Your brand has one…or it should have one.

A point of difference (POD) is what every brand or service strives to achieve.  In a sea of sameness, you want to bring your end users real value and a meaningful reason why they should consider using your product.

Same is true in the marketing agency search world.

Only difference is here we are going to hand you the keys and give you our “secret sauce” so you yourself can drive the search car.

We at RSW/AgencySearch are uniquely advantaged over other search consultants.  While most make the claims of “been a client” or “worked in the agency business”, none can say “work with 60 agencies…operating as part of their new business development team”.

This “under the hood” look at the agency’s world provides us with the advantage of knowing how to know when an agency is giving its all to win your business, helps us know when an agency is genuinely interested in working for you, helps us know when an agency is going to bring their own POD to your world to help you grow your business.

By not only having the marketer experience (having worked for SC Johnson and KAO brands) and the agency experience (having started at DDB Needham in Chicago), but also having the experience standing side-by-side with over 60 agencies across the U.S. and Canada, we see things differently and can bring better perspective to the searches we manage.

Here are 5 things you need to keep an eye on when looking under the hood during a marketing agency search:

1. Is the agency really trying?  Have they performed another cut n’ paste job on their RFI or is it a meaningful attempt at responding to your outreach?
2. Is the agency thinking about you?  It’s all about relevancy.  Are they angling their responses so they are showcasing their thoughtfulness relative to you and your situation…or could it be anyone they’re talking to?
3. Is the agency creative?  Just because it’s an RFI doesn’t mean it has to be boring.  Just because it’s an RFI and there are rules, doesn’t meant there are ways of stepping out a bit and showing your personality.  Is the agency doing it…or are they inside the box?
4. Do they understand the word consistency?  Do you see the same agency from the start of the search…to the very end?  Does their passion run high throughout?  Or do they seem to lose interest (and steam) as the search progresses?
5. Are they a one man (or woman) show…or is this really the team they talk about in the response?  Ever been in a final pitch where one person talks and all the others sit and watch?  What happens when the boss isn’t there?  My work still get done?

So keep an eye out for these things.

Look under the hood a bit and make sure you’re asking the right questions and seeing the search for what it is.  If you gloss over the things that aren’t so obvious you could end up in a position that isn’t advantageous to you.

Look for the agency with the real POD…and you’ll be more likely to win the day.