| What has been your role in the new business efforts of the agency? | |
|---|---|
| Andrea Wilson, Director of Account Services | Working alongside the New Biz Director and the management team to determine industries to target. Thinking on my own of businesses in need of our services and soliciting them. Networking. |
| Scott Zajicek, V.P./Creative Director | Primarily producing materials that showcase our creative work and then sending those materials to the New Business Director. |
| Mike Meister, Vice President, Creative Director | 1) work with other members to develop agency positioning, messaging; 2) develop agency brand identity; 3) in some cases, design and assemble new business proposals; 4) develop spec work when necessary; 5) member of pitch team (although that team changes) |
| Phil Price President / CEO | It depends on the new business and includes overall direction from selection of prospects to strategy, tactics, creative and presentation. |
| Amy Punchard, Senior Account Executive | I have worked on completing RFPs as well as been involved in a number of pitches for our agency of the past few years. I have helped to bring in new business through contacts I have made outside of work. |
| Pam Sharpe, Vice President-Media Director | As a senor member of the staff I have always participated in the presentation aspect of new business pitches. |
| Jessica Black, VP/Director of Client Development | I handle all incoming calls, referrals, rfps, etc. We haven't actively prospected in some time. |
| Linda Weddle VP/ Controller | very little. I have sat in on some of the creative sessions. Most of my involvement is after the fact. |
| Phil Price, CEO | I actively participate in pitches and am the most highly visible member of the management team; however, Jessica Black handles routine RFPs. |
| Phil Price CEO | I have built and maintained media, agency, supplier and client contacts over the last 37 years. Today, younger members are building new ones as well. I participate in most new pitches including strategy, creative and presentation. |
| What is your background, in terms of agencies, accounts, and client-side experience? | |
| Andrea Wilson, Director of Account Services | I have a PR degree and have worked in Account Service for The Price Group upon graduation of college. |
| Scott Zajicek, V.P./Creative Director | I started out in the broadcast production end of things and then moved over to promotions for a number of TV stations before coming to Price as a copywriter/broadcast production assistant. However, The Price Group gives me many opportunities to interact with clients so I have a good idea of how to deal with them directly. |
| Mike Meister, Vice President, Creative Director | This was my first job out of college, so I have little practical experience about how an agency should be run. However, I have tried to keep up with best practices in agencies of comparable size, encouraging TPG leadership to implement when possible. I've pointed out that we run a fairly large organization like a much smaller shop. I've worked on many differing types of accounts. Because of our market, we've had a wide variety of clients, so I have developed creative for everything from hi-tech to wineries, hospitals to banks, gaming to galleries. Again, this being my first job out of college, I have little client-side practical experience. It does concern me at times that we are much better at befriending our clients than positioning ourselves a professional resource/partner. I believe it's much easier to sell our services as a return on an investment when friendship isn't part of that return. |
| Phil Price President / CEO | Client-side includes selling yellow page ads for college directories and supervising national sales crews on both coasts during my last three (of 6) years of college. Also co-owner and co-publisher and editor of a regional women's magazine in graduate school (after 3 years of military service after BBA). Drafted. Also written plays, books, magazine articles and op-ed pieces. Started the agency when a tornedo blew away the publishing company the night before I was released from the army. Gone from a one-man shop to one of the largest shops in West Texas (small pond). |
| Amy Punchard, Senior Account Executive | I have worked at the Price Group since graduating from college. I started at Price 5 years ago and have worked my way up to Senior Account Executive in my time here. I have experience with clients in industries ranging in healthcare to hospitality, political campaigns to car dealerships. |
| Pam Sharpe, Vice President-Media Director | I am a 28 year veteran of the Lubbock advertising community. I worked for 10 years for an agency in Lubbock where I was the sole media buyer for the Coca-Cola regional distributor. I have been at the Price Group for 19 years and have handled media buying for all of the agencies accounts. I have direct contact with clients as a senior member of the staff. I have only agency experience - no client side experience. |
