Let’s face it. We do our best work when we have a relationship with a client, when we understand their business, work collaboratively and of course are remunerated for our efforts. Trust is developed and both parties establish a level of responsibility for the work a true partnership approach.

We’ve all heard about it, some of us may have been intrigued about it, and the bolder ones amongst us have even tried it.

Speed-dating. The ultimate meet and greet concept for time-poor lonely hearts. Three minutes in which to impress a complete stranger, create chemistry and lay the foundations for a future encounter. It’s a tall order, but I suppose the old adage of “first impressions count” is probably correct in our personal lives.

So, being at the sharp end of new business development for my creative agency I’ve often wondered if the same rules apply in the marketing business. Fair enough, you get more than 3 minutes at a typical credentials meeting, but I’m right in saying that the first few minutes are crucial.

What you are wearing, your body language, the first words out of your mouth are all vital to setting the tone to the meeting, and of course the client will judge you by these things before they’ve even seen your hugely impressive reel.

Get it wrong and you may as well walk out there and then. Get it right and there are several more obstacles to hurdle. Sector experience, agency type, the right cultural and entrepreneurial fit and so on. You’ve worked hard and you’re not even guaranteed a second date yet!

But if you have impressed them so far, they may want to take things further. They’ll want you to stop talking about solutions for other clients and start showing solutions for them. More often than not, a brief materialises at which you must compete for their hearts and minds in a competitive pitch.

The pitch. The lifeblood and soul destroyer of all agency folk. The ultimate in enterprise speed-dating. Turn up with the agency’s top smooth talkers, show your wares, charm the client and then go away and wait nervously to find out if you can go all the way.

Having seen several agencies, the client will decide on whom they’ll get into bed with - without really courting them, without really working with them. They’ll put their faith, budgets and reputations into a relationship on the basis of a 45 minute presentation. The winners are triumphant. The losers lick their wounds, pick up their battered egos and try to find another potential suitor.

The hardships of agency life, but what if there was another way?

Let’s face it. We do our best work when we have a relationship with a client, when we understand their business, work collaboratively and of course are remunerated for our efforts. Trust is developed and both parties establish a level of responsibility for the work a true partnership approach.

Recently, we were invited to pitch for a substantial service brand account. Having been through the “speed-dating” credentials exercise, the client created a pitch list and issued a brief to three agencies including ours. Rather than accepting gleefully, I suggested (to a very forward-thinking) client that he might want to court the short-listed agencies for a 3 month chemistry period, where smaller briefs were given without pitches and with budgets.

The net result was to achieve chemistry between client and the agencies whilst preparing for the pitch, which, the client admitted, dramatically improved the quality of the pitch submissions. It also offered the client the opportunity to get a better feel for the agency and vice versa. And finally, the client got excellent tactical work during the trial period from the 3 agencies for which a fair and commercial rate was charged.

Having spoken to one of the other agency owners, we agreed that this was by far the fairest and most enjoyable pitch we had ever worked on and felt that if more clients could adopt a more creative approach to agency courtship, then relationships would last the test of time.

Oh, and who won? Let’s just say I’m a happily married man.