Why Agencies Lose Pitches
ft. Robin & Stephen Boehler, founders of Mercer Island Group
The Most Dangerous Mistake Agencies Make: It’s Not About You
I recently sat down with Robin and Stephen Boehler, the powerhouse duo behind Mercer Island Group and authors of the new book It’s Not About You: Winning New Business In A Crowded Agency World. We had a candid conversation about a reality that’s tough for a lot of agency leaders to swallow: most clients don’t know who you are, and frankly, they don’t care about your history. Robin dropped a truth bomb that 95% of clients can’t even name an agency they want to consider at the start of a review. While we’re all busy reading the trades and checking the Ad Age lists, our prospects are living in a completely different world. If you want to break through that noise, you have to stop performing and start acting like a brand that actually solves business problems.
The biggest takeaway for me was that the “winning” agency isn’t always the one with the flashiest reels; it’s the one that provides the most confidence. Too many agencies treat the pitch like a stage play where they are the main character. Stephen and Robin argue that you should skip the twenty-minute “About Us” deck. By the time you’re in the room, they already know you’re qualified. What they’re actually looking for is whether you’ve done the work to understand the “why behind the why” of their specific business challenges. Clients are under massive pressure- their jobs are often on the line with these decisions- so they need a partner who understands their bottom line, not just their brand colors.
We also dug into why so many agencies stumble during the Q&A or lose the thread on strategy once the honeymoon phase is over. It’s easy to get complacent, but the Boehlers reminded me that strategy is the “red thread” that has to pull through every single touchpoint. Whether it’s avoiding the “bait and switch” on account teams or ensuring your creative isn’t just subjective “art,” the goal is to show how your thinking moves the needle. To win in this crowded market, you have to stop being self-centered and start being prospect-friendly.
It’s a shift from “Look what we did for them” to “Here is exactly how we’re going to solve this for you.”
You can purchase It’s Not About You: Winning New Business In A Crowded Agency World HERE.