Fueling Ad Agency New Business
Developing your personal brand is one of the best investments you can make for new business. 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 […]
Social media is a primary force that is redefining the role of the men and women who oversee the world’s largest companies. The importance of social media to business has dramatically escalated. We have moved through the “hype phase of social media when businesses felt compelled to participate because it was such a fad. We have […]
Hosting your own events gives you control over the attendees, the agenda and the outcome. Networking and trade show events for new business is often a total waste of time. Attendees are focused on their own personal agendas. A more efficient and effective way to spend your time is to host your own events. Hosting events can benefit […]
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 […]
Too often good agencies succumb to bad writing. When it’s in high-stakes documents like proposals and client briefs, you put revenue at risk. Emails, proposals, website copy, case studies – they’re all responsible for making a crucial first impression. Yet too easily agencies fall back on jargon, generalizations and wordiness when trying to get their […]
Agency new business is a very tough job. There’s often a lot of rejection associated with the position of business development. It’s difficult to stay optimistic. One thing that helps to inspire me are quotes that I pick up from my reading and from conferences and seminars. They condense wisdom into bite-sized memorable sentences that […]
A perfect platform for new business. For over ten years I’ve prescribed creating a niche blog for agency new business and have helped create over 200 personal blogs for agency principals. A personal blog can provide small to midsize agency owners with a perfect platform to create positioning of expertise and appeal to a very specific […]
This is My Personal Story In Leading Ad Agency New Business I wanted to publically thank my good friend, Ken Henley, who is a Nashville artist that created my new caricature. Ken and I have known each other for years. We’ve seen a lot of changes within the advertising industry, but none as great as what […]
If you’re suffering from the Shoemaker’s Daughter Syndrome, you may want to consider closing the gap between what you recommend for clients and what you use for your own purposes. Guest article by Gerry Black, Direct Response Copywriter/Marketing Consultant. Over the years, I have come across many clients and agency owners who exhibit this classic disconnect phenomenon. […]
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 […]
From my experience, most agencies finally got on board with social media in 2010. They created their agency’s blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram accounts and jumped in.
70% of marketers report that social media marketing delivers poor or average return on investment.
Many agencies thought that by merely having a social media presence, it would give them social media credibility.… Continue reading
Agency life is chaotic. Too much to do; to little time. The answer to this problem is to work smarter not harder by creating SYSTEMS for new business.
A system is a set of detailed methods, procedures and routines created to carry out a specific activity, perform a duty, or solve a repeated business issue.
Business development doesn’t have to be so difficult.… Continue reading
When you have the right positioning it’s like fishing for a specific fish with a particular bait. You know where the fish are, what bait is appealing to them, the right equipment to use and you have developed the expertise to catch the real trophies.
… Continue reading“By appealing to everyone, brands end up appealing to no one. Standing for everything is the same as standing for nothing.”
My advertising career had been spent working in only two markets, outside of Birmingham, Alabama and Nashville, Tennessee, I had zero awareness. Little did I know that I was about to start my new business at the beginning of one of the longest economic downturns since the Great Depression.… Continue reading
If timing is everything, then Ideasicleˣ is the poster child. Just when the world closes down due to Covid-19, a platform arrives that helps accelerate creativity through remote work. I was intrigued enough with the concept, particularly as a new business idea machine, to reach out to its founder, Will Burns, to learn more about it.
… Continue reading“What the world needs now are ideas. Lots and lots of ideas.”
No one opens an advertising agency because they have a passion for sales. That’s why many agencies only have one dedicated new business specialist or include it in the laundry list of owner responsibilities. By not prioritizing additional revenue opportunities, it only gets done when work is slow or the worst happens.
Maybe your biggest client leaves and now a significant chunk of your annual revenue is gone.… Continue reading
I’ve been working from home for almost thirteen years, but many of you are working from home for the first time. You’re having to adjust to a new work environment that includes kids, spouses, and pets. You’re probably having to develop new skills to successfully work remotely. The last thing you’re probably thinking about is new business.
But just because your environment has changed, doesn’t mean your commitment to growing your agency should change.… Continue reading
This is a guest article written by John Paul Strong, the owner of the Birmingham-based advertising agency, Strong Automotive Merchandising. John Paul has developed a very robust onboarding process that I wanted him to share with you.
Their original roster of 10 employees and eight clients has exploded today, growing to more than 115 full-time employees and 250 automotive dealers. And it hasn’t gone without notice. Strong Automotive Merchandising has been recognized as a perennial winner in Birmingham’s Best Places to Work contest and as a Top 20 Agency among Google’s National Ad Partners.… Continue reading
I read an insightful article on why the focus of a company’s (agency’s) business strategy should not be upon its competitors. The article was written by Gabor George Burt, internationally recognized expert on innovation, creativity and strategy development, and the author of the book, Slingshot.
Burt states,
… Continue reading“In today’s marketplace, I would argue that doing something unprecedented is not just adventurous but imperative … eliminating competition by trying to beat it is dangerously shortsighted.
Many small to midsize agencies have not addressed positioning because of either procrastination or, more likely, their unwillingness to make the difficult business decisions.
… Continue reading“Contrary to common belief, all agencies have pretty much the same basic capabilities, and processes. They all claim to have proprietary tools, and they may have different labels for what they do, but the approach is essentially the same at big or small agencies.”
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