Let's set the scene. You've worked with this client for years. You deliver stellar outcomes, unparalleled value and are a true extension of their marketing team. It's time for all this hard work to come to fruition through a hefty $$ project that your contact has promised will drop soon.
Then comes the push back. The head honcho can't justify the expense, despite the fact that your marketing contact has pushed so hard for it. Why? Because the crew higher up the chain just don't see value in what you're offering. They just don't sign on that dotted line!
Sound oddly familiar? There is a clear disconnect between creatives and non-creatives. Peeps like us in the media, PR, advertising and marketing industries understand the blood, sweat and tears behind creative work. We see the value of it infiltrating brand assets, the market, audience engagement and awareness. Ultimately contributing to the business's bigger picture plan (and frankly, businesses would be screwed without us!).
But the non-creatives in management take things down a peg. Is it too far to say they view us as the arts and crafts department?
It leads too many creative agencies winding up in this damn position. Struggling to get that budget over the line; that signature on the proposal; that mutual understanding and respect for what we do.
Real-world learnings (from a real-shitty sitch)
This recently happened to me with a financial advisory client. We had an excellent relationship with their marketing team. They had been with us for a minimum of 3 years. And we had that dangling carrot of the 'big project' coming soon.
No more shitty brand. No more outdated website. No more bugs. We finally had the opportunity to do things right!
Proposal organised. Timelines mapped out. Scoped defined. Hopes are highhhh. And then the board shut it down. Those accountants up top just didn't see the value of a rebrand and digital branding project.
We optimised our existing relationship
Off the back of this shitty news, we had a catch up with our beloved marketing managers to hear their side of the story. These convos were pretty transparent. We used the years of rapport building and relationship development in our favour to speak plainly.
I told them we were struggling with the partnership. Working on an old brand and historic, band-aided website aren't particularly riveting tasks. The team felt burnt out. We're tired of putting in the hard yards, just to have the team turn around and deny that project they've been promising us for so long.
The ultimate duo
Our marketing contacts felt exactly the same way and totally understood our position. They were finishing our sentences for us, and you could see the same burnout and disappointment in their eyes.
Starksy and Hutch. Bonny and Clyde. Batman and Robin. This marketing manager and me. The best duos 😎 but this duo had hit a low. Those convos lead to a stronger connection between us as a team...but that wasn't going to get this project approved.
The only place to go from here is up! So together we schemed on what each of us could do to get this thing over the line. It was like having an inside man on enemy lines.
We pivoted our perspective
We unpacked the internal politics at play and roadblocks they faced in getting this over the line. Turns out 2 out of 3 board directors were on board with the proposal...it was just this one sticky guy that wouldn't budge his position.
This helped us alter our approach. Who was this guy and why is he so against a rebrand? We got the inside scoop! And pivoted our pitch to tailor it to his perspective. It saw us put a greater emphasis on not just ROI, but the risks of not proceeding with this project or choosing an outsourced, cheaper alternative.
Tell a story
The best brands are storytellers right? It's part of our evolution + evokes emotion and inspires. So rather than your average, run of the mill proposal slide deck - we kicked it up a notch.
We used video, of us. The faces behind the project, that knew the brand inside and out and were passionate about making it better. We spoke directly to the board of directors. We made them (the client) the star of the show by addressing their problems and addressed the risks of underbaking a solution.
Getting nerdy on the stats
It was time to speak the native lingo of these board members - numbers. We pulled in stats and case studies that backed up what we were saying, and gave successful visual examples to support this. Surely they couldn't argue with that.
Key takeaways
So the million-dollar question. Yes, we landed that project.
So what were the main takeaways I learnt from this saga?
The power of a good duo - Without our wonderful marketing manager we never would've made it to take off. Sounds like a no brainer, but securing a dedicated and passionate advocate within their team makes or breaks the pitch.
Building our network - Through these conversations, we were exposed to more of the marketing team. It's a good thing to have 1 x brand advocate on your side, let alone a broader team. More (wo)man power pushed this baby along. It also left us feeling more secure in our relationship with the client. If our primary contact ups and leaves, we are on the good side of those left behind.
Video rules - Video is king of content (everyone knows that these days). But we'd never considered using it to optimise our sales process. It completely cut through the competition and allowed us to deliver a custom, genuine narrative that humanised our crew.