A Successful Pitch Depends More on Preparation than Presentation

When an agency fails to captivate an audience in a pitch meeting it might have less to do with presentation skills and more with content and preparation. Here’s a simple set of three quality control factors to apply to your next pitch deck before writing a big check to a presentation coach.

Agency Business Development, Pitching New BusinessJody SutterMay 10, 2023#pitchnewbusiness, #agencybusinessdevelopment, #businessdevelopmentpractices

When a Sales Process Works…and When it Doesn’t

Is it possible to close new business deals by simply following a step-by-step process?

Agency Business Development, Pitching New BusinessJody SutterApril 12, 2023#pitchnewbusiness, #agencybusinessdevelopment, #businessdevelopmentpractices, #hiringanagency

Found Money: Why Your Contact Database is a Valuable Asset (and How to Get More Value Out of It)

Your agency's list of clients and prospects is a valuable business asset. And like any asset, the more you invest in it, the more valuable it becomes. Here are four ways to get more new business value from your agency’s list of contacts.

New Business Operations, Pitching New BusinessJody SutterSeptember 26, 2022#agencybusinessdevelopment, #crm, #customerrelationshipmanagement, #winnewbusiness, #smallagency, #agencygrowth, #agencynewbusiness, #newbusinessstrategy, #clientlist, #clientdatabase, #agencyleader, #newbusinessoperations, #newbusinesstools

Your Story, Your Narrative and Their Impact on Agency New Business

There’s a difference between your agency’s story and your agency’s narrative. Many agencies overlook this – and it can have catastrophic consequences on agency business development. Here’s how to ensure your marketing message is having the right impact.

Writing for Agency New Business, Pitching New BusinessJody SutterAugust 25, 2022#agencybusinessdevelopment, #winnewbusiness #smallagency, #agencygrowth, #agencynewbusiness, #newbusinessstrategy

5 Ways You’re Not Controlling the Pitch (and How to Change That)

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.

Pitching New BusinessJody SutterJuly 14, 2022

5 Steps to Creating the Perfect Agency Case Study

If 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.

Persuasive New Business Presentations, Pitching New BusinessJody SutterJune 6, 2022#agencybusinessdevelopment, #agencycasestudy, #winnewbusiness, #newbusinesspitch, #smallagency, #agencygrowth, #agencynewbusiness, #newbusinessstrategy

Three Ways to Turn Your Agency’s Pitch into a Winning Pitch

Good 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.

Persuasive New Business Presentations, Pitching New BusinessJody SutterApril 27, 2022#agencybusinessdevelopment, #smallagency, #agencygrowth, #agencynewbusiness, #newbusinessstrategy, #howtowinnewbusiness, #pitchingnewbusiness, #winagencynewbusiness, #prepareforapitch

Small Gestures that Make a Big Impact on Agency Business Development

Why 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.

Agency Business Development, Pitching New BusinessJody SutterMarch 30, 2022#agencybusinessdevelopment, #smallagency, #agencygrowth, #agencynewbusiness, #newbusinessstrategy

The Essentials of Leadership in Your Agency’s New Business Process

Agencies 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.

Pitching New Business, Marketing Your AgencyJody SutterSeptember 7, 2021#competitivepitches, #prospectingforleads, #controlthepitch, #agencynewbusiness, #agencynewbusinesspitch, #clientonboarding, #sellingagencyservices, #awarenessbuildingactivities, #agencynewbusinessplan, #getbetteratpitchingnewbusiness, #agencyleaders, #agencyleadership

3 Business Development Activities Your Agency Has No Excuse Not to Do

Need 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.

Outbound Prospecting for Agencies, Pitching New BusinessJody SutterJuly 20, 2021Fill the pipeline, new business pipeline, agency new business, client testimonials, referrals strategy, strategic partnerships, business development activities, agency business development, great business development strategy, how marketers find agencies

Four Common Negotiating Mistakes Agencies Make During the Pitch

When 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.

New Business Operations, Pitching New BusinessJody SutterMay 24, 2021agency new business, agency client contract, pitch mistakes, new business pitch, negotiation, pitching new business, agency pitch

How to Win the Final Pitch Presentation Even when the Client Throws You Curveballs

Running 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.

Pitching New Business, Writing for Agency New BusinessJody SutterApril 26, 2021agency new business, new business pitch, agency review, pitch meeting, client pitch brief, digital agency, brand agency, marketing agency