Why Do Interactive Agencies Play Hard To Get?

As the recession erodes Web budgets, customer experience professionals hope that agencies will be keener to bid on RFPs. Forrester's survey of 46 European agencies shows that agencies expect to be slightly more responsive than they were in 2008, but preparing proposals is too costly for them to bid indiscriminately. What do agencies look for in an RFP? Projects with significant scope that align with their core capabilities. Customer experience professionals need to identify the agencies with the best fit for their projects and leverage the downturn to get agency relationships that are both cheaper and better. To achieve this, they should craft RFPs that show alignment with the agencies' skills, specify business goals in detail, give agencies the flexibility to propose alternative solutions, and pile on the pressure for cost reductions without sacrificing essentials such as user research.