A Marriage Made in an RFP

Guest post by RSW/US New Business Director Kris Klopp

You may have heard, After 72 days of matrimonial bliss, Kim Kardashian is apparently filing for divorce from her husband, Kris Humphries.

And in other news, water is still in fact wet.

In moments such as these, it’s best to look at what went wrong so we don’t make the same mistake again.

Since I often joke that prospecting is a lot like dating, with all of the rejection involved, I thought this might provide us with an opportunity to learn a few lessons from this failed union.

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Don’t fall in love with the wedding – more than the person you are marrying.

I remember seeing a highlight for the Kardashian wedding TV special, where during a heated conversation between the young couple over the location of the wedding, Ms. Kardashian informed her fiancé, that she’d been planning this wedding since she was a little girl.

To this, Mr. Humphries replied something to the effect that it didn’t matter who she was marrying, that she could put anyone into that “role” as the husband.

Yikes – that’s not a good thought for anyone to have about his/her upcoming nuptials.

A wedding should be representative of both parties involved.  The same is true with new business development.

You can’t expect to successfully land new clients if all of the communication is one-sided – all about you.

While you are courting a prospect, you want to find out what their needs are and then try to tie in your experience in solving those needs.

Your prospecting has to be personalized with relevant news about that company.

It’s About More Than Just a Big Rock

What woman wouldn’t love to receive a bazillion carat engagement ring similar to Ms. Kardashian’s?

It’s bright.  It’s shiny.  It sparkles when the light catches it in the right spot.  It demands attention.

If sold, it could pay off my mortgage and car and buy me a spectacular pair of shoes.

The real value of an engagement ring lies in the love the partner feels for his significant other when making this purchase and proposing to his love.

Similarly, when you are planning to reach out to a prospect with whom you want to spend a lifetime or at least the next five years or so, put some thought into your outreach.

Having a slick new mailer or a client roster of some great brands will catch a marketer’s attention, but it’s not enough for that marketer to make that commitment to your agency.

If you want that company to bring your agency on board, you need to show them the love.

Show them how passionate you are about their brand and how your agency is uniquely qualified to move that brand forward.

Get Back on that Horse

Relationships are hard.  In all fairness, Ms. Kardashian is not the first, nor will she be the last person to get divorced.

If nothing else, I kind of admire her for her resilience.

Inevitably, like others who have walked down this path of a failed relationship, she will get back up on that horse and on the covers of numerous tabloids, with a new man on her arm.

This is an important lesson to remember when prospecting.

It doesn’t always turn out the way you hope it will.  Sometimes your prospect will go with another agency, despite how great you felt about your meeting.

You don’t have time to grieve. Certainly you want to look at your presentation and see if there was anything you could’ve done better.

Was there a skill set the marketer didn’t think you had?  Was there a core competency the company thought your agency was lacking?

But don’t spend too much time here.

If there are changes you can make – great. What’s key is that you get right back out there prospecting for your agency.

Nike doesn’t want to work with you? Call up Reebok, Adidas and New Balance.

I actually prefer when prospects tell me they are not interested.

It means I can move my attention on to other prospects who might be interested.

Prospecting is a lot like dating.  It can feel just as awkward as walking up to a person in your gym and asking him out for coffee.

Many times your initial efforts will seem like speed dating where a marketing VP is asking you a list of questions so he/she can size you up in ten minutes.

Getting to that commitment takes time and a lot of hard work.

And like marriage, after you land that big account, the hard work really begins. Hopefully by keeping these lessons in mind, you will have more successful marriages than nasty divorces.