Are You Stuck in the Past? Check our list and see…

Is your marketing firm thriving in this new world? Or is it stuck in the past, trapped by old perceptions long out of date?

In this new world where clients are coming and going like snippy eaters at a food court, browsing, looking, and sampling, new business has to be a priority. Just like it is with design firms, promotion companies, and specialty suppliers where the rule of thumb is 10% of manpower has to be involved in new business. Most agencies are operating at a fraction of that. The pressure is on to make agencies perform as communication vendors, not long-term marketing partners. The ad agency-of-record designation is going the way of the dinosaur. Not extinct yet but bleeding badly and wobbling at the water hole.

Change is a process, not an event. There is no clear line that indicates we’re now here, and no longer over there. And changing an agency can never happen in an instant. No big announcement, no simple kick-off session, or even fancy project name will transform an agency overnight. If you want to change you have to understand where you are today.

Changing World: 

Old World New World Corporate CEOs Want marketing partner Want marketing off desk Agency Contact w/ CEO Frequent Impossible CEO’s trusted advisor Agency president Consultant PR contact with CEO Press releases Possible strategic resource Agency meets where? Chairman’s boardroom Marcom office Client-side: CEO “Help me market” “Help me brand once” Branding It’s package design It’s everything Branding is for… Big companies only All companies Marketing Dept All the glamour None of the glamour Marketing objectives Create big leaps forward Sustain where we are Marketing Dir. A career An 18-month stop Marketing Dr. fun Entertained by agency Entertained by agency search Marketing Dir. focus Great ads to promote Great results to promote Ad manager’s focus ‘Atta boys for creative ‘Atta boys for budget Delivery time This month This afternoon Advertising 75% of Budget 25% of Budget Account Service role Manage the brand Manage the project PR’s role Create news Create brand energy Below-the-line services Agency disdain Extend brand equity Internet Marketing curiosity Major marketing weapon Design Firms Do collateral Do agency’s job Freelancers Agency resources Agency threat Media Strategy Too specialized for clients Too specialized for agencies Media Buying Create highest impact Buy cheapest rate Agencies compete on Creative Price Agency holding Co. Buy agencies Act as agencies Industry’s new hurtle Working with budget Working with purchasing Industry’s new threat Clients invest in Macs Clients invest in Lean 6Sigma Ad Agencies say “Call us” “Call us something else” Successful Firms Most firms Those in step

 

If you aren’t sure about your new business performance in this new world so very fast approaching, consider our DayOne program.

DayOne takes your senior management through a hard look at your agency’s current new business program and shows you how to grow your top line. Included are measures of success, growth objectives, lead generation, first visit performances, what the standards are and how to work with clients while avoiding vendor-type relationships.

You’ll see what closing skills are needed and why agency targeting and agency branding are so vital. DayOne is conducted on site in one day by one of our senior new business consultants. It’s an action meeting that encourages senior management to make important decisions in a systematic way on a wide variety of choices and opportunities. The program even includes an important learning segment on how to use chemistry to win new business and keep existing clients. 

For more information, schedules and costs on DayOne, contact Sanders Consulting Group at 412.897.9329. The agency world is changing fast. And smart agencies understand that new business priorities are changing even faster.

 

 

Photo by umerr2000 And more great work here. 

Tags: Ad Agency Leadership, Ad Agency Offsite, Ad Agency Retreat, Agency Retreat, Annual Planning, Marketing Decline, stuck in the past, traditional ad agency