| Jessica Black, VP/Director of Client Development | Client Side: I started as a client for The Price Group. I was marketing coordinator for Lubbock's local transit company. Agency Side: The Price Group 2000-2002 2007-present (healthcare, automotive, construction clients) Jones CreativeWorks - Denver, CO 2002-2004 (master-planned real estate communities, retail coffee) Heinrich Marketing - Denver, CO 2005 (direct marketing for Federated Department Stores) The Communique Group - Denver, CO 2005 - 2007 (luxury resort real estate properties - St. Regis, Starwood, Ritz Carlton) |
| Linda Weddle VP/ Controller | again not much. I have always been on the accounting side and doing the numbers. |
| Phil Price, CEO | I've only worked for the one I started but served as president of the Southwestern Association of Advertising Agencies in the 80s when it was a robust and viable organization. My client experience includes political accounts, retail, restaurants, healthcare, ag, transpotation, etc. I have also written considerably including o-ed pieces, client history books, a stageplay to celebrate a client's 50th anniversary. I've also served as governor of the 10th District of the American Advertising Federation (Tx, Ok, La, Ark) and their national board (as a part of being governor). |
| Phil Price CEO | During my last three years in college I worked for a publishing company that did college phone books. I was VP (there was only one VP unlike today) with sales crews working both coasts when I was drafted. When I was released from active duty I started a regional magazine that supported me in grad school after the publishing company wa destroyed by a tornedo. I've handled retail, ag, restaurant, financial, political, and most other categories. I have only worked in this one agency (since 1972) but have been active in many associatioons including AAF Governor of the 10th District (TX, OK, AK, LA) and on the national board and board of governors as well as working my way through the chairs of the Southwestern Association of Advertising Agencies (now defunct), the advisory committee of the Texas Tech University Colege of Mass Communications' advisory committee and of course the local ad club and dozen of lcal, regional and national boards. |
| As if you were writing to a prospective client, describe the agency in no more than 3 sentences: | |
| Scott Zajicek, V.P./Creative Director | The Price Group is a full service agency that balances strategic thinking with great creative content in order to get results for their clients. |
| Mike Meister, Vice President, Creative Director | The Price Group is made up of talented, hard-working individuals who don't rest on the laurels of 37 years of success. We look forward to the opportunity to know your story, your goals, your vision--and then work with you to find solutions that produce. We hope you'll find our sincerity refreshing, our work ethic encouraging and our passion invigorating. |
| Phil Price President / CEO | Clients who value their their brand, their marketing and the value they bring to their customers are the people we want to work with shoulder-to-shoulder in every aspect of their business and ours. Our success and the success we achieve for our clients is possible because we have a heritage of dealing with the boss, the person who can say yes. If a client's marketing is not important enough to have the top guy involved, we'll do better working with the top guy who is a competitor. |
| Pam Sharpe, Vice President-Media Director | The Price Group is a strategically based, results driven advertising and marketing partner. The main goal of agency is to make our clients successful in the marketplace. We succeed when our clients succeed. |
| Jessica Black, VP/Director of Client Development | The Price Group is a full-service marketing and advertising firm that has been in business for over 35 years. We have a wide variety of experience in many categories but specialize in healthcare, education and retail banking. |
| Linda Weddle VP/ Controller | The Price Group is a full service agency. We have an excellent Creative Dept. Media Planning and Buying Dept.,Account Service Dept., Copywriting and Public Relations,Web Design. |
| Phil Price, CEO | We are a solid regional agency with broad experience, long-term clients and employees. We've managed to achieve dominance in this area by changing in order to capitalize on new markets, products and media. We're hungry for the opportunity to prove our ability to bring solid marketing to markets that have too often been burned by flashes in the pan that lack the common sense found in our shop. |
| Amy Punchard, Senior Account Executive | We are a full-service marketing, advertising and public relations agency with a broad spectrum of industry experience ranging from healthcare to financial to hospitality to car dealerships. |
| Phil Price CEO | We're a solid shop that has remained on top by recoginzing the difference in a trend and a fad. We're accustomed to working with the person who can make the decisions. We keep our clients longer than most agencies are in existence. |
| Stuart Elliott, who covers agencies for the New York Times, decides he is going to write an article about your agency. After spending a day at your offices, and then going back to write the piece.... what would the headline be? | |
| Scott Zajicek, V.P./Creative Director | The Price Group plays it safe. |
