Agencies Urge More Constructive Criticism from Companies Following New Business Proposals
Brands not sharing the outcome of a pitch they've invested in can be quite a headache for agencies. Bloke Tom Denford, the bigwig at pitch consultancy ID Comms, can vouch for that. He sees it happen often.
Sometimes, it's because trade publications are vultures, circling at the end of a review. But most times, it's due to brands taking too long to inform the participants about their decision.
Ghosting agencies post-pitch is just a piece of the larger feedback puzzle agencies face when wooing potential clients. Agencies crave honest assessments from brands during a pitch, but often end up feeling bamboozled about their position in the race.
The root cause? Brands are usually hesitant to dish out honest feedback—a product of cultural nuances that make blunt criticism uncomfortable. This leaves agencies in the dark about their true performance or standing in the pitch.
Apart from reluctance, agencies often receive inconsistent or vague feedback. They might be told they're a close second, only to learn later that the incumbent agency snatched the contract with no apparent explanation. This gives agencies the feeling that the pitch was nothing but a tactic to fish for new ideas, making them feel used.
The pitch process is often messy, with unclear timelines and responsibilities, leaving agencies hanging. Delayed or unclear feedback from brands further erodes trust, causing frustration.
Lack of trust flows both ways—agencies lose faith in clients that provide poor or delayed feedback, and clients lose faith in agencies that miss deadlines or fail to deliver on promises. When trust is absent, honest feedback becomes elusive.
To tackle this issue, it's crucial to foster a culture of transparency and sincerity. Opportunities should be created where clients feel comfortable sharing the cold hard truth without any social inhibitions. This helps build mutual understanding.
Before the pitch, both parties should clarify goals, timelines, expectations, and cultural fit. Clarity about why the pitch is happening and what agencies stand to gain fosters better communication and feedback.
Transparent and fair remuneration models can also build respect and trust, creating a conducive environment for honest feedback and efficient collaboration.
Investing in improved feedback management tools, like client proofing software, can streamline the feedback process, mitigating errors due to miscommunication and cutting down the time spent chasing clients.
Finally, clients need to commit to providing timely, clear, and actionable feedback throughout the pitch process. This helps agencies understand their standing and improves their chances in future pitches. Transparency and prompt feedback prevent agencies from feeling abandoned or left in the dark.
In essence, agencies feel misled because clients often withhold complete, timely, or clear feedback, leading to mistrust and frustration. The solution lies in fostering transparency, trust, clear communication, fair remuneration, purpose alignment, and utilizing technology to manage feedback effectively and with honesty during the pitch process.
Businesses and finance play significant roles in this scenario, as the unclear communication and feedback from brands in the pitch process can lead to financial losses for agencies. Agencies crave honest assessments from brands during a pitch, but often end up feeling bamboozled about their position due to delayed or inconsistent feedback, leaving them unable to optimize their business strategies for future pitches.
