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

Measuring Agency Business Development Effectiveness

Agency 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:

Agency Business Development, New Business OperationsJody SutterFebruary 22, 2022#agencybusinessdevelopment, #smallagency, #agencygrowth, #agencynewbusiness, #newbusinessstrategy, #howtowinnewbusiness

How to Win New Business by Playing to Your Strengths

I 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?

Marketing Your Agency, Agency New Business PlanningJody SutterJanuary 20, 2022#smallagency, #agencygrowth, #agencynewbusiness, #businessdevelopment, #newbusinessstrategy, #newbusinessstrengths, #howtowinnewbusiness

“Dos and Don’ts” of Writing the Perfect Pitch for Your Agency

Whether 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.

Writing for Agency New BusinessJody SutterNovember 29, 2021#agencynewbusiness, #agencypitch, #salesemail, #newbusinessoutreach

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

How to Have a Long, Happy Relationship with Your Head of New Business

I’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.

New Business Operations, Agency Business DevelopmentJody SutterFebruary 17, 2021agency growth, agency new business, new business pipeline, hire a salesperson, hire a new business person, small agency, small agency leadership, new business process, digital agency, brand agency, marketing agency, new business person, scale your agency, track leads, pitch process

Hiring a salesperson when you need more sales is a bad idea

You’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.

New Business Operations, Agency Business DevelopmentJody SutterJanuary 28, 2021agency new business, new business pipeline, hire a salesperson, hire a new business person, small agency, small agency leadership, new business process, digital agency, brand agency, marketing agency, new business person, scale your agency, track leads, pitch process

You're in the pitch. Do you have a plan to win it?

Is 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.

Agency Business Development, Pitching New BusinessJody SutterDecember 16, 2020marketers retaining agencies, marketers changing agencies, agency pitch activity, high-level of pitch activity, win the pitch, new business inquiries, new business in 2021, agency new business in 2021, agency reviews, agency creds slides, plan to win the pitch, strong position to win the business, winning the pitch, playing to your strengths, agency RFP, agency credentials