| Mike Meister, Vice President, Creative Director | Coming from New York, he'd probably need a day just to recover from culture shock. I venture to say it might be something like, "You really can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear!" |
| Phil Price President / CEO | Real Agency Discovered in the Real West Can They Out Gun the Cith Slickers? |
| Pam Sharpe, Vice President-Media Director | The Price Group "A Big Fish In a Little Pond" |
| Jessica Black, VP/Director of Client Development | Long term clients, long term agency |
| Linda Weddle VP/ Controller | Big as Texas Advertising Agency located in Lubbock |
| Phil Price, CEO | How Do I Get Out of Lubbock? ;-) or Solid Shope Delivers ROI |
| Amy Punchard, Senior Account Executive | "Jack of All Traits or Master of None?" |
| Phil Price CEO | "How do I get out of Lubbock?" ;-) or maybe better, "Tired of big shop baloney? Go west young man, to West Texas" |
| Now bring the agency to life. You have certainly been through this exercise, however applying it to your agency agency can be quite revealing in understanding more about your "DNA". If the agency were a car, what kind would it be? What color? Why? | |
| Scott Zajicek, V.P./Creative Director | A blue volvo - conservative and safe. It will get you where you need without the flash. However, lately I've noticed that someone has put a spoiler on the back. |
| Mike Meister, Vice President, Creative Director | Late model black Cadillac sedan. Old genes (and a bit of an old-fashioned image), new technology and spunk, trying to reach new audiences. Black because it's classy and not too racy. |
| Phil Price President / CEO | SUV Black Rugged, capable of hauling about any load, classic color and styling and smooth on the road. |
| Pam Sharpe, Vice President-Media Director | A big red Cadillac. We are very conservative but the red gives us the spark yet to be ignited. |
| Jessica Black, VP/Director of Client Development | We are most definitely an american-made vehicle - probably a cadillac (not an Escalade or CTS). Seen as a bit old-fashioned with a bit of status. The color would be burgundy - anything rich. |
| Linda Weddle VP/ Controller | chevelot- yellow- dependable, reasonable,with a little flair |
| Phil Price, CEO | SUV, black - because we carry everything you need in one vehicle. We're good on long road trips and get great mileage. |
| Amy Punchard, Senior Account Executive | A Chevrolet Malibu I think we have the same problems as GM does with the Chevrolet Malibu. We are build really well and we look alright from the outside but no matter how we redefine ourselves and reinvent the way we look we still cannot compete with foreign dealers and their cars. GM has yet to figure out a way to package the Malibu to compete with Altima, Lexus, Maxima and Camry. They have tried to market themselves as more affordable, as "made in America" and more recently as a higher-end, more luxurious vehicle and still had no real success. We could be any color vehicle, we just need to figure out who we are as a company and who are audience is and get going. |
| Phil Price CEO | SUV (seven passenger), Escalade or Enclave (not as expensive as you might think and it holds its value, seldom traded), Black (classy not flashy) |
| What agencies do you most admire? Why? | |
| Scott Zajicek, V.P./Creative Director | I admire an agency that will stand it's ground with clients when it has to. Initially, most clients hire you to be a leader that will guide them to success, not a vendor. |
| Mike Meister, Vice President, Creative Director | Crispin, Porter + Bogusky because they are consistently on the cutting edge of creativity and success, but they still manage to maintain a balance between structure and fun in their culture. |
| Pam Sharpe, Vice President-Media Director | I have always admired GSD&M. They have outstanding creative but I have always been more impressed with their leadership. |
| Jessica Black, VP/Director of Client Development | Not sure. There are a lot of agencies I like for different reasons. I would admire and agency that: -was true to there clients and employees -developed good creative -had a good balance of hard work/fun -had a good business model without silos |
| Linda Weddle VP/ Controller | not sure |
| Phil Price CEO | GSD&M, Weiden Kennedy, Goodby, Hal Riney, |
| List the top few agencies that you do/will compete against most often. | |
| Scott Zajicek, V.P./Creative Director | Zachery (Abilene) AdMarc (Lubbock/Midland/Odessa) |
| Mike Meister, Vice President, Creative Director | That has changed dramatically over the past 4 or 5 years; our local competition has nearly dried up and many of the agencies we compete with are from larger markets looking to come in as "experts." Due to the collective self-esteem issues the Lubbock market seems to have, the pickings are pretty easy for those out-of-town experts. Having said that, locally our main competition comes from the Thomas Agency, Red Chair and Admarc Advertising. |
| Pam Sharpe, Vice President-Media Director | Unfortunately our local competitors have gone out of business and the only other competitor doesn't pitch that often. I look forward to unearthing some new competitors as we branch out into the region. As of late though agencies from larger markets have come into the market via previous clients who have come to work at large companies here in Lubbock. They choose the familiar agency to them rather than rely on the local talent. |
