Why RFPs are failing: Embrace a modern matchmaking approach to agency partnerships

I recently received a Teams message from our director of new client partnerships, letting me know about a sizeable new business opportunity. Before I was two sentences in, I felt my competitive nature firing up and was mentally shifting into “game on” mode. One of my favorite things about the advertising business is winning—and to win, you need that competitive spirit. Wins in my book: Attracting great talent. Positive press. Industry awards! Developing new skills. Helping clients achieve real results. And my all-time favorite, growth through new business.

As I scanned through the outline, I could see that this was going to be another exercise in proving ourselves through the traditional RFP process, with participating agencies expected to respond in a highly regimented and isolated way. To put it mildly, that old-school approach to finding an agency partner can be frustrating. And it definitely doesn’t set the stage for a brand to get a deeper feel for how an agency operates.

It’s hard to believe that in 2025—the age of data, technology and AI—there are still brands running RFPs like it’s 2005.

Maybe I’m being a bit dramatic, but it hits a nerve that’s rooted in the way agency RFPs are conducted—with methods that seem entirely backward and out of touch with how successful work really gets made.

Of course, we understand we need to prove our value, and I personally never turn down the chance to be creative. It’s literally woven into my DNA. But I also know there’s a better way for brand marketers to select their agency partners.

Let’s be honest, the RFP of the past is inherently flawed. It’s time for a complete reimagining. The more articles I read, podcasts I listen to, and conversations I have with people across the industry on both client and agency side, the more I realize I’m not alone.

Despite seeing firsthand the mountain of work and expenses these reviews create for agencies and clients alike, my frustrations aren’t coming from a place that’s self-serving. They exist because I understand how important it is to have a strong foundation before you’re able to work out the plans and details that are the difference between average and well-performing (fill-in-the-blank) research, marketing, creative, PR, social media, brand strategy, comms planning, media planning and buying, etc.

There’s a better way to RFP. One that creates the framework for a fair evaluation and answers the questions brands are trying to get to the bottom of. How do I know it works? Because we’ve developed an approach to pitching—or should I call it matchmaking?—that offers so much more. And we’ve proved it works time and again.

But before we go there, it’s helpful to remind ourselves what the traditional RFP is trying to accomplish to begin with.

RFPs are intended to set the stage for a fair process. They’re usually highly regimented and potential agencies are held at arm’s length to level the playing field so nobody has an unfair advantage. Of course, that’s at odds with creating the healthiest environment for collaboration, but that’s beside the point.

Asking responding agencies to operate in tight parameters all but eliminates the opportunity to evaluate how well they flex and adapt to issues that are certain to occur. It’s more of an exercise in order taking vs. strategic thinking. And it feels like how someone would vet a vendor instead of a partner.

At the end of the day, a brand is trying to reduce their risk. I’d argue that by not getting to know their future partners better, they’re actually increasing their risk.

At times, it feels like we’re trying to check off boxes that prove we’re the right choice.

• Is our agency stable and performing well? (Share the financials + recent wins and losses.)
• Do we have extensive relevant category experience? (Who else have you done this for?)
• Where’s our creative bar?/Do we have the chops? (Show breakthrough work—a lot of it.)
• What’s our pricing structure and offered value? (Are we competitive with cost?)
• Who’s the team we’ll be working with? (No bait-and-switch from pitch team to the actual team.)

And on and on, always mostly focused on the agency instead of solutions for the real business problems the agency can collaborate on straight out of the gate if they’re set up properly.

It could be argued that if spec creative is required, you’re starting to get at solving a problem. Too often, clients are looking for the magic idea they can’t articulate, but they’ll know it when they see it.

The issue with that is that by following the strict process, collaboration is nearly nonexistent. Even the best agency teams need a partnership with clients to build something meaningful. Which means what gets presented during an RFP is a one-way viewpoint that rarely sees the light of day.

Here’s something that should seem simple and intuitive, but it doesn’t happen enough.
We all need to jump into the weeds and do some actual work together.

Before someone says they already have too much on their plate between regular business and RFPs, I promise this is not an approach that creates more work.

We’ve found that when we’re more deliberate about working to solve a specific business problem—not as “our team” and “their team,” but as “the team”—something tangible is created that can be put to use right away. Maybe that’s the magic everyone is looking for.

Then the checklist starts to look like this from the client side.

• I know the agency team has the category experience and knowledge of our brand because they demonstrated it through thoughtful dialogue against a real challenge.
• I don’t want to work with jerks or big egos, and since this would be the actual team, I can see chemistry starting to develop and us enjoying working together.
• I see how the agency leans into data and technology to get to more strategic solutions quicker.
• I know what it feels like to ideate and create and get messy together because we actually did it.
• I can see how the agency is able to think on their feet and respond to the curveballs that are inevitable throughout a project.
• I now have something of value we made that can be shared with leadership to help justify the agency selection and drive our business forward.

And you get this without an investment in time and energy beyond what was already allocated to run a traditional RFP, where time would be set aside to meet with the finalists.

Speaking of making the finals, don’t get me going on the usual way pitch presentations play out. They’re almost all the same, with agencies talking at potential clients, followed by a quick Q&A. Sadly, that usually means both sides lose the opportunity to really see what it could be like to join forces and create something special.

The agency team and the client are both putting in extra work to find the right partner. And you’re both facing a long and challenging road ahead. It’s a necessary part of doing business—but that doesn’t and shouldn’t mean you have to be stuck in the past. Business is being transformed at such a pace that our opportunities are out in front of us if we’re willing to open up our thinking and embrace transformation.

Notice that I said both the agency and the client are looking for the right partner. We do our best work when we’re at the table blurring the lines between agency and brand. When you trust us to join the party, you get a true extension of your team who loves your brand as much as you do.

We’re grateful that some of our best brand work began by building a strong foundation during this fresh approach to the pitch (matchmaking). It jumpstarted our journey together and paved the way for faster, more meaningful business outcomes.

There’s more modern way to select your agency partner, and we’d be delighted to share more about our approach to saying goodbye to antiquated ways and hello to infinite possibilities.

Ready for that conversation?