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Advertising Agencies: “Do Not Pitch”

Peter · October 6, 2013 · 1 Comment

Cruise around the world of advertising agency new business consultants and you will often hear that ad agencies shouldn’t ever have to pitch for new business. The “pitch” for not pitching is that if you do a well-targeted, brilliant in-bound marketing program you will get direct “I love you, I want you” incoming from all the qualified new clients you desire. Cool. You’ll get all the new business you want without the cost and hardship of pitching.

This “win without pitching” dream does come true for some agencies. And, I do discuss how to build and run targeted in-bound programs with my clients. These programs include the hyper-targeting of specific clients and selected categories and the employment of SEO best practices (understanding your target market; smart keyword strategies; use of longer posts; syncing your blog, Twitter, LinkedIn and Slideshare, channels; leveraging YouTube.)

However, for the vast majority of agencies, in-bound marketing simply isn’t enough.

Telling Advertising Agencies “Do Not Pitch” For New Business Is Simply BS

I’ve been involved in advertising agency new business since my first pitch (we won) for Western Union’s EasyLink email service in 1984 (yes, this was the first commercial email service — just a touch early.) I’ve run business development at Saatchi and my own agency. Guess what, unless you are the darling of ADWEEK; just won the Gold Lion and some Clios; do Apple or Samsung or Coke advertising; have some form of secret sauce (you are the first ad agency to actually get mobile advertising with ROI proof); have an outrageous database of marketing friends for continuous referrals or are well-know as a category expert…

Fuhgeddaboudit. Chances are rather high that you will have to pitch the accounts that you want. Sitting back and waiting for those love-child clients to call you ain’t going to keep your agency afloat. Wishing that you will never have to pitch is lunacy.

So, please, win without ever pitching? Maybe for the 1%. But, not the other 3,999 agencies.

My bottom line? Learn how to win more of the pitches you should be invited to. I’m going to start to write about how to pitch. It will be a good “pitch” for my business.

And…. Here is how to position your agency so you might win those pitches you are invited to.

Yo!… Don’t miss any of my brilliant (LOL, but I mean it) thoughts on new business.

Sign up for my weekly newsletter.

My Blog & SEO & Traffic & Incoming Leads

Peter · August 15, 2013 · 1 Comment

A friend asked me what words and phrases were used in the past week to find my website via search engines (mostly Google.)

So, just for SEO edification and to show you that I have my Keyword strategy down, here is what my blog activity looks like. As you might expect, some visits have turned into leads and some into assignments for my business development consultation.

If you are wondering what the term “Talking” is all about… go here.

Search	Views
talking	87
peter levitan	43
zillow	21
advertising agency business plan	20
linkedin app	19
business plan for advertising agency	17
advertising agency business model	17
people talking	14
ad agency business plan	14
ad agencies on vine	10
business plan advertising agency	9
how to get new business in advertising	9
ad agency new business development	8
ad agency new business	7
ad agency business development	7
advertising agency new business plan	5
advertising agency business development	5
digital agency business plan	4
advertising agency new business development	4
new business development advertising agency	4
ad agency business development strategies	4
advertising agency it outsourcing	4
positioning advertising agency	4
marketing agency business plan	4
creative agency business plan	3
creative agency	3
how does an advertising agency market for new clients?	3
advertising agency pinterest	3
new advertising agency business model	3
business development plan advertising agency	3
peter a levitan	3
new business development strategies for advertising agencies	3
mobile advertising agency	3
software for advertising agency new business	3
is an advertising company a good business?	3
business development plan for an advertising agency	3
what companies outsource their advertising?	3
developing new ad agency sales	3
somersby cider	3
advertising agency new business	3
541-419-2309	3
best social media agency	3
business development in advertising agencies	3
agency positioning	3
steve klinetobe portland	3
ad agencies on pinterest	2
advertising agencies app developers	2
agencies like wexley school for girls	2
design agency business plan	2
zillow.com	2
business development for advertising agencies	2
advertising and design agency business plans	2
how to build an advertising agency	2
talk image	2
business plan digital agancy	2
talking people	2
babyboom generation	2
how to do a sales business plan for digital advertising agency	2
digital agency business plan template	2
somersby apple	2
nissan vine commercial	2
how to get more business in advertising	2
advertising agency importance to business	2
isuzu sex	2
elements of advertising	2
advertising agencies business plan	2
pinterest for advertising agencies	2
billionaires in ad agency	2
some business model for advertising agency	2
booz allen hamilton leagas delaney	2
agencies new business consultants	2
vine as an advertising tool	2
ad agencies on instagram	2
widelux	2
how to build an advertising agency client list	2
advertising agency business plans	2
building the new ad agency	2
marketing agency for zillow	2
talk	2
ad agency vines	2
new business development for advertising agencies	2
average savings for age 55-64 is $65,000	2
business plan digital agency

