Why the Ask is Never the Ask: Advice from a Chief Growth Officer

We have all been there.? We tried not to think about it during dinner.? Or our kid’s activities.? Or vacation.? But it is there.? Did we win? What will they say on the call? We REALLY need this win.

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Then the call is scheduled.? Here we go.? Showtime.

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Heart thumping, you begin.? Warm small talk (I mean, we have known these people for years).? And then it comes, “we loved your team, your energy and enthusiasm.” “It was such a tough decision (code for you lost).? And then the words all in Growth dread, “the client decided to go with another agency”.?

We have all been there.? We pick up our socks and move on because we have to. Others go back to their day’s jobs, but for us, it lingers. How much did we spend on the pitch? Questions from leadership.? What did we learn? What went wrong?

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What have we learned from this cycle….” the ask was never the ask”

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Yes, of course, you know what “the ask” was. Probably verbatim.? Digital Transformation, Brand Revitalization, Global Rollout, New Product Launch, the list goes on and on. In fact, AI says one of the most important ways to win new business is to understand the brief.?

I would argue it goes much deeper than the brief. The real ask is always found between the lines of the RFI. It’s in the nuances. All too often, this is when agencies go on auto-pilot when they should be the most curious. How do you thread the website, IG, Annual report together?? Who are the client's new hires? What are they saying in the press?

The magic lies in what is behind the brief. That is where winning agencies distance themselves from their competitors right from the start.

The Power in the Question ?

We have all heard there are no stupid questions but when the pitch clock is ticking, and when multiple agencies are participating, you must be singularly focused on getting the most pertinent information possible.??

Most new business meetings center around investigative questions. This is the quest for existing information. And while it's an important component, it is inherently focused on “the what” and won’t uncover any unknown information.

It’s far more important to ask questions that get to the deep-rooted motivations behind the ask. Finding out what pressures the leadership team is facing and what outcomes they are looking for will allow the pitch team to truly deliver. However, asking these questions point blank often won’t provide you real insights because the real answers are too personal to disclose. So how do you find the answers???

Some of the best negotiators teach the power of the calibrated question and new business is nothing if not a months-long negotiation. The calibrated question hits your brain differently. These questions are open-ended, usually framed “how” and “why” and are meant to uncover true motivators. For example: “How do you envision this partnership will address your challenges?” will give you more information than “What are your challenges?”?

Speculative questions allow you to push the boundaries on risk aversion. This will be key in making sure your idea strikes the right balance of brave and on brand. These questions are of the “what if” variety or “how would you feel”? “What’s the one thing you’re willing to take a risk on to achieve your goals?” is a question that gets to the heart of the KPI and provides insight into creative strategy. The best questions in this variety are out of the box such as “If this campaign or pitch was a song, what genre or song would it be?”?

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Win the Ask, Win the Business

“It was like you were looking in our garbage cans”.? Yes, that was actually said.

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Information gathering requires both left-brain and right-brain thinking. And by getting to the real ask, you start a process that is uniquely yours—bringing all the best of your thinking and collective brainpower.? And you start building a relationship that is tough to break.?

Marcy Quinn Samet is an award-winning growth executive with three decades of expertise in leading marketing and digital transformation strategies for Fortune 100 companies including: IPG, Cigna, GSK, AB InBev, Converse, GM, Coca-Cola, Bissell among others. Marcy is the founder and chief growth architect for LBRB Collective sculpting the growth trajectories of startups and Fortune 100 behemoths alike.