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You Will Lose 75% Of Your Advertising Agency Pitches

Peter · July 13, 2017 · Leave a Comment

How To Win More Advertising Agency Pitches? Well, Buy My Book

Think I’m kidding. I’ve seen the common sense and insights and techniques inside my book work after people have simply read the book – they’ve won more advertising, PR, digital, experiential agency pitches. Other agencies have benefitted by hiring me as a business development and pitch coach; or, I’d imagine by watching my HubSpot pitch presentation which is nicely situated below for your viewing pleasure.

75% Sucks

Here’s the drill. You, if you are like most agencies, you will lose about 75% of your pitches*. This fact, of course, is painful. Kinda nuf said. But I’ll add some more heat to this fire. Pitches + the cost of daily business development + a business development director salary and bonus can raise the hard and soft costs (labor, freelancers, and overhead) of an individual pitch to over $100,000.

FYI: Most agency leaders tell me that, given their sales skills, all they need to do is to get into a room with a client and they will sell them on hiring the agency. Hmmmm, sorry, the math does not work.

$10.99 To Leverage Your $100,000

So, for $10.99 – much less on Kindle – you can buy a book that will at least remind you of all of the mistakes you should not make that might reduce your odds. At best, the book will help you win the pitch you are giving in three weeks. Am I selling hard here? You bet. I am getting tired of hearing about the mistakes that it seems every agency – large to small make every day. How do I know this? I talk to the kinds of advertising agency search consultants and clients that are interviewed in the book.

From HubSpot – The YouTube Video

Here’s the online seminar I gave to HubSpot peeps. Hope you enjoy it. Oh, and Win More Pitches. Oh #2, don’t forget to go to the top of this page to buy the book. Or, just go here.

3 Ad Agency Websites That Work

Peter · March 14, 2017 · Leave a Comment

Inspiration: 3 Ad Agency Websites That Work

Yes, another post on ad agency websites. This time I am writing about three very different approaches. All work. How do I know this? These agency sites deliver via unique approaches at a time when many agency websites act more like a ‘me-too’ non-sales oriented brochure. To start, here are some of my key website success points.

You will only get 8 seconds of a prospect’s attention. So, state your reason for being — fast.

That means, KISS — Keep It Simple Stupid.

Walk your talk.

Help me to want to meet you.

Try to look and sound different. The sameness of agency website messaging, look and attitude is distressing.

Your website is a sales tool. Worth repeating. It is a sales tool.

Use video to tell your story.

If you dig social, then deliver some highly targeted thought leadership. Provide more substance than a ‘me-too’ agency blog.

Entice a prospect to contact you. Friendly sales works.

The 3 Agency Websites.

1. HawkSEM

HawkSEM is a digital / PPC marketing specialist based in L.A.

Here is why I dig the HawkSEM website.

Slavish devotion to the agency’s Results / ROI positioning. That means their messaging supports their stance. As in: “No BS, just Results. Average Clients see a 4.5x ROI”
The positioning is client focussed.
Massive use of videos. Mucho people to watch on this site.
Sexy client list plus relevent cases plus video testimonials.
Very serious Google endorsement.
They ask for the order via simple offer… “Request a free consultation.” Not just the usual, all too usual, “Contact Us.”

This approach makes them successful.

2. Wise Branding Group

I’d never heard of Betsey Wise until I read her right-on quote in Ad Age’s “Agency Nostalgia Hits SXSW.” See what I mean (as in, this must be the dream of every employee working at WPP or Publicis):

“And this is what’s wrong with the agency model,” said Betsy Wise, CCO of her own branding group. “Too many people in a meeting, and not enough getting done.”

Ms. Wise was just joking about the room too full for her to even enter, but she was also kind of serious. She was there to talk about what agency workers can do to overcome the waning influence of their industry. She used to be in it, until she started her own company, and now sets her own hours.

“I’m working 30 hours a week, and I’ve easily doubled my salary, maybe tripled,” Ms. Wise said.”

Here is why I dig the Wise Branding Group website:

Super clean design.
The site’s navigation elements are the graphics / the graphics are the navigation.
Who We Are. / What We Do. / What We Believe? / Who We Serve / What We Are Up To. Is kinda all you really need to know.
I like the copy and its tone.

More? Could Wise add more stuff? Sure and it might help. Or, um, distract.

3. Joan.

More women. I am only saying this because Joan. celebrates women. Especially women named Joan. Need rationale?

“Throughout history, various Joans have shown up on the scene and completely changed the landscape — from rock and roll, to comedy, to helping put a new face on the protest movement of the 60s, and of course, to our favorite Joan, who triumphed on the French battlefields. These Joans knew that the combination of talent, ambition, curiosity, imagination, an eternal work ethic and a completely irregular perspective from the norm would allow them to question, challenge and change.

We take inspiration from these incredible women. And we hope to do some good in their name.”

