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2016: YOUR AGENCY NEW BUSINESS TO-DO LIST

Published: Sunday 20th December 2015
On the cusp of the New Year, I’ve drawn together a to-do list. It provides a launch pad for your 2016 activity with one simple objective: growing your agency by winning more new business. Review your agency propositionWhat do you want to be known and remembered for? Will it resonate with your prospects, influencers, industry, and talent? Review it, is it working? Are you creating interest and securing meetings with prospects? Perfect your elevator pitchIt’s a useful exercise for all the agency staff. Let’s not forget, they are your greatest advocates. I encourage those agencies I work with to articulate their agency proposition in less than 2 minutes. Often, that’s all the time you’ve got. It needs to be consistent. You’ll also find it helps build understanding and confidence, particularly with more junior staffers. Got your new business and marketing plan in place?In case you missed them, my previous New Business and Marketing blogs detailed the essential components for putting together your 2016 plan. With these in place, you have created a strategy to achieve your targets. Get everyone involved and behind it, from the agency leadership down. Create an inclusive new business cultureNew business is everybody’s business, so everyone has a part to…
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TEN TIPS FOR CREATING YOUR NEW BUSINESS PLAN

Published: Monday 2nd November 2015
The Christmas season has kicked off and rolling. Hello Man On The Moon and a beautiful re-incarnation of Mog The Cat. The hazy reality of the impending New Year is upon us, which means that you’ve either started, finished or are contemplating your 2016 New Business Plan. Either way, here are some essential tips for putting together the annual plan.  Start with the Agency Business plan Get together with senior management on the detail of the agency business plan for 2016. Their growth strategy (including new services, products, skills and expertise), and their revenue targets will define yours. Work alongside agency management It’s important that you engage with senior management throughout and signal any areas that will require investment (both financial and their time). It goes without saying that you’ll need their buy-in at the end. Review your new business performance for the current year. What was your overall conversion rate and conversion from RFIs to pitches? Where were the opportunities coming from? What was the average value of your wins? Where were your opportunities coming from? What aspects of your marketing programme worked, which didn’t? Working through this in detail will allow you set objectives for the following year…
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SIR ALEX FERGUSON – A MASTERCLASS IN LEADERSHIP

Published: Friday 2nd October 2015
“The most consistently successful leader I’ve ever seen”. Nick Robinson, ex BBC Political Editor, on Sir Alex Ferguson. Yes, I was brought up in a family where football was unequivocally a more serious matter than life or death. But it wasn’t football that piqued my interest in Robinson’s quote, a preface to his documentary on Sir Alex Ferguson. It was the fact that Robinson, my hero, believes that Sir Alex is one of our greatest leaders, and certainly the most consistently successful one. Robinson has mountains of credentials to spot greatness when he sees it. During his 10-year tenure as BBC Political Editor, he’s questioned, studied, lunched and travelled with the full rolling cast of political heavyweights. And he’s a Ferguson fan boy (and Manchester United fan). For those who don’t know, (who are you?) Sir Alex is the most successful British Football Manager of all time. Manchester United won 49 trophies under his stewardship, which lasted for over a quarter of a century. If it weren’t true, it would be almost inconceivable. I wanted to know what could be learnt from the most consistently successful leader. It’s testament to the esteem in which he’s held that he is Fellow…
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KEEPING IT REAL – LET’S NOT FORGET IN-PERSON MARKETING

Published: Thursday 1st October 2015
How valuable is virtual? How valuable is a virtual relationship? Is it possible to recreate the depth of relationship digitally that we can forge just by being together, being present?  Although a fully paid up and committed citizen of the virtual world, I sometimes wonder about the other one I also inhabit, you know, the real one. I worry that it’s being eclipsed by the mighty presence of social media and the immense importance attached to building online relationships. My preference is for dual nationality. Keeping it real with event marketing We need to keep it real recognising that face-to-face interactions strengthen relationships at an emotional level with prospects and clients. Which is why event marketing is a vital part of the new business programme. An agency event doesn’t have to be lavish affair, but it will take a fair bit of organisation. That said, it’s worth the extra hours if you consider the benefits. Starting with your purpose Events are designed to attract prospects (and engage stakeholders) by being commercially relevant and topical. You may opt for third party involvement to lend credibility, perhaps co-creating research and/or sponsoring an industry expert round table. Well designed and executed, events enhance…
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THE POWER OF SIMPLICITY

Published: Tuesday 1st September 2015
I was recently re-reading ‘Eat the Big Fish’ by Adam Morgan, and was struck by a story he tells about Picasso. This is it: One day Picasso welcomes a visitor to his studio. On the floor in the middle of the studio is a large block of unhewn rock. The visitor asks Picasso what he intends to do with it. “From that rock, I will sculpt a lion,” the great artist replies. The visitor is taken aback. It’s hard for him to imagine how anyone could create anything from such a rock. In obvious awe of Picasso, he asks the master nervously what –how – where one might start the process of creating a lion from such an unpromising block of rock. “Oh, it’s very simple,” Picasso replies. “I just take a chisel and knock off all the bits that don’t look like a lion”. And there we have it, the perfect expression of the fine art of reduction, of removing all the extraneous bits that detract from a great idea, or a powerful presentation, or a strong positioning, or a honed business plan. Less is most definitely more. Single minded communication –communicating a simple idea, simply – has always…
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TIPS FOR SOCIAL MEDIA SUCCESS – DO LESS, BETTER!

