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Agency Leadership: Can you be a great leader and not be a great presenter?

October 16, 2009

It is often critical for new business, particularly for small-to mid-size ad agencies, that agency leaders be good at presenting.

I was reading an excellent article written by Dan McCarthy, a manager of leadership development and author of the blog Great Leadership: Opinions and information on leadership and leadership development.

Dan points out that (ad agency) leaders can’t skimp on presentation skills as he raises the question, “Can you be a great leader and not be a great presenter?”

“For most leaders, at some point, they are going to have to give that department presentation, halftime pep talk, inspirational talk to the troops, or presentation to the big dogs. It’s those make-or-break moments on stage when leaders have the opportunity to influence the greatest number of people to change.

So if a leader gets stage fright, and doesn’t shine during these opportunities, or worse, avoids them altogether, than I’d say it’s going to be an up hill climb to ever become a truly great leader. You can’t just throw up your hands and say “it’s just not me”. Consider it a requirement for the job.“

Dan reminds us that presentation skills are “learnable” and provides the following 5 recommendations:

1. Get Help. If you know you are behind most of your peers, there here are books such as “Leading Out Loud”, and public courses that you can find in just about any major city or a personal coach could be a good option

2. Use deliberate practice. That is how the best athletes, performers, and leaders do it. They don’t rely on inborn talent. Never, ever, give a presentation without preparation and practice. Even the best don’t wing it – that’s why they’re so good.

3. Get Feedback. Practice by itself won’t work unless you get feedback.

4. Master the techniques. The best presenters have mastered these techniques:

They use stories to connect on an emotional level.
The use of media.
Audience engagement. We retain 10% of what we read, 20% of what we hear, 30% of what we see, 50% of what we see and hear, and 70% of what we discuss with others. Look for opportunities to engage your audience.
Questions. Always save time for them. Anticipate and prepare for the tough ones.

5. Learn from the best. There are learning opportunities daily if you look for them: movies, YouTube, Conferences, meetings, church and politics.

This is just a “Readers Digest” version of Dan’s article. I would encourage you to read it in its entirety and subscribe to his blog through your RSS Reader for some great tips on Leadership: “Can a Poor Presenter be a Great Leader?“

What’s your opinion? Cast your vote in this twtpoll: Can you be a great leader and not be a great presenter?

Additional posts regarding agency leadership that may be of interest:

3 Comments | Agency Leadership, Best Practices | Tagged: ad agency, Dan McCarthy, leadership, new business, Presentation skills | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

50 Ad Agency New Business Tips

July 23, 2009

The definition of insanity is, “repeating the same behavior expecting different results.”

If you are struggling for new business ideas, hopefully this list of fifty agency new business tips will provide some help.

