I’m looking forward to speaking at AAF-Orlando, Thursday, September 12 at a Lunch & Learn Series and again at their evening Mixer/Workshop. The American Advertising Federation – Orlando is a division of the American Advertising Federation (AAF).
Webinar: A BLUEPRINT for building a social media PLATFORM for business development
Live webinar by Michael Gass: Friday, September 6, 2013 / 1:00 – 2:00 Eastern This webinar will provide you with a BLUEPRINT for building a social media PLATFORM for business development. Agencies haven’t done a good job using social media for themselves. Most agencies didn’t even participate in this arena until 2010. When they did […]
How to Win Agency New Business: Interview | Branding Magazine
“Instead of chasing new business using interruptive type tactics… it is more important to be found.” – Michael Gass I was recently interviewed by Chuck Kent, contributing editor for Branding Magazine, for my opinion on what advertising, digital, media and public relation agencies need to do to create new business. Here’s a list of the […]
Snow Storm in May?
It looked like snow in my hometown of Winchester, TN yesterday. A soft hail or snow pellets called Graupel covered the ground like snowfall. The series of photos were taken by Leanne Hyden McCullough, who shared them on Facebook and stated: “This first picture was taken at 4:40 this afternoon. The others were taken every 4 minutes […]
Join Me for Mirren Live the 2013 Ad Agency New Business Conference
New York: May 14-15, 2013 The premiere agency new business conference of the year is Mirren. Brent Hodgins, Managing Partner at Mirren, and his staff do a tremendous job putting together one of the most helpful conferences for business development. There are over 400 agencies in attendance, 50+ speakers in 35+ sessions over 2 jam-packed days. This […]
Thought Legion and The List Provide New Resource for Advertising Pros
SALT LAKE CITY, Feb. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire-iReach/ — 2013 will see a new online professional development resource for advertising agency and marketing professionals in the form of Thought Legion, delivered exclusively via one of today’s most popular forms of training: live and on-demand webinars. The best minds in the business are already lining up to […]
Social Media Isn’t Working for Ad Agency New Business
July 16, 2021 by
If your agency’s social media participation isn’t developing new business leads, it’s important to know WHY.
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
Ad Agencies Need Systems to Consistently Produce Leads
June 14, 2021 by
Believe it or not, most small to midsize agencies are not organized to consistently generate leads.
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
7 Benefits from the Right Positioning for Ad Agency New Business
March 20, 2021 by
The FOUNDATION of an ad agency’s new business program is its positioning.
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.”
How to Create Your Personal Brand Story for Ad Agency New Business
February 21, 2021 by
I’ve learned the importance of creating my personal brand story when I launched my own consultancy a decade ago. I had led new business for a number of advertising agencies before deciding to start my own consulting firm. This could have easily been one of the worst decisions of my life.
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
An Idea Platform for Ad Agency New Business
December 21, 2020 by
Ideasicleˣ: The First Advertising SaaS Platform For Virtual Creativity.
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.”
Panic is Not a Strategy for Ad Agency New Business
October 19, 2020 by
How to implement sales intelligence for agency growth.
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
Tips for Working from Home for Agency New Business
April 30, 2020 by
Your number one objective should be to maintain, if not increase, your engagement with prospects.
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
Great Onboarding: The Secret to 88% Employee Retention
February 6, 2020 by
How to cut employee turnover in half.
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
Change the Rules of Competition for Ad Agency New Business
January 9, 2020 by
“You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to step away from the shore” – Nobel Prize-winning author André Gide.
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.
Positioning is the Foundation for Ad Agency New Business
December 9, 2019 by
Without a differentiated position, new business is much harder than it needs to be.
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.”