Published: Tuesday 21st July 2015
Start. Stop. Start. No, not the sad lament of my now “vintage” BMW, rather the stuttering approach many agencies ascribe to their social media activity. Believe me, I get it. We commit with the best intentions only to be submerged by the tidal waves of deadlines, pitches, RFIs – enough said. I’m not a social media expert but I do work with agencies keen to get things going, or to revive their flagging commitment. So I thought I’d share my learning with those of you keen to do the same. Three things to consider: Do less, better. Yes, you could get active on Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Instagram, YouTube etc. and some agencies can and do. But many lack the time and resource and once you’ve started, you need to treat your friends and followers with respect. Don’t start a party then exit. They won’t be eager to come back again. Choose two or three platforms and be there. This means posting valuable, relevant and entertaining content – every day. Get a social team in place. A strong social media presence is a valuable agency marketing asset– building profile, reputation and relationships with the capacity to strike new business gold…
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WHAT CLIENTS REALLY THINK

Published: Wednesday 1st July 2015
I recently attended a Haymarket New Business Training Day hosted by Camilla Honey and Mark Clark from jfdi. It was an educational tour de force, offering expert strategies and insights for everyone interested in honing their new business skills and helping their agencies grow. Mark Clark hosted a client panel, which discussed its views of the pitch process – the inside track on what clients really think and value, and what they expect of pitch teams. I thought I’d share some of their views with you (and maybe you’d like to offer your own). On the panel were: Alison Williams, Head of Events for L’Oréal Professional Products Kelly Phillips, Senior Events Manager for EE Tina Fegent, Director, Tina Fegent Consulting (Procurement) Here are the headline discussion topics and a summation of the panel’s responses. How the role and value of marketing has changed over the last 5 -10 years. No surprises here methinks. The shift from pushing messages to engaging with consumers represents a seismic shift in approach, together with the need to develop the requisite skills to feed consumer demand across a plethora of existing and evolving platforms. The primary challenge was pinpointed as accelerated knowledge – the need to…
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IF YOU DO ONE THING THIS MONTH… ENTER THE UK AGENCY AWARDS

Published: Tuesday 9th June 2015
Deadline for entries – 19th June 2015 Camilla Honey launched JFDI eleven years ago. Passionate about new business, the engine of agency growth, she spotted an opportunity. At that time, there was precious little resource available when agencies needed new business support. Sure, there were organisations and sources of advice for the big agency issues like creativity or managing client relationships. What was absent was specialist counsel on just how to win new business. Fast forward and today, together with her company partner Mark Clark, JFDI has worked with hundreds of agencies, from global giants to start ups and everything in between – leading, sharing and implementing new business best practice. Which suggests, of course, that agencies need and value specialist expertise. As the beating pulse of any agency, new business and agency growth are always pretty much top of the management agenda. They’re certainly top of ours. To be successful, to convert new business, as we know from experience, is no easy task. In an over-supplied, competitive market that’s experiencing seismic changes, it’s tough to leave any kind of imprint on a client’s consciousness. And when we make that painstaking journey from initial contact to pitch success, we should…
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THE TOOLS OF PERSUASION – Part Two

Published: Tuesday 5th May 2015
The Six Principles of Influence My last blog (Part One) explored the seminal book written by Dale Carnegie on how to communicate more persuasively and win people over to your way of thinking. Another valuable resource is the work by Robert Cialdini, Regents’ Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University.                                                 In his acclaimed book published in 1984 entitled ‘Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion,’ he draws upon a series of experimental studies conducted on those whom he termed ‘compliance professionals’ – those skilled in the art of influencing and convincing people, including salespeople, advertisers and marketers. These six principles for convincing others to say ‘yes’ are: Reciprocity – As humans, we are inclined to return favours – we feel that one good act deserves another. The key here is to identify your objectives and how you can support others with theirs. This can be used to encourage referrals, for instance, or to manage teams with their working processes. Commitment (and consistency) – Consistency is embedded in the human psyche, Cialdini argues. Once we have committed to something,…
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THE TOOLS OF PERSUASION – Part One