Select your agency’s best target audience. After you’ve selected them, narrow down one more tier. The point that makes you just a bit uncomfortable.
The foundation of an ad agency’s new business process is figuring out its unique point of difference. Agencies should do for themselves what they do for their clients by clearly defining what their brand stands for.
Create an agency blog built around people. People don’t wont to converse with an entity. Allow your agency’s blog to live apart from the branding your website. Have a clear focus to make it a valuable resource for your target audience. In a recent agency survey 67% of agencies do not have a blog.
Be very selective in the RFPs you choose to respond to. Automate and simplify your RFP processes. There is no need to reinvent the wheel for each response.
SEO should be a major part of your agency’s new business strategegy. 80% of CMOs found their vendors in 2008. 80 to 90% of business transactions now begin from online search.
You must create a strong appeal with your target audience. You can only discover what is appealing through an active engagement with them.
Create an integrated social media agency new business strategy to generate inbound leads and fill your agency’s new business pipeline. It is also a powerful demonstration to prospective clients that your agency uses the tools that you recommend clients use.
Consistency is key to your new business program. It must be a realistic plan that is easily maintained during your agency’s busiest times. Remember that consistency is more important than perfection. Don’t over create your own work.
Empower the person charged with your agency’s new business. Their requests should be treated as though it comes from your most important client, because it is.
Every agency is trying to convince clients that they can do it all. Clients don’t buy it. Be the agency that is known for doing one thing really well.
Function is more important than design for your agency’s website. Keep your target audience in mind. Keep it clean and simple. Your website is your online brochure. Create it in a way that allows for timely updates of new work and agency info. Prominently display contact information and identify a “person” as the primary point of contact.
Repurpose your agency blog’s content using Facebook and LinkedIn apps plus Twitter and even a email newsletter. By repurposing content, you greatly multiply the benefits of the time and effort that went into writing the post.
Email newsletters rank highly as sources of information, beating out websites and blogs, and matching print media for importance so don’t neglect it. For consistency sake, simplify.
Before a pitch, practice, practice practice.
Don’t forget the importance of follow-through when it comes to new business leads. Over 80% of generated leads are never followed up on, are dropped, or are mishandled. What a waste!
The future of your agency greatly depends upon having interactive capabilities. If your agency isn’t in a position to add these services internally find a strategic partner.
Only accept pitches that you are committed to win.
Unlevel the playing field. Rather than showing how well you compare with other agencies, go out of your way to show how you don’t compare.
Subscribe to a data base service that includes your best prospective clients. Most agencies don’t have the time and resources to create and maintain their own.
If you make cold colds, call early or later in the day. Don’t leave voice mail messages, instead get to know a gatekeeper. Do your background homework and be prepared before making a call.
Hire an outside source for a consistent PR effort, even if your agency has internal capabilities.
Use sales management software with your database to keep track of your prospective client contacts and new business to-dos.
Conduct your own online research using inexpensive surveys and polls for good PR, industry info and a positioning of expertise.
In your new business communications lead with benefits instead of agency capabilities and credentials.
Establish relationships first. People always want to work with people that they know, like and trust.
Lead prospective client conversations with what is hot. Currently social media is hot. Be sure however, that you are agency is walking the walk if you are going to talk the talk.
Stop making excuses, get the cobblers kids some new shoes! Make your agency, your most important client.
To engage your prospective clients, why not interview them as part of your agency’s research.
Create a sustainable ad agency new business plan with achievable objectives.
Establish benchmarks and utilize metrics to track your new business programs effectiveness. If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.
Write a book. Becoming an author of a book that relates to your agency’s target audience. Authoring a book puts you in a whole new league.
Remember, when everyone zigs, zag. Direct mail can be effective when all of the other agencies abandon it for online tactics. Just remember to be consistent and don’t over create these mailable pieces.
For ad agency new business your focus should be narrow and deep rather than wide and shallow.
Be politely persistent – this is oftentimes key to reaching your prospect and sets you apart from your competition.
Include a downloadable Agency Fact Sheet on your Website.
When sending a sampling of work be respectful of your prospective client by not sending them boxes the size of Texas.
Think like a prospective client would think. For instance, clients usually are not the risk takers that agencies are.
When presenting act as though you have already been hired.
A Good List – Your prospect list needs to be accurate and targeted to the correct decision-maker. It’s a waste to spend valuable time having to looking up accurate information and chasing correct contacts.
Don’t try an emulate the large agencies for new business. Large agencies acquire new business differently than small-to mid-size shops.
When you’re on the phone with your prospect or client, always specify a date and time for your next call.
Agencies should ask intelligent questions and stimulate interesting dialogue during the search process – versus using the time to talk about themselves.
Develop performance based compensation agreements that are a win-win for the agency and client. They can also generate initial conversations with prospective clients.
Be prepared and proactive when there is a change in a company’s leadership. 75% of new CEO’s conduct a review.
Keep a detailed, up-to-date profile regarding the needs/habits/practices of each major search consultancy.
Have the right person in place for new business. There are a whole lot of people who have done this job in the past who do not know how to do it well now. Things have changed that dramatically in the way new business is acquired.
If your agency has a target audience to focus on then you can know the best conferences, seminars and trade shows to strategically have a presence. It may be worthwhile to pay for a sponsorship for a speaking slot. Make this a part of your overall written plan, deciding where you will participate well in advance so that you don’t waste agency time and money.
Use an agency video to create an appeal to your target audience. Create a viral campaign to generate traffic.
Create an internal referral program for new business. Reward those who provide leads that turn into new business for the agency.
Take the time and celebrate your agency’s new business successes.

