When a marketer shops for agency services, it’s embarking on a journey. And at each step you have the opportunity, perhaps more than you realize, to exert some control over the journey and affect the outcome (ideally in your favor to win the business).
Each buyer’s journey is unique but here are five common situations in which I see agencies relinquishing control when they should be asserting it.
Read MoreIf I had to choose only one agency new business tool among all at my disposal, the case study would be it. Here are 5 steps to creating agency case studies that win new business.
Read MoreGood ideas badly presented put you at risk of losing the pitch but a good story can make your agency’s pitch irresistible. Here are 3 essential storylines to win agency new business.
Read MoreWhy does the small stuff matter? Because it has the capacity to communicate in a big way the qualities that clients are seeking when hiring a new agency: trust, responsibility, respect, proactivity.
Read MoreAgency business development success is often measured by revenue. And of course that’s a good qualitative measure—did you make your numbers or didn’t you?
But a lot goes into a successful new business operation, both quantitative and qualitative. Wouldn’t it be great to have a scorecard that objectively measures where you are today and keeps you accountable for the improvement you want to see? Here’s one way to start:
Read MoreI help my clients design agency business development strategies built around their strengths, not in conflict with them. You can too. The 1st step: discover your strengths profile. Are you a Hunter, Communicator, Thinker or Promoter?
Read MoreWhether proactive outreach plays a large role in your agency’s new business strategy or a minor one, you will undoubtedly be called on at some point to make a short, compelling pitch to someone who’s busy and not predisposed to interruption. Here are some dos and don’ts to put you on the right track towards making it worthy of their attention.
Read MoreCreating your annual plan for agency business development is exciting! An exercise fueled by possibility and healthy ambition. It’s also time-consuming and requires a lot of work so it’s in your best interest to create a plan you can stick with. Here’s how.
Read MoreAgencies over-rely on prospecting for short-term leads and entering competitive pitches. This comes at the expense of other points along the buying cycle that offer a chance to build stronger relationships with prospects. How to better lead through your agency’s new business buying cycle.
Read MoreNeed to infuse life into your agency’s new business pipeline? You know decisive action is required but starting is hard (especially if you’ve neglected biz dev for awhile). Here are three business development tactics you simply have no excuse not to make time for and which will serve you well when you need to fill the pipeline quickly.
Read MoreWhen it comes to pitching for new business, agencies are so accommodating!
They put in late nights and give up holiday weekends. They divert their best teams from paying clients to do spec work. They put up with terrible briefs and minimal information.
Are they too willing to play on the client’s terms for the chance to compete for new business?
I’ve identified four points in the pitch process where agencies should set their own terms, both for the sake of the future client relationship and their ability to pursue new business from other clients.
Read MoreRunning an agency review is hard work and when clients make unreasonable requests, it can be a proxy for saying, “hey, this is an important decision and we just don’t want to make a mistake.” Probe for the real reasons -- are there better ways to address them? Remember, your job in a new business pitch is to win. Sometimes that means challenging the rules.
Read More
