Let’s not sugarcoat it.
2025 is testing 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 2025?
But let’s get something straight: marketing demand hasn’t disappeared. It’s shifted. And the way agencies show up, how they position, prospect, and deliver is being rewritten in real time.
If you’re still waiting for referrals or hoping an award reel will unlock your next AOR, you’re playing the wrong game. Here’s the landscape. Here’s what agency leaders are saying. Here’s what clients are asking for. And here’s what I recommend to grow in 2025.
What Agency Leaders Are Saying
The industry knows it’s at a turning point, and proactive agency leaders are retooling fast. (Hat tip AdAge Mirren team.)
At Mirren Live 2025, some of the loudest signals came from those in the trenches. Amanda Levy, Chief Growth Officer at Barbarian, said it best: “Right now, CMOs want frictionless access to great ideas. The new business process needs to reflect that.” Agencies that still treat growth as episodic, pitch, pause, pray, are losing out to those who’ve operationalized it.
Val DiFebo, CEO of Deutsch NY, acknowledged, “We’re living in a test-and-learn world.” Her team is adapting by leaning into collaborative models, modular scopes, and performance-driven narratives that show how creativity moves business.
And Andrew O’Dell, founder of the newly independent O’Dell Agency, made a compelling case: “Clients are tired of bloated overhead. They want fast, senior-led answers that don’t feel like a parade of process.”
There’s a clear throughline. The agencies that will win this year are the ones that stop clinging to old frameworks. They’re replacing “pitch mode” with constant listening, fast pivots, and a smarter go-to-market muscle.
What CMOs Actually Want
Marketing leaders aren’t looking for vendors. They’re looking for allies.
They want speed, clarity, and measurable results, especially now. CMOs from brands like Kraft Heinz and Diageo shared recently that while their long-term strategies are intact, they’re doubling down on performance visibility and agility. The scope of work may flex, but the expectation is fixed: prove value early.
Procter & Gamble’s CFO, Andre Schulten, said their budgets are flat, but their bar for relevance is rising. That means agencies need to speak the language of growth, data fluency, audience understanding, and an instinct for momentum.
Pinterest’s Q1 gains were driven by ad precision, not volume. Marketers are looking for sharper targeting, stronger insights, and more partner accountability, not just clever creative.
And if you’re not already incorporating AI, automation, and smarter segmentation into your pitch and product, you’re behind. As one CMO put it to me last month: “Don’t pitch me on your legacy. Show me how you’re relevant today.” Bottom line: CMOs want a partner who can simplify the complexity and own the outcome.
What I Recommend for Agency Leaders
If you’re leading a small or mid-size agency, here’s your agency business development strategy 2025:
1. Create a no-friction entry point.
Offer fast-start sprints, fixed-fee diagnostics, or co-creation workshops. CMOs don’t want to commit to long-term contracts. They want to see if you can move the needle fast.
2. Don’t chase everything.
Get hyper-clear on your sweet spot. Define what you’re for. Make it easy for the CMO to say, “I want that.” Agencies with clarity close faster. Agencies with focus build momentum.
3. Ditch the hype. Show the value.
Your outbound needs to show value on day one. A cold email that says “we’d love to connect” isn’t enough. Instead, say: “Here’s what I noticed about your latest rollout and where I think it could go further.” That’s the kind of insight that gets a reply.
4. Operate like a content company.
Thought leadership isn’t fluff. It’s oxygen. It’s how you accomplish 1 – 3. Publish point-of-view content. Share frameworks. Comment intelligently. This is how clients find you and remember you.
5. Invest in business development like it’s billable.
Steven Mallon’s point at Mirren was dead-on: most agencies underinvest in new business. That’s not a budget issue. It’s a belief issue. Growth can’t be a side hustle.
6. Get help before your pipeline flatlines.
If you’re not doing this daily, bring in someone who does. Whether refining your narrative, building your BD process, or helping you show up stronger in the market, an outside perspective pays off faster than you think.
The Opportunity in Disruption
Let’s be real. This market is hard. But it’s not hopeless. In fact, disruption tends to reward the bold. The clear. The consistent. Agencies that get specific, stay visible, and offer strategic value in every conversation win even when budgets tighten.
History backs this up. Brands that invest smartly during downturns tend to emerge stronger. When the 2008 recession hit, Amazon increased marketing spend and launched the Kindle, growing sales by 28% that year. Fast forward to 2020: while many brands paused, Unilever ramped up investment in digital channels and brand equity-building, leading to long-term gains in market share. Nike doubled down on direct-to-consumer efforts during COVID, strengthening its digital ecosystem and boosting revenue and profitability as stores reopened. And in 2023, Airbnb leaned into brand marketing during a volatile travel market, helping it hit record bookings and revenue by Q4. The lesson? When others pull back, savvy marketers get loud and win.
It’s not just brands that win by leaning in during tough times. Agencies do, too. During the early months of COVID, Mischief @ No Fixed Address launched with a bold, unconventional new business strategy focused on speed, cultural relevance, and proactive outreach. Within months, they landed clients like Kraft Heinz and Molson Coors. VaynerMedia doubled down on content-led business development during the pandemic, using Gary V’s platform to attract C-suite attention and secure new accounts like Scotts Miracle-Gro and FanDuel. And back in 2015, when the market was still unsteady post-recession, R/GA shifted its positioning around business transformation and began embedding BD leads into innovation teams, helping win clients like Samsung and Google. The takeaway: the agencies that adapt fast and invest in growth even when the market contracts don’t just survive, they thrive.
Invest in growth
So if you’re tired of random referrals, inconsistent pitches, or prospecting in fits and starts, let’s talk. I work with agencies that want to grow smarter, faster, and with less drama. No long-term commitment. No overpromising. Just a modern approach to agency business development strategy 2025 that reflects how clients actually want to engage. To learn more, schedule a call on my calendar. Follow me on LinkedIn. Subscribe to my newsletter. #LetsGrow!
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