Please feel free to add some of your own tips to the list in the comment section below.

19 Comments | New Business Tips | Tagged: ad agency, Michael Gass, new business, New Business Tips | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

100 Facebook Tools for Ad Agency New Business

May 5, 2009

Facebook now has over 200 million active users. More than 100 million users log on to Facebook at least once a day.

The INSIDECRM blog provides a comprehensive list of 100 tools and tips that will help your agency to maximize the marketing opportunities available through Facebook.

This is a great resource list that will make Facebook part of your agency’s social media marketing mix for new business.

Learn why Facebook has rapidly become the go-to networking site for marketers.
Learn about the current and future advertising opportunities on Facebook.
Learn about the endless ways you can use Facebook to promote your agency at no costs. Use your creativity and marketing mind to maximize these features.
Learn about the tools and applications, add-on features for Facebook, that will allow you to customize your profile and fan pages to build relationships with agency clients and prospective clients.
Learn how to narrow down your target audience through researching Facbook’s demographics.
Learn to taylor your social media new business strategy through”How-to Guides” to help fully utilize Facebook.
Learn the benefits of Facebook for small-to mid-size ad agencies from this list of tools and tips.

Bookmark and read, The Facebook Marketing Toolbox: 100 Tools and Tips to Tap the Facebook Customer Base

1 Comment | Facebook, New Business Tips, Social Media | Tagged: ad agency, Blogs I Recommend, Facebook, Facebook tools, INSIDECRM, Social Media, social media marketing | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

Edward Boches, CCO for the Mullen Agency: What Twitter Can Do For You

April 7, 2009

Warning: Twitter doesn’t come with instructions.

It would be helpful if it did. But people continue to find a multitude of creative uses for Twitter. One of those persons, from the advertising agency side is Edward Boches.

I met Edward Boches through Twitter. Edward is the Chief Creative Officer for the Mullen agency. He recently wrote a great piece for AdWeek about Twitter that was released today. In it he says,

“Whenever I start a conversation about Twitter with someone who doesn’t use it — or who tried it, but never got beyond the inane act of twittering some insignificant detail of his daily life — I get eye rolls, throat clearing and other signals that suggest I should change the subject.

But if I start a conversation about Twitter with someone who has taken the time to use it, I get the exact opposite response: an instant conversation about fresh ideas, emerging thought leaders, newly revealed content and trends in social media that comes at me faster than an overcrowded chat room.“

Edward goes on to share five of the benefits that Twitter has given him:

Instant access to thought leaders
An opportunity to experience crowd sourcing in action
A new way to connect with Millennials
The first hand experience needed to become an authority
A better understanding of how to weave together all things social

You can click on this link to read Edward’s article: What Can Twitter Do For You? Also follow Edward on Twitter: http://twitter.com/edwardboches

Reading Edward’s piece caused me to reflect upon my own journey using Twitter. My perspective is a bit different than his because my main objective is helping ad agencies with their new business using social media.

Here are some of the new business benefits that I’ve found through the use of Twitter:

A tremendous networking tool that initiated friendships with dozens of people on a global scale. Chances are I wouldn’t have met these people otherwise. So thank you Twitter!
A way to introduce new people to my blog’s content. Twitter generates more new traffic to FUEL LINES than any other tool. As Twitter grows, my followers on Twitter grows and my blog traffic explodes.
Instant feedback and insight. I’ve introduced concepts, messages and posts through Twitter and am provided instant feedback. I’m also able to easily create polls and surveys on a variety of subjects that I’m researching.
The ability to generate communications quickly. I’m able to propagate information at lightening speed through Twitter. I sent a direct message to followers yesterday with a direct link to some new research and had over 700 click-throughs within minutes.

Those are just a few of mine. What has Twitter done for you? Feel free to share them in the comment section below.

54 Comments | Social Media | Tagged: ad agency, creative officer, Edward Boches, midsize ad agency, Millennials, Mullen, small ad agency, Social Media, Twitter | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

30 Ad Agency Blogs, Vote for Your Favorite for March

March 22, 2009

It’s time for you to vote for your favorite agency blog for the month of March. 30 ad agency blogs have been submitted to FUEL LINES. The winner will be featured on FUEL LINES throughout the month of April.

