If you’re a marketer and you want a new agency, you can’t just sit back and do nothing and expect prospective agencies to give you great work during a final pitch presentation.

I was talking with one of our new agency clients recently (on the RSW/US side of our business) and they told me a story about how they were asked to participate in a search and were given nothing to work with.

They reached out through the consultant and got a few questions answered.  But when they went back to the marketer for some measures of clarification they got pushback because the marketer had “given them enough” – which frankly in my opinion, wasn’t much.

If you’re going to look for a new agency, recognize that even if you’re using a consultant like RSW/AgencySearch that makes it pretty pain-free, you still need to put in some effort.

At the end of the day it’s just like any good exercise.  Quality inputs in, great output out.

You want the agency to come to the table with the best possible ideas to help you build your business, don’t you?

Then if they’re smart enough and proactive enough to come to the table with good questions, help them.

It will only help you.