Welcome
My name is John Heenan. I work exclusively with Agencies and Marketers. For Agencies, I provide growth services, including business development, positioning and differentiation, and prospecting. For Marketers, I provide agency search services using the latest techniques and technologies faster and more efficiently.
Whatever got you here, you’ve come to the right place. You may not know the best approach, but I bet you want new clients or a better agency. Let’s talk about the best way to get you there. Click on the calendar and start winning again.
What I Do
A few past examples of new clients I’ve helped agencies win as their new business secret weapon.
What Others Say
Don’t take my word for it. Read what nice things others say about working with me.
Newsletter
Subscribe to my free monthly new business newsletter—advice, analysis, how-to’s, resources and more.
What I’m Thinking About
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Will AI Kill the Craft of Advertising
Will AI Kill the Craft of Advertising Spend ten minutes on LinkedIn, and you would think the agency model is either dead or about to be fully automated. AI will replace strategy.AI will generate creative.AI will run campaigns end-to-end. The narrative sounds too good to be true: clean, simple, but completely disconnected from how marketing…
The Business Development Life
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The AI Marketing Operating System
The AI Marketing Operating System For decades, marketing ran on a familiar structure. Leadership sets direction.Analysts processed data.Strategists planned campaigns.Creatives brought them to life.Media teams executed.Account people managed the process. People were the engine. But that engine is changing. As AI becomes embedded across research, targeting, experimentation, and optimization, the operational center of marketing shifts…
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The Pipeline Wasn’t the Problem
The Pipeline Wasn’t the Problem A few years ago, I had a video call with an agency owner who, by most external measures, was doing fine. Revenue was steady. Referrals were trickling in. The calendar had new business meetings on it. From the outside, nothing looked broken. So why did he invite me over? Halfway…
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What’s different, what’s the same in BD
Agency business development looks very different from a year ago. Even more so than five years ago. At least on the surface. Underneath, it’s the same animal it’s always been since I started doing this work. The tools change. The pressure changes. The expectations change. Human behavior does not. Five years from now? Sure, there…
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Are you using AI in New Business
Are you using AI in New Business If your answer is some variation of “we’re experimenting,” that time has passed. I treat AI like a Swiss Army knife strapped to my belt. Not a novelty, not a toy, and definitely not a gimmick. It’s eight tools in one, maybe more, and each one shaves a…
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The Next Agency Inflection: 2026’s Blueprint for Growth
The Next Agency Inflection: 2026’s Blueprint for Growth Forget “business as usual.” The world agencies once dominated is breaking. The Forrester “Predictions 2026“ already gives us a structural map: agencies must become resellers, product‐builders, embedded partners, not just service vendors. Add to that the real voices of agency leaders (from an Ad Age panel: 8…
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Some Agencies Are Winning Now: How About You
Some Agencies Are Winning Now: How About You Let’s not sugarcoat it. 2025 tested every agency leader’s grit. Margins are under pressure. Marketers are in triage mode. Headcounts are leaner. Budgets are delayed. And the RFP pipeline? For many, it’s either stalled or nonexistent. What is the right agency business development strategy in 2026? But…