It’s said that opposites attract. However, in an agency-client relationship, it’s quite the opposite. Marketers seek agencies that match their values, style and personality. Looking for the right fit (the who) is much more important than the information, facts and data of a particular agency (the what).
It’s not surprising, then, that match.com, which claims to have facilitated more dates, relationships and marriages that any other site, offers a chemistry test right on its homepage.
You will expect the same from clients searching for a new agency. Yet, many clients are still using an approach based on questions and information gathering (RFI). What about chemistry?
Why an RFI approach is misleading
• Most of the questions address the past of the agency, not where it’s heading. What was successful for one brand may not necessarily work for yours. Focus on what your brand needs, not on what other brands received.
• Bigger doesn’t mean better. Many questions refer to size, years in business and structure. You might be eliminating some great, emerging agencies. And in the multicultural market, which is more dynamic, this is especially true.
• Higher scores don’t mean good chemistry. If you end up rating and comparing participant agencies, you might get a fair understanding of the market but you won’t find the right partner.
• Answers to hypothetical situations are just that: hypothetical. Imagine a doctor prescribing medicine to a patient who is not providing accurate symptoms, but rather assumptions and “imagine that” scenarios. If you ask the same questions, you’ll get the same answers. Most agencies are prepared way ahead and have a structured template-based approach to dealing with RFI.
• Procurement is buying what marketing will use. You wouldn’t ask your accountant to help you on your dating process, right? You get the picture
In a nutshell, the RFI approach is based on identifying the ideal agency instead of the right agency for you.
What everyone knows…
- Many clients still send RFI because everyone has been doing so for years.
- Many others don’t trust the process, but believe it has the required objectivity to keep senior management happy.
- Most clients don’t read all RFI responses.
- It’s a process to narrow the list, rather to find the right agency.
- The process generates a lot of anxiety on the agency side because of the lack of clarity of what’s at stake.
- The agencies objective is to look great and survive (aka- making it to the second round).
Finding the right agency: don’t let the process fool you
- There are not good or bad agencies; there is one agency that is the right one for your company.
- Agency-client relationships are built together, so don’t expect to find the right partner if you don’t plan to personally get involved in the process.
- Agency selection should be based on your definition of the ideal partner rather than on background information.
- You have to share information and interact with the agency to simulate a real-life working relationship.
Some final common sense advice:
1. Start by defining your ideal partner:
- Marketing and Procurement people should work together in defining what they expect from this future partnership.
- If you are still planning to use an RFI, provide some information regarding the assignment, scope, budget, etc.
That way, answers will be based on a realistic background and not the expectations or fears of an agency.
2. Be willing to give your actual agency a second chance:
- Does your current agency fit within your ideal partner description?
- Once you know it’s over, don’t feel guilty for not inviting the incumbent agency to the pitch. There is nothing better for a bad marriage than a quick divorce.
3-Build a realistic list (qualitative and quantitatively speaking):
- Including too many agencies won’t help you find the right one. This is about focusing and not about talking to every agency in town.
- Work with consultants to help you build a list of agencies that might be within the parameters that you set up on your “wish list”.
- Once you get to the short-list, start dating.
4- Want to know the agency? Meet the Boss:
- Availability, approachability, and likeability are great measures to grasp a first impression (you want to make sure that the “boss” will respond when you are going through a crisis).
- Also, this is the fastest way to understand agency style, like what really matters, its values, and the level of involvement in current client’s business.
- Asking simple and open questions will get you a realistic picture.
5. Want to get married? Meet the family first.
- Every agency is a family of its own. So, you had better get to know it before you commit to a long-term relationship.
- Meet the team. Ask to see the work done by the people that would work on your business.
6. Be willing to take risks. As with any relationship, it takes two to make it work.
So remember, the next time you start looking for an agency, don’t think about requesting information; your quest is for chemistry and true love. Happy dating!
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Gustavo – Excellent article and I think you are right on. Having gone through this process umpteen times over the past 14 years, just reading it caused a bit of garden-variety anxiety! It is such a shame that most search consultants gather the “usual suspects” (or the largest agencies) and then the current HOT agency of the moment, leaving out those agencies that may better meet their needs.
I do have a couple of comments – often agency decisions (especially Hispanic/multicultural) are made by top management and based on criteria that procurement has developed. It is important to recognize the importance and give the appropriate weight to the marketing team – including the VP of Marketing, Director of Marketing and Marketing Managers. These are the folks that will be in the trenches with the agency and working together with them to make sure objectives are met or exceeded.
Lastly, and in regards to #6, I don’t think many clients are willing to take risks, especially these days. But perhaps “risk” isn’t the right word to use in this case. Perhaps it should be stated as the following – “be willing to go beyond business as usual” – because at the end of the day, a successful agency/client relationship drives results for the client’s brands and ultimately, isn’t that what they’re looking for?
Saludos, Linda Gonzalez
Linda, thanks for your feedback!
You’re right, the marketing team should play an important role; Hispanic/ multicultural agency selection shouldn’t be left alone to top management.
re #6, I know many clients aren’t willing to take risks but, sometimes, playing it safe when selecting an ad agency can create more problems than the risk they are trying to avoid (ie: choosing an agency that’s not part of the “usual suspects”) Saludos!
Very solid and well written article. I had a prospect, just today, give me me the traditional line, “Just send me something”. That lack of focus on the process, is part of the reason many businesses struggle.
Great piece, Gustavo. As PR and advertising agency matchmakers, we’ve been making dozens of marriages for the past 11 years. And speaking of risk, on occasion we bring in a “wild card” agency and sure enough, this becomes our bride.
Best,
Joan, the International Agency Matchmaker
Miguel, thanks for your feedback. Unfortunately we all heard “just send me something” many times too often. May be that is an early indicator of a pitch you might want to skip. Prospects without direction always turn into nightmare clients.
Joan, thanks for your comments. Great to hear that bringing a “wild card” is working for you. May be you want to share a little bit more about how you manage to convince your client to at least consider a “wild card” at the early stage of the process. I think Linda Gonzalez (@lindalanegonzal) will be very interested too as she is addressing that same issue on her comment on this same post.
Hi Linda and Gus:
As we all know, business is about relationships. In answer to your question about a client being open to a “wild card” match, by the time the client receives his or her dance card, we’re on a friendly basis and they’re totally open to and excited about this. The client realizes they can trust me because I’m 110% interested in meeting their needs. I should also note that the other agencies brought in to pitch are not the usual suspects. I love using smaller, hungrier, creative agencies. Mind you, when dealing with a LDC (lesser developed country) this is a tad risky, but it all works out in the end. I just performed a match for a PR agency in Cameroon and am mentoring the agency through part of the process. They know PR and they have amazing connections, but am smoothing off the edges when it comes to some of the bumps to be expected in a cross-cultural match.