Three competitors, one identical pitch.
The agency's proposals read like every other shortlisted firm's, so decisions defaulted to price and familiarity. Inbound enquiries arrived but were poorly qualified and rarely matched the work the agency did best.
Details anonymised at client request.
What changed
We narrowed the positioning to the sector where the agency's results were strongest, then built inbound content around the commercial decisions its buyers were actually facing.
- Narrowed positioning to the two sectors with the strongest proof.
- Built a point-of-view content programme around buyer decisions, not services.
- Added an enquiry qualification step before a pitch was scheduled.
- Reframed pricing conversations around commercial outcome rather than scope.
The outcome
68 qualified meetings and $91K in pipeline, with a materially higher proportion of enquiries matching the agency's strongest work.
What we would do next
Narrowing further would compound the effect. The sector where proof is deepest is almost always under-exploited relative to its potential.