Writing the brief for a project is where it all starts. Or where it all starts going wrong. This part of the process is so important it must not be under-estimated or overlooked. This is where expectations and the rules of the game are set.
If an agency receives a brief which has "holes" in it, no matter how scrupulous they are, they will tailor their response to your perceived strengthes and weaknesses. And that influences what they will try and "sell" you.
If only agencies and clients were more collaborative in the early stages of a project then the path to the most appropriate solution and execution would be less fraught and prone to slip-ups.
We work with our clients to ensure that when they choose to put their head above the parapet (send out their brief) that it is 100% watertight and is entirely unequivocal to the pitching agencies as to their requirements and why they have set them. This does not preclude an agency "challenging" the brief, but is does establish the rules of engagement from which the the path to sucess is much less rocky.