Search and Selection

Our approach to search and selection is based around the need to evaluate agencies and make a selection on their likely Long Term Performance against your Footprint. It helps you guard against decisions which are weighted too much in one direction or another and particularly to the seductions of "the pitch". It is designed to allow for continuous assessment.

Though all evaluations and decisions have to be yours, we guide and facilitate throughout the process.

The process is illustrated below and then described more fully:

Stage one - Footprint and longlisting
•	Meeting to elicit your Footprint. We will "chart" it, so that it can be a constant visual reminder during your search
•	We will assemble the most appropriate long list against this picture.
•	We will suggest you visit a selection with us.

Stage two - Short listing (3 or 4 agencies)
•	We select a short list using a similar method to profile agencies to the one that has produced your Footprint - and while a meeting, and "chemistry", are part of this, we will look beyond those to evidence - of agencies' real philosophies, standards, and ways of working, and of the success of their relationships with clients old and new.

Stage three - Briefing
•	We will provide any support necessary to help pull your written brief together
•	The brief will be sent to the short listed agencies, with a request that they read and absorb it before the next meeting - a Question and Answer session
•	Discussion on terms should begin now
•	YCP will develop a grid for evaluation based on your Footprint and the brief

Stage four - Collaborative meetings
•	The point of interim meetings is that, albeit in a "hot house" situation, agencies have a chance to demonstrate those characteristics that matter most to you
•	The precise nature of the meetings and the time you give to them, will relate to your priorities as reflected in your Footprint. The more emphasis you have put on "Partnership", for instance, the more meetings you may have. The more you have put on "Business thinking", the more you might want to involve people outside your immediate marketing team. If your really want creativity above all (a weighting perhaps of 70 or more on that) you might have meetings solely intended to present ideas, and then a full creative presentation.
•	We need to be careful of shaping this period too prescriptively - the meetings agencies ask for can reflect their own priorities and that is important in itself
•	Evaluation is continuous during this process, and we will encourage you to discuss progress openly

Though this stage can clearly be demanding of your time and your people, it is concentrated over a short period of time - three to four weeks in most cases. We do not recommend long drawn out processes. The amount of time involved will clearly relate to the number of agencies. Our process for short listing helps to keep this tight.

Stage six - Selection meeting
•	We facilitate the discussion.
•	Sufficient time and input must be given in the selection meeting to ensure that the decision truly reflects your long term needs and not short term distractions.
•	Your Footprint should be visible constantly. We only contribute to the decision insofar as we will have taken your "raw scores" and applied your Footprint weightings to them.

Stage seven - Appointment
•	Terms (initially discussed at the time of briefing) need to be confirmed before the appointment is announced.
•	Timing and method of any announcement agreed
•	We advise that losing agencies should be told that they have been unsuccessful quickly and without prevarication and that all agencies, winners and losers, are offered a full feedback session (either by the client or YCP).

How we work with you	Solutions
The Footprint	Search and Selection
Performance Check	Performance Measurement