in your blogs or as something different in your outbound marketing? You will stand out from the other 10,000 agencies, you will tell your story in a delightful way and you could have some fun doing it.

Am I just spewing? I put my money where my mouth is. The cartoon at the left is one of 12 from my book. Here is a post I did on the cartoons.

We all talk about making connections. I think that using cartons can often work harder than just words.

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Yes, you can buy your very own “The Levitan Pitch. Buy This Book. Win More Pitches” on Amazon.

You can also buy a poster of all 12 cartoons right here at Society6. I guarantee that if you put this poster up in your agency you will win more pitches.

The Video: How To Write An Advertising Agency Book

Peter · December 8, 2014 · Leave a Comment

My HubSpot Inbound Conference Video: “The Advertising Agency Book – From Idea To Publication in 6 Months”

Here is a video of the talk I gave at HubSpot’s Inbound 2014 conference. Watch my presentation to find out how to write an advertising agency book by mid 2015. Yes, you can do it.

The video will show you how to get a good head start on adding this special arrow to your new business quiver. I discuss the multiple benefits of writing a book; that it can be done relatively quickly (I wrote my 65,000 word The Levitan Pitch, Buy This Book. Win More Pitches. in less than 6 months); how the book will drive your thought-leadership program and how your agency is particularly well set up and well endowed to get a great business-building book out the door.

Writing is a good thing

As I’ve written before: I got the speaking gig at Inbound 2014 because I write for HubSpot’s Agency Post. Using thought leadership to gain broad awareness of your agency is, well, its a very good thing. Here’s my earlier post on the value of guest posting: “Why I Guest post On Agency Post.”

Here is my dedicated post on writing an advertising agency book and how it can be used for new business outreach. The post includes the PowerPoint presentation I used in the following video.

To help you find the gems in the 30 minute talk, I’ve put some highlights below.

Video Timelines

This are approximate…

Intro: :00 to 1:30
6 Months, Really?: 1:30 to 3:00
The how to: 3:00 to 7:00
Mistakes: 7:00 to 10:50
Objectives and Strategies: 10:50 to 25:00
Recap: 25:00 to 30:00

OK, Buy The Book – I wrote my book for you. I want you to win more pitches.

If you read the book you will pitch better than your competition.

Here’s more:

You will mange your agency’s pitch process much better.
You won’t burn out your employees.
You will plan better.
You will reduce your pitch budget.
You will strategize better.
You will arrive better prepared.
You will present better.
You will win more pitches.
You will retire earlier.

Buy multiple copies of the book as Christmas / Hanukah gifts right here: Amazon

Buy the “How Not To Win A Pitch” poster here: Society6

Are You More About ‘Likes’ than Being ‘Liked’? PR Master Peter Shankman Lays It Out.

Peter · November 24, 2014 · Leave a Comment

Some Thoughts On Social Media and Real Life ‘Liked’ Vs. ‘Likes’ From PR Master Peter Shankman

I spoke at HubSpot’s enormous Inbound 2014 conference in September. This was without question the largest advertising conference I’ve attended. It consumed the entire Boston convention center. I was told that there were around 7,000 people attending. The draw was Hubspot’s leadership in inbound marketing and a fantastic list of speakers.

I had two favorite moments. One was a ‘comedy central’ (and insightful) monologue and the other was, yes, about me and how I wrote my new book from idea to published in just 6 months.

1 – An Interview With Peter Shankman – The Funniest Man In Marketing

PR master Peter Shankman was one of the most insightful speakers at Inbound 2014. Peter drove a large audience of marketers and advertising agency types into fits of hysteria during his 45-minute talk about being a smart (and nice) marketer. His staccato monologue was all stand-up and included only one slide. It was a rare PowerPoint-free and very funny experience. I hope that HubSpot puts the talk up on its website soon.

Peter discussed the marketing power of good customer service and how he built the online PR tool HARO and sold it 3 years after launch. Most businesses and, in the case of the marketing-oriented Inbound audience, advertising agencies dream of creating a service or product that can be sold. He did it.

Peter’s latest book, “Zombie Loyalists”, will be out in January. In the meantime, visit the book’s website.

Peter, tell me a bit about your Inbound talk.

It was a lot of fun. A smart marketing audience like that hears a lot of about social and metrics, scale and analytics, but to be able to talk to them a little bit about the basics of customer service and being nicer to your audience and how that actually generates more revenue than almost everything else combined is a lot of fun. I love being able to share that insight.