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<atom:link href="http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/startups-working-agencies/235622/#comments" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /><title><![CDATA[Comments on: Why Startups Don't Like Working With Agencies]]></title>
<link>http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/startups-working-agencies/235622/#comments</link>
<language>en-us</language>
<ttl>120</ttl>
<description><![CDATA[If someone was going to write a book about what startups think of agencies, it would be called, "They're Just Not That Into You."]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[By: simon fluid]]></title>
<link>http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/startups-working-agencies/235622/#comments-104503</link>
<description><![CDATA[In China agencies work well with Start ups I have found but some good points here.]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 23 Aug 2012 11:55 EDT</pubDate>
<author>simon fluid</author>
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<title><![CDATA[By: Marielle Hanke]]></title>
<link>http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/startups-working-agencies/235622/#comments-103061</link>
<description><![CDATA[From what I understand, the article deals with why startups don&#039;t like pitching their ideas to agencies and instead knock on marketers doors directly. I work for Cloud Nine Media, a startup that focuses on WiFi sponsorships. We&#039;ve experienced both positive and negative encounters with agencies. In general, every single person you meet is super busy - as a presenter you have to make sure that you get to the point sooner than later. Sometimes, an agency only gives you 10 minutes to pitch, which is barely enough to present yourself, the company and your campaign ideas and can be frustrating when you&#039;ve flown in and then get cut-off half way through the presentation. Most people we&#039;ve met are interested in new and different things, but they only account for about 10% of the client&#039;s budgets. So even if the agency likes you and your concept at the end you still only get the smallest piece of the cake.]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 28 Jun 2012 13:00 EDT</pubDate>
<author>Marielle Hanke</author>
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<title><![CDATA[By: MIKE SPROUSE]]></title>
<link>http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/startups-working-agencies/235622/#comments-103009</link>
<description><![CDATA[There are some good points in here, David. I think there is a difference between what type of agency you&#039;re talking about in terms of the relevance to startups. I think your article is geared towards a large agency, i.e. part of a holding company. But for smaller, boutique firms, there is much more openness from startups. We work with several small businesses (as do other boutique marketing houses I know), and not only are we priced more realistically, but we provide something else the larger players don&#039;t: speed. Pricing &amp; speed to market are probably the two most important things conveyed to me from our clients and prospective clients. I think larger players probably fall short on both. Anyway, good food for thought, thanks for covering this.]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Jun 2012 18:19 EDT</pubDate>
<author>MIKE SPROUSE</author>
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<title><![CDATA[By: Dan Greenberg]]></title>
<link>http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/startups-working-agencies/235622/#comments-103001</link>
<description><![CDATA[I&#039;d add to that shoestring comment: agencies, often driven by their enormous holding company parents, have standard business practices that presume they are dealing with an enormous vendor. That goes well beyond forcing the startup to eat travel costs. &quot;Standard&quot; lawyer review and insurance coverage tend to overrun the economics of a startup, for instance, and neglect the fact that the startup may be betting the company on your behalf. As Benny says below, the agency needs to understand the cash flow of a small business. Otherwise, only the poorly managed startups will do business with the agency... and the results will be commensurate.]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Jun 2012 16:26 EDT</pubDate>
<author>Dan Greenberg</author>
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<title><![CDATA[By: Motion Traxx]]></title>
<link>http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/startups-working-agencies/235622/#comments-102993</link>
<description><![CDATA[Fantastic article David! You&#039;ve done a great job of capturing the challenges we&#039;ve been facing with selling advertising for our startup (MotionTraxx.com). We have partnered with agencies on several successful campaigns, while also took the bumps of numerous frustrating interactions. Here are some thoughts from our experience to help an agency person partner more effectively with a digital media startup:

1. Be Nurturing - Take some care to really learn about what the startup does, with an open mind and flexibility. We don&#039;t fit in a traditional &#039;box&#039;, so think outside of it.

2. Clean Slate - Analyze and asses us from a &#039;clean slate&#039;. Comparing a startup&#039;s offering to established publishers that sell standard banners is not apples-to-apples. Get know us for who we really are.

3. Don&#039;t Tease - Don&#039;t send me an RFP just because I called on you. If you don&#039;t have the budget and serious intentions of considering us, don&#039;t make us jump through hoops to send over a proposal (that we will most like pour our heart &amp; soul into late at night, to put our best foot forward), just to turn around and say &#039;sorry we don&#039;t have the budget&#039;. Get clear on your own parameters before you get us excited. 

