Planning on putting out an RFP or a simple request for information to a group of agencies? You may not know it now, but if you push out too many of them or make your “survey” too long, you’ll have...

I write a lot about the importance of marketers taking their time and defining the parameters of what THEY want in a new firm. It’s important to lay out the specs of what you’re searching for, the skill sets you...

Ever had an agency lose interest in you? It’s not a pleasant experience. It can happen in many different ways and show its ugly head in many different forms. Posted yesterday on the first of 20 tell tale signs your...

As much as we don’t like to see it happen… There are times when agencies come on board and not long after the new agency has won your heart, they get distracted, less interested, more focused on winning the next...

A question that often comes up from Marketers looking for new marketing agencies. Do we look for one firm that can do it all, or should we get firms that specialize in particular areas (like digital) so we have a...

Just sat through an afternoon of two pitch presentations by two different agencies.  Third one is today. No Advantages Given Prior to the presentation, all three agencies were given very specific requirements that they needed to address during the presentations. And prior...

Nobody ever likes switching out marketing agency firms. In our surveys, marketers tell us it’s one of their least favorite things to do. Takes up a lot of time, they really don’t know where to turn, and they’re never quite...

“I only want an agency that has all their capabilities in-house!” An oft demanded requirement of marketers when looking for a new marketing services firm. Problem is there aren’t that many firms out there that do an excellent job of...

What really makes a good marketing agency GREAT? Is it expertise? Is it their location? Is it category experience? Is it how many awards they’ve won? Is it how fun the agency principals and staff are? Is it because they always...

Started my career working for DDB Needham in Chicago in 1985 (oy, that was a long time ago!). The agency had the Sears account. Could have been a great account had they gotten their act together inside their stores. Needham...