These are the 30 agency blogs submitted for the month of March:

A Ride Uptown, Mascola/Group, New Haven, CT

B&A blog, Columbus, OH

BINGenuity, Bing Design, Yellow Springs, OH

Blip, Martino Flynn agency, Rochester, NY

Blue Collar Branding, Locomotion Creative, Nashville, TN

Bolin Digital Blog, Bolin Marketing, Minneapolis, MN

Brains on Fire Blog, Greenville, SC

Brunner Digital Blog, Brunner Digital, Pittsburg, PA

Contact Media Blog, Contact Media, Tampa, FL

Creating A Brighter Shade of Green Marketing, Park&Co Phoenix, AZ

Cure for Common Marketing, Jackson-Dawson Marketing Solutions, Greenville, SC

Demi & Cooper Advertising blog, Elgin, IL

Design Buzz, Design Matters Creative Group, Lake Forest, CA

Direct Dispatch, Haggin Marketing, Mill Valley, CA

Fluid Studio’s Big Idea Blog, Bountiful, UT

Free Advertising Candy, EVOK Advertising, Lake Mary, FL

Healthy Conversations, Trajectory, Morristown, NJ

Karasma Media blog, Harlem, NY

Koroberi agency blog, Chapel Hill, NC

ID-ology blog, ID Branding, Portland, OR

MLT Creative blog, Atlanta, GA

Paramore | Redd blog, Nashville, TN

Razor Branding, The Russo Group, Lafayette, LA

Redpepper blog, Nashville, TN

Take Me To Your Leader, Sapient agency, Miami, FL

She-conomy, Holland + Holland, Birmingham, AL

SPURspectives, Spur Communications, Overland Park, KS

Stream of Consciousness, True Creek agency, Alexandria, VA

VBP Out Sourcing, Glen Burnie, MD

WOMENK!ND , Womenkind agency, New York, NY

For the latest agency new business updates subscribe to FUEL LINES by Email

Michael Gass, agency new business consultant, primarily to small and mid-size advertising agencies, utilizing both traditional and new media tools.

7 Comments | Social Media | Tagged: ad agency, Blog, blue collar branding, Healthy Conversations, Michael Gass, sapient, she-conomy, Social Media, The Russo Group, Trajectory | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

10 Blogging Tips for Ad Agency CEOs

February 27, 2009

The tips below are going to differ considerably from other recommendations in the blogosphere. But please be reminded that they are intended primarily for agency principals of small-to midsize ad agencies and given entirely from a new business perspective. Agency principals have to “get” social media. You can only “get” it by being a participant.

A personal blog will provide you with a direction, focus and professional enrichment unlike anything you have ever experienced before. Your personal networks skyrocket giving you the opportunity to generate the right kinds of new business leads that are a better match for you agency. Plus, you wont have to be constantly chasing after new business, your new business pipeline will always remain full.

As important as a website was for your ad agency a blog is now as equally important if not more so. It should become the gateway to your agency.

So with those things being said, here are my 10 tips for the development of an agency blog for new business:

1. Before you start to write learn to listen.

Identify and read other online resources that would important to your target audience. Read blogs of competitors. Subscribe to blog RSS feeds through Google Reader or the feed reader of your choice. Using a feed reader will greatly help you to strategize and organize your online reading. Get a feel for how blogs are written. Writing a blog post is much different than writing for print. People tend to scan for information online rather than reading word-for-word. You’ll gain lots of ideas for your own posts from your online reading.

2. Do not incorporate your blog into your agency’s website.

You will need to allow your agency blog room to breathe and evolve apart from your current branding. As you interact with your target audience, your online focus group, they will become the decision makers as to what information resonates, what messages are appealing, what their marketing challenges and obstacles really are. You may think you know what they want but you will continually be surprised as you receive their input, reflect upon your blog’s analytics. What you gain from this experience will help you discover an “appealing” position and proper branding for your agency from your prospective clients perspective.

3. Blog posts should written by the agency’s principals.

Social media is personal and you are the face of your agency. We are in a relationship oriented business and clients want to work with someone that they know, like and trust. Therefore agency principals should lead the way.

