Episode 045. What Clients Actually Want (And What They Won't Tell You)
Most agencies approach new business development with a set of assumptions about what clients want. A polished pitch deck. Impressive logos. Senior talent on the team. But what if you've been optimizing for the wrong signals entirely? In this episode of Agency Darlings, hosts Melissa Lohrer and Meredith Fennessy Witts sit down with Rachel Huff, founder of Victoire & Co, to pull back the curtain on what really happens in agency selection.
Rachel brings a rare perspective to the conversation. Having spent years on the agency side before launching her consultancy helping brands find the right agency partners, she sees the patterns that most agency owners never get visibility into. She describes her role as "part matchmaker, part therapist"—helping clients understand not just who might be a good fit, but why their previous agency relationships failed and what they actually need (versus what they think they want).
The conversation kicks off with a question that haunts many boutique agency founders: does size actually matter? Rachel's answer is nuanced. Rarely do clients come to her saying they want a big or small agency—they come with needs. The size question gets answered by the scope of work, not by arbitrary preferences. That said, she's watching the industry shift: even enterprise brands are increasingly open to working with smaller agencies for specialized, nimble work while keeping their holding company partners for scaled, consistent execution.
The Questions That Separate Winners from Wasted Time
One of the most tactical takeaways from the episode is the importance of qualifying opportunities before investing precious time. Rachel recommends agencies ask potential clients for a brief—even a simple one-pager—before putting together a proposal. "If a client isn't willing to put the minimal work to put together a quick one-pager for you, but they're willing to ask you to put together a proposal for them," she says, that's a red flag about how they value the relationship.
But the most powerful question might be understanding the client's history with agency partners. What's gone wrong in past relationships? What are their pain points? This serves two purposes: it helps you assess whether you're actually a good fit (or just repeating their pattern), and it gives you ammunition to position your agency's strengths against their specific frustrations. If a client's biggest complaint is never seeing senior people after the pitch, and your founder is genuinely in the work, that becomes your lead differentiator.
Another critical question Rachel advises: "How did you find us?" If a client came to you completely cold—maybe they Googled or asked ChatGPT for agency recommendations—you should be skeptical about whether they're seriously considering you or just filling out a roster. The agencies that win consistently have advocates on the client side, people who recommended them or championed their work before the pitch even started.
Why Your Beautiful Pitch Deck Might Be Hurting You
The episode takes a hard look at how agencies present themselves—and where they're getting it wrong. Rachel shares that one of the biggest shifts she's seen is clients caring more about the team than ever before. They want to know not just who the senior leader is, but who they'll actually be working with day-to-day. Agency titles mean nothing to clients; what matters is understanding each person's actual role on the account.
She also challenges the obsession with polished pitch materials. Small agencies often feel disadvantaged because they can't produce the same beautiful decks as large agencies with dedicated pitch teams. But Rachel argues this can actually work in their favor. The ability to quickly follow up after a call with a few relevant examples in an email—rather than waiting a week to assemble the perfect case study deck—demonstrates the nimbleness that clients say they want from smaller partners.
When it comes to case studies specifically, Melissa and Rachel agree that agencies often miss the mark by focusing on visuals rather than business impact. Clients aren't looking at your beautiful before-and-after the same way you are as a trained designer. They're thinking: did that rebrand grow the business? To the extent you can demonstrate how you solved similar business challenges to the ones the client is currently facing, that's what resonates.
The Hard Math on RFPs (And Why Cold Pitches Are a Losing Strategy)
Perhaps the most sobering moment in the episode comes when Meredith shares a statistic: smaller agencies going into RFPs cold win only 5-7% of the time. "We looked up the acceptance rate for Harvard and Yale," she says. "Harvard and Yale have slightly more competitive acceptance rates." The implication is clear: if RFPs are your primary business development strategy, you're playing a losing game.
Rachel's advice is to be extremely discerning about which opportunities to pursue. If you had no shot at winning an opportunity in the first place, the time you spent pitching it is actually money lost—especially for small agencies where time is one of the most precious resources. The smarter play is investing in building relationships that return to you in less competitive scenarios, where you're the obvious choice rather than one of five agencies being evaluated.
