Back in the day when I was a CPG marketer, I only occasionally received a call from an ad agency.

Today I know marketers receive calls almost hourly from ad agencies looking to win their business.
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I know this because we represent 50 agencies on the agency new business side of our business and we manage outreach for them every day…

While some of the agencies may not be worth your time, there could be many that are potentially worth your while.

The logical question is: Who has time to talk to all these agencies?

Here are a few things to consider that might help you sort out those hundreds of calls and find the gems that are worth speaking to.
  1. Are they pounding their chest or are they empathetic to your world?  If all they do is talk about themselves, hit “3” (delete)?
  2. Are they taking the time to learn about your business – or do they barely have a clue about the space your work in?
  3. Do they sound honest and reasonable?  Or do they feel like a used car salesperson?
  4. Are they willing to share some ideas/thinking with you to make meeting with you value-added?
  5. Have they given you a good reason to sit down and talk with them?  If they haven’t, why would you want to see them?

So we know you receive tons of calls a week.

You can’t see everyone and you can’t turn everyone away.

Hopefully some of these questions will help you sort out the good agencies calling you from those that only care about themselves.