Marketing is cyclical, and that will probably never change. Depending on your location, the time of each cycle may be different, but at some point in every large market, every agency and client partnership goes through the same process: A client realizes how much they are paying agencies, thinks it’s too much, and decides to take things elsewhere.

Whether they take things in-house, or to a nickel and dime shop down the block, we often come full circle with these clients, where in most cases, those companies eventually come back to the agency sector. This is typically when we agency folks get an RFP. Most RFPs are stripped down and simple; they have goals in mind. When you get an RFP from a client who thinks they already know what they need AND how to do it, you have a choice to make; Do you respond with what they expect and agree with their approach? Or, do you interject your own approach, and take on the task of enlightening to a better answer?

We recently received an RFP where the client listed the budget, the approach, financial goals, and a list of deliverables. So, that pretty much left us and the other agencies fighting over who could make prettier pictures. Problem is, success here was going to be judged on numbers. So, no matter how well your agency delivered, if the initial approach supplied by the client was wrong, the agency would still be the one who takes the bullet.

We took a different approach. We didn’t agree with their strategy, so when we went in to present our response, we told them so. We gave them a sound rationale, and then suggested a different way to maximize their dollars and reach their financial goals. We realized that the downside to this approach was that if the client was stubborn about their initial strategy, you may be dead in the water on the pitch. But we were confident enough in our approach that we were willing to take that chance.

In the process of your presentation, you can play this to your advantage. First, while presenting a case for a different approach, you have to know more about the client and the market than the next guy, or you can’t justify your argument. As a result, your team presents a more knowledgeable basis than any other presenting agencies, simply by way of the fact that they wouldn’t be prepared to share that depth for a simple artwork showcase. And then there is the fact that you are gently informing the potential client that they were using the wrong approach. Trust me that will get their attention. If it doesn’t, you can bet that the “more bang for your buck” discussion will get them listening.

In the end, we won the business. To quote the client in reference to our two presenters, “these two guys could run our marketing department.”

How you handle your first project with a client sets a precedent. If you begin with the client trusting your suggestions and decision making, you’ve started a great relationship.