I had no luck engaging the #1 grill brand, so I turned to #2, whose HQ was nearby. They recently announced a new CEO and a departing CMO. I immediately reached out to congratulate the CEO and offered our services. He agreed to a meeting with his leaderless marketing team. They gave us a try…

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I was surprised to see a LinkedIn post congratulating a former agency president I knew. She became the executive director of a famous east coast historic tourist destination. My client had extensive travel and tourism experience, so I congratulated her, too. She introduced me to the new marketing VP, who invited us to pitch against…

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An agency wanted another large B2B client on a project basis to better balance their portfolio. They preferred the company to be within driving distance. The search was on. One looked promising because she opened and clicked most outreach. She was engaged but didn’t act until her timing was right. She replied, thanking me for…

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An agency wanted to build relationships with PEs and VCs as a resource to support their portfolio companies, new acquisitions, and mergers. We developed a focused outreach to firms working with companies in industries that the agency had experience in. One quickly emerged, and after a bidding process, we won. About halfway through that process,…

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New business doesn’t always go as planned. We got invited to an RFP and pitched to the railroad association but did not win. Afterward, a marketing executive from one of the brands thanked us and said he loved our ideas. He diplomatically mentioned some issues with his 44-year-long agency relationship and to stay in touch.…

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In agency business development, little things sometimes mean a lot. The stand-alone urgent care model is hot. Through aggressive outreach, we got into a conversation with one mid-size chain that a large holding company had recently purchased. But their first ask was a website audit. We gladly obliged.

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Persistence pays off. I had been focused on a VP of Marketing early on because of his interesting background and interest in my agency emails. Out of nowhere, he emails me, suggesting I contact another executive in his company. It turns out that the marketer needed help fast until he went silent. Four months later,…

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Spirits is a tough category to enter. The front door is not often the best path to take. After a couple of losing pitches, we knew there had to be a better way. That way turned out to be a back door, a killer promotional idea, a whirlwind series of presentations, and a marketing exec…

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I was tracking a franchise brand and noticed a series of senior executive departures, some disappointing financial results, and a new CMO. My client had great franchise experience and wanted in. I saw in my marketing automation platform that the CMO clicked, and a week later, his Marketing Director reached out to schedule a call.

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