Four Reasons For Advertising Agencies To Want A Car Account

Peter · August 14, 2013 · Leave a Comment

… And One To Help Go Get That Car

As an addendum to my Advertising Week Social Club “Dreaming of a Car Account?” interview with Nielsen’s Ian Beavis, I offer some more thoughts on why you should go after a car account.

Big Bucks

Not that you didn’t know this but these guys spend big bucks. According to Kantar Media, in 2013’s first quarter alone, automotive manufacturers spent $1,971 billion and $1,381 billion respectively on manufacturer and dealer advertising.

According to Ad Age, General Motors spent $3.59 billion on advertising last year while Toyota spent $2.86. For contrast, Hyundai and Kia spent only $776 million and $1.26 billion.

Big Media

Again, no surprise that auto accounts use all types of media, which offers agencies of all stripes the opportunity to customize services for manufacturers and dealers. According to Ads24’s most recent Path to Persuasion (P2P) Wave 4: Automotive (passenger cars), “Usually, the most effective media mixes include media formats that play differentiated roles across the Path to Persuasion.”

Big Noise

Just as a reminder… Has anyone not seen Audi’s “Prom”?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANhmS6QLd5Q

Or, Volkswagen’s “The Force” (with 58 million YouTube views)?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R55e-uHQna0

Or, Kia’s “Hamster Rap”?

Or… Chrysler and Eminem?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKL254Y_jtc

Big Love

Toyota has been with Saatchi & Saatchi (nee Dancer, Fitzgerald, Sample) since 1975. Car accounts are hard to move.

“A car account always has been a rite of passage in the world of agencies,” said Jon Bond, co-chairman of Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal & Partners. “It’s like being a made man in the Mafia, but … today, you can get whacked the next week.”

Big Need

Two of the more interesting questions and answers from my interview with Ian Beavis, EVP Automotive at Nielsen and ex auto CMO point to the fact that agencies can find a wedge service into auto accounts. Go for it boys.

Levitan: A final question. Agencies have a hard time creating a competitive agency brand positioning. Any insights and advice you can give to the agency world on how to be distinctive in this highly competitive category?

Beavis: You rarely hear of an agency being a business solution provider, as it just doesn’t sound cool or creative. A good agency solves a client’s business issues and is a partner. Very few qualify and even fewer truly embrace this challenge.

Levitan: What are the current digital hot buttons at car companies?

Beavis: Quality lead generation and follow up. It is the top priority with all OEMs

So, be smart, be distinctive, be a problem solver… get going.

8 Point Ad Agency New Business Check List

Peter · August 2, 2013 · Leave a Comment

Advertising – Digital – PR agency new business isn’t hard to do. Its just hard to do… it. Here’s a check list to help.

I talk to a couple of agencies every week that tell me that they can’t seem to get their new business engine cranking. Unfortunately, the one thing that really gets them moving is when they lose an account. Well, guess what, its a bit late if you wait for fear to get motivated. This might help… ask yourself how many months you can run your agency on your credit line and the cash you currently have in the bank? If its less than six, get going.

