Commentary

In Reddit Post, Successful Agency Exec Admits He Has No Idea What He's Doing

by Richard Whitman , Columnist, February 21, 2016

Probably sharing what every single agency executive has felt at one point or another during his or her career, Reddit poster Benjamin Powell admits he has no idea what he's doing running his agency.

In the post, he shares his thoughts and asks for advice, writing: "So, we are finding ourselves being invited to pitch to brands that are pretty darn big these days…for some totally unknown reason, we get invites.. Like global hotel chains, Global FMCG's and so on... Problem is, I have no idea what I am doing, I’ve never worked in an agency before, I don't really have the funds to afford to get someone that has ad agency experience, as I am investing more in to delivery staff than sales staff so... yeah... No freaking idea… what do I do? 2 offices now and I feel like, at any second clients that are paying a hefty sum of cash every month will realize that we're not a real agency and they will pull out early.. lol.... dick joke.... We deliver, I'm mean, I've got a great team and we get provably solid results, BUT, going to pitch to mega FMCG's... WTF dude.

I'm looking up Youtube videos on how to pitch to a client.. I only started this agency because I didn't have any money to get developers to build the apps I wanted.. and now I have this goddam agency.. Shit... anyone every accidentally found themselves in the same situation and can offer some advice?"

Advice from fellow Redditors ranges from "Go get 'em, tiger" to "Nobody know what they're doing. fake it until you make it" to "Go buy Rick Webb's book, Agency" to "You know what you're doing or you wouldn't be in this position" and lots more.

What other advice can we offer this man?

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3 comments about "In Reddit Post, Successful Agency Exec Admits He Has No Idea What He's Doing".

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kevin lee from Didit / eMarketing Association / Giving Forward, February 22, 2016 at 10:15 a.m.
Wonder if he was just trying to be provocative or actually feels that way? Clearly to get invited to pitch he and his team have made a great impression on those asking them to pitch. The other comment I have is that if the agency is just getting RFPs when no one there had a material conversation with the prospect, the chances of a sucessful pitch plummet. Some brands simply need to "run a process" but pretty much know who they are going with before the RFP goes out. It's like poker. If you don't know who the sucker at the table is, it's you ;-)
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Lonny Strum from MayoSeitz Media, February 22, 2016 at 11:26 a.m.

Give him props for honesty. Like this guy.

Demos Ioannou from DCI Consulting LLC, February 22, 2016 at 11:39 a.m.

Ha! The tailor tells the emperor that he's naked.
This exactly what I will be talking about at the ARF's Re!Think conference in NYC on March 15!
Media buyers have been peddling snake oil to CPGs and they guzzle it down.