Ask Google “how to win an ad agency pitch” (without quotes) to see how many people have an opinion on this subject. I did this first two years ago, and there were over 14 million listings. Today that number is over 23 million. Can there really be that many ways? That is a lot of ideas to sort through. I’m going to be here all night.
I paused to think, winning the pitch is everything to me but in the context of all humanity, it is not life-saving, so I googled some more. There are only 6.7 million entries on “how to perform heart surgery” and 16.3 million on “how to find the holy grail,” leading me to believe that more people are concerned about winning new business than saving lives or finding God. I wonder how an advertising agency owner is supposed to sort through all this when she or he needs help.
The collective thought from a broad range of experts on this important subject is apparently very deep. Looking at the results, I saw familiar and unfamiliar names offering genuinely useful advice, get-rich-quick formulas, worldly wisdom, and some crazy steps to success. Ok, I couldn’t help but Google “how to lose an ad agency pitch” – over 21.3 million. I’m not sure what that means but let us all hope it never eclipses the winning advice.
I’ve been prospecting, pitching, winning and losing advertising agency pitches for the past 15 years. I’ve experienced first hand the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. In every case, there was no silver bullet, no secret weapon nor magic beans. It wasn’t glitzy showbiz or impressive visuals that prevailed. It wasn’t a twelve-step circular process, a proprietary algorithm or superstar presenters. It’s not rocket science (over 50 million entries) or voodoo (over 46 million entries). It was as it always is the same thing – an approach expertly developed and confidently delivered by regular people like you and me.
Google “agency growth consultant” (with quotes). There are only 1,190 so at least that choice should be much easier. I’m not saying that winning new business is easy or predictable. We all know it is one of the most confounding things. I am saying that the right approach, proven by results, can make the difference. I look forward to sharing more ideas with you to make 2018 a break out year. #LetsGrow! Now!
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