What Makes a Good Agency Credentials Deck? (And, Does Your Agency Even Need One?)

A client asked me recently for some pointers on what makes a good a credentials pitch deck.

I’m not a big fan of the creds deck. At least not in the ten-to-fifteen-slide recitation of the facts that we’re most familiar with. I think we expect it to do a job it’s not really designed to do. Nevertheless, I still obliged him and sent my take on the ideal outline for an agency credentials deck, which you will find below.

What is the job of a credentials deck, exactly? To move your audience from a state of unknowing to knowing in a manner that legitimizes you and reduces the risk of getting into a relationship with you. You could argue that this occurs at all stages of the sales process, but I contend the creds deck is best used as a tool for post-rationalizing a decision. It lets the client check the boxes.

In that sense, it’s much less a selling tool as it is a closing tool. (Closing tools are only one component of a four-part system that I call the New Business Ecosystem™. Download this guide if you want to create a New Business Ecosystem for your agency.)

It’s like buying a house. You begin to fall in love with a place based on the pictures and description in the real estate listing (and, if the realtor is doing her job, she’s already considered who her ideal customers are and she’s tailored that listing to attract them).

Then, you see the house in person and even if there are some qualities that were overstated in the listing, you still love it. You start to build a narrative around the idea of owning the house—the garden you’ll plant in the sunny front yard, the school that your kids can walk to, how you’ll renovate the kitchen.

After you’ve pretty much decided to buy the place, the inspector makes a visit and checks all the important but unsexy stuff (the condition of joists, the electrical wiring, etc.) that will dictate whether this investment is worth the risk.

I think the standard credentials deck, at least in the form that’s familiar to us, is more like the house inspector’s report than the real estate listing. It comes later in the sales process and confirms you’re making the right choice.

But that’s not how many agencies use a credentials deck. They use it early in the process and expect it to do more than it’s designed to do

Admittedly, this is due in no small part to the fact that clients and consultants are conditioned to ask for a credentials deck at the outset of a pitch.

And, to be fair, it has a role during the early stages of a traditional pitch, which is to help the marketer eliminate options.

When marketing was simpler and an agency was competing against dozens and not hundreds of direct competitors, the credentials deck may have played a more legitimate role early on. Pitches weren’t cattle calls and being eliminated early meant you could redirect your time towards more promising pitches.

A lot has changed in the new business game since then. Why has the creds deck persisted?

I realize I’m not going to single-handedly eliminate the hold the credentials deck has over agency business development, but I would like to help you see it differently and perhaps convince you to transfer some of the responsibility you assign to it to other marketing tools.

The most obvious of those tools is your agency’s website, which is essentially your agency credentials in digital form. (Interestingly, I see a lot of misspent time on refining the creds slides while improvements to the website are overlooked.) It’s designed as a self-guided tour, which a creds deck is not. And, you still retain the ability to create a perception and weave a narrative that goes way beyond checking the boxes.

Your marketing content should also be playing a role. Your agency blog, video, podcast, books, social, PR exposure, etc., shape perception of you as an expert and build your authority. This content demonstrates your credentials in action—how you think, what you do, and how you approach your work.

I would much rather see you attract prequalified clients as a result of a smart marketing strategy than email a 15-slide deck filled with bullet lists and client logos to the client’s inbox and pray that they look at it with a level of care and consideration. (Besides, you shouldn’t be sending your creds deck in advance of a meeting—always present it. It’s not designed as a self-guided tour like a website is.)

What’s more, when a client asks you to send it, it’s probably her way of getting you off her back without hurting your feelings. Instead, express how pleased you are that she’s interested and ask her to tell you more about what she’s hoping to learn. Do whatever you can to channel this into a conversation.

However, as long as the credentials deck is a fixture in our pitch process, I at least want to help you make it better. With that, here’s an outline you might consider using.

The Perfect Outline for an Agency Credentials Deck

Open with your elevator pitch

Or a version of it. Tell them what you do, for whom (your audience should recognize themselves in the statement), and the expected outcomes. Sounds easy. It isn’t. You gotta do the work and no amount of client logos and lofty statements about your agency culture will replace it.

Back up your elevator pitch with evidence

Quickly support your claim by framing yourself as an authority (once established it’s difficult for the client to undo) and demonstrating why you deserve to be called an expert, whether due to history, technology, specialty, or something else equally differentiating.

Tell them why it matters

Address the challenges your clients face and speak to what’s at stake if they’re ignored or not managed by an expert like you. This is a crucial moment and there should be an element of tension. You’re calling out the client on the big problem they need to solve while also offering a reason to bet on a better future.

“Check the box” stuff

If you’ve captured their attention, you’re likely to have permission to rattle off the nuts and bolts of your credentials such as a list of relevant clients, your services, and your process. You’ve given the audience the context they need for this information to be meaningful.

Your agency in action

Aka: case studies. So much can be demonstrated in a case study, even if it’s a short one-paragraph summary. You can show your process at work, illustrate the depth of your expertise (without saying the worn-out phrase “deep expertise”), and to invite the client to begin to imagine what life would be like with you by their side.

I’m a believer in the power of three. Two won’t give you room to tell the whole story; four or more will try the patience of your audience.

(If you present your case studies skillfully, you may not even need a separate section for the “check the box” stuff. Or you’ll need to rely on it less.)

Your team

Agencies love to claim their people are their competitive advantage yet I rarely see an agency team presented in a compelling way. Take a critical look at your team and see if there aren’t common themes that emerge around the talent you attract, how you recruit, and what you do to continue their professional development. If your deck is explaining how you’re qualified to perform a specific scope of work, make sure your team description contributes to your argument.

Demonstrate a POV

If you’ve got a strong strategic positioning, you’ve already accomplished this at the start of your deck and you may not need this section at all. But, if there’s more story to tell here, tell it now. What other unique attributes are you known for? Tie it into the narrative so they know why they should care.

Tell them what happens next

Always be looking for ways to assert control over the new business process. Don’t assign the definition of next steps to your client. What do you recommend as the next step? What’s your buying process should the client want to move forward?

How to reach you

Name, title, email, and mobile phone of an agency leader who has the authority to scope and price projects and can have a substantive conversation about next steps.

Also, include website URL and any other source for additional information. What’s more, make sure each slide has a contact email in the header or footer. Remove as much friction as possible on the path between them and you.

Final User Warning

Understand that this is a guide. It doesn’t do the hard work for you. Inserting vague, all-things-to-all-people messages into a handy outline like this will still result in a bad credentials deck.