BY CHRISTOPHER ZULLO

When it comes to the advertising world, or the sales world at large, every business is a target for outside sales to come in and pitch you something. Whether you’re a restaurant being pitched new equipment for your kitchen to a car dealership being pitched radio advertising, each business owner will encounter these situations, and everyone is looking to butter their bread. Ninety-five percent of the time, the people pitching you products or advertising for your business are acting in good faith and believe that their product or service can help your business excel. But what about that 5%? Perhaps it’s just knowing what to look for…

As an advertising and marketing agency, we’re going to focus on the latter, since that’s our expertise. Our agency has over 50 years of experience working in every media medium that exists. Once we joined The Trade Desk, we realized the potential to not only make the money we need to sustain and grow our own business, but also to help our clients sustain and grow their businesses without breaking the bank or ripping people off (even before having a seat on The Trade Desk, that was never our style). Sometimes, as a business owner, there are a few questions you could be asking yourself and of those that are coming in to pitch you for advertising. The first is, does the person pitching to you understand your vision for your business—conversely, do you? Another could be, would this person be a good fit for a working relationship? Maybe another could be, does this person have a clue as to what they’re talking about, or are they just talking in circles until we’re both mentally exhausted, I’ll agree to something I don’t have a full grasp of? That’s a dig at all the snake oil salesmen out there, the bad actors.

Of course, there are tons of questions in different phrasing modifications you could ask, but the aforementioned might be a good place to start. Understanding what you’re asking, so you get the answer you’re looking for is probably the best place to start. So, let’s break it down by each question with the answer built in, sort of as a guide for you to follow, so you can sus out the bad actors from those that actually want to see your business succeed and have YOU, the business owner, as their first priority.

Does the person pitching to you, understand the vision for your business—conversely, do you?

One of the main questions we ask over and over when we’re speaking with potential clients is what their vision is for their business. Eighty-five percent of the time, business owners have a clear and concise vision for their business. You start to get into trouble when the waters are muddied and there isn’t a clear vision for a business. In that case, we may be able to help you focus on the thing that sets you apart. Other times, we have to jump ship because our job is not to figure out your vision or business model. If you know your vision for your business, it will be apparent in your branding, your business model, your employees, your customer retention etc. If you feel like that’s you, why would you need to advertise? Working with an agency, like ours perhaps, gives you the opportunity to burst through the ceiling that’s keeping you held in the current pattern you’re in. If your vision is to grow your business to “x” amount of dollars in profit a year, or to have “x” amount of employees or whatever, your vision would be easy to explain in several words and your agency rep can start planning a campaign for you, and saving you money right off the bat, while you continue to operate your business. If you understand your vision and your potentially new agency partner understands it as well, you may be able to answer the next question with some parameters.

Would this person be a good fit for a working relationship?

Relationships are paramount! You must have a good working relationship with the people who are coming in to help you figure out how to burst through that ceiling with the knowledge and power behind them to make things happen. Advertising agencies are service businesses, so customer service is, or rather should be, at the center of their operations. If you, the client, are not feeling the love or getting the attention on your campaigns or reporting you should be, RED FLAG! Ask questions, ask for your reports, and have someone go over your reports with you either over the phone, via zoom, or in person. You should be able to understand where your hard-earned dollars are being spent and if they are making a difference in your business. You are the business owner, the client of the agency, you should not have to go looking for answers if something is not made clear to you. Your rep should be able to help you understand what the reporting shows and to care for you and your business in a professional partnership, so you know what you’re spending on, is legit.

Does this person have a clue as to what they’re talking about, or are they just talking in circles until you’re both mentally exhausted you agree to something you don’t have a full grasp of?

The phrasing of this question was just an excuse for me to be snarky. But it’s a legitimate question to raise if you feel like the person trying to pitch to you is just spewing words learned from an old company script or pulled from somewhere the sun don’t shine. If a rep is trying to get a point across, if they know what they’re talking about, they will be able to convey it clearly and succinctly. After you get the framework of the basics conveyed, then you can get into the nitty gritty of the why and how. If you can’t make it past the first step of understanding what it is that is being pitched, and you can’t follow the through line to the end, RED FLAG! Of course, you will encounter the amateur trying to cut their teeth on their first sale, but they also have to know their product before they can gain any confidence in what their trying to sell.

If you think about it, every person in every job is in a sales position. From restaurants to insurance, car dealers to medical offices, from Med spas to teachers, we’re all selling something all the time. Whether it’s selling our product, selling our service, or selling ourselves to get a job or maintain our job, or hoping for a full class or waiting room, we’re all out there hustling and trying to keep every industry going simultaneously. Each industry helps the next, and the one after that and so on and so on into infinity. You’re the entrepreneur, you know what it is you want, your agency is responsible for helping you get there. Know your business, own your vision, know the right questions to ask and your agency partnership will be successful.