The conversation also addresses paid agency databases and matchmaking services. While Rachel's model is client-funded (meaning she has no incentive to favor one agency over another), she cautions agencies about services where they pay upfront without knowing what they'll get in return. Many agencies have reported paying for database listings that never produced relevant opportunities—or worse, produced opportunities that were never actually a good fit.
Lightning Round: Pitch Mistakes That Cost You the Win
Rachel closes with a lightning round of common pitch mistakes she sees agencies make repeatedly. First: spending too much time talking about themselves instead of the client. By the time you're in a pitch meeting, they already know why you're there. Pivot to having a conversation about their business. Second: not leaving space for conversation. The word "pitch" makes people think of sales presentations, but client-agency relationships don't actually work that way. The more you can turn it into dialogue, the better.
And finally—the mistake Rachel sees despite giving this advice repeatedly—decks and proposals are always too long. You probably have twice as much information, more than that, than you actually need. Cut ruthlessly. If the client wants to go deeper on something, they'll ask. Having extra slides in a "parking lot" for reference is fine, but plan on not presenting them unless specifically requested.
For agencies wanting to get on Rachel's radar for future RFPs, she recommends visiting VictoireCo.com and sharing your elevator pitch via email: who you are, what types of assignments you're best suited for, and what types of clients you work with. Don't assume she has time for a call—but a well-crafted email with bullet points about your specialty can make all the difference when the right opportunity comes along.
(00:00:00) Welcome & Introduction
Introducing Rachel Huff of Victoire & Co
Rachel's career path from agency side to agency search consultancy
Setting the stage for a behind-the-scenes look at agency selection
(00:03:18) Does Agency Size Actually Matter?
Why clients rarely ask for a "big" or "small" agency
How scope of work determines the right fit
Enterprise brands getting more comfortable with boutique partners
(00:07:12) Part Matchmaker, Part Therapist: Finding the Right Fit
How Rachel helps clients understand what went wrong with previous agencies
The difference between what clients think they want and what they actually need
Why understanding relationship history matters
(00:09:49) The Questions Every Agency Should Ask Before Pitching
Asking for a brief before investing time in a proposal
Understanding the client's history with agency partners
The "how did you find us" question and why it matters
(00:13:42) Stop Chasing Opportunities You Were Never Going to Win
Red flags that signal a bad-fit opportunity
When a client won't invest in a simple brief but expects a full proposal
Protecting your time as a business asset
(00:18:19) What Small Agencies Should Actually Lean Into
Nimbleness as a competitive advantage over large agencies
Quick follow-ups versus polished pitch decks
Playing to your strengths instead of mimicking holding companies
(00:21:38) Why Business Impact Beats Beautiful Slides Every Time
Clients care about outcomes, not aesthetics
Showing how your work moved the needle for past clients
The shift from showcasing creativity to demonstrating ROI
(00:25:23) The Biggest Shift in Client Expectations
Why clients increasingly want to know who's doing the day-to-day work
Titles mean nothing; actual roles mean everything
The growing demand for transparency in team structure
(00:29:55) Who to Bring to the Pitch (And Why Titles Don't Matter)
Presenting the team that will actually work on the account
Why senior leaders showing up then disappearing kills trust
Building confidence through honest team introductions
(00:34:35) The Transparency Rule for Freelancer Teams
When and how to disclose your use of freelancers
Why honesty about team structure builds rather than breaks trust
Framing flexibility as a strength
(00:39:02) Where Agency-Client Relationships Break Down
The most common post-pitch failures Rachel sees
Communication gaps that erode trust over time
How to maintain the energy from the pitch through delivery
(00:47:29) RFPs as a Biz Dev Strategy: The Hard Truth
Small agencies win cold RFPs only 5-7% of the time
Why relationship-based opportunities outperform cold pitches
Being strategic about which RFPs deserve your time
(00:55:12) Logos vs. Business Challenges: What Actually Wins
Why leading with client logos can backfire
Framing your experience around problems solved
What search consultants actually look for in agency credentials
(00:58:46) Lightning Round: Pitch Mistakes That Cost You the Win
Talking too much about yourself instead of the client
Submitting decks that are far too long
Not leaving space for conversation in pitch meetings
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