One of the metrics agencies tend to obsess over the most is conversion rate. It’s easy enough to calculate: take the number of prospects your agency pitches and divide it by the number that actually become clients. Multiplied by 100, this is your conversion rate. 

What agencies are really examining through this number is all the work that goes into converting prospects into clients. ‘Are we listening to the client enough? Are we focusing properly on the problem they want to solve? Are we presenting our team as the right fit for the client, as much as our ideas?’ If your agency’s conversion rate is lower than you’d like it to be, the cause likely falls under one of two reasons:

1. Your marketing process is not qualifying leads properly. The best agencies are just as selective about the clients they pitch to as clients are about who they work with. Know your strengths and only pitch to clients whose needs offer the chance to flex those strengths in full capacity.
2. Your new business process isn’t resonating with prospective clients. You might be a great fit for a client’s needs, but you’re not conveying your capabilities in a language they understand. In some cases, clients may understand your technical terminology well enough, but a sense of arrogance or complexity of it turns them off. 

If you suspect your agency conversion rate is suffering from a disconnect in your new business process, examine the language you use in your pitch deck. Let’s review the eight types of language you should immediately remove to become a more approachable, relatable team your ideal client will want to work with.  

What is jargon?

According to the Plain Language Action and Information Network (PLAIN), a working group of U.S. federal employees who support the use of clear communication in government writing, jargon is  “unnecessarily complicated language used to impress, rather than to inform, your audience.” 

Jargon is not technical language that you must use to convey a concept or stay within legal guidelines. It’s the difference between saying, “Our manifold aptitudes position our robust assembly of employees as the most qualified advertising business organization for the purpose of promoting your product or service presently being discussed” versus (in plain language a client will actually understand), “Our team’s strengths make us the right agency for your campaign.”

PLAIN identifies three types of jargon to watch out for:

1. Technical jargon: It’s fine to use the proper term for a concept or object when necessary, even if the term is long or uncommon. But it’s possible to use plain language around that technical term so that you don’t cause confusion or misunderstanding around it.
2. Legal jargon: Even when composing a legal document, it’s best to avoid using archaic words in favor of more informal language with the same meaning. Heretofore, we herewith recommend the abandonment of any and all musty-sounding legal verbiage wherein the meaning is not clear whatsoever and a word with identical denotation is henceforth more acceptable. See what we mean?
3. Business jargon: These are words that people use as filler, or when attempting to be seen as savvy or intelligent. Some examples:
   • Thinking outside the box
   • Value-add
   • Best practice
   • Touch base
   • Circle back

You don’t need these terms when pitching clients: You know their product and you have the ability to execute your ideas. If you wouldn’t use a phrase in conversation with friends, don’t put it in your pitch deck. 

8 Overused Terms to Remove From Your Pitch Deck Immediately 

The following terms have been used so much for so long in the advertising industry that they’ve lost any meaningful value. If these still appear in your pitch deck, it’s time to get creative and replace them with direct language that makes your point.

1. Full service

Almost every agency claims they’re full-service, but with so many media channels available, it’s tough – if not impossible – for any one agency to truly be able to cover them all. Instead of claiming to be full-service, emphasize your creative and technical strengths.

2. Integrated

This word means that the various parts of a system are linked or coordinated. Every agency is integrated in the sense that its departments or teams work together to bring in new business and deliver on its promised services. So this isn’t a unique claim. Instead of boasting about being an integrated agency, provide examples of the synergies your agency specializes in, and how your internal specializations work together to produce big results. 

3. Wide range of services/experience

It’s fine to offer multiple services, especially if you are pitching a larger account. But what potential clients really want is an agency that has experience in their industry and in their desired platforms. Show them you can customize your work to their goals.

4. Customized

Which brings us to the term “customized.” You’re definitely customizing your work for each client, so you don’t need to say that. Explain in detail how you’ll approach their work. A client will remember a stellar example instead of a blanket statement about customization.

5. Strategic

If you weren’t strategic in your work, the client would not be bothering to sit through your pitch deck presentation. Intelligently approaching their problem is a given. Show them the research and critical thinking that went into your proposed solutions instead.

6. Holistic/wholistic

This term is similar to ‘customized’ in that it should be a given that your proposed work will dovetail with the client’s other products, services, and marketing efforts. No one will hire an agency that insists on operating in isolation. 

7. Dedicated

While it’s nice to hear that your agency will be dedicated to the client and their advertising needs, they already expect that. This is another area where actions mean more than words: Give examples of how responsive your team can be to a client and their campaigns.

8. Storytelling 

This term has been trendy since the rise of Web 2.0 when social media gave everyone a soapbox and a microphone. When everyone is a storyteller, it’s no longer a differentiator. Besides, storytelling isn’t the goal: Increased sales, more revenue, launching a new brand—those are the goals. 

Keep It Simple

Increasing your agency’s conversion rates hinges on the big and little things. Clearing your pitch deck of unnecessary jargon is one of those little things with big impact. An effective, memorable pitch speaks in a way your prospective clients will easily understand. It also leaves out a lot of words you might think you need in favor of letting your ideas speak for themselves. 

As a recap, to clear your pitch deck of jargon:

• Have multiple team members review it, from senior execs all the way to junior associates, not just the editor. 
• Ask a trusted client to review it with an eye to remove terms they don’t quite understand or have heard a thousand times already.  
• Consider hiring a search consultant to give their opinion (hint hint).  
• Read your slides out loud. It forces you to see and hear exactly how your presentation sounds by immediately placing you in the perspective of the listener. 

And most importantly, don’t forget to identify, crystalize and clearly communicate your agency’s passion throughout your pitch deck.