Published: Tuesday 28th April 2015
Winning Friends & Influencing People Perhaps the most valuable tool in our new business repertoire is the ability to persuade and influence people – clients, prospects and teams. Understanding and finessing the art of persuasion has spawned a veritable literary tsunami.  The book regarded by many as the seminal work on the subject is ‘How To Win Friends And Influence People,’ authored by Dale Carnegie in 1936.     Carnegie dedicates a chapter to ‘How To Win People To Your Way Of Thinking’ – now who amongst us isn’t a little intrigued to find out more? For the purposes of this blog, a snapshot of the principles he advocates is as follows: You can’t win an argument. The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it. Telling people directly that they’re wrong is a direct strike at their intelligence and self-respect. It’s far more effective to admit that you may be wrong, and that further investigation of the facts is necessary. If indeed you are wrong, admit it. Immediately. Start with praise and show appreciation. Begin your conversation in a constructive and friendly manner. At the outset, find commonality in the opposing views rather than emphasising…
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Your Perfect Partner will Find You

Published: Thursday 12th February 2015
The heart shaped chocolate boxes, the exquisite red roses, the abundance of mostly soppy cards radiating love vibes (which made it tiresome for me to buy a stack of birthday cards yesterday) – yep, I am the Valentine’s day equivalent to Scrooge at Christmas.  But hey, all is not lost, as my theory is that THE right one, that special one, will find you – at least in the context of new business coupling and romance. But we do need to apply ourselves to ensure that the magic happens, that we make ourselves irresistible, literally. So how do we do this? Well for a start, we’re very specific; we don’t have the time for false starts or failed romance. We say who we are, (and by inference, who we are not), what we do – and we imbue it with some passion. What sets our pulses racing? And what we say might not appeal to everyone, and that’s just fine. We just hone in on what makes us different, and valuable, namely our expertise. Language is important here, it always is. It conveys a sense of personality. Here’s one that does it for me, exploiting a creative positioning, based in…
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The Answer is ‘Why?’

Published: Thursday 5th February 2015
First, a big thank you to all those who came to our Early Worm Club, where the subject in the spotlight was “How Compelling Is Your Value Proposition?”  Contrary to what some, apparently, had feared, this was not a ‘name and shame’ exercise, far from it.  It was a stress test, posing those questions which allow you to assess just how good your proposition is, or could be. Judging from the turnout, it appears that this is a subject that vexes many bright and curious minds; those who appreciate its importance and have spent many hours/days/months trying to create that hook, that succinct and powerful value expression, that will get you noticed and help attract the right kind of clients to your agency – which we identified as just two of the measures of success. What we discovered along the way is precisely that – ‘what?’  There’s simply too much of it around.  Many agencies position themselves too broadly, failing to stake their claim in a specific area of expertise.  So, they all start to sound the same and use near-identical generic language.  In the absence of a clear proposition, they default to the ‘what’ they do, a description of…
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Harnessing the Power of your Value Proposition – from Content Creation to Thought Leadership

Published: Monday 19th January 2015
Putting together a content marketing strategy is a far simpler exercise once you’ve defined your value proposition, as this provides the organising principle around which your marketing programme will revolve. Most agencies create a mountain of content on a monthly basis, including credentials, presentations, showreels, newsletters and reports. The objective is most often to showcase and underscore our expertise to clients and for the New Business Director, prospects –embedded in which is a subtle, or not so subtle, ‘sell’. Thought Leadership is different. Thought leadership sits at the pinnacle of the content marketing, although it often seems to me that the two are used interchangeably. For me, thought leadership is a big, audacious and visionary long-term goal, which seeks to challenge prevailing ideas that shape an industry, effecting behavioural change. Therefore it comes as no surprise that those companies that rank most highly are Apple, Google, Amazon and John Lewis*, the latter championing a business model which has captured the zeitgeist – and done it well, as its reputation and sales testify. These leaders continue to innovate and by so doing build trust, authority and reputation, the hallmarks of the successful thought leader. Importantly, thought leadership does not have the…
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YOUR VALUE PROPOSITION: IS IT GOOD ENOUGH TO WIN NEW BUSINESS?

Published: Thursday 8th January 2015
So now we’ve landed in the New Year, how are you going to position your agency in the drive to win new business? A good place to start is by framing this question within the context of who you are and how you create value for your clients.  It’s arguably the most important question you, the agency, has to answer, allowing you to occupy a unique place in the mind of your prospective clients. Let’s not forget, if we ever can, that our marketplace is crowded and hugely competitive. This means that your value proposition has one clearly defined objective: to reduce the competition and by so doing reduce the prospect’s hiring options. Some agencies find defining their value proposition difficult, so they default to the generic and descriptive – what they do – without establishing any clear point of difference or benefit, therefore failing to raise themselves above the mass of competing agencies, along the lines of the following: “cross platform media solutions…” “creating extraordinary experiences…” “global full service digital marketing…” “integrated marketing solutions…” What we tend to see is often uninspiring, and one salient point is hard to ignore – the fact that most agencies position themselves too…
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