The Tough Bob Hoffman On Ad Agency New Business

Edition 12

Bob Hoffman's Contrarian View

I have been seeing a bunch of 'Bob Hoffman' lately since he published his latest pugilistic book, ADSCAM: How Online Advertising Gave Birth to One of History's Greatest Frauds, and Became a Threat to Democracy.

Bob Hoffman is the Chief Aggravation Officer at the Type A Group, LLC, a company that consults with marketers, advertisers, and media. He is the author of five Amazon #1-selling books about advertising. He is also one of the most sought-after international speakers on advertising and marketing.

A Contrarian On The Marketing Agency Business Development

Bob’s latest book promo activity reminded me of a thought-provoking interview I did with Bob for my book on advertising agency pitching.

I asked Bob for his thoughts on new business:

1. You can’t be everyone’s girlfriend: Do not pitch every stupid thing that comes along. Don’t try to fit yourself into every box. Not everyone is going to love you, and not everyone is going to buy your story. Pick your spots.

2. Do what you tell your clients to do. The first thing we tell our clients is that they have to differentiate themselves. It is the one thing agencies never do. They all sound the same, look the same, and smell the same. Decide who you are and how you are different and better. If you can’t do that, hire Peter and let him do it for you.

3. Be clear on your objective at each stage. This is really important. A new business pitch is a 3 or 4-step process. At each stage, your one and only objective should be to get to the next stage. You will not win the account at the first stage. In the beginning stages, clients are not looking to hire an agency, they are looking for reasons to eliminate agencies. Give them reasons why they should continue talking to you, and don’t give them reasons to eliminate you.

?4. Make the presentation you want to make, not the one you’re asked to make. For the final pitch, most of the time clients and search consultants provide you with outlines of the presentation they want to see. Throw it away and make the presentation you want to make. Remember, you have one shot only.

?5. Only let the good presenters talk. There are brilliant people who are lousy presenters and dumb-ass bozos who are great presenters. Only let the good presenters present.

?6. Have a strategy and stick to it. The final presentation should have a theme, and every section of the presentation should spin off that theme and point to a conclusion where the strategy is clearly and creatively defined.

?7. By the way, the best new business program is a good reputation. Duh.

---> If you have a buddy in advertising that could use some of this advice... pass it on.