Know-How Exchange : Advertising/PR

I am the owner of a small BTL advertising agency in the Middle East. For over 9 years now we have managed to gain a very good reputation working on Ad Hock BTL projects for large and important multinational brands who already have Large and Famous Agencies who do their ATL work. These agencies do a lousy job with BTL, Activations, Promotions etc... so when needed these customers come to us for effective BTL work that get sales moving and does not address Thematic Advertising and long term brand building. Our customers always end up very satisfied and they speak of us very highly. But then we don't hear from them for months, and they are not willing to sign retainer contracts or take us seriously like they do the large big name agencies. Someone suggested that when we approach large customers we offer to work for them without creative or artwork fees , just to get a chance to show our work and our potential and without any strings attached with the thought that if we do a good job we get the chance to be signed on and discuss fees etc.... at this point.

I hesitate, but feel there is almost no other way to proceed as we are simply not being taken seriously as a small agency, as most of the large customers want the prestige of working with a big brand agency and worry less about the work & results. What really is hard to understand, is that the brand managers who we work with all spend their time complaining about the large agencies, the bureaucracy, the slow reaction times, the artworks that say we just don't care and the constant efforts to cancel BTL budgets and trying to get the budgets spent on Large TV or ATL campaign that the client does not want, afford and want.

I just need some opinions and ideas and some experience from those out there who have experienced similar situations.

Thank You,

Fadi Rebeiz
Impress Advertising