(February 11, 2008) —

MAGNET, a collaborative network of some of the world’s top marketing and advertising agencies, invited RFP MD president George Brumis to speak at its annual new business seminar, which was held on February 8th at Chicago’s Hard Rock Hotel.

Mr. Brumis received applause in the first 30 seconds of his presentation after letting his audience know he wouldn’t be taking them through a Powerpoint presentation. (Apparently, they had been through one too many Powerpoints during the day.)

Instead, Mr. Brumis read from his "Proposal Do's and Don'ts" die-cut book, which he gave to all of the attendees to read along with, as well as to take back to their respective agencies for future reference. Among other things, this book gave RFP MD a chance to show off its art direction and production skills, which can give an agency a distinct edge during the pitching process.

Throughout his 90-minute presentation to agency principals and heads of business development, Mr. Brumis spoke about proposal and pitching best practices, touching on the following topics:

• When to pitch and when to pass
• How to create an efficient proposal system at your agency
• How to make fast friends with prospective clients
• What to keep in mind when creating self-promotion pieces
• When to bring in "ringers" (industry experts) to help win a pitch
• Ways to design your proposals to make them more reader-friendly
• How to add the right amount of creativity to your RFP response
• Recommendations for proposal and artwork DAM system software
• How to manage your proposal team from the starting gun to the finish line
• Strategies to make your RFP responses more client-focused
• How to create a clear positioning for your agency throughout your response
• Strategies for design themes to tie your proposal together visually
• The importance of adhering to your agency’s brand guidelines
• How to make your case studies stand out
• Writing in the right tone for each prospect
• Ways to motivate and reward your pitching team
• How to ensure feedback after a pitch

Currently, MAGNET and its member agencies represent more than 800 clients worldwide with total annual billings of $1.6 billion USD. For more information on MAGNET, visit: www.magnetglobal.org.