As a business development leader at a top 10 global agency, I have filled out thousands (literally) of RFIs and RFPs. When you consider that the average RFI/RFP has -- at a minimum -- 30 questions, then I have probably answered more than 30,000 questions. What's amazing, though, is the fact that not one single client has ever asked me -- How many twitter followers does your Chief Creative Officer have? Or - What's your CEO's Foursquare score? How much Klout does your Digital strategist have? How many facebook friends does your agency have?Why aren't clients asking these questions?
If I was a procurement officer, or a CMO, I would want to know the answers to these questions before I even entertained entrusting my hard-earned brand to a potential marketing partner. How can an agency offer counsel on emerging and social media, if they aren't actively participating in its narrative? When agencies fake it (and, ghasp -- they do), they can cause serious damage to the reputations of the brands they serve - and the people behind them within the client organization.
Falsities and truths mingle in the land of RFI/RFP writing. But numbers don't lie. Next time you search for any agency -forget about their D&B score. It's their Klout that you are really interested in!
