I used to mentally separate New Business from Marketing – they were quite clearly different things.

New Business was about getting time in Marketing Directors’ diaries via the intermediaries, prospecting and relationship building. It was about filling in RFI’s, working on credentials, getting to a pitch and then a win!

Marketing was, for me, a “nice to have” extra … …some seminars, conferences and awards.

But now it seems that the two have merged, or even that Marketing has the edge when it comes to filling the pipeline and when writing a New Business & Marketing strategy today, it really does need to be 360 degrees (sorry couldn’t resist using the 360/holistic words).

If you really want to break in and win a new retail client, for example, here is how you might go about doing it:

Work out the ideal clients you would like from that sector (assuming that they are a good fit for the agency as that is why they are on your ideal client list in the first place).

Get an expert on the case, or charge someone internally with being the expert, and get some thought leadership pieces written which directly relate to the prospective clients’ business activity.

Share this expertise with journalists and prospects via social media, blogs and traditional PR.
Get a speaking slot at a retail conference, getting the list of attendees before the conference.. don’t forget to take a wing man !

Share the content from the conference .. send your thought leadership piece to attendees after the conference, film it, post it up…

Build on this and engage with your prospects so that when you get to a pitch situation you already have a head start on your competition and thus a higher chance of conversion.

Camilla Honey – 16th Sept 2013