Here is why I dig the Joan. website:

The name is intriguing.
The founders are named Lisa and Jaime.
Interesting, non-standard-resumes: “What happens when one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business and Refinery29’s former COO start an agency?” And leadership positions at Widen + Kennedy and Pereira & O’Dell and Ogilvy and Mather, Saatchi and Saatchi, BBH NY and Fallon.
Sweet, diverse client list that includes: General Mills, Unilever, Jack Daniels, Coca-Cola, and Intel.
Joan. walks the talk. They are establishing: “The Joan Foundation for Diversity in Advertising.”

Ok, I admit it. Much of what I dig is Joans.’s straight forward approach to all of the reasons I’d give them a call. The site is tight.

How To Own A Brand Positioning

Peter · March 4, 2017 · Leave a Comment

Ah, The Brand Positioning – How Are You Going To Own Yours?

All of the medium to small advertising, PR, design and digital agencies I work with (even network agencies) are by nature, challenger brands. As in, they are not R/GA or Droga 5 or 72andSunny or today’s hottest – pick your current digital-flavor-of-the-month specialist. I’m sure you know what challenger brand means and that is one of your potential brand positionings but… Here is a nice clear definition of challenger brand from Chron.com:

A challenger brand is a company or product brand in an industry that is not the category leader. The term denotes the fact that such companies have to play from a position behind the dominant player or leader in an industry. This makes the process of marketing significant to attracting customers.

The nurturing of challenger brands is one of the marketing agency positionings that I’ve discussed on this blog and with many of my agency clients. No, it is not a brand new proposition. But, it has power since most brands are by nature challenges and, as stated above, marketing is critical to elevating a challenger brand to brand leadership. This makes having a dedication to helping challenger brands a winning proposition.

Eat Bigger Smaller Fish

I have been following the challenger brand consultancy Eat Big Fish for years. They are without question the leading consultancy in this space and their leader Adam Morgan is the numero uno voice of the challenger brand market. I have used Eat Big Fish in my agency business development recommendations as one of the benchmark agencies that I believe represents a best of class B2B marketer. As in, how they market themselves under, inside and around their positioning umbrella.

Eat Big Fish is an excellent example of a marketing company that has a single-minded sales proposition, a well-defined market and a dedication to thought leadership that… makes them, without question, the thought leader, “I must talk to them” leader in their category.

How They Do It

I think that, no, I know that, EBF (I hope they don’t mind the abbreviation, I just don’t like typing ‘fish’ too often) can offer some direction for all agencies.

EBF nailed their approach to a large hungry market. And, they appear to be early in. Or, even better, they market themselves so well, that they look like they were early in.

They nailed their brand name and logo. Ah, the British and branding.

They nailed their messaging.

Adam Morgan established his credentials in 2009 by writing the book, “Eating The Big Fish”.
Their latest book, “A Beautiful Constraint”, speaks directly to today’s time and resource scarcity. Here is how they describe the book: “A Beautiful Constraint is a book about everyday, practical inventiveness, designed for the constrained times in which we live. It describes how to take the kinds of issues that all of us face today — lack of time, money, resources, attention, know-how — and see in them the opportunity for transformation of oneself and one’s organization’s fortunes.” Oh, they have two more books. I like ‘agencies’ that write books. Here’s is a blog post on how to do that.
EBF has a hard to resist sales proposition: “We enable ambitious brands of all shapes and sizes to do more more with less.” Um like, what client would you want that isn’t ambitious and would just love it if you offered them a high ROI?
Their Our Work section delivers on their strategic focus and client benefits. Nice, clear and concise. Like, if you were a big brand, why wouldn’t you give these guys a call? Plus, they sound like they play nice with the other children – they fit in seamlessly between the brand and the brand’s agency.
EBF’s thought-leadership is, well, thoughtful. This series is timely, thought-provoking, insightful, and fun to read. It would be of interest to any client out there: “Challengers To Watch In 2017”. Cool! I love this one — Impossible Foods. Imagine trying to challenge the all-beeeeeef burger.
They give good videos. Check out their Speeches page.
They nail client testimonials. Most agency client testimonials are — boring. These are not.

And… you should subscribe to their newsletter. You’ll see why after you get one. The pitch: “Sign up to The Challenger Project and get our monthly roundup of challenger inspiration every last Friday.”

One thing I dig about their approach is that their focus is on sharing the insights and stories from the broader world of challenger brands. Whether client or not, eatbigfish get out of the way of the story.

Inspiring in an agency world where we just cannot stop talking about ourselves. Ya know what I mean?

Death Of The Brand?

Peter · January 5, 2017 · Leave a Comment

Death Of The Brand… What Does This Mean For Your Advertising Agency?

Watch this L2 video on 2017 predictions. What does it mean for your advertising / digital / design / PR / experiential agency?

