Why use a Pitch Consultant to find the perfect agency partner?
Why use a pitch consultant? For starters, our experience has taught us that ‘pitch’, while necessary and valuable to both client and agency, it is not always positively anticipated by either. It is perceived as a chore, it is on top of the day job, it is time consuming, it can be awkward for existing relationships and it can put pressure on already busy resource. Yet, having the right resources on your team plays a huge part in driving return on marketing investment. Partners who challenge, lead and collaborate brilliantly with your team are an invaluable extension of that team and can improve overall performance. So, what’s the problem? The problem is the process, arduous and not fit for purpose, agencies can be over burdened with unnecessary asks and clients can be over burdened with unnecessary meetings.
As experienced pitch consultants we have refined and updated the process- making it honest, fair and fit for purpose, we are less about the ‘dance’ the ‘wooing’ and more about the reality of the potential relationship and what it can return for both client and agency. We can play an important role in ensuring you have the best team for you, here are 6 reasons why.
1. See the right people.
Your network will be skewed towards your incumbent agency group. A pitch consultant works in the agency world full-time, knows the players, the news, the moves and changes, the success and challenges in the market. The “in-crowd” is not necessarily the best fit for your business. Use your pitch consultant’s market knowledge to make sure you are seeing the best possible partners.
2. Ask the right questions.
A pitch consultant should challenge what you’re looking for. What are the reasons for a pitch? Are there issues that could be resolved within the current team rather than go to pitch? What’s working, what’s not working? What are the key objectives for your business? What gaps do you have currently? What capabilities will really drive commercial results?
3. Get the right deal.
Negotiating the best agreement between you and your agency requires very specific expertise and experience. A pitch consultant with trading and agency fee experience will prioritise outcomes, know the right questions to ask, understand the nuances and negotiate a deal that delivers the best value for you.
4. Have the right process.
The pitch process doesn’t have to be heartache for clients or indeed agencies. Plan the stages of the process carefully and the capabilities you need to explore. An intermediary will ensure that you avoid the common pitfall of “asking for the kitchen sink and learning nothing”. They will also ensure that timelines are well thought-out and manage delivery at each stage, keeping everyone on track.
5. Use the right tools.
You don’t need to re-invent the wheel and lose valuable time that could be spent on growing your business. A pitch consultant will provide streamlined templates and frameworks throughout every stage of the process. Evaluation frameworks, for example, can be customised to your specific needs and requirements and can then form the basis of your performance framework with your new partner. Using your selection criteria makes sense as you’ve already identified what’s important to you.
6. Accelerate smoothly.
Now that you’ve done all that work and made a great decision to stay or move, don’t fall over at the last hurdle. Make sure you transition seamlessly to a new team. An experienced pitch consultant knows the process and the pitfalls intimately. They will ensure that there is minimum disruption to the day to day and that the new agency is up and running with clear objectives an defined KPIs from the outset.
A pitch can be a rewarding endeavour for all participants, win or learn.
We’d love to chat more on great agency resource, call us on +353 1 556 3678 or email at hello@pt78.ie