The simple answer is Yes. After all, marketing execs are people, and people do the craziest things. Think Nigerian Prince with $10,000,000 dollars to deposit. So, yes you can talk certain people into hiring your agency using charm, an infectious... Read more →
If you've got next year's new business plan set, kudos. You are in rare company. Too often the right intentions get pushed aside for client work, staff turnover, personal emergency, and many other good reasons. Fall turns to winter, and... Read more →
Last week I talked to a young, aggressive agency owner who wanted to grow fast and thought the best way was to create a conceptual campaign to take around to marketers in hopes of selling it to someone. The owner... Read more →
Marketing automation platforms (MAP) are powerful tools for marketers of all kinds including ad agencies, but its promise is far from realized. 2017 data shows that 67% of marketers currently use some type of marketing automation platform and that number... Read more →
Agencies that struggle to grow face many of the same problems; no time, limited resources, inadequate tools, inconsistent effort, no pipeline, lack of focus, too many misses. It is frustrating because your current clients love you and appreciate the hard... Read more →
It is always a challenge for ad agencies to maintain a consistent new business effort. It usually happens in fits and starts. The team gets busy, a person leaves or many other reasons. The result is a dwindling pipeline, lost... Read more →
It’s that time of year when ad agencies start scrutinizing their business development results and wondering what to do differently in the coming year. Experts predicted this past year would be a breakout year, but many agencies did not reap... Read more →
It’s not uncommon for a new ad agency to launch with some clients from their former agency or with great publicity that brings in new prospects. It doesn’t take long for the agency principals to focus their excitement, passion, and... Read more →
Everyone, no matter what they do, is faced with the same challenge; how should I spend my time most efficiently. Time is our most valuable resource and properly investing it can make the difference between success and something less. Time... Read more →
It’s been my world for more than 15 years. Not as a consultant but in the trenches honing my approach at small, mid-size and large agencies. I know how your prospects want to be engaged and how agencies can succeed. I engage and develop relationships that lead to more clients, more revenue, and a more predictable pipeline. Read more →
Agencies that struggle to grow face many of the same problems; no time, limited resources, inadequate tools, inconsistent effort, unpredictable pipeline, lack of focus, too many misses. It is frustrating because your current clients love you and appreciate the hard work and extra effort you put into their success. Read more →
It is typical for an agency to have a BD person or a BD team, or for the owner and leadership to have responsibility for agency growth. But does it end there? My favorite quote is from Philip Kotler, “the... Read more →
I’ve seen a lot of sensational headlines appealing to ad agency leadership claiming to offer a winning new business plan and I wonder what that means. What constitutes a winning program? Any agency that doesn’t win new business won’t be... Read more →
It used to be that ad agency business development was a bunch of separate tasks organized in your head, in word and excel, in calendars, post-it notes, scraps of paper and assorted business cards. I pulled out an old file... Read more →
Ad Agency business development is too often an individual sport. Even though they have a team behind them, the job ultimately falls on BD, alone, into the wee hours of the night, lost weekends, missed anniversaries, but I digress. The... Read more →
In conversations I’ve had over the years one thing stands out that has never made sense to me. So many times I’ve heard, I don’t want to ask for help because my boss, colleagues, subordinates will think I can’t handle... Read more →
We’ve all heard a lot of horror stories about the business development role in advertising. It is one of the most maligned jobs at the agency. BD people are often the scapegoat for bigger more systemic problems. Hero one day... Read more →
Ask the Google “how to win an ad agency pitch” (without quotes) to see how many people have an opinion on this subject. I did this first two years ago, and there were over 14 million listings. Today that number... Read more →
It is inevitable. You work your pipeline diligently, and all you hear is crickets. You post, email, call, knock, cocktails, golf, call, knock, $%@&?! Is there anyone out there? The Account Director taps her foot waiting. The Creative Director cock’s... Read more →
John Heenan | agency growth consultant
