People buy from people.
I know – you’ve heard this expression a gazillion times. But that doesn’t mean it’s untrue. For client-side marketers, hiring an agency is a big deal. They’re putting their neck on the line that any agency they hire will deliver against the brief on time, on budget, and be a long-term partner. The most successful client-agency relationships deliver business results over and over again, burning brightly for years, if not decades.
Just like any relationship, it pays to find someone, or people, you genuinely like spending time with. After all, you are going to spend a lot of time together. Better make sure you get along.
“Can I bear to be in the same room with them a lot of the time?”
That’s what a chemistry meeting is all about. It’s the opportunity for client and agency teams to meet, share stories, learn about the personalities in the room, and hopefully, start thinking about working together. The best chemistry meetings are a two-way street.
As an agency-side marketer, this stage in the pitch process comes before you’ve invested too much intellectual capital (and a shed load of time and money), so it pays to get it right. Otherwise, you’ll be hoicked off the pitch list faster than you can say Cannes Lions.
X-Series: Creating Winning Chemistry
Chemistry was the subject of the latest Oystercatchers X-Series event, our get-together for those earlier in their agency careers. We had two seasoned agency professionals in a fireside chat, exploring their top tips and calamitous trips from a life spent in the agency world. Becky McKinlay, Oystercatchers MD (previously WPP and a decade running her own agency), was joined by Micky Denehy (ex-Saatchi and Saatchi among others) in a romp around their agency antics.
Both Becky and Micky shared some great ideas, kicking off with “winning new business is about building trust.” I couldn’t agree more; trust is critical in every relationship.
What can you do to build trust with clients?
- Show that you understand the client’s business: This means spending time thinking about the category and the client’s place in it. What are the dynamics at play: growing vs. mature, tight competitive set vs. highly fragmented, regulated vs. wild west. Think macro first and the brand’s position next.
- Demonstrate how you have solved their challenge for other brands, in and out of the category: Overcoming the business challenge is crucial, particularly if you don’t have category experience. This isn’t always mandatory. Make sure you understand what’s stressing the marketing team out and how you can apply some soothing balm by way of great creative marketing campaigns.
- Map the agency team onto the client team: This helps you have a good conversation and build allies at every level. If the CMO is going to be there, so should the agency CEO, but not always. It’s better to field the right team, especially those who will be working on the account if you win their business.
Point 3 is critical. I have sat in a chemistry meeting as one of a team of ten from the agency when only three client-side team members attended. It was awkward and showed we had not spent enough time preparing. Unsurprisingly, we didn’t make it to the next stage.
Preparation, Preparation, Preparation
Becky emphasized the importance of preparation. This doesn’t mean building a large deck; in fact, quite the opposite. It’s important to avoid oversharing. Don’t treat the chemistry meeting like an early tissue session. It is not.
One attendee applied this advice immediately, going into a chemistry session the next day with half the number of slides. Hopefully, it did the trick. Time will tell.
The rule of no bullshit is essential. Can you solve the client’s problem or not, and can you show how your team is well-suited to the task?
“Can this team make my life easier and make me look good?”
Micky stressed the importance of getting across who you are in advance of the chemistry meeting itself and, on the day, getting the casting right. It’s not an opportunity for the CEO and Creative Director to show off, but instead an opportunity for a broad team, who have worked in the category or on similar challenges before, to get acquainted. Preparation is imperative:
“The more you know about the people you are meeting, the better you can communicate.”
Controlling Nerves
In true Micky style, he had the whole room up on their feet, doing some breathing exercises to help control nerves. It can be stressful going into a chemistry session, especially if you haven’t been to one before. The more you practice, the better you’ll get. Learn how to recognize your nerves and spend some time figuring out how best to control them.
For Micky, this involved breathing exercises he learned from a professional dancer. For Becky, it could be as simple as spending some time alone, or even a last-minute bathroom break (sorry if that’s TMI, Becky).
There were great questions from our attendees, but if you’re still reading, you should probably get back to work.
Final Story
One final story, which isn’t about chemistry meetings, but about getting onto the radar of CMOs and Marketing Directors. This came from Micky’s time at Saatchi’s. The then CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi, Kevin Roberts, had written a book called Lovemarks (a must-read if you haven’t). Micky and his team would send this book to prospects, bookmarking where the client’s brand was featured, with a note inviting them to get in touch to find out more. The tactic generated a whopping 30% response rate. I’m confident that blows your cold outreach on LinkedIn out of the water.
We don’t all have the luxury of a fantastic book to share, but maybe there are other innovative ways you can get on your target audience’s radar. How can you start building trust earlier in your client engagements?
The Oystercatchers X-Series events take place once every quarter for our junior/mid-level Oystercatchers Club members. If your agency is in the Club and you haven’t been along, get in touch with Ludo Graham and he’ll make sure you’re on the invite list for the next event in October.
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