Stop agency pitches: Build better client partnerships

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In this episode, Brand Revolt’s Camden Bernatz joins host Jason Mudd to discuss why traditional agency pitches often fail, how clients can build better partnerships, and why diagnosis must come before solutions.

Tune in to learn more!

Meet our guest:

Our guest is Camden Bernatz, creative director and strategist at Brand Revolt and author of “Stop Asking for Pitches: 10 Rules to Fix the Client-Agency Relationship.” Once drawn to psychiatry, he now applies that same curiosity to branding, helping organizations diagnose challenges and build stronger brands.

Five things you’ll learn from this episode:

1. Why traditional agency pitches often prioritize performance over real problem-solving

2. Why diagnosing the problem must come before prescribing any solution

3. How treating agency relationships as strategic investments improves outcomes

4. How shifting from vendor transactions to partnerships leads to better results

5. What a true client-agency partnership looks like in practice

Quotables

“You want that agency that helps you develop the brief [to] help you figure out what we actually need. What are we trying to accomplish? What would success look like?” — Camden Bernatz

“The reason you have a need for an RFP or to hire a firm and hire an agency is because you don't totally know what you need.” — Camden Bernatz

“It’s just having things on the table early, talking about like, ‘We think that you're prescribing something that's going to cost more than you say you have money for.’”  — Camden Bernatz

“There's a difference in the way it feels to spend money on an agency versus spending the money with the agency.” — Camden Bernatz

“Your agency is like an engine to fuel as opposed to a resource to drain. You will treat it differently, and they will perform differently.” — Camden Bernatz

“Buying agency services is about buying a creative class of expertise, experience, guidance, and consulting that is much different than buying staples, pencils, and other supplies.” — Jason Mudd

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Guest’s contact info and resources:

Camden Bernatz on LinkedIn

Camden Bernatz on YouTube

Brand Revolt website

“Stop Asking For Pitches: 10 Rules to Fix the Client-Agency Relationship” book

The Win Without Pitching Manifesto

Clients behaving badly: Video store, hair salon haggling

Additional Resources:

How do we find a PR agency?

7 steps to working effectively with your PR firm

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