How are the best advertising in the agencies?

What are the best practices for niche promotional advertising agencies to approach large business clients?

• I would like to approach a large company that appears in Red Books. It states that they have an advertising agency in place. Do you contact the CEO of the company or do you contact the advertising agency?   I also would like to know how you would contact them. I usually would send and email. Then I follow up with a phone call. Usually leading to a warm introduction to the ad agency. Is their a more formal way of doing business?

• Answer:

  I wouldn't. There are some benefits and costs to selecting an agency. Bringing you into the mix would leave them with more costs but fewer benefits. If you really desperately wanted to work with this client and the primary agency is weak in your area then I would approach the main agency. If you partner with them then they can sell your services at a modest profit and now their offering had one less weakness.