A group of Agency Search consultants talked about the problems with today’s agency search world, specifically calling out issues related to the following:

• Transparency
• Procurement
• Confusing processes

This panel left out one important element that Agencies and Marketers often tell us that bugs them about search consultants:

Neutrality

Neutrality in how search consultants select agencies.  Often times search firms have pre-determined lists that they work from.

They need to do like we do – build each list custom for each search.

Neutrality in who they serve.  Search firms often leave agencies in the dark – or treat them as second class citizens – offering little counsel or advice to help them through the process.  In the end you end up with a less than perfect look at your agency choices.

They need to do like we do – be there to help agencies deliver their best possible work and there to help clients manage their way through a process that can be pretty daunting.

Neutrality in how they make their money.  Search consultants either have agencies play only if they pay, or play if they join their consulting practice – and then they take money from the client to manage the search.  Who are they really beholden to?

They need to do like we do – take nothing from nobody until the search is complete.  We view our job is making it very difficult for the client to make a decision and making even the losing agencies feel like they were treated well, they know where they fell down, and they feel good about the overall process.

They need to do like we do – but they can’t or simply don’t.  Not sure why.  In the end our approach delivers a better pool of better talent for clients to pick from.

Are most of the “conversations” you’re having very one way?  “Likes” are good, but they aren’t a conversation.  In last week’s WOMMA conference (and in the attached article on the 12 Key Social Media Takeaways), experts pushed Marketers and Agencies to think about how to take social to the next level:

Better engage socially by creating content that can be shared and talked about.  Don’t just push…create dialogue. 

I know it’s easier said than done…but it’s where you and importantly, your Agency, needs to be going.

Social’s potential has barely been tapped, so if your Agency isn’t there…make them get there – or look elsewhere.

At this year’s WOMM-U (Word of Mouth Marketing – University) conference in Chicago, speakers gave pause to the 100′s of digital marketing agency attendees as they told them that their little world of the big digital space is only one small part of a larger social landscape.

The Keller Fay Group specifically cited a finding from their newest book, “The Face-to-Face Book”, that only 10% of the conversations consumers have about brands happens online.

They reminded the crowd that social media needs to be looked at as one component of a larger media landscape and needs to integrate effectively in order to be fully operational for a brand.

They talked about needing to unleash all the levers in order to create the “total social” brand and the more “total social” you can make your brand, the more engaged and committed your consumers will be long-term.

So what does this mean for you?

Means that dialing into a specialty agency that is only focused on the social space may not prove the best approach for your brand.  If they cannot show evidence of how they’ve integrated their work with other platforms, you may not reap the benefits of what your social outreach can really do for you.  Ask to see how far they’ve gone and what they can do and what their belief system is.

Do they believe they are a great big part of a very small world?  Or do they see it like it is:  A very little part of a great big world?

Simply doing without thinking is easy.  Taking the time to think and process and creatively/smartly respond is a heck of a lot harder than simply “answering”.

The more you can analyze prospective Agencies’ thinking early in the process, the better the output will be on the back end of your search.

It amazes me when our Agency clients (on the Agency New Business side of our business) are handed RFIs from other search firms (or marketers directly) and all they do is ask for very basic information about the Agency.

At the end of the day, if all you do is look at the facts, all the Agencies will start looking alike – particularly if you have placed some very specific parameters on the search for the firm helping you out.  If all you do is ask for Agencies of a certain type, with a certain level of experience in a specific industry or two, in a designated geography…that’s what you’ll get.

When we pull RFIs together for Marketers looking to find better talent we go beyond the basic – and so should you.

It is at this very early stage of the analysis that you should begin to look into how the Agency thinks, how committed they are to your business, how they solve problems.  It’s in the answers to these kinds of probes that you’ll begin to see one agency separate itself out from the others.

It’s the answers to these questions that you’ll start seeing which Agencies simply worked up a cut and paste job from a past response to use it on the reply to your response.

It’s in these well thought through responses that you’ll begin to better paint a picture of who is likely to prove a more viable partner for your business – and who will not.

So take the time to do your own thinking when you develop your RFI…or make your consultant do it for you…or let us help you.

Either way, get the most out of the process – from the very start of the review.

One of their discussion points centered on the importance of providing good feedback to Agencies – even if it is a bit painful and might hurt their feelings.

The CMO from Kayak had spent much of her career on the Agency side of the business, so she knew first hand how tough it is at times for Clients to tell it like it is.

Feedback is critical – both during the pitch process and on-going during a relationship with an Agency.

The more they can understand where they’re falling down and how to better address your needs, the better the Agency community will be as a whole and the better your business will be.

Good feedback starts with establishing clear and succint objectives – or creative briefs if

Great energy, great insights, a lot of great talent.

During one of the breakout sessions there was some discussion about the value of Agency specialization.

While it was universally agreed that there is a lot of value in an Agency having a deep understanding of your category and your business, a lot of the agencies present at this conference were quick to suggest that….

Agencies that specialize in a particular type of work (digital territory in particular) may find it difficult to maintain their relevancy long-term.

With the digital space changing as rapidly as it is, it’s hard for any Agency specializing in a specific part of the digital ecosystem to maintain relevancy and a meaningful point of difference long-term.

