It's the most common phrase in losing agency pitch debriefs."You were our second choice."And as someone who's heard it more than a few times in the last 25 years, it's friggin brutal! That one sentence is the heartbreak hotel of business development. You were good—just not quite good enough. Not ...
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Are you an agency owner struggling with a dry agency prospect pipeline? If your pipeline report looks more like a desert than a river, you're not alone. Many advertising, PR, and digital agencies are facing a severe pipeline problem in the second half of 2025, with the number of prospects ...
Every LinkedIn user has felt it—that awkward hesitation before hitting "Connect" with someone you don't know. You pause, wondering: Will they accept? Will they care? And even if they do, will it mean anything? Research says your instincts are right. Cold LinkedIn connection acceptance rates, no matter how polished your ...
Ahhh, the deafening buzz of “me-too” content. Open LinkedIn, X, or your inbox, and what greets you? A ceaseless chorus of “Five tips,” “Ultimate guides,” “State-of-the-industry” PDFs—each one a karaoke rendition of last week’s greatest hit. Instead of producing original research content marketing, everyone’s covering someone else’s song, praying the ...
When you sit across the table from a prospective client, you aren’t selling services; you’re selling belief. The modern pitch isn’t a laundry list of deliverables or a gallery of Instagram-worthy portfolio pieces. It’s an invitation to envision a future where conversation drives conversion, where proof validates possibility, and where ...
Last week, I was standing on stage at the Build a Better Agency Summit, talking about a topic near and dear to every agency owner’s heart: how to build better, more effective pitch decks to overcome buyer skepticism to win more pitches and sell bigger ideas.The room was full. The ...
Remember when building a great website, stuffing it with smart content, and buying your way to the top of Google meant your sales pipeline practically filled itself? That world is slipping away. Quietly. Quickly.Welcome to the zero-click era of business development in an AI world.A world where search engines answer ...
Imagine this: Two agencies are battling for a high-stakes, lucrative client. Both bring sharp strategy, standout creativity, and proven results. On paper, it looks like a toss-up. But in reality, one agency has already won—before the pitch begins. For them, the presentation is a formality, a chance to confirm what the ...
This week, as I was working through the early stages of building one of my agency client’s business development program, she sent me a short email that shone a bright spotlight on one of the biggest business development prospecting challenges agency owners face daily: effective prospect follow-up processes.“When I talked ...
Here’s the truth that too few agencies want to hear: if your agency business development strategy is focused on selling strategy, media, digital, creative, or PR services, you’re replaceable. Harsh? Maybe. But real. In today’s market, clients negotiate on execution. But they hire the agency they believe is most likely ...
Running an agency means wearing many hats. You’re responsible for delivering results for clients, managing operations, and, perhaps most importantly, bringing in new business. But if you’re an introvert like me, the idea of networking—the cornerstone of business development—can feel unnatural and exhausting. Traditional networking methods seem built for extroverts, ...
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 system.Back in November 2024, ...