| Jessica Black, VP/Director of Client Development | ?? Locally we don't have much competition anymore. Our competition is out of our market and honestly don't know who all that includes. |
| Linda Weddle VP/ Controller | not sure |
| Amy Punchard, Senior Account Executive | H.C. Zachary in Abilene The Thomas Agency here in Lubbock Niche agencies from larger markets coming to prey on our local business |
| Phil Price CEO | Regionally, we'll copete with the other major but regional shop or shops in second or third teir cities - Albuwuerque - Rick Johnson, Amarillo - McCormick, Austin - GSD&M, Abilene (TX) Dallas - yellow pages and many others we don't yet know. |
| In the eyes of clients, what do you provide of value, that none of your competitors do? | |
| Scott Zajicek, V.P./Creative Director | I think we are seen as an agency that will partner with a client for a long term relationship. |
| Mike Meister, Vice President, Creative Director | Experience, one-stop-shopping and a reputation for philanthropy. For more regional accounts, we're a good value; Lubbock has a low cost of living, so you can get more bang for your buck. |
| Pam Sharpe, Vice President-Media Director | I feel like we have indepth knowledge of the region and the way consumers think. West Texans don't think like the rest of the country and respond differently to messages. I feel like though that whatever market we work in we strive to know the local landscape better than most. |
| Jessica Black, VP/Director of Client Development | Customer Service. We are very account service driving, almost to a fault. We truly make sure our client's get the attention they need or think they deserve. |
| Linda Weddle VP/ Controller | alot of one on one, personel attention, quick turnaround. |
| Amy Punchard, Senior Account Executive | For our local competitors, I think it is our strategic planning services. However, I think we have not really done all the work we need to do in nailing down this process. It really needs to be a better product and we need to have more confidence in our abilities than we do currently. For out-of-market competitors, I think we are more reasonably priced. |
| Phil Price CEO | Everything the and we all say they do. We're a really great buy for professional knowledge and creative. Our prices are far less than shops in DFW, Houston, etc. Those guys remind me of the junior thugs who roll sailors after they've spent the night in a cheap bar. |
| Are there any negative perceptions that prospects might have about the agency that could hold you back in new business? | |
| Scott Zajicek, V.P./Creative Director | Can a full service agency that has a diverse stable of clients really be an expert in my field of business? |
| Mike Meister, Vice President, Creative Director | We're the old agency. In some cases, we're local and so couldn't possibly be as good as a Houston/Austin/Dallas shop. We're expensive (despite the fact that we haven't raised our fees dramatically in years). |
| Pam Sharpe, Vice President-Media Director | We are viewed as extremely conservative. But the truth is we work to stay on top of all leading trends creatively and media wise. |
| Jessica Black, VP/Director of Client Development | We have a lot of longevity with both our clients and employees. This is both good and bad. Example: We've had healthcare clients for more than 25 years, but it has mostly been the same client. Our creative director print has been at our agency for 21 years - which is great but can also be seen as stale. I think our location can have a negative perceptions, especially when we are looking to get business from larger markets. |
| Linda Weddle VP/ Controller | sometime being located in Lubbock we are not perceived an being able to service a client completely. |
| Amy Punchard, Senior Account Executive | Location - overcoming the "small town" stigma 36 years experience - this might not translate into "cutting edge and fresh" for some prospects We do not currently specialize in any one, two or three industries. I don't think it is beneficial to accept every client that walks through the door. I think it is hard for prospects to view us as "experts" in their industry if we provide services to every industry imaginable. |
| Phil Price CEO | We're the most established and trusted agency in the region translates "Those guys were great in the 80s" |
| What is one of the most innovative "pitch or RFP tactics" the agency has ever applied in a new business situation? This might include a distinctive questionnaire response or RFP, "presentation theater," dressing of the room, unique video content, innovative research, a special way of engaging/interacting with the client, etc., etc. | |
| Scott Zajicek, V.P./Creative Director | We were asked to pitch a casino although we did not have the time or the available manpower to do spec creative for them at the time. When the client walked into our offices, they saw many things that showed we had bought into their culture. From the computer monitors to our name plates on our offices, they all had a horse racing motif to them. We got the account and still have them over a year later. |
