I know a fair a fair amount about the agency new business process. I have conducted agency reviews for clients like Jenny Craig, Toyo Tires, Raley’s Supermarkets, Jacuzzi among other companies.
I have also been a hunter for agencies and my consulting practice for years.
I advocate a Three P approach. Plan, Promote and Pursue.
The first P is have a Plan. You are going to have to watch my other two videos on the second and third P.
Most agencies don’t have a New Business plan because it takes a lot of effort and investment.
Most agencies don’t invest in themselves. That’s what they tell their clients to do.
Most agency owners that I know got into the agency business through the serendipity of life. You might have been college friends or in a band and said we got to get into this internet thing.
You might have worked for an agency and got fired and said I don’t want to work for the man anymore and started your own thing. Somebody moved your cheese and you grew organically fueled by the referrals of our network.
Your agency ends up being all over the place. You message is not singled minded and focused.
This happens when you grow organically. Call from prospects create the agency over time.
You are exactly what you tell your clients not to be.
You reach a stage where you realize this isn’t the right way to do it. You are doing fine but worried. You realize you need to move to the next stage.
You haven’t promoted your agency to any degree and your social media presence is nonexistent. You rarely network as you are in the business versus being on the business.
If a prospect searches the name of your agency you come up but the results are not impressive. You need more than your website, Glassdoor reviews and some other odd assorted things that may pop up. No thought leadership. No compelling reason to reach out to you.
You need plan to have an effective New Business Plan.
You need to invest into an outside resource because you don’t have perspective. I remember asking my advisor “How do you see my situation with such vision? They responded because it is not my life.” Outside perspective gives your clarity. It elevates you from the quagmire of the day to day of running a shop.
The facilitator should start by interviewing the management team to determine what makes your agency different and where everyone wants to take the agency.
This process would identify the strengths and weaknesses of your agency and your bottlenecks to growth.
The interviews along with your history and experience would identify the key verticals your agency should pursue.
This will also identify what elements and messaging should be included in your Capabilities Deck and on your website.
I am running long so I have to go now but check out Part Two and Part Three to learn more.