I was thinking about calling this blog why agencies can’t keep their mouths shut.
I little harsh but true.
I remember having a boss in the biz when I was still relatively a pup.
He had a number of well know expressions like a problem delayed was a problem solved.
I learned that was often true.
Another one was never give up the opportunity to keep your mouth shut.
Verbal pilling on is one of the biggest problems agencies make in their New Business pitches.
At some point in the presentation the client agrees with somebody at the agency says and the heat is on.
The person who said it elaborates and then everyone in the room wants a chance to air their voice and gives their take on the same issue that the client has already agreed to.
Everybody wants a piece of the action.
You get multiple ways of saying the same thing. There are nods of approval, the body language changes the shoulders relax a lot more and the smiles deepen.
Everybody in the room is happy to have a share their voice but not much progress has been made on a point that has already been made.
They all say the same thing in their own voice but in the end it is the same point.
All it does is take up valuable time.
Agencies often leave their juicy stuff to the end if they have any and time is key in new business pitches.
When agencies lose time they try to catch up by saying we have other items we have addressed what we will email you in our PowerPoint.
Some agencies never email their PowerPoints.
All clients never read their PowerPoints.
I understand that agencies can nervous in New Business presentations. I have been there.
But having the discipline of knowing when to keep silent is the mark of a confident agency practitioner.
Then there is the person who sucks up all the air in the room.
They are usually smart, want to engage but may be a little insecure in a New Business environment or maybe their boss gave them some recent pain.
Bottom line they talk too much.
They may get a client acknowledgement, agreement and then they are off to the races.
They will chime in on everything
They become the elephant in the room.
Their agency peers probably recognize it but keep their happy smiles.
They can become a liability and a little overbearing.
They don’t realize client hire agency teams and not individuals.
Best way to avoid these mistakes?
Rehearse. Same message. Different story.