Your BD Process Is a Test Drive

I recently read a McKinsey article that, though not about advertising agencies, made me reflect on the agency business development process.

The article, The Surprising Economics of B2B Growth: The New Survival Threshold and What It Takes to Thrive, explores why some B2B companies continue to grow while others struggle despite having access to many of the same technologies, channels, and capabilities. McKinsey’s conclusion is surprisingly simple. The things that once differentiated companies are increasingly becoming the minimum requirements for participation. Digital capabilities, omnichannel engagement, AI, personalization, and data-driven decision making are no longer unusual. Marketers expect them.

The competitive advantage comes from how effectively those capabilities are integrated into an agency’s business development process or growth operating system.

As I worked through the article, I kept thinking about how often agency owners tell me that winning new business feels harder than it used to. They’re not wrong. I live it every day. The question is why.

The common explanation is that there are too many competitors, too many agencies claiming the same expertise, too much AI-generated content, too much procurement involvement, and too much downward pressure on fees. All of those things are true to some extent. But I think we’re missing a more important shift that’s been happening as agency parity increases.

What if the problem isn’t that agency business development has become harder? What if the standard that prospects use to evaluate agencies is shifting?

For years, agencies differentiated themselves by accumulating capabilities. They developed expertise in healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, B2B technology, or consumer products. They added digital services, social media, marketing automation, CRM integration, content marketing, analytics, and eventually AI. Each new capability created an opportunity to stand apart until others caught up.

Today, many of those differentiators feel suspiciously similar to the ones McKinsey describes. Prospects expect them.

A healthcare marketer expects you to understand healthcare. A credit union expects you to understand credit unions. A manufacturer expects you to understand manufacturing. Prospects assume you’re using AI. They assume you have access to data. They assume you can run digital campaigns. They assume you understand attribution. Those things may still matter, but increasingly they feel less like reasons to hire an agency and more like reasons not to eliminate one. That distinction matters. It’s become table stakes.

I’ve often said agencies that want to grow should make themselves their best client. I wrote an article on this a few years ago. Back then, I argued that agencies often provide thoughtful advice to clients while neglecting their own positioning, marketing, prospecting, and business development. Many preach consistency while marketing themselves inconsistently, recommend long-term investment but treat their marketing as something to do only when there’s extra time, and urge clients to differentiate while using generic language. I still believe all of that. It’s more true today than ever.

But I think McKinsey’s research adds another layer that I hadn’t fully appreciated when I shared that. Making your agency your best client is no longer just about practicing what you preach. It’s becoming a competitive necessity because your business development process is increasingly serving as a test drive for your agency, from first contact to the final pitch.

Think about how prospects evaluate agencies today. Long before they ever sign a contract, before you even know they are checking you out, they’ve already spent time with your agency. They’ve visited your website. They’ve read your LinkedIn posts. They’ve received your outreach. They’ve listened to your podcast, attended your webinar, downloaded your white paper, reviewed your case studies, participated in discovery calls, and evaluated your proposal. In many cases, they’ve spent weeks or months observing how your agency shows up in the world.

During that time, they aren’t simply evaluating your credentials. They’re evaluating how you think, how prepared you are, whether you understand their business, whether your ideas are insightful or generic, whether your follow-up is disciplined or sloppy, and whether working with you feels easy or difficult. In other words, they’re already experiencing your agency before they hire it. That realization impacts how you do business development.

Many agencies still frame new business as a numbers game: more leads, more meetings, more content. But the main argument is this: your business development process must consistently embody the qualities you promise to deliver after the contract, proving to prospects that you can create value as you claim.

The truth is, if your positioning is unclear, prospects notice; if your content lacks originality, prospects notice; if your outreach feels generic, prospects notice; if your follow-up is inconsistent, prospects notice; if your proposal feels rushed or disconnected from previous conversations, prospects notice. Every interaction becomes evidence. We all know this. We all strive for perfection in every step of the process. But time, money, staff, workload, you name it, often get in the way.

That’s what I think McKinsey is really describing when they talk about growth leaders building integrated commercial systems. The winners aren’t simply adopting new tools. They’re creating experiences that consistently reinforce confidence. Agency prospects behave no differently.

When a prospect tells me they are looking for a strategic agency partner, they’re not really asking whether the agency uses the word “strategic” on its website. Every agency claims to be strategic. What they’re actually trying to determine is whether the agency demonstrates strategic thinking. Those are very different things.

The same is true for AI. Agency websites are rapidly filling with claims about AI-powered services, AI-enabled workflows, and AI-driven insights. Before long, those claims will be about as differentiating as saying your agency has email. The question prospects will increasingly ask is not whether you use AI. The question will be whether AI helps you create a better experience, generate better insights, improve responsiveness, increase relevance, or deliver better outcomes. Again, the capability matters less than the evidence.

The agencies that thrive over the next decade may not be the agencies with the most awards, the biggest offices, or even the most impressive client rosters. They may simply be the agencies whose business development operating systems most clearly demonstrate how they think, work, and create value. And that includes self-serve value (more on this later), videos, downloads, interactive questionnaires, samples, self-guided tours, and more, which are increasingly important features.

That’s why I believe the idea of making your agency your best client has become even more important. Not because it generates more leads, improves marketing efficiency, or creates better content. Those things are all beneficial, but they aren’t the main reason. The real reason is that prospects are increasingly making hiring decisions based on evidence rather than claims.

The key takeaway is this: agencies that continue to win more and better clients won’t be the ones making bigger promises. (I received an email the other day promising to generate 1,899% more leads.) They’ll be the ones consistently providing tangible, positive experiences throughout the business development process, even when you aren’t there, the best possible test drive for prospective clients.

By the time the prospect reaches the final presentation, they won’t be wondering what it’s like to work with your agency. They’ll already know and love that new car smell.

Up For A Test Drive?

In the agency sea of sameness, the experience sets you apart. Prioritize it to succeed. If you’d like help understanding this shift and evolving your agency, let’s talk. Grab time here: calendly.com/jheenan. Sign up for my New Business Newsletter. Please forward this post if you know someone who might benefit. If you like this post, I’d appreciate a thumbs up and a comment. Let’s also connect on LinkedIn.

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