We see it everyday.  Agencies that once were cutting edge in the social space or digital analytics space are no longer that well differentiated.  They hung their hat on the latest and greatest and now they are an also ran.

So what does this mean for you, the Marketer?

Means that as you look for new agencies, be smart about what you’re looking for.  Don’t get too roped in by sexy technology or a cool presentation.

If you’re looking for a new Agency, do it objectively.  Spell out your business objectives, and then have the Agency (regardless of type) spell out how they are going to address them.  You know your business.  If they can’t spell it out in a fashion that gives you confidence that they get it, move past the Agency.

New and hot is just that….new and hot.  It might get everyone excited for a short period of time, but it will do little for you business in the long run.

They needed to be proactive, they needed to be a smart strategic partners, they needed to have a passion for their client’s businesses.

He finished his valediction by saying that they needed to remember that the apples that sat on the receptionist’s desk weren’t just apples for eating, they represented all of the things that made Burnett different from other Agencies.

And the day that they became “just apples for eating” is the day he wanted his name taken off of the door.

Let’s dial ahead about 30 years….

Soon after I started RSW/US, I had the opportunity to present to a group of Agency principals in Kansas City.  There were approximately 15 Agencies present.

I gave each principal a transparency and a sharpie and asked them to write out their “elevator pitch”.

14 of the 15 Agencies gave me the same pitch:  “We’re strategic, we’re fun to work with, we work it hard, and we are very collaborative”.  It was frightening how similar they all were.

When it comes to stuff like this…all Agencies promise the same thing.

So how do you separate it all out when you’re looking for a new firm – and find that “apple” that isn’t just for eating?

Some suggestions…things we do when we manage a search for our clients:

Start early with the probing questions about their thinking and how they would address problems similar to what you’re dealing with.  Throw some tough questions into the RFI.

Evaluate the degree to which the Agency is proactive in how it works its way through the search process.  Are they proactively asking smart strategic questions or are they diving down into the weeds from the get-go.

Start to assess passion and chemistry early.  We hold what we call Q&A/Chemistry Calls with each Agency selected to move beyond the RFI phase.  Not only is this a chance for the Agency to ask questions and get smarter on the task at hand, but it’s also a chance for the Marketer to begin to get to know the Agency a bit – and begin to assess their level of passion and enthusiasm for the business – and a chance to assess how likely the Marketer is to get along with the Agency team. While the phone conversation isn’t the be-all-end-all…it can be telling.

Talk to their clients.

Visit the Agency.  Talk to random members of the firm.  Do people look like they enjoy what they do.  Does it feel like the kind of firm you’d like to be a part of/visit/have work for you?

Meet the team that will be directly responsible for your account.  What is their background, how long have they been with the Agency?  All questions that deserve answers and can provide a glimpse of the smartness, enthusiasm, and commitment you will get from your new Agency partners.

It takes a bit of effort on your part, but if you push yourself to really dig into each firm, you’ll find the “apples that aren’t just for eating” and the chances of developing a long-term, fruitful (sorry for the pun) relationship will be significantly greater.

With increasing pressure on generating solid returns on production, media, and advertising investments, I thought these services offered some very unique solutions that can help you improve your effectiveness as a marketer or procurement specialist.

This group, Advertising Advisory Group (AAG), has assembled a team of best in class experts with global experience in 85 countries that can help you:

• Optimize advertising and content production spending across all media platforms                (www.aprco.com)
• Improve contractual relationships with agencies to create more equitable compensation structures (www.adauditintl.com)
• Get more impact from your media spend by analyzing the placements made by your agency (www.m-iq.com)

This link is a downloadable one-pager that outlines their offering in a little more detail.  There is also contact information in case there’s interest in learning more about their services.

It is definitely worth a look.

   Click there

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INNOVATION

Marketers tell us in our surveys that the #1 reason they look for a new Agency is because their Agency isn’t proactive.

You want your Agency to be a curator for your brand – always on the hunt for new, innovative ways to build your business.

So what does this mean for you?

Push them…and if they don’t budge, consider a look outside.

Problem with many RFIs is that they are just that, a request for facts.  They don’t dig deep, they just gather information about the agency’s functional characteristics – size, clients, employees, experience, etc.

In my opinion this is an opportunity lost.

In my opinion every touch point needs to be an evaluation point – and this includes the RFI.  Here is a recent RFI (masked) we pushed out for a client:  RSW/AgencySearch RFI.

Notice that within the RFI we start getting at more qualitative feedback on things like their rationale for why they are a good fit with the client, how they would describe their value, and how they solved problems similar to the problems our client is facing.

It is amazing how differently agencies respond to these questions that aren’t typical of an RFI.  They are all too often used to just cutting an pasting many of their responses, so it become pretty clear, pretty quickly when an agency really hasn’t put much thought into one of these more “thoughtful” questions.  They either answer it beautifully – or they answer it and it ties little to the real nature of the question asked.  It is here that we can start sifting through those agencies that are serious about the effort and those that are simply going through the paces.

So what does this mean for you?

If you’re handling the search inside, evaluate from the get-go.  Ask the hard questions early and often.  You have a right to know how these agencies think early in the process.

And if you’re using an outside firm, push them to dig a little deeper than the functional information most gather.  It’s not that hard.  If they are worth their weight, they should know what kind of questions to ask to help you find the better firm.