A New Business Plan is Just a Plan Until It’s Executed

October 3, 2019 by

Execution is the battleground that determines success or failure.

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

Filed Under: Agency Promotion, Best Practices, New Business Tips Tagged With: , , ,

A Plan for Ad Agency New Business in 3 Simple Steps

September 12, 2019 by
A Plan for Ad Agency New Business

Having a written marketing plan makes new business easier and much more consistent.

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

Filed Under: Best Practices, New Business Tips Tagged With: , , , ,

12 Tips for Using Testimonials for Ad Agency New Business

August 22, 2019 by
client testimonials for ad agency new business

Adding recommendations is an easy way to empower a new business program.

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

Filed Under: Inbound Marketing, New Business Tips Tagged With: , , , ,

7 Helps for Consistent Online Leads for Ad Agency New Business

August 15, 2019 by
help for ad agency new business

Business development doesn’t have to be so difficult. By creating simple steps and processes you’ll have a system to boost online leads.

Here are 7 tips to get started:

1. Consistently Use Lead Generation Platforms

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:

  • For over the past 10 years, I’ve recommended a niche blog for agency new busines. I’ve helped create over 450 personal blogs for agency principals.
… Continue reading
Filed Under: Digital Marketing, New Business Tips Tagged With: , , , ,

You Can’t Grow Your Ad Agency Quicker Alone

July 11, 2019 by

Being an agency owner can be lonely. 

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.

… Continue reading
Filed Under: Agency Leadership, New Business Events Tagged With: , , ,

Social Media is now Pay to Play for Ad Agency New Business

June 12, 2019 by
social media is pay to play for ad agency new business

Paid social advertising can accelerate the process of attracting qualified traffic and leads.

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

Filed Under: Agency Promotion, New Business Tips, New Business Trends, Social Media Tagged With: , , , , ,

Distractions Can Take A Toll On Ad Agency New Business

May 8, 2019 by

Why it’s so hard to remain focused on new business and how to deal with distractions.

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

Filed Under: Fuel for Thought, Time Management Tagged With: , , , ,

Ad Agencies: The Two Things Prospects Want to Buy

May 2, 2019 by
stop selling for ad agency new business

You should stop selling your services, that’s not what prospects are buying.

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

Filed Under: New Business Tips Tagged With: , , , ,

Targeting First-time CMOs for Ad Agency New Business

April 30, 2019 by

Here are five brands that have added their first CMO.

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

Filed Under: Agency Networks, New Business Tools, Research Tagged With: , , , , ,

Your Personal Brand is Key for Ad Agency New Business

April 26, 2019 by
Your Personal Brand and 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 story is as essential, or even more so, than the agency’s brand.

Being the “face” of an agency is an intimidating role, and as a result, many owners and founders avoid the spotlight. 

… Continue reading
Filed Under: Agency Leadership, Agency Positioning, Best Practices, Fuel for Thought, Inbound Marketing Tagged With: , , , , ,
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