I believe that innovative startups can do WAY MORE for a brand in terms of engagement, loyalty, and results than traditional publishers. When an agency planner cares about its brands and its publishing partners to make the extra effort, everybody, including the agency, wins.]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Jun 2012 13:30 EDT</pubDate>
<author>Motion Traxx</author>
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<title><![CDATA[By: Eric Picard]]></title>
<link>http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/startups-working-agencies/235622/#comments-102991</link>
<description><![CDATA[Startups are generally living on a shoestring, and can&#039;t afford to have meetings cancelled at the last minute - especially if they&#039;ve traveled to meet with you. So if you commit to a meeting with a startup, show up! It&#039;s not just rude, it actually has the potential to be the straw that broke the camel&#039;s back for some of these companies. 

And that&#039;s not an indictment of the stability of the startup - it&#039;s an indictment of your inadvertent power over them. Startups will work their butt&#039;s off for you if you give them the chance. It&#039;s a good bet - because in every case the project is more important to them than to you - and they&#039;ll apply lots of resources to the project to ensure it&#039;s successful. 

That said - be sure to scrutinize the players, ensure they know what they&#039;re doing, and check their reputations in the market. If you have any reservations, be honest and tell them what they are - you might find an answer you didn&#039;t expect.]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Jun 2012 12:47 EDT</pubDate>
<author>Eric Picard</author>
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<title><![CDATA[By: Joseph Bentzel]]></title>
<link>http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/startups-working-agencies/235622/#comments-102989</link>
<description><![CDATA[Many startups seek to either:
1. Create a new &#039;category&#039; that pays off their overall vision;
2. Re-invent or disrupt an existing category based on their product or platform;
3. Get actionable lead flow from Day One, vs. &#039;build a brand&#039; or &#039;grow awareness&#039;.

Given these goals, startups often feel that experienced agencies &#039;pigeonhole&#039; them into existing categories (as do analyst firms) or lack the streetsmarts to do real creative work around a complex and emerging set of technologies.

In my own practice, this is our specialty... giving startups what they can&#039;t get via agencies, and/or subbing to agencies that have strong account development teams. 

This essay by David is a solid beginning to fostering the right conversation between agencies and startups.]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Jun 2012 11:56 EDT</pubDate>
<author>Joseph Bentzel</author>
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<title><![CDATA[By: dean collins]]></title>
<link>http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/startups-working-agencies/235622/#comments-102988</link>
<description><![CDATA[I&#039;ve been meaning to put together a deck on how you might be able to leverage http://www.LiveFanChat.com 

@randynov actually suggested it when i caught up with him at your event last month.

So for all the startups reading this....what would you liek to see from us? how do we best pitch agencies? what info do you want included?/what should be left out?]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Jun 2012 11:55 EDT</pubDate>
<author>dean collins</author>
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<title><![CDATA[By: Benny Radjasa]]></title>
<link>http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/startups-working-agencies/235622/#comments-102987</link>
<description><![CDATA[Most start-ups are small business, and most start-ups are not well capitalize. If you agree with such premise, then money management (i.e. cash flow) is the of the most pressing concern. Cash flow is usually the bottle neck to growth because access to capital is extremely challenging, unless you are known in the investment community to have started a startup and successfully gone through an IPO. I am a small business owner and I can attest to this, so will many small business owners in the online advertising sector. On paper the agencies state they will pay net 60, reality is such they will pay somewhere closer to 90 to 180 days. In another words, you got to be your own bank for 1-2 quarters. My fellow small business owners, you all know what I am talking about here.]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Jun 2012 11:49 EDT</pubDate>
<author>Benny Radjasa</author>
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<title><![CDATA[By: Rob Davis]]></title>
<link>http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/startups-working-agencies/235622/#comments-102986</link>
<description><![CDATA[There are (at least) two sides to every story and this one is no different. Not every agency loves startups, nor should remotely consider working with one/them. But some might, if the situation is right.

Further, isn&#039;t it true that not every agency is a fit for any given company, startup or otherwise? There has to be passion and value for the arrangement to work even if the client is a hundred-year-old market leader. But, I believe there are some agencies better suited for a startup&#039;s unique-ness, that there exists for every startup an agency that could help propel them forward.

