Agency Newsletters

Flash Report - March 19, 2004

This BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT information is for agencyfinder.com Certified Agencies, Agency New Business Executives and agency subscribers. We communicate with registered member-agencies using e-mail.

CONTENTS:

1. Getting on a Consultant's Radar Screen
2. Are Advertising Agencies All Alike?
3. A Good Example of a Bad Example
4. New Business - A Literal Frenzy
5. Turn On E-Mail Return Receipt
6. An Auto Racing Opportunity
7. Note: Clients DO NOT PAY

GETTING ON A CONSULTANT'S RADAR SCREEN

On a regular basis, we get calls from agencies asking how to get "noticed" by other agency search consultants. They're asking because they haven't been found so far. Invariably, they're ready and anxious to launch a nationwide Show & Tell or Lunch & Dinner tour. Their excitement is contagious, so we hate to dampen that enthusiasm, but let me share some sage advice given by our sister-company, Sales Marketing Institute. It still applies and we're a believer.

First question - how big is your agency? (as in capitalized billings) $2, $5, $10, $20, $30 million? When a search consultant (as in someone who gets PAID by the client to manage their review) is running things, they try to keep it simple. Imagine a client with a $25 million budget. How big must the agency be? Try $75 million or more. It's the "factor" thing. The client budget has to "fit" - can't be smallest or largest. Ain't no way your out-of-the-box, creative, growing, $30 million agency is going to get a crack at that $25 million budget (except in the most unusual of circumstances - as in current "media darling").

Do the math - it's a size thing. And sure, they could follow our December 8th Flash Report advice (Smaller Agencies Tackle Giant Accounts) by splitting the media from the rest, but don't count on that happening.

Our suggestion? Break your back doing everything you can now to grow your agency without them. Employ professionally executed outreach efforts or reel them in on your agencyfinder magnet. Grow your firm to $75 million or more - THAT will put you on their radar and then they'll call! Over simplification? Certainly, but the truth. In the meantime, plan to visit us in Historic Richmond, Virginia. Like those that have, you may find our