AIGA! Plan, Pitch, Prize.

I was impressed already and I hadn’t even walked in the door. I hadn’t realize that the San Francisco chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) is located in the famous Hallidie Building, a building I studied in my American Architecture classes in college. This famous building, on the National Register of Historic Places, is credited as being the first American building to feature glass curtain walls. I was headed here on a Thursday evening in May for the AIGA event “D.Talks 2010: Plan, Pitch, Prize”.

The event was part of a series of AIGA sponsored discussions on the business of design called ‘D.Talks.” The D.Talk events were created to open up engagement within a discussion so communication would be an integral interaction between industry leaders and the audience. This particular event focused on finding, pitching and landing new projects.

Josh Levine, who asked questions and motivated dialogue between the audience and three industry professionals, moderated the event:

Peter Allen- a 20year veteran of business development, brand strategy, and client services for Landor, TurnerDuckworth, Siegel&Gale.

Cathy Barnet- Senior Manager Multi-Brand Marketing at Levi Strauss & Co.

Twelve years of interactive agency experience with brands such as Coca-Cola, Ford Motor Company and Cadbury Schweppes. Now on client-side at Levi’s responsible for their wholesale ecommerce model while managing all online and print collateral for independent retailers.

Ted Leonhardt- Management Consultant who co-founded The Leonhardt Group (TLG), a brand design agency, now Fitch: Seattle. When they sold in 1999 the company had 50 employees and $10 million in annual fee sales.

QUESTION: How do you make contacts? How do you identify new business opportunities?

PA:

• Many different approaches, no right way
• Look for a fit: Brands you love & celebrate / Things you love yourself
• Big companies are hard to get
• Smaller = quicker turn around
• Do your homework and approach the right person

TL:

• Design is on a path to commodization
• Categories are defined, brand interactive
• Clients believe agencies are interchangeable
• Need to identify their needs with your services

CB:

• When she pitched as her own agency, she found a ‘hook’ to get her in the door: She worked with a logistics & measuring expert and they used measurement as their ‘in’ for agencies, asking ‘will, or did, your design pay out?”
• Use Linked In & Tell potential clients: “I will take your scraps”

QUESTION: What can I do for you that your current agency isn’t?

PA:

• Got to COLD call / Do your homework
• Don’t take “no” for an answer- won new business after striking out 12-14 times
• Send something of value
• It’s LUCK + TIMING
• Customer Relationship Marketing
• Sales Force , HiRise (light-weight version), Batchbook

QUESTION: How should I approach you in cold calling?

CB:

• Can’t stand cold calls-too much going on at my desk
• Email- back up your phone call with an email
• Don’t be a pain in the butt and announce your offer quickly
• E-mail: First 5 lines: tell me what you’re about. Do your research and tell me how you can help me.

QUESTION: Business Development- where should I start?

TL:

• Make yourself relevant to your clients world & understand their needs
• We had huge client breakfasts where we discussed project issues with current clients and potential clients. The potential could see how we handle the problems.
• Attend, participate, monitor SF Agency created seminars
• Watch agency acquisitions- they are buying metrics, analytics
• Add specialties to your creative services to make you valuable to your client
• Business journal- send them articles

CB:

• Write articles for other types of business
• She wrote ‘Top 10 Things To Ask Your Agency” and distributed to trade magazines for publishing.
• SF American Marketing Association
• Get involved in events where you present yourself as the expert

PA:

• Direct Marketing- Indirect marketing is all good, but nothing is better than a targeted list, cold calling, and following up
• Start dialogue, give info

QUESTION: Lets talk about positioning. What can you do to position yourself?

TL:

• Best position: Have a product or service that they need!
• Not a cold call, but an informative conversation
• Ask: How can I help you move your business forward??

PA:

• Questions to ask to see if you are a good fit for the client
• Is there an opportunity? Ask them because you don’t want to waste time.
• Ask them what are you looking for in an agency?
• The last agency you hired, how did that develop?
• Do you hire a designer or contract?
• You have a problem, and I can help you with that.
• Prepare the Questions! You know if they’re junior or senior by the questions you ask.

QUESTION: Request for Proposal-How much time should you spend on securing possible business using an RFP?

TL:

• To get new business, and independent developed a program saying, "I can cut your packaging budget by 'X' amount and you'll pay me 'Y' amount if I do." He believed in what he could do, and said so.
• Without inside track, RFP's are hopeless.
• Ask for money for RFP to set the tone: I am serious, I am worth something.
• Position yourself as being more valuable by valuing yourself and your services.

PA:

• RFP’s suck! Some are well written, but most have many unanswered questions.
• Always digest it
• Create list of questions, anything big or small, then walk through with the person monitoring
• RFP –OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE!! Ask the right questions!
• How much do you have to spend? If they say “price it as you normally would” say NO and ask for budget. They will always have one.
• Ask who the competition is.
• When they call ask- why did you call us?

CB:

• Client’s responsibility to give you clean direction
• Immediately upon receipt of RFP, call and ask questions, present your best qualities, ask the right question
• Stay away from government RFP
• Be relevant to the business and know more than the client

A few professional recommendations:

Blair Ems- Win Without Pitching (http://www.winwithoutpitching.com). Recommended as the best system approach to selling within our business.

Cold Calling Techniques: That Really Work by Stephan Schiffman

Following this fabulous evening, I took action!! I’ve written this blog article, purchased Stephan Schiffman’s book and perused Blair Ems website downloading some articles. What I need to do now is complete my list of companies I want to target, research the right contacts at these companies, evaluate their needs, then cold call them with a unique value proposition!! Yep, you read right, Cold Call!!!

(Looks like I need to get busy!!! Come back in a few days/weeks/months/years and check in on the progress!!) Byenow!

Francine Pinoni

WAG Partner