Three quotes and free ideas… it’s a no brainier! Let me share a few confessions of a marketer…when I ran in-house marketing teams I often used a tendering process for many reasons, here’s the key ones:
You learn what they’re really like
The quote process enables you to get to know a new agency a little better – get under the skin of ‘award winning campaigns’ and ‘results driven’ headlines to see how they think, what questions they ask, how well they understand your business, needs and customers. Not every agency is a good fit for you, the pitching process gives you the chance to see how you’ll work together.
You keep creativity from a long-standing agency
Putting out a brief keeps your current agency on their toes! We’ve all been there, it’s a long-standing relationship, they help out with content, they just know the brand…it’s comfortable. But sometimes, like in any relationship, you’ve lost that spark – complacency sets in and what’s produced becomes a bit samey and a tad boring. If they know there’s some real competition it rekindles a bit of enthusiasm and your agency don’t rest on their laurels (obviously not if you do this for every piece of work, but every once in a while).
You get to cherry pick ideas
Hearing and seeing ideas helps you in your planning, when you’re running a fully integrated campaign that needs to generate results all ideas are welcome. Believe me, no one has the monopoly on good ideas, so the more creativity you can capture the better. And best of all, at this stage your budget hasn’t been touched.
You make sure you’re getting the best bang for your buck
Getting three quotes ensures that you’re getting a competitive price. If the quote is broken down you’re also able to compare like for like services, for example, you’re able to check design costs against design costs, project management against project management and digital delivery against digital delivery. Remember you don’t have to get the same agency to provide every service in order to make the most efficient use of your budget.
You’ll probably get a tasty lunch
Ok not a serious one, I just miss being in London!
So, that’s how I used to work. But now I find myself on the other side of the fence and pitching for business. Delivering a strong proposal isn’t a five minute job. It takes time to research the company, understand key drivers, core competitors and develop creative plans.
We’re delighted to share our knowledge and experience, creating a pitch full of new ideas and creative approaches to get your next project started.