Lessons learnt from 100 creative workshops

Spoiler: it’s not just about clever ideas. It’s about listening, co-creating, and turning a business into a brand, because, yes, there is a difference.

Close to eight years ago, I joined DarkMatter, a tenacious agency of six dreamers crammed into one office, fuelled by yerba maté, nicotine and the blind optimism that we could out-idea anyone. Fast forward to today, and we’re a diversely talented team with offices in Johannesburg and London, delivering everything from nationwide through-the-line campaigns to high-end TVC productions.

But here’s the thing, our growth didn’t come from dazzling clients with glossy proposals or pitching ourselves into a coma. It came from a eureka moment born out of endless rejection. Nobody prepares you for all the ‘no’s’ you hear in the industry. However, ‘no’ was our driver to hear ‘yes’ and through our own hive mind we created the Creative Workshop. This is our foot-in-the-door sales approach that has given us the right insights to produce the best work for our clients. One-hundred workshops later (and counting), with a 77% account win rate turning curious prospects into loyal clients, I’ve learned a thing or two.

Lesson 1: Break the ice, build the vibe

Picture this, a room full of suits, arms crossed, sizing you up like you’re the one about to sell them an NFT. They don’t like you or what you are selling. Then you hit them with an icebreaker like you would on a first date, “What superpower would you want, and how would you use it?” Suddenly, the CMO’s grinning, admitting she’d pick teleportation to skip traffic, and the Head of Sales is plotting world domination with mind-reading - sales people, am I right!?

Five minutes in, you’re laughing, and the room’s alive. That’s no accident, it's by design. Starting the engagement with an Icebreaker Question, is our secret sauce to every workshop. It’s not just small talk, it’s an insight into the people we are looking to build a professional relationship with by creating a judgment-free zone.

Want to know your client better? Ask them something they’d never expect. It’s the fastest way to turn strangers into collaborators.

Lesson 2: Start with the end

Here’s a little trick we’ve perfected across the 100 Workshops, we call it ‘Start with the End.’ Before diving into the main activities, we clarify exactly what each exercise is designed to uncover, for instance, the binary ‘Paddle Pop Quiz’ featuring yes/no questions. It’s always fascinating to watch opinions split, and those divisions turn out to be a goldmine for assessing brand equity.

Or there’s ‘Brand Archetype Bingo’, where we’re not just playing games; we’re pinning down their brand’s soul. Are they a Hero? A Jester? Or an Outlaw? By the end of the three hours, we’ve mapped their brand promise, nailed their key messages, and sketched their client journey from first to last touchpoint.

Starting with the end in mind isn’t just method-to-the-madness, it’s the “aha!” moment where clients see the chaos of creativity snap into a strategy that’s all about them. Fun? Sure. Purposeful? Every single time.

Lesson 3: Get the right people in the room

Know your audience by asking, “who’s sitting at the table?” Two to four people is the sweet spot. Too few, and you’re missing the spark of diverse perspectives; too many, and it’s a shouting match with no one steering the ship.

The magic happens when you’ve got the right people and decision-makers' attention for that period, who can say “yes” without phoning a friend. Get the CMO, the founder, maybe the Head of Sales, and suddenly you’re co-creating with the ones who’ll sign the cheques. By the time we deliver that shiny strategic marketing doc, they’re not just nodding, they’re invested, because they’ve dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s with us.

Lesson? Curate the room like it’s a dinner party: small, intentional, and full of people who matter. That makes a great party.

Lesson 4: Control what you can

Pitches are tough. When won there is no better feeling, but more often than not they suck! They can hurt your agency’s morale and take time away from paying clientele.

Proposals? Useless without knowing the real problem. We spent years throwing darts in the dark, just to miss. But it’s through this exercise the Creative Workshop was born and our rebellion against the antiquated system started - now we hit bullseye 77% of the time.

For two to three hours, we’re not pitching, we’re talking face-to-face with people. Asking important questions only those who have been in their business and industry will understand first hand. It’s fun, it’s authentic, and it’s thought-provoking.

The result?

Clients don’t just spill their guts; they see DarkMatter in action, young creatives who’ve morphed into knowing consultants, channeling wild ideas into strategies that solve their real world problems.

Lesson 5: From creative to consultant

Six years ago when we started our Workshops, I was the guy bursting with ideas, ready to scribble on every whiteboard or glass window in sight. These workshops tamed me. Now, I’m a listener first, a strategist second, and a creative third.

Why? Because timing’s everything.

These workshops taught me to shut up and hear what’s not being said, to spot the pain points hiding behind the industry buzzwords. Now when the right idea hits, I wait until the right moment to unload it. I structure questions in my mind that hopefully give me answers from the client that validate the idea I haven’t shared yet. This delay allows the creative idea to steep in their minds without them knowing it. It’s only later in the Workshop when we play ‘Forget the Filter’ where the idea is stated and it lands. It’s not us pitching or proposing our own idea, it’s about us collaborating to make one together.

By being less loud, more reserved and patient, I’ve gone from sketching pretty pictures to solving messy problems.

The call to action (no pitch required)

If you’re a CMO wondering why your brand’s not connecting with your audience, try a Creative Workshop. Let us (or someone like us) crack open your world with questions you didn’t know you needed to answer.

If you’re an agency owner, stop drowning in proposals that miss the mark. Flip the script, get your foot-in-the-door, be seated in a room of two to four decision makers, have fun and co-create something worth believing in. The ‘advertising board game’ favours the big names, but you can change that by building an approach that gives you insights and answers that were previously unsubstantiated assumptions.

If you would like to know more about DarkMatter’s Creative Workshops, click here.