Over the last few months, you’ve been liaising with an in-house PR team about their requirements, and they’re finally ready to go ahead with the tender.
Responding to a PR agency tender can be time consuming—and pitching it can be intimidating—but it is also a massive opportunity to prove yourself at your agency.
Winning business out of nowhere like that is no easy task, but I was recently shocked by some of basic mistakes that internationally recognized PR agencies can make.
Avoid these six missteps that can sink your agency pitch:
1. Failing to prepare.
If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail.
An agency that is often cited in the top 10 globally fundamentally misunderstood our organization, mixing it up with a separate, but related one.
Looking back on the detailed briefing document I prepared, I saw that there was some ambiguity. Was it my fault? No. Had the agency in question had a proper look at the organization’s website, recent press releases or bylines, their mistake would have become clear.
It seemed this global heavy-hitter felt there was no need to do any research beyond the document prepared for them, and that’s a big black mark.
2. Death by PowerPoint.
During this recent tender, every single agency that was shortlisted chose PowerPoint as their tool of choice.
PR requires creativity and innovation, and this is just the opposite, inducing and monotonous. I began to dread slide decks.
I understand the practical reasons why PowerPoint is so ubiquitous, but if you want your presentation to stand out from the competition, try something different. Here are some alternative ideas from Forbes.
If you really must use a deck, make sure it’s short and visually appealing.
3. Missing your time.
If you are given an hour to pitch, pitch for an hour—not 20 minutes, and not 90 minutes. If you have 83 slides, you’re not going to get through them in time, so cut it down.
It doesn’t say much for your time management skills if you can’t correctly estimate how long your agency pitch is going to take. Clients are impatient, and if I had six questions I wanted to ask you, it’s not going to happen if you eat up all of your allocated Q&A time with your extended pitch.
4. Not minding your manners.
Must you send three or four people to the pitch? Perhaps, but if you’re going to send a gaggle of people to pitch a client, mind your manners.
Don’t interrupt each other and talk over each other. Let the less experienced members of the team field questions (directors aren’t the contact your client is going to be on the phone with day to day, anyway).
Take it in turns to respond to questions, and invite other members of your team to speak: “Do you have anything to add, Amy?” is a good place to start.
5. Being too general.
No matter what agency we appoint, certain things will happen. They will create content, prepare and distribute press releases, manage media relations and so on. Generic information on how these processes are handled is not all that important.
Get specific. What publications do you think the client would be perfect for? What kinds of campaigns do you think the organization should do? How exactly will you help them reach key audiences?
It’s all very well to point to successes you’ve had with other clients, but potential clients want to know what your plans are for them.
6. Not looking the part.
PR can unfairly be seen as a fickle industry. Though that’s not the case, you will represent the organization at a high level and in places where image matters.
Comb your hair. Come suited and booted. If you’re pitching for an account worth $200,000 a year, it’s worth taking the time to put in extra effort—even if the organization you’re pitching has a more casual philosophy.
Do you work in-house, with an agency or as a consultant? What are your thoughts on managing a PR agency tender?
Katie Harrington is a PR pro, blogger and author of “Strategic Communications: The Science Behind the Art.” A version of this article originally appeared on her blog.
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