Yes winning New Business is easy but it does take more work and that’s the catch because many agencies don’t or won’t work that hard.
I have hunted for many agencies and have also conducted a number of reviews for companies like Jacuzzi and Jenny Craig. I really enjoy being a search consultant because I get to see a lot of presentations.
I have probably seen more presentations than many agencies have made in years.
Yes today you have to work harder because your agency peers have raised the bar with new standards of performance. They are easy to find when I search for agencies that would match the brief because they have great SEO presence. Their management is on Linkedin and they have a Corporate Linkedin page. They are easy to connect with.
They don’t look like posers when you check out their social media presence.
They don’t believe in being cobbler’s children.
They have strong Capabilities presentations. They know that clients read RFP’s like they read magazines. They know that their submissions have to be highly visual. They know that is what gets clients to say, “Wow, this looks really great. Let’s put them on the list.” I know because I have seen many diverse clients look at RFP’s that way and say those things.
If your Capabilities presentation is an 81/2 by 11 coil bound submission that looks like a college project there is probably a good chance your kids aren’t going to be going to a good college. You simply have to try harder these days.
Winning agencies know that before clients visit their agency you need to do a lot of work and research. They know they need to complete store checks, or sign up for services, or talk to their networks to get as many insights as they can to get the edge. They know they have to meet often and prepare a war room that is a snapshot of the brand, the competition and the marketplace so when clients come to see them they will see the agency’s passion for their business. Clients always give hard working agencies credit because I have been there and have heard them talk about how hard the agencies worked when we are in the car together afterwards.
Winning agencies know that when clients visit the agency you have to focus on their business. They peel the onion of New Business. They know that insights about a client’s business creates dialogue and builds chemistry. Losing agencies just reprise their Capabilities and provide superficial perspectives. They claim total surprise when I tell them we aren’t moving on with them. Their competitors have eaten their lunch and have made them look like novices.
Yes, New Business is easy.
It’s easy for the agencies prepared to work hard.
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Watch: The New Agency Model.
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