The 8 Point Ad Agency New Business Check List

1. Determine what clients you want. Make a short, manageable list using a set of decision making criteria. The criteria could include client categories, size of account, geography, clients that have demonstrated a love for what you do (as in advertising or PR), clients that could use your speciality (assuming that you have a specialty as in mobile or millennial marketing or Instagram) and decide if the account is too much of a long-shot like Coke.

2. Build a detailed contact database of your Group A clients and then a Group B that includes all the others that you should stay in touch with via automated tactics like monthly emails. Use compiled databases like The List Inc. (well worth the $) and brute force using international workers from oDesk or a local intern to build and manage the list.

3. Have something valuable to say. No, this does not mean sending your latest work. This means sending things that might be of value to the client. OK, if you are targeting Intel in Hillsdale and your new CD worked for Intel in San Jose then send her related work and a case history. Or, if you are really bold… tell them you repositioned your agency to meet their needs like my friends at RedSquare. Click on this link before mid-September to see how they exploded their agency to become more competitive.

4. Get the word out at a scheduled pace. More personalized outreach to Group A and once every month or two to Group B. Be top of mind when the client wakes up and needs a new agency.

5. Make friends. Don’t be passive. Its OK to call up Group A for a chat and maybe invite then to a local gig or online seminar if they are far away. Here is my take on cold-calling, um, warm-calling.

6. Be social. Smart social media marketing will work to bring leads in. But, by smart I mean that you have to build an active social media plan based on meeting your target market’s needs. Do not write tons of content about what interests you or your staff party. Write about what interests the prospect and hit their pain points. Learn to really love LinkedIn and Twitter (use your prospect’s hashtags to subtly get noticed by them.) Facebook is for your employees, your future clients and you mom. And, I love the ease and Google friendliness of Pinterest — is your agency in my agency directory?

7. Be consistent. Have a master calendar and stick to it. The good news here is that the other agencies are not doing this with any consistency.

8. Be active. Passive does not work.

–> Oh, here is a bonus #9: If you really need a kick in the biz dev butt or hand-holding and/or the advice of someone who has been there and done it globally at Saatchi and locally for his very own agency… contact me.

The 10 Most Important Ad Agency New Business Actions

Peter · June 7, 2013 · 1 Comment

Here are the 10 most important actions that an ad agency must do to build a killer new business program:

Have a business development plan. The plan could be a one-pager but it must include objectives, target criteria for categories and individual clients, strategies and actions.
Treat your agency’s new business program like a client job. Have timetables, crystal clear internal staff assignments and responsibilities. A business development calendar with deadlines will help with planning and implementation.
Put a senior manager in charge. Give this person the time to do the job. Consider a way to get past the billable hours issue. This job is too important to the health of your P&L.
Think really hard about how to use and manage the power of social media for inbound marketing. The key here is to have a sub-plan for your social media efforts. This is how I rank the value of social media on a need to have basis: search engine optimized blog posts (and agency website copy), then Twitter and LinkedIn (both tied to broadcast your blogs), YouTube, Pinterest, SlideShare and then Facebook.
Build a client prospect database (Excel works. Salesforce works even better — if someone has been assigned to manage it) and, most importantly, track all in and outbound marketing activities. Data is good.
Be consistant. Don’t wait until you lose business to ramp up your new business program. Here is a guarantee – you will eventually lose business so keep filling the pipeline.
Hold periodic status meetings. But, not too many.
Track all activities. Data and analytics are your best friend. Do what works over and over. Kill what dosen’t.
Make sure your CEO is involved. Hungry CEO’s are a very good thing. In my experience, No CEO attention = No ACTIVE business development program.
Stay hungry. Be audacious. Kick ass. This is your chance to look and sound different from the other 3,999 advertising agencies and to drive awareness of a unique door opening message. Need some idea stimulation? Take a look at how London’s Joint uses humor to drive home the idea that they have a few open client categories.

If you need some help developing your program, building your lists or managing your process give me a call.