Another reason I advocate that the blog post be written by the agency principals, is that they are the least likely to leave the agency. Therefore equity isn’t lost if a staff member chooses to leave for another agency.

4. Keep the design simple.

Limit your creative and interactive staff’s involvement in the design process unless you want to greatly slow the process down. The design of your blog should be nice and clean, not the place showcase your agency’s creative capabilities. Here content is king. I personally recommend using either WordPress.org or WordPress.com as your blog platform. These are simple blog platforms that are relatively easy to use and provide just the right bells and whistles.

5. Own your domain name.

I have seen a number of agency blogs with a wordpress.com or blogspot.com in their URL. Be sure to own your domain name. That way, if you ever change blog platforms, you wont lose traffic to your site. I

6. Create a simple written plan for your blog.

From my perspective, the objective for your blog is to generate leads and new business for your agency. To reach this objective you will need to identify your target audience, who you are writing to. What are their advertising/marketing/communication challenges? In what ways can you become an invaluable resource and help? You’ll need a name for the blog. An appropriate tag line that states what this site is about. Park Howell’s tag line, “Creating a deeper shade of green marketing” says a lot. Mine, “Fueling ad agency new business.” Identify the categories that you will be writing to. I would suggest limiting the categories to 10 or less. Mine are new business, tips, tactics, tools talents and trends.

As you begin your blog remember, you cannot be everything to everybody and the more general your blog is the less traffic you can expect. Within 10 months time I’m generating 16,000 page views to a very specific target audience, small-to midsize ad agencies.

7. Keep a list of blog post ideas.

I’m often asked “don’t you run out of ideas when you are primarily writing about new business for ad agencies?” The answer is no. Every morning I start the day by opening my Google Reader. I have RSS feeds from about 16 of my favorite blogs. I scan quickly through the list of post titles, when one catches my attention I open it up and read it. It often sparks ideas for my own posts or is information that I can site and link for my readers. I use a browser bar tool called “Press This” that allows me to post a draft of that article in my blog. I have some 270+ posts that are published and over 45 drafts. I often peruse through my drafts for a post to flesh out. I also keep a list of post ideas on my DeskTop. I never find myself lacking for something to write about that wont be of some help to my audience.

8. Set a goal for the number of posts to write per week.

I saw a dramatic change in my blog traffic and audience interaction after I reached the first 50 posts. That seems to be a magical number not only for me but for clients as well. I actually put principals on a schedule and help coach them to write their first 50 post within thirty days. By the end of the thirty day period they have developed some helpful habits, understand how to write for web and find their own style. I have a goal of posting five times a week. The feedback that I gain is what motivates and excites me. My readers are very loyal and I don’t want to disappoint them by not having fresh content.

9. Repurpose your blog content.

With over 270 posts I have lots of material to utilize through other new media tools. Your blog posts can actually be turned into a book, that was one of my earlier goals and I am close to the content needed. You can also create your own ebook, white papers, EzineArticles, informational press releases from your content. I can use my blog post content for an email newsletter that is sent every other week. It takes literally minutes to create the newsletter which in turn generates a lot of traffic to my blog. I use a tool called Tweetlater, to automate posting on Twitter which is now the leading traffic generator for FUEL LINES. You will find all the effort you’ve put forth in your writing for your blog can be repurposed in lots of different ways through a number of different online channels and will have a long, long shelf life.

10. Learn how to generate blog traffic.

The current communication revolution makes it critical that you know this stuff so that can provide better direction for your agency and for your clients. Park Howell, president of Park & CO, an ad agency in Phoenix, AZ, created a Film Festival contest among his staff with the winning team receiving $1000. Each team had to create a video, upload it to YouTube and create an online campaign to drive traffic to it. He was helping his staff learn by doing. That is what having your own blog can do for you. Learning how to generate traffic to your blog is an eye opening experience. You will better understand SEO, web analytics, RSS feeds, email campaigns, HTML, etc. Plus you will know the importance of and learn how to use tools like FaceBook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Delicious, Technorati, Digg and StumbleUpon just to name a few.

Understanding social media is not for a specialized department or group within the agency. Every staff member needs to understand it. How will your agency be able to integrate social media into the marketing mix for your clients if you and your staff really don’t understand it. What better way to learn than to use these tools than to generate new business for your agency through social media.

