How to Prepare for a Client Interview in Advertising

When advertising clients come to you for an initial interview or consultation, they’re judging you, your company, your knowledge and your work product. To get the account, you’re going to have to sell yourself to the client. You will generally have to prepare for two interviews. First is the initial consultation, in which you assess the customer’s needs. The second interview is the pitch, where you outline your proposal for the client’s advertising campaign.


Research the client before your initial in-person interview and get a feel for his products and services, as well as his existing brand image. If possible, have a brief phone conversation with the client in advance of the first meeting to get an idea of the services he’s interested in. This will give you a starting point for exploring options and devising strategies when you meet n person.


Be prepared to answer questions about your company, such as what kinds of clients you represent, awards you have won and specialty advertising techniques you are known for. The client will want to know if an individual or team will be assigned to his account and how much contact and input he will have in creating an advertising strategy.


Listen more than talk during your first interview. Encourage the client to describe his company, his promotional goals and how he wants to build brand image, increase market share or reach a new customer demographic. This will help you develop a well-rounded picture of your client and his needs -- insights that will assist you in preparing for a follow-up meeting.


Put together a presentation sales pitch to prepare for your second advertising client interview. Your proposal should incorporate your plan for achieving what the client wants to accomplish with advertising. Your proposal should include suggestions for marketing and advertising approaches and corresponding explanations for why you think each approach will be beneficial to the client.


Prepare a proposed budget for the client, specifically noting how funds will be allocated and describing what you anticipate the results will be. For example, explain to the client how much money you recommend investing in print collateral materials, developing a new logo and hiring an appropriate spokesperson for commercials. Explain why you believe each move is a good investment.


Create simple mockups of key advertising collateral for the client to review. Each piece should follow the design parameters you discussed in your initial interview. Make slightly different variations if the customer expressed a desire for several different designs. For example, create mock-ups using slightly different fonts, layout and logos. This gives you the opportunity to discuss what the client likes and dislikes, which will allow you to proceed with tweaking and fine-tuning your advertising approach.


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