| Mike Meister, Vice President, Creative Director | Wow ... we've done a LOT of crazy things. Sometimes I think we've spent more time on the look of the pitch than the content. Most innovative, probably would be a pitch several years ago for the local bus transit system. We built a flat bus--large enough to show the pitch team as passengers on it) that had the old design on one side (the side viewed as we "drove" in) and the new design on the other side (viewed as we "drove" out). Also did a game show for that client some years later. |
| Pam Sharpe, Vice President-Media Director | The most successful pitch in recent years was when we engaged a client in an actual brainstorming session complete with giant sticky notes taped to the walls. We demonstrated that there needs were the most important thing to us. We got away from the talking about ourselves scenario. We landed that piece of business, I believe due to this type of presentation. |
| Jessica Black, VP/Director of Client Development | My limited knowledge would be conducting a "brandstorming" of the client during the pitch. |
| Linda Weddle VP/ Controller | we were all cheerleaders for Texas Tech Univ. pitch. The design dept. did a sand castle for a political campaign. For a city bus pitch. A cardboard bus was painted with the new design and all the team were the passengers. |
| Amy Punchard, Senior Account Executive | I loved the pitch we made for SMRS. We utilized a large portion of the pitch to engage the prospect in a mini "brandstorming" session. We hung large post it notes all over the walls and encouraged them to participate in the presentation. It was the best pitch we have done thus far and we won the client based on that presentation and not politics. |
| Phil Price CEO | Pitching the local transit company, we "drove" into the presentation in a bus replica. Our presenters waved from their windows and exited when we parked at the board table. We turned the bus around as we left and the new side showed the new slogan we proposed painting on all buses. The next agency was waiting at the door when we left - they were hold a stack of slides. Pitching an ag account, we developed field signs with life-sixed replicas of farmers wearing our client's "gimme" caps and holding one of our crop variety signs. When one of the farmer/directors said "This first time a "sum-bitch" with a shotgun drives by, he'll shoot that sign. That's when we pulled a shotup sign out with a new sign that said, "They can shoot our signs, but they can't hit our yields. |
| The following is a list of potential roadblocks that hold you back with your overall new business efforts. On a scale of 1- 10, rate each on how much it is a road block (1 being not a road block, 10 being a significant road block): | |
| Scott Zajicek, V.P./Creative Director | |
| Mike Meister, Vice President, Creative Director | 1 |
| Pam Sharpe, Vice President-Media Director | 10 |
| Jessica Black, VP/Director of Client Development | 1 |
| Linda Weddle VP/ Controller | 6 |
| Amy Punchard, Senior Account Executive | 5 |
| Specifically regarding pitches/RFPs, when you lose, what are typically the top 3 reasons? Consider both the client's expecations and how you compare to your competitive set. (check only 3) | |
| Scott Zajicek, V.P./Creative Director | |
| Mike Meister, Vice President, Creative Director | |
| Pam Sharpe, Vice President-Media Director | |
| Jessica Black, VP/Director of Client Development | |
| Linda Weddle VP/ Controller | |
| Amy Punchard, Senior Account Executive | |
| Phil Price CEO | |
| When you win a pitch, what do you think are typically the top 3 reasons? (check only 3) | |
| Scott Zajicek, V.P./Creative Director | |
| Mike Meister, Vice President, Creative Director | |
| Pam Sharpe, Vice President-Media Director | |
| Jessica Black, VP/Director of Client Development | |
| Linda Weddle VP/ Controller | |
| Amy Punchard, Senior Account Executive | |
| Phil Price CEO | |
| Bottom line, what do you think the agency most has to do to improve at new business? | |
| Scott Zajicek, V.P./Creative Director | Take a deep breath, take that step off of the cliff and market ourselves to qualified prospects. |
| Mike Meister, Vice President, Creative Director | I think we need a more comprehensive lead-generation and qualification plan; more consistent application of that plan; better messaging for prospecting materials; better packaging and promotion of our capabilities for existing clients; better pitch tactics for RFPs. |
| Pam Sharpe, Vice President-Media Director | We have to make an all out effort. We dibble dabble but never get out and beat the bushes to find the right prospects. |
| Jessica Black, VP/Director of Client Development | We need a prospecting plan with targeted messaging and insights. |
| Linda Weddle VP/ Controller | getting all of our new business material in order, getting a region to work and DO IT. |
| Amy Punchard, Senior Account Executive | I really think we need to define who we are as an agency and stick with it. We need to decide who we want and go after them. We do not need to take on every small business that comes through the door. We need to get aggressive and get going. |
| Phil Price CEO | Increase research and strategic planning/thinking, additional and unique tactics and add pizzazz to our pitches |