Social media is permanently revolutionizing our industry. It isn’t an option to not participate. If your agency is to survive you’ve got to “get it.” Only as a participant will you genuinely come to understand what a valuable tool it is for your agency and for your clients.

18 Comments | Agency Blogs, Content Marketing, New Business Trends, Social Media | Tagged: ad agency, agency blog, agency ceos, agency principals, new business, park howell, park&co, SEO, Social Media | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

Build Ad Agency New Business Virally

February 13, 2009

Viral marketing campaigns are a great way to generate awareness for your agency and provide opportunities for agency new business.

internet Instead of happenstance, viral marketing is becoming a science. An emerging industry dedicated to understanding what makes marketing viral. GoViral, is just one example of a company that specializes in launching viral campaigns by ”seeding” clips on the web in places where they will be picked up and spread online.

Patrick Aloft has assembled an excellent list of successful viral marketing campaigns. Patrick is Director of Search at Branded3, and author of BlogStorm, a blog discussing internet marketing and search engine optimization news and strategies.

Here’s Patrick’s list of “Top 10 Viral Campaigns of All Time:”

Ronaldinho: Touch of Gold (Nike) 23.5 million people have watched this ad on YouTube.
My Heart Will Go On (Free Macbook Air) 21.9 million users who viewed this clip
Guitar (GuitarMasterPro.net) 45 million viewers
Dynamite Surfing (Quicksilver) 10 million page views
Do The Test (Transport for London) 3.7 million people have viewed the video in 3 months
Stolen Nascar (TaxBrain.com) $1 million dollars worth of TV exposure within days
Threshers 40% Off Voucher
Subservient Chicken (Burger King) 46 million views in the first week
Gorilla Advert (Cadbury’s) millions of views of a gorilla playing the drums
Hotmail from 500,000 to 12 million users in less than a year

Review each campaign from Patrick’s List through this link: Top 10 Viral Campaigns of All Time:

If you know of a campaign that deserves to be on Patrick’s write about it in the comments.

For the latest agency new business updates subscribe to FUEL LINES by Email

Michael Gass, agency new business consultant, primarily to small and mid-size advertising agencies, utilizing both traditional and new media tools.

4 Comments | New Business Tactics, New Business Tips, New Business Trends | Tagged: ad agency, blogstorm, Brande3, Patrick Aloft, viral campaigns, viral marketing | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

Is Cold Calling an Effective Ad Agency New Business Tactic?

January 14, 2009

The second most read FUEL LINES article in 2008 and the one that generated the most debate: Is it the end for cold calling as an agency new business tactic?

I thought I would follow keep the conversation flowing by taking my own poll with a new Twitter tool, twtpoll. So far there have been 119 responses to the question, “How receptive are YOU to cold calls?” An overwhelming majority of respondents, 69%, provided a negative response when it came to cold calls. 29% said they were sometime receptive and only 3% said they were often receptive to a cold call.

Tim Williams, founder of Ignition Consulting Group , and author of the book, Take a Stand for Your Brand, states in ar recent article, The End of Cold Calling,

“Ask any agency principal what he or she dislikes and avoids the most and the answer will almost always be the same: cold calling new business prospects. Not only is this the most dreaded activity among C-level agency executives, it’s also among the least effective.”

Is Cold Calling Ever Necessary?

Cold calling, as a new business tool, is only necessary if your agency principal(s) do not have a 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.

Without a point of differentiation your agency will have no appeal. Trying to appeal to everyone appeals to no one.

Today’s CMO lives in a world where traditional marketing practices are no longer acceptable.

“80% of decision makers say they found the vendor, not the other way around.”

Prospective clients:

Don’t want to be interrupted
Have found ways to screen out, throw out and tune out unwanted marketing messages
Use online tools and techniques to seize control of their buying and vendor selection process
Seek out the information they want how they want it and when they want it

How does this impact ad agency new business?

The growth of Social Media will dramatically impact how agencies promote themselves in the future. Agencies that must rely on cold calling as a new business tactic will find it even less effective in 2009.

Research: Ad Agency Survey Finds Traditional New Business Methods Aren’t Working