I know…. these predictions are both an opportunity and a big problem. I’d grab the opportunity (I love pain points) and I think it is huge. You?

https://www.l2inc.com/video/scott-galloway-and-maureen-mullen-predictions-for-2017

Is Advertising Art?

Peter · January 4, 2017 · 3 Comments

Is Advertising Art? Yes and No. Thoughts on 2017.

Here are some thoughts about the business of advertising that I will explore in 2017. A key one for me is thinking about the value-oriented question: “is advertising art” or is “advertising science” and how the recent move to data-love effects what you are selling to your agency’s current and future clients.

What I Think We I Will Be Talking About This Year

Is advertising art or science? We’ll it used to be very much art. Today, it has become, in my estimation, too scientific. I find that it is getting harder to find the big advertising ideas (name five from 2016). You know, the ideas that resonate, hit the emotions, get talked about. These big, brand-building, sales-generating “ideas” seem to be lost in a world of ever evolving tech / digital platforms and data mining.

Sure, this could simply be ‘good-old-days ad veteran speak’. But, no… While I grew up on mega-buck TV shoots, I also moved into the digital world in 1996 (founding NJ.com then ActiveBuddy) and ran a ‘digital’ agency in Oregon – so, I’m not too-stuck-on-good-old-days afterall. I just miss the time when people stood around the company water fountain and talked about advertising.

Today… we are simply not spending enough time thinking about the BIG ideas that drive humans to pay attention and to act (to give a shit) and then to want to do the action you, as a marketer, want them to do. We spend too much time talking about the technology and targeting that puts boring ad ideas in front of people. Boring.

Does the technology work? Facebook advertising fibbing / bullshit – again and again (the BIG 2016 story). And then there is ad fraud. Billions? Wasted? Clients have woken up. This should be interesting.

The business of advertising sucks (Part I). I talk with dozens of agencies. Most, even shops up to 200 people (I won’t even get into the networks) are barely making it. Why? Well, most do not really know what business they are in. They like making ‘ads’ and using the latest ad tech. But, they do not know how to make money. Most, the vast majority of agencies, do not even have a business plan that spells out the path to success. Please, start with a plan. And, given the pace of change, review the plan every year.

Ultimate bottomline: Most agencies do not have a marketing plan.

ADHD. In addition to not having a business plan, many agencies do not run a consitant marketing program. Many (most agencies) do not run their sales plan with any consistancy. They: Start – Stop – Start – Stop. They clearly have some form of attention deficit problem. Agency leaders have to treat business development like they treat an agency client. Do not take your eyes off the new business ball.

The business of advertising sucks (Part II.) I was blessed during the first half of my advertising career. We got paid well by the 15% commission system. This ended for me about 1989 when a new CMO at my Northwest Airlines client wanted to reduce that to 8%. Get this, this cut took us from $9 million in revenue and $3 million in profits to about $4.5 million in revenue. All of a sudden we were opporating at a loss – if we did not cut back on our service. We didn’t and it didn’t matter because, of course, the new CMO wanted to hand the account to another (read: his) new agency. OK, its 2016 and you guys are now chargeing by the hour. I witnessed this problem at my Oregon agency. The problem? Not so much that we got paid less. But… the problem of getting paid by labor hours for creative sevices. The value my agency provided clients far exceeded the hourly rates we could provide in an industry that had become based on low costs. There was always another agency that would work for a lower hourly rate.

Ready? Sell your agency? Sorry, most owners will never be able to sell their agency. Ever.

Why? Most agency owners are not building a business for sale. That means that they do not have a product or service that someone else will want and want to pay big bucks for. You can build a valuable agency. But, you have to make the goal of building value part of your plan. A part of your business plan. To get there, figure out what kind of agencies are getting bought (most sales are local) and have the type of agency that another wants to buy.

Process equals success. Having a clear, well-managed agency process is critical. Agencies have to find as many repeatable systems as possible. Otherwise, you are doomed to the world of over-work and low-margins. Read this: Advertising Agency Process and Profitability. It is long. It is based on how my agency built a system for profitability. An agency I was able to sell.

There is much more. But, I have to go now. Adios and —– Feilz Ano Nuevo!!!

OK, Back To The Art Of Advertising

One more thought. You are in the advertising industry. This means that you have to connect with hearts and minds in order to cause the action you seek. This means that a form of art is involved.

Sure you have to use advertising technology to get the word out (that’s all that overwhelming stuff in the Lumascape at the left). But, you will not get the results you want until you spend some time making advertising art that connects, inspires and informs.

Soooooo, as a New Year’s gift, I give you a very brief definition of art. Think of this Richard Serra video the next time you crawl into the ad tech wormhole. Who is Richard Serra? From Gagosian, his dealer…

“Richard Serra is one of the most significant artists of his generation. He has produced large-scale, site-specific sculptures for architectural, urban, and landscape settings spanning the globe, from Iceland to New Zealand.”