The Best Agency Opportunities Don’t Start With an RFP
Stop Waiting for RFPs. You’re Already Too Late. Problem / Context Most agencies treat RFPs as a golden opportunity. They’re not. They’re a lagging indicator. By the time an RFP is released, the real work—the thinking, the conversations, the shortlisting—has already happened. The data backs this up. The 6sense B2B Buyer Experience Report found that buyers are nearly 70% through their purchasing process before engaging with sellers. So if your strategy is to wait for the RFP, you’re stepping in after the decisions are already set. The Signal Mergers and acquisitions. Not all of them, but the right ones. When two companies merge, expand into a new market, or combine under one brand, something breaks. The story no longer fits. That’s when marketing becomes urgent. This is especially relevant for: Brand and creative agencies PR and communications firms Digital and web agencies Demand generation and media teams Strategy and positioning consultancies You’ll see the signal show up in: Press releases about “strategic combinations” Leadership interviews explaining the future vision Early messaging changes on the website New marketing or brand roles opening up Across executive conversations, this is often where the real work starts—long before any formal search begins. Why It Matters M&A creates moments where companies are forced to rethink how they show up. A bank merger leads to a rebrand.A SaaS acquisition creates a new product story.A private equity roll-up demands faster growth. These aren’t small tweaks. They’re identity changes. And identity changes create work across brand, messaging, digital experience, and demand generation. But that work doesn’t start with an RFP. It starts with internal alignment and early external conversations with people who understand what they’re going through. The Mistake Most Teams Make They ignore this signal entirely. They wait for the RFP. Or they treat all M&A the same, without understanding which ones actually create marketing need. A small acqui-hire? Probably nothing.A distressed acquisition? Likely cost-cutting, not spending.An internal restructuring? No urgency. But a rebrand-driven merger, a market expansion, or a private equity roll-up? That’s where real opportunity exists. Most teams don’t make that distinction. So they either miss the moment—or show up too late, when the direction is already set. The Smarter Move Use M&A as a filter, not a trigger. Focus on the types of deals that change: The brand The market The growth expectations Then step back and ask: What just became unclear for this company?What are they now trying to explain to the market?Where will they struggle to align internally? That’s where you can add value. AI can help you spot these moments faster. But it can’t tell you which ones actually matter. That’s judgment. How to Use This When you see the right type of M&A, don’t treat it like a lead. Treat it like context. This is a company entering a period of change. Your role isn’t to jump into a process. It’s to show up early with perspective. That might look like: Sharing a point of view on how similar companies handled a rebrand Offering insight into common messaging mistakes post-acquisition Engaging with how leadership is talking about the transition The goal isn’t to win an RFP. It’s to be one of the few firms they already trust when that RFP gets written (or impress them so much they bypass the RFP process altogether).
