Fueling Ad Agency New Business
Inspire your clients to abandon the RFP. The RFP (Request for Proposal) process is the way a lot of clients evaluate and select an advertising or marketing partner and keep prices down. But Cal Harrison, president of Beyond Referrals, states that the RFP process is actually an unsophisticated, and inefficient, process based on questionable science. It actually increases the […]
Facebook has become an important element in our daily lives it is also important for new business. If you aren’t sharing your content on Facebook, you’re missing out on a big opportunity. Why? “Facebook has over a billion users, and according to a Pew study, 72% of American adults use it.” Of the approximate 1.6 billion […]
“We need to stop SELLING and start TELLING.” Your agency is probably already pretty good at storytelling. But how about story-teaching? Park Howell founded Park&Co, an award-winning brand and creative consultancy, in 1995 in Phoenix, Az. The agency ignites the growth of purpose-driven people, products, companies and causes through the power of storytelling. Park was […]
Creating and maintaining agency new business is often harder than it should be because one key ingredient is often missing. I was recently included in RSW/US Thought Leader panel. Along with providing questions for their Thought Leader survey, each panelist provided Agency New Business advice and participated in an interview with RSW/US Owner and President, Mark […]
Prospective clients shouldn’t hire a marketing agency that can’t market themselves. I wanted to share some excerpts of an interview conducted by Jami Oetting, content strategist for Agency Post, an online publication for agency professionals. The subject of the interview is Douglas Burdett, former artillery officer, Madison Avenue ad man, stand-up comedian and the principal of […]
How Marketing Talent, Technology and Strategy Gaps Present Invaluable Opportunities for Agency Growth “The marketing services industry is in a state of flux. As CMOs navigate the marketing talent gap, they are increasingly seeking performance-driven agency partners that are immersed in marketing technology and staffed with digital-savvy professionals. SMBs need partners that can deliver fully integrated […]
Growing your personal brand can greatly boost your agency’s new business opportunities. It makes sense for the principal to be the face of the agency. Not only are they the least likely to leave, but usually small to midsize agencies are built upon the vision, values and the type of culture that best suites their owners. And, agency owners […]
Rainmakers who were good at new business in the past are struggling today. According to a recent Agency-Marketer Business Report from RSW/US, the tenure of a new business director is 2 years or less. Only 26% of new business directors were viewed as successful. Why? I’ve worked face-to-face with more than 200 advertising, digital, media and […]
This data will help you think through how you want to position yourself with prospects and what kinds of clients are the best fit for your agency model. This is a guest post written by Drew McLellan. He’s a friend of mine who heads up the Agency Management Institute (AMI), an association of small to medium […]
Content marketing is the fuel for an inbound marketing strategy for new business, if done the right way. It is now one of the most effective tactics to attract prospective clients, build their trust and gain a positioning of expertise. According to a research report by DemandGen, from a B2B buyer survey, 82% of surveyed senior […]
For ad agencies that even have a new business plan, the majority fall short in its implementation.
How many annual planning meetings has your agency gone through to create a strategic marketing plan, only to have it fail in its implementation? Maybe this year, instead of focusing so much attention on the plan, use annual planning to create a dynamic process for execution.
Experience has taught me that successfully executing a new business strategy requires a system.… Continue reading
Most agencies have no plan for new business. They can’t express what they are selling or who they are selling it to.
For you to state that you want to “take your agency to the next level” is not a strategy, it’s a goal. A strategy is not your agency’s mission statement. Your marketing strategy is a plan of execution.
Goals, objectives and mission statements are all fine.… Continue reading
As part of my consulting work, I’m asked to review a lot of agency websites from a new business perspective. Recently, I had a request to review the website of a large ad agency in New York. I wasn’t surprised that I didn’t find a single testimonial from a happy client. A good number of agencies neglect to add this important component to their marketing mix.… Continue reading
The battle for new business has moved online.
You want to enlarge your agency’s online footprint to generate more leads.
These are some proven platforms:
It’s natural. We’re at the top and insulated. Our world consists of our employees, clients, vendors and the small, finite amount of time we get to spend with our friends and families.
Sure, it can be fun, exciting and rewarding. Hell, we wouldn’t do it otherwise. These are the highs.
But on the other hand, there are lows. And they get well, really low. In some cases, it seems you don’t have anyone to turn to.
Since 2007, I’ve preached that there was a new model for new business that made the existing model obsolete. Agencies needed a new approach to new business.
During the past decade, technology and the rise of social media changed how people communicated. This dramatically impacted business development. Prospects became self-sufficent. Any business information they wanted about a product or service became easily available online.… Continue reading
The atmosphere is often chaotic at most agencies. There are numerous interruptions and urgent requests throughout each day. It’s an environment that’s in a perpetual state of distraction. Working in this kind of climate is stressful. You’re constantly shifting from one task to the next.
In addition to agency our agency life, we’re now having to process an extreme amount of information daily.… Continue reading
Agency business development programs are often sales focused. They’re built around outbound, interruptive sales tactics that are designed to start engagements with prospective clients. The prospects have little, if any, awareness of the agency or how they’re different from their competitors.
Success in “selling the agency” is proving to be extremely difficult. And when business development isn’t successful, they think the sensible thing to do is to step-up outbound sales.… Continue reading
As any agency business development executive knows, it’s crucial to track decision-maker shifts in order to beat competitors to the pitch. First-time CMOs are one of the top new business triggers for agency changes, media shifts, and new marketing technology investments, as new hires tend to make changes within 3-12 months following their appointment.
First-time CMO hires signal that a company is making moves to bolster their marketing efforts, and also indicates a probable increase in spend in order to support these initiatives.… Continue reading
Through my experience working with hundreds of advertising, digital, media and PR firms, I’ve discovered how important it is for the agency owner to be the face of their company. Given the rise of social media, their personal brand story is as essential, or even more so, than the agency’s brand.
… Continue readingBeing the “face” of an agency is an intimidating role, and as a result, many owners and founders avoid the spotlight.
Michael Gass, Business Development Consultant | Speaker | Author of Fuel Lines
Fuel Lines provides new business resources for Advertising, Digital, Media and PR Agencies.
It has been rated among the top 100 marketing blogs in the world, according to Ad Age’s Power 150.
Since 2007, Michael has helped pioneer the use of social media, inbound and content marketing strategies specifically for agency new business.
Read more about Michael
An essential component to your agency's new business program is a prospective client data base.
In my opinion one of the most accurate online database of marketing and advertising decision makers is Winmo. I highly recommend them.
I'm Michael Gass, I'm an author, speaker and a new business consultant to advertising, digital, media and PR agencies.
Since 2007, I have helped pioneer the use of social media, inbound and content marketing strategies specifically for agency new business.
Fuel Lines is my social media 'home-base. It has been ranked among the top 100 marketing blogs in the world, according to Advertising Age’s, The Power 150.
Learn more about me