So, I guess the challenge really is for the right agencies to find the right startups, one(s) they can be passionate about and make a significant impact for... and for startups to find agencies who will be AGENTS for their propulsion and success. Then, once they meet, they both must be transparent, honest, collaborative and motivated to work together towards shared and mutually beneficial goals. But I goes that defines any good agency-client relationship, IMHO. @squalo555]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Jun 2012 11:27 EDT</pubDate>
<author>Rob Davis</author>
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<title><![CDATA[By: Casey Quinlan]]></title>
<link>http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/startups-working-agencies/235622/#comments-102984</link>
<description><![CDATA[I think it&#039;s essentially a complete lack of understanding on both sides - the startup thinks the agency is all about the billing (there&#039;s big truth there) and the agency likely views the startup as a possible avenue to big revenue wins *if* said startup wins market-share. 

BTW, #4 should really be #1: no value without delivery of something that actually has ... value.

An agency looking to attract startups into their pipeline can&#039;t start from a pipeline mindset. Tune the agency&#039;s antennae, via that #6 karma piece, to pick up signals from startups you can actually *help*. And then deliver helpfulness. Don&#039;t be a hammer looking for a nail.]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Jun 2012 11:21 EDT</pubDate>
<author>Casey Quinlan</author>
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<title><![CDATA[By: ANDREW HAYMAN]]></title>
<link>http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/startups-working-agencies/235622/#comments-102983</link>
<description><![CDATA[This is exactly right. Many Ad agencies were left holding the bag in the late 90&#039;s early 2000&#039;s. They were either not paid at all, or the options they held became worthless, or were so diluted that they were virtually worthless.]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Jun 2012 11:18 EDT</pubDate>
<author>ANDREW HAYMAN</author>
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<title><![CDATA[By: Rick Bennett]]></title>
<link>http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/startups-working-agencies/235622/#comments-102982</link>
<description><![CDATA[I&#039;ve worked with startups almost exclusively for my entire career. My key has been to take stock options in lieu of media commissions and not to mark up expenses but bill those expenses directly to the client where possible. Early on I say, &quot;I&#039;m the cheapest game in town prior to your liquidity event, and the most expensive game in town afterward.&quot;]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Jun 2012 11:10 EDT</pubDate>
<author>Rick Bennett</author>
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<title><![CDATA[By: Nigel Carr]]></title>
<link>http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/startups-working-agencies/235622/#comments-102980</link>
<description><![CDATA[no wonder start-ups don&#039;t like working with agencies if those 2 previous agency comments are anything to go by. skim a topic. completely misinterpret its content. pontificate about something entirely unrelated. the story was about why start-ups are going directly to clients for business, because agencies are a time-suck. not about why start-ups are giving up on traditional agencies when it comes to promoting themselves.]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Jun 2012 10:57 EDT</pubDate>
<author>Nigel Carr</author>
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<title><![CDATA[By: Greg Russak]]></title>
<link>http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/startups-working-agencies/235622/#comments-102979</link>
<description><![CDATA[Great article, David. It&#039;s encouraging and energizing to know that people like you are out there advocating that we all find ways to be more open and forthcoming about working together to everyone&#039;s benefit.]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Jun 2012 10:57 EDT</pubDate>
<author>Greg Russak</author>
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<title><![CDATA[By: Old Ad Guy]]></title>
<link>http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/startups-working-agencies/235622/#comments-102975</link>
<description><![CDATA[Startups don&#039;t like working with agencies because agencies want to be paid in cash. The dot com burst burned a lot of agencies with equity in kind]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Jun 2012 10:28 EDT</pubDate>
<author>Old Ad Guy</author>
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<title><![CDATA[By: Ben Acheson]]></title>
<link>http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/startups-working-agencies/235622/#comments-102974</link>
<description><![CDATA[In my experience, many startups are reluctant to invest significant amounts of their limited funds in marketing, unless they&#039;ve got substantial capital behind them.

It&#039;s a chicken-and-egg situation, because they do need marketing to grow. Small startups are unlikely to be able to hire marketing expertise in-house. But in my opinion some key online marketing activities, such as SEO, are best outsourced:
http://www.digivate.com/blog/seo/10-reasons-seo-agencies-do-better-seo-infographic/

In the early days many startups cannot afford to hire a good agency. Here are my top 8 SEO and online marketing tips for startups:
http://www.digivate.com/blog/seo/8-seo-tips-for-startups/

By using these simple pieces of advice I hope that startups will be able to grow sufficiently to hire good agencies.]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Jun 2012 10:17 EDT</pubDate>
<author>Ben Acheson</author>
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