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.
Read MoreNew business is one of those responsibilities that should be fully integrated into your daily schedule. But for a lot of agency leaders, it's not. I think it’s why new business plans fail. Here’s a framework to help you operationalize your new business strategy and a roadmap for prioritizing activities on a daily, weekly, quarterly, and annual basis.
Read MoreI’ve seen my fair share of healthy relationships between agency owner and new business person. But unfortunately, unhealthy relationships outweigh healthy ones. Here are five things you can do to ensure you’re embarking on a satisfying collaboration that will lead to increased revenue, healthy agency growth, and a more sophisticated approach to pursuing the right clients.
Read MoreYou’ve decided to hire your first salesperson for your agency. The need is acute: not enough good leads, an overreliance on competitive RFPs, and a poor pitch-to-win ratio. It seems logical to hire someone qualified to help. But, the decision to hire must be based on scaling your agency, not digging it out of a hole. Here are two important indicators that you’re ready to hire a salesperson.
Read MoreIs 2021 the year of the independent agency?
The pandemic has offered smaller indie agencies an unexpected gift: a chance to win business from clients that may have defaulted to larger, better-known agencies in the past. Take full advantage of this. Here are three strategies for upping your game and positioning your agency to win the pitch.
Read MoreWhen I ask the leaders of small agencies to describe their ideal client, more often than not, the description sounds more like them than the new business prospects they’re trying to attract. This has big implications for the effectiveness of your new business outreach.
Read MoreSomehow, between servicing current clients and pitching new business, your network of professional contacts gets taken for granted. Yet, it’s one of the best sources of new business you have. Here’s how to borrow the principles of a re-engagement campaign to reconnect with your network.
Read MoreI’m not a big fan of the creds deck, at least not the 10-15 slide deck we’re most familiar with. Agencies use their credentials decks too early in the sales process and expect them to do more than it’s designed to do. While I’m not going to single-handedly eliminate the credentials deck from the agency new business toolkit, at least I can help you make it better.
Read MoreEarlier this month I attended the Bureau of Digital’s Owner Summit, an annual gathering of a couple hundred digital agency owners to share what works and what doesn’t in the pursuit of a thriving business. At some point during a session on business development, a remark was made about tactics used to differentiate an agency. The tactics mentioned were relatively superficial and it got me pondering how agencies must differentiate themselves from the competition in a manner that’s meaningful to prospective clients.
Read MoreIt’s not uncommon for agencies to expect their new business leads to excel at both business development and sales. And they’re frequently disappointed when that doesn’t happen. Sales and business development are essential for generating revenue, yet they require paradoxically different skills. Here’s an easy way to determine which one your agency needs more.
Read MoreStories are a perfect pitching device. Yet, despite the many agencies that declare themselves “brand storytellers”, they don’t always deploy that same skill on their behalf.
They get swallowed up by their own jargon or blindly grasp for the right words to describe the intangible qualities that make them different from their peers—with the ironic result that they end up sounding exactly the same.
If this applies to you, then I want to offer you a technique to use on your next pitch.
Read MoreRecently, a client of mine asked me to help him evaluate a lead generation firm he was thinking about hiring. The lead gen firm had sent him an extensive questionnaire so it could gather enough information to create a set of persuasive sales messages. It included questions you’d expect: How do you describe your ideal client? What makes your agency different from competitors? Why do you do what you do?
My client asked me for my advice. Would I assess this firm and tell him what I thought of the questionnaire?
My feedback was that there was nothing wrong with the questionnaire. The question I had for him: Was he was happy with his answers? And, should the lead generator bring him quality leads, did he believe he was prepared to close the business?
I gave my client some advice on how to make sure his investment would pay off. If you’re considering outsourcing lead generation, then it might be good advice for you too. Read more
