Factor 3: Applied Creativity

New business development is the business

 
As a marketing agency, we try and practice what we preach when it comes to our own new business development. We use our talents, research and all relevant channels (digital, offline, verbal and face-to-face) to persuade key decision-makers that we’re their future agency or at the very least, an agency worth talking to. We can tell and show what we’ve done for other clients but even more important is talking about their brand, their objectives, challenges and how we can help them move their brand and their business forward.

New business development is a constantly evolving process that gathers pace and loses momentum depending on how much time, energy and thought you give it. Prospects are always at various points in the life cycle: I’m engaged and I’m in review mode; I might be in review mode in 3-6 months; I’m engaged to my agency, but let’s keep in touch; it’s unlikely we’ll ever get-it-together because of A, B or C (our marketing spend is very low, you’re too far away, I like an agency with a global network of offices, etc). 

We love the golden words, ‘yes, we’ve got an issue with our…. ’ or ‘I’ve almost finished the brief’, but thinking about how you move a prospect from being a warm contact to a hot prospect is both a challenge and an opportunity.  We try and make our new business engagement as stimulating and interesting as possible. And, yes, we do stalk our prospects but in the nicest possible way, we communicate with them intelligently, occasionally try to entertain and try not to make their eyes water.  When they’re all signed up, we’ll look after them as though they are one of the family.

Of course, new business isn’t just won by the new business people, it’s a team effort that involves handing over the baton. Like a well tuned relay team, it requires the input of the creative team, digital team and account managers to move the relationship to the next level. 

Then, it all begins again. For the new business people, it’s never over until it’s over.