The Biz Dev Blog 

Search our Blog or scroll down for the latest articles.

Featured
The most persuasive thing you can say might be the thing you're afraid to admit
The most persuasive thing you can say might be the thing you're afraid to admit

You're the smallest agency in the final round, up against shops three times your size. You know you have a right to win but someone on the selection committee is nervous about your headcount.

So what do you do with that?

Most agencies talk past the concern, as if admitting a single limitation would hand the business to a competitor.

It does the opposite.

Read more →
You Were Born to Pitch Badly
You Were Born to Pitch Badly

You were born to pitch badly. Not because you lack intelligence, creativity or genuine expertise. But because if you’re an agency leader, you’re stuck with pitching abstract services and this requires a kind of communication that runs completely counter to your instincts as a professional communicator. Here’s how to fix it.

Read more →
The “Unique” Trap — What It Is and How to Avoid It
The “Unique” Trap — What It Is and How to Avoid It

It's hard to express what makes your agency unique versus your competitors. The fact is, agencies aren’t all that different from each other. And when agencies go in search of the elusive differentiator, they end up with something ultra-specific that doesn't matter to the customer. Or they land back on the same old tired pitch. I’m not suggesting you go to market sounding like everyone else. We all know that's not a useful new business strategy. But maybe the point isn't to be different but to be distinctive.

Read more →
Why Your Agency Is Worth Choosing and How to Prove It
Why Your Agency Is Worth Choosing and How to Prove It

Confidence and vulnerability — two very different states of being and paradoxically both play a crucial role in positioning your agency as a great partner.  Here’s why they’re both helping agencies in an uncertain marketing win new business.

Read more →
Your Case Study Is a Story. Start Treating It Like One.
Your Case Study Is a Story. Start Treating It Like One.

Agencies neglect the most essential element of a case study that makes is irresistible to prospects. Stop treating your case studies as a dumping ground for facts and self-congratulation and learn how to tell a great story.

Read more →
3-Part Marketing Plan for Agencies
3-Part Marketing Plan for Agencies

How you show up in the world as an agency? How do you communicate who you are, what you do, and why someone should care. This message is built from your agency's core positioning. But it also needs to breathe and expand across all the places you’re interacting with your ideal clients. In other words, your message is more likely to reach its audience if it’s supported by a marketing strategy.

Read more →
When Should You Hire a New Business Person?
When Should You Hire a New Business Person?

You’ve decided to hire your first salesperson for your agency. The need is acute: not enough good leads, an overreliance on competitive RFPs, and a poor pitch-to-win ratio. It seems logical  but the decision to hire must be based on scaling your agency, not digging it out of a hole.

Read more →
This Year, Abandon Your Agency’s Annual New Business Plan
This Year, Abandon Your Agency’s Annual New Business Plan

Creating your annual plan for agency business development is exciting! An exercise fueled by possibility and healthy ambition. It’s also time-consuming and requires a lot of work so it’s in your best interest to create a plan you can stick with. Here’s how.

Read more →
Why Prospects May Not Understand Your Pitch (Even If It’s Good)
Why Prospects May Not Understand Your Pitch (Even If It’s Good)

We know we need to communicate clearly to our prospects. And yet, agencies keep reaching for phrases like “data-driven decisions,” “client-first process,” and “relentless problem-solving.”

These high-level abstractions communicate little and might even be doing more harm than good.

Here are 10 common phrases I see all the time, along with some clearer, more grounded alternatives. Not perfect but hopefully a little more helpful.

Read more →
Your Agency’s Core Positioning Should be a Multiplier
Your Agency’s Core Positioning Should be a Multiplier

A weak positioning statement is one of the costliest liabilities a small agency can carry. It doesn’t just make new business harder—it makes it unsustainable. Without clear positioning, even the most creative and capable agencies get stuck in an unproductive cycle of reinvention each time they pitch a new prospect.

Read more →
Your Agency is in the Storytelling Business—So What’s Yours?
Your Agency is in the Storytelling Business—So What’s Yours?

A strong foundation for new business growth is built on a strong story. It’s not a nice-to-have; it's one of your most strategic business development tools. 

So, what’s yours?

Read more →
Operationalizing Your Agency’s New Business Strategy: What to Do on a Weekly, Quarterly, and Annual Basis
Operationalizing Your Agency’s New Business Strategy: What to Do on a Weekly, Quarterly, and Annual Basis

New business is one of those responsibilities that should be fully integrated into your daily schedule. But for a lot of agency leaders, it's not. I think it’s why new business plans fail. Here’s a framework to help you operationalize your new business strategy and a roadmap for prioritizing activities on a daily, weekly, quarterly, and annual basis.

Read more →
Older Posts