Search Consultants Sound Off: Reviews are Getting ‘Out of Control’
1. Search Consultants Sound Off: Reviews are Getting ‘Out of Control’
2. Your Thoughts & Input Please …
3. Knock, Knock, Who’s There? No One …
4. Time for a New Agency Model
SEARCH CONSULTANTS SOUND OFF: REVIEWS ARE GETTING ‘OUT OF CONTROL’
Time-sensitive – catch this AdAge article before it expires …
http://adage.com/article/agency-news/search-consultants-sound-reviews-control/234565/? utm_source=daily_email&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=adage
Monday I found this article in AdAge. It begins “Agency search consultants admitted that the process of agency reviews has gotten “totally out of control” during a session at the Mirren New Business Conference in New York this week.” Co-incidentally I had been talking last week with one of our agency principals who attended. I had asked if they had a Search Consultant panel and he confirmed they had. He mentioned the advice you’ll find at the end of the article, specifically “The consultants advised that in order to get on consultants’ radar, they should provide quarterly updates about their agency, should be active in the blogosphere and on social media, and consider positioning themselves as leaders in specific categories.”
We get asked the same question all the time – How do we get on the consultants radar? My answer has always been – get bigger! I dont know why everyone beats this topic to death! The consultants in question and attendance at this seminar were the big boys and girls; those whose fees often exceed the budget of many much smaller clients. Why mislead small or mid-sized agencies. You dont get on their radar by sending stuff; you get on their radar when your capitalized billings are in the stratosphere of multi-millions. A client with a $40MM budget and able to afford these pricey match-makers isnt looking to hire an agency capitalized at much less than $80MM!
Check out the article; we found it interesting. I modestly reached out myself to toot our horn – selfishly I believe our business model is bulletproof and has in-fact stood the test of 15 years. There have been and are still some doubters (even among those receiving this message), but if you ask agencies that have been the recipient of some of our business, they are happy campers.
BTW, Bill Crandall, my friend and long-time new business pit bull (at the moment his post is first and third) is looking for a new “Agency Business Development” assignment. If you need someone at your shop to take all the bullets of rejection, Bill’s your man. Ask me for his contact info.
YOUR THOUGHTS & INPUT PLEASE …
I’m inviting you to vent. How do you see the search business? Getting better? Worse? More complicated? Overrun by Procurement? Clients demand too much and share too little? Clients taking too long? Clients going cheap? Maybe we can help. I’ll hold your input confidential if you ask.
KNOCK KNOCK, WHO’S THERE? NO ONE …
Last week we were preparing a list of what appeared to be qualified candidate agencies for client review. The client wanted to find and invite about 15. We started with a list of 45; after working our way through them all, we had to drop 15 – their websites were down, their phones were disconnected, and they were GONE! Some agencies are doing well in this economy, but I’m inclined to believe that some claims of prosperity are just creative copywriting!
TIME FOR A NEW AGENCY MODEL …
By Jove, one of my clever sarcastic confidants has found the answer to the oft asked suggestion that there needs to be a new agency model. He suggests, as seems to already be happening, the consolidation of many into one, let’s call it Government Advertising LLC. They’ll be offices in each city and use facilities already there – now being used as US Post Offices. One grand agency; one single source; we eliminate useless pitches, no more conflicts, wow! Make sense?
