Our Training Event team, along with Adweek, has been working (what already feels like around the clock) on the planning of our next national new business conference.
We continue to focus on delivering cutting-edge new business strategy that is practical, relevant and immediately applied. To that end, we have a few surprises we'll be announcing in the coming weeks. From format to subject matter to speakers, we'll be introducing a few twists to ensure we continue to deliver meaningful insight.
Content will address key issues that agency principals and new business [Read More]
This posting from Jill Konrath is quite relevant to agencies in their positioning, pitching and prospecting efforts.
Below are the highlights. You can read her full posting here.
How to Create Strong Value Propositions that Lead to Sales
By Jill Konrath
In order to get customers to consider changing, you have to give them a good reason-a really good reason. They need to know about the tangible business results they'll get from using your product or service.
One of best ways to wake a prospective customer out of his "everything is okay" slumber [Read More]
If you happened to attend our new business conference this spring, you will have heard us harping on the role of relevant and unexpected Consumer Insights as vital for winning pitches and opening doors with new prospects. We're always keeping our eyes open for new tools.
As it relates to an ability to quickly uncover a new consumer insight, here's an excerpt from the AdAge piece [Read More]
Prioritize your target list based on where you have the greatest perceived credibility. If prospects don't immediately see a proven track record of delivering business impact in their category, you have no credibility in their eyes. No perceived credibility = no call back.
Marketing chiefs are becoming less willing to risk their future on agencies with no category heft. They have options. If fifteen agencies call on them over the course of a week, they can be selective in terms of who they respond to (if they in fact call anyone back).
If clients [Read More]
Clients get calls from agencies all week long. In fact not just from your competitors, but from printers, magazines, radio stations, television reps, and other assorted marketing properties looking for their weekly handout.
And every call uses an identical approach to deliver an identical message: let me tell you all about me and why I'm different from everyone else (using all the same clichés as everyone else). The truth is... there isn't much you can say about your agency that will actually differentiate you. Everything has been said, including your "proprietary approach [Read More]
Clients are bombarded with outreach from agencies. In fact, not just from agencies... but printers, magazine reps, radio reps, research companies, etc., etc.
Given all the agency cliches, it's become difficult to have anything unique to say.
At the end of the day, clients want one question answered:
What do you have for me that will help my business?
Social media (even just through blogging, Facebook, Twitter) becomes one good tool for communicating your "business-building insights" with prospects: (1) You can first learn about each prospect, better understanding them and [Read More]
Continuing the dialog from the 4A's new business blog:
The online dialog about new business trending, insight and strategy has increased quite dramatically. Social media is in fact proving to be a valuable new business tool, if approached in a considered, strategic manner.
Even just through the use of Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter:
1. You can build a relationship in a way that is "safer" for the prospect. They feel like they can get to know you before engaging you in a phone call.
2. You can listen and learn, before you [Read More]
Agencies complain about clients saying one thing, but then doing another. However, do agencies treat their own marketing the same way?
At the latest Mirren New Business Conference on April 6 - 8, 2009, 325 attendees took in the latest thinking from 35 speakers in 30 sessions over 3 days. Speakers included every major search consultant, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Goodby Silverstein, R/GA, Razorfish, Anomaly, to name a few.
158 agencies participated in a basic survey about their new business practices and the impact of [Read More]
As requested by many of you who attended the conference, below are several of the handouts (often a condensed version of what was actually presented). Simply click on the link to download each PDF.
Please Note: these will be available for download only until Fri, June 12th.
What Clients Want: Mary Ann Packo, Millward Brown
Where the Spending Is: Krista Faron, Mintel International
Keynote: 25 Things About Pitching To Win: Jason Whiting, AKQA
Breaking Into New Categories: Brent Hodgins, Mirren
[Read More]
Although the industry prides itself on cutting-edge creativity and innovation, it can be one of the best cliche factories known to mankind.
Case in point, here's copy from one agency web site:
"Times have changed. You can no longer talk at consumers. We are a new type of agency; we use a unique fully-integrated, idea-driven approach that builds a dialog with consumers. Driven by passionate people, powerful creative, medium-neutral solutions and a relentless results-driven focus, we activate brands, turning consumers into advocates."
I have a personal [Read More]
