About

I am a new business consultant to advertising, digital, media and PR agencies.

I’m focused and passionate about one thing – helping agencies to create a more clearly defined focus and differentiating business strategy that will give them a competitive advantage for new business, a higher-profile reputation, and an improved ability to attract and win the clients they really want.

Almost my entire career in the advertising industry has been spent in business development. After speaking and writing about best new business practices from my own experience and requests from numerous agencies for new business advice, I decided to launch my own consultancy. That was back in 2007, the beginning of The Great Recession. Social media was still in its infancy but I saw its potential for new business. I created my blog Fuel Lines and began to write helpful business development articles. The blog quickly grew in popularity and has even been ranked among the top 100 marketing blogs in the world by Ad Age ‘s Power 150. Awareness and appeal for my consulting has grown into an international practice. I have been privileged to work face-to-face with well over 100 agencies in almost all 50 states here in the U.S. and with agencies in over 14 foreign countries.

Along with providing consulting services for individual agencies I also speak at events and conduct training for agency groups such as the 4A’s, Mirren New Business, TAAN, The Magnet Global Network, MCAN, DMA and the American Advertising Federation.

“Michael Gass is one of the country’s foremost authorities on using social media. We’ve hired Michael to run his seminar in various cities and his evaluations from the seminar participants have been extremely high. I’ve had the pleasure of sitting in on one of his seminars and aside from being knowledgeable, he is a dynamic presenter. He comes highly recommended.” Bob Linden, 4A’s Vice President of Training, Education and Development

“Michael is a consummate professional. He helped us increase our online presence and showed us many ‘tricks’ to online business development. He delivered exactly what he said he would on time … and on budget. We have recommended Michael to over 20 of our clients because we know he can help them as he helped us. Hire Michael … if you want to grow your online business.” Ro Breehl, Partner, The Brand Establishment

“Michael Gass has been a tremendous help to our agency. He has a deep understanding of the business development process, as well as the critical role social media can and must plan in order for an agency to communicate its own uniqueness to potential clients.” John Sharpe, Partner/CMO, BOHAN, Nashville, TN

“It was a pleasure working with Michael. I found him to not only be highly personable, but extremely professional and results-focused. His expertise in the advertising/agency new business space is exceptional and his willingness to go above and beyond expectations is the norm and common practice for Michael.” Jeff Adelson-Yan, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Levelwing Media, New York, NY

Background

An Alabama native, I studied communications as an undergraduate and went on to earn two master’s degrees.

A decade has passed since I made a career change into advertising that would eventually lead me to develop my own new business consultancy for small to midsize ad agencies.

I started in advertising as an account executive with an agency in Nashville, TN. The agency had gone through a series of business development persons without much success. The agency owners asked if I would give it a try. I quickly discovered that I have a natural gift and passion for soliciting new business. Within two months, I led in the acquisition of two significant accounts: Olan Mills Portrait Studios, an industry leader with hundreds of portrait studios throughout the U.S., and Moore-Handley, a $178 million national hardware distributor — the second largest in the country.

I learned that there was a demand for good new business executives.

Means Advertising, in Birmingham, Alabama, asked me to lead their new business efforts. During my first year with the agency, I was able to solicit 51 prospective client meetings, amazingly through cold calls. That year I also secured 11 agency pitches, which included a $20 million account.

My next position would be at Lewis Communications, a highly respected 50+ year old agency. This was the agency that help to launch HGTV and created the Dream Home Giveaway campaign. I oversaw new business for their corporate office in Birmingham and their offices in Mobile and Nashville.

At Lewis, I was part of the pitch team that landed the MasterCraft Boats account, the most recognized boat brand in the world. I also helped to build a healthcare division focused on highly profitable academic medical centers. The agency now works with more academic medical centers than any agency in the country.

BOHAN Advertising | Marketing is a large regional agency in Nashville, Tennessee.

The agency recruited me to be Vice President of Business Development. During my first year, the new business unit secured 42 prospective client meetings; 17 presentations; 8 pitches and had 5 wins which included the Hotel Jerome in Aspen, Fazoli’s Restaurants, Palm Beach County CVB, Eastman Chemical and the Gary Player Group.

These are some of the new business acquisitions I helped to acquire:

20/20 Rearch
ABSCO Fireplace & Patio
AGWAY Energy Products
Alabama Natural Gas Association
AMBEST Truck Stops of America
Averitt Express
Baptist Health System
Coffee Healthgroup
Colonial Properties Trust
Dentsply International
Eastman Chemical
Fazoli’s
Freightline
garyplayer.com
GMA Foundation & GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame
Healthspring of Alabama
Hotel Jerome, Aspen
Innovative Machine Corp.
LifeTrust – Morning Side Assisted Living
LifeWay Christian Resources
Lifewaystores.com
March-Brown, Ltd.
Meadowbrook Healthcare
Murray Mowers
Olan Mills Photography
Nashville Convention Visitors Bureau
North American and International Mission Boards
Palm Beach County CVB
Professional Helicopter Pilot Association
Profitability Magazine
Province Hospitals
Saginaw Pipe
Shelby Baptist Medical Center
State Farm Insurance (Southern Zone)
State Volunteer Mutual Insurance Company
UT Southwestern Medical Center
University of Virginia Health System
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center

“My experience with Michael during the Callaway Gardens (agency) search was terrific. He was the key contact person and did everything right from my perspective. He was responsive, engaging, buttoned-up, passionate, creative and simply a pleasure to work with.”

Jeff Nixon, Agency Search Consultant, former President of Austin Kelley