End of play

The first client-agency meeting after the pitch, the "kickoff" meeting, is an interesting emotional combination of beginning and ending. It's the start of the official working relationship, but it's often the end of the unofficial playing relationship.

During the pitch, client and agency are both playacting to some degree, which isn't a bad thing. In trying to make an impression and be attractive, we can take on the role of our best selves: bold, collegial, curious. It's one of those situations (like talking to a cab driver in an unfamiliar city) where taking on a role can make us more free. Unfortunately, many kickoff meetings are like going backstage for the first time where, instead of debating strategy with Henry V, you're suddenly listening to Kenneth Branagh complain about the broken lightbulb in his dressing room.

But kickoff doesn't have to mean end of play as I was recently reminded. The meeting began with the clients' list of reasons why our pitch idea was good. Always nice to hear. But after 45 minutes x 12 clients worth of discussion, the list of "reasons why not" was twice as long. So I had to ask, "Why did you choose us?" There was a pause, and then a couple of people began to speak and what they said was so lovely and unexpected, I'm still a little verklempt:

"You all seemed to be visibly struggling with what you were saying...Most agencies act like they already had the answer years ago or they want to impose something on you that doesn't fit, but you were uncertain. You were still thinking very hard...We thought, you know, this actually is hard and we'll be struggling along with it for awhile, so who do we want struggling along next to us?"

It's too long for a t-shirt, so I'm having it set to music.

Comments

[Lee]

Perhaps the T-Shirt is something like "struggling along next to you"?

[Ben]

"It's too long for a t-shirt, so I'm having it set to music."

Hahaha.

[Conno]

Very cool Jeffre, very cool.

It's like a boss I once had - who outlined the reasons why he was against hiring me: "We saw you had some weaknesses that we felt matched our strengths".

[Amelia]

Never thought a client would say something like that - congratulations!

[Stefan Stroe (Romania)]

Jeffre, I would say that in some cases, the kick-off meeting after the pitch is beginning's end.

At the first meeting you really understand their point of view and you face the REAL truth: how did they get to choose you.

Than you realize that it's you (agency, consultant) who doesn't want to work with them...