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Are you missing 2 of the 3 channels of agency growth
Many people think that cold prospecting is the only agency growth strategy. Unfortunately, response rates from prospecting have been declining for years. Win rates are low. The investment in people and pitches is high, and…
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2020 Trends – Marketer Priorities
I believe it is more important to know what a marketer wants rather than what an agency wants to tell them. By knowing what they want; their top challenges, pain points, and goals, an agency…
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2020 Trends – Agency Priorities
What will agencies do in 2020 to break through the clutter and capture the attention of those elusive, increasingly skeptical marketers? What can agencies do to separate themselves from the growing herd of competition? How…
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Your new business road map
Strong growth or recession? Increasing ad spend or cutbacks? Data or creativity? In-housing growth or decline? Talent feast or famine? Human or AI? Republicans or Democrats? What will the new year bring? There are so…
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How do you market your agency
Sure, many agencies post on Facebook, and Instagram, and publish on LinkedIn. Some buy keywords, and a few do actual advertising. Any kind of marketing is good, but for the most part, few agencies actually…
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Where have all the prospects gone
The economy is up. Businesses are expanding. Marketing spending is on the rise. If you do not see an increasing number of leads, it may be time to pivot toward the sectors that are driving…
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Time to reset your business development plans
Now is the best time to evaluate your BD program, reset for the second half, and plan for next year. Traditionally the summer months are the slowest time for business development, vacation; annual plans are…
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7 things you can control in business development
What is fascinating about the ad business is that new business people come in all shapes and sizes. Each can be as successful as the other or succeed in one place and fail in the…
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Great work. Great people. Great results. Why isn’t that enough
You’ve built a successful agency with great people and award-winning work. Your awesome clients love you and have been loyal for years. You’ve received best place to work awards every year. You’ve got a team…
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Ad Agency differentiation is the hardest thing of all
There are tens of thousands of advertising agencies selling the same products and services. Almost as many of them claim to be unique, different, or better using mostly the same words like the others. It…
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It’s the new business postmortem party
Last year is in the rearview mirror and its time to reflect on how we all did. It’s time for everyone to turn their gaze to the new business warrior and ask those piercing questions.…
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If you are reading this now, you are too late
The change over to the new year is not the time to be planning your business development strategy, yet so many agencies do just that. It is like a retailer planning next year’s product assortment…
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Try these ideas for better new business
If you’ve got your new business plan set, kudos. You are in rare company. Too often the right intentions get pushed aside for client work, staff turnover, personal emergency, and many other good reasons. Fall…
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I don’t do business development
Last week I talked to a young, aggressive agency owner who wanted to grow fast and thought the best way was to create a conceptual campaign to take around to marketers in hopes of selling…
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Plan your work and work your plan
Margaret Thatcher said it best, “Plan your work for today and every day, then work your plan.” Great advice for ad agency owners and anyone running a business, especially those running business development. It seems…
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3 essential business development tools
The right tool for the job is as accurate today as it ever was. However, what is the right tool for ad agency business development – today? Your process should determine what tools are best,…
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How to find your agency differentiation
You know they are out there. Lurking in the shadows. Poking and probing your site. Looking for answers. Sizing you up. Judging your work, your people, and your point of view. Spending only seconds reviewing…
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3 steps to restart your ad agency business development
Response rates are down. It is impossible to connect on the phone. Interested prospects are nowhere to be found. New leads are drying up. Search consultant opportunities aren’t what they used to be. We are…
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Getting business development help
Agencies that struggle to grow face many of the same problems; no time, limited resources, inadequate tools, inconsistent effort, no pipeline, lack of focus, too many misses. It is frustrating because your current clients love you…
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Is your Ad Agency ready
According to IBISWorld, there are 69,003 ad agencies in the USA employing 253,640 people. That’s a lot of competition and it’s increasing. The rate of new agencies entering the market is estimated at 5%, while…