A few weeks ago, my wife and I were having dinner with an out-of-town couple—our friends who own a successful small agency in Texas. As usual, the conversation touched on life, kids, and travel, eventually turning to business—specifically, the benefit of a proactive agency business development process.
Back in November 2024, I sent them a rough outline of a fractional business development director offering I was considering launching in early 2025. I wanted to gauge whether agency owners saw its value—and, more importantly, whether they’d be willing to pay for it. Their response was immediate: Yes and yes! But they didn’t need help at the time.
Their agency was thriving—drowning in inbound leads from word-of-mouth referrals. Work spoke for itself. Phones rang. Deals closed. Business development felt effortless.
Now, less than six months later, everything has changed
Their largest client was pulling the plug—not because of poor performance, but because marketing was on the chopping block in a cost-cutting spree. 🤦♂️ Worse still, those previously abundant word-of-mouth referrals had dried up. The phones that rang consistently just a few months ago were now eerily quiet.
They didn’t say it outright, but I could see it in their faces: frustration, anger, and maybe panic. I get it. I've been there... more than once, and I wouldn't wish that situation on my worst enemy, much less some of my best friends.
Fortunately, their reputation saved them—just in time. A major new client has landed in their lap, pulling them back from the brink. But their close call is a powerful reminder for all of us:
🚨 Relying on inbound leads and referrals alone is not an agency business development process. 🚨
It’s a gamble. And sooner or later, the house always wins.
If you want to ensure your agency never faces an empty funnel, you have to have a proactive agency business development system—one that creates consistent, predictable deal flow no matter what the market throws at you.
Here's where I'd start if I were you.
The Harsh Reality: Expertise Alone Isn't Enough
The old adage “it’s who you know” is outdated. The game has changed. Today, it’s who knows YOU. That's why your agency must become known for knowledge. Too many agency owners believe that if they do great work, the clients will come. That used to be true. It isn’t anymore.
The market is noisier than ever, and Clients are drowning in options. If they don’t already know who you are—and associate you with undeniable expertise—you’re just another name on a long list. You may get a call, but you won't be the only agency getting that call. And you definitely won't be the preferred choice in any review process.
How to Become the Expert Clients Can't Wait To Hire
If you’re not consistently demonstrating your expertise, you’re invisible when it matters most. The goal isn’t just awareness—it’s Top of Mind Preference (TOMP). You want clients to actively look for opportunities to hire you, not just stumble across you in a Google search. Build that position now, and when the right project comes along, you’ll be their first call.
The Cobbler's Children MUST Have Shoes
Most agencies only reach out to their network when they need something—usually a new client. You know the cycle. You get busy. You focus on client work. Months pass. Suddenly, a project wraps up, or a client moves on, and you realize holy crap batman, that your pipeline is dry. Cue the frantic outreach. The all hands on deck, let's find us a new client or project fire drill that we've all lived through, likely more than once.
That’s a mistake. Your network isn’t a safety net—it’s your most valuable business asset.
How to Stay Top-of-Mind Without Feeling Salesy
Your next best client is already in your network. The question is: Do they still remember you exist?
Why Most Agency Business Development Processes Struggle To Sell Successfully
Hope is not a sales strategy. If your agency business development process feels unpredictable, it’s because you don’t have a real system. You're treating sales like an afterthought—something you do when you have time. But that’s precisely why your pipeline is inconsistent.
Successful agencies treat sales like client work—structured, scheduled, and systematic.
how to create a business development process that runs itself 24/7/365
Contrary to popular belief, sales isn’t about being aggressive—it’s about being intentional. Build a process that works. Work the process. You’ll always have a potential client or two in the wings just waiting for the opportunity to hire your agency.
Scarcity: The Agency Business Development Process Growth Strategy No One Talks About
Most agencies make the mistake of always saying yes. Yes to mediocre clients. Yes to bad-fit projects. Yes to discounts just to close a deal. But the agencies that command the highest fees and attract the best clients? They make themselves hard to get.
Scarcity isn’t just a byproduct of success—it’s a deliberate strategy that increases demand, strengthens positioning, and puts you in control of your agency’s growth.
how to use scarcity to your advantage
Scarcity isn’t a limitation—it’s a powerful positioning tool. Use it right, and you’ll attract better clients, higher fees, and more respect.
Position Your Agency for Growth—Or Pray for a Chance to Pitch
The agencies that win aren’t waiting for opportunities. They’re creating them. Every single day.
Because when your pipeline runs dry, you’re left hoping—hoping for a lucky referral, hoping for an RFP, hoping the phone rings. And hope isn’t a strategy.
The painful truth is that if you don’t proactively drive your business development process, you don’t control your agency’s future. You're abdicating that control to a dealer.
So the real question is: how long are you willing to gamble?
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This post was originally published on Painless Prospecting, the weekly sales and marketing blog created by the fine folks at Converse Digital. If you want to learn how to create, engage in, and convert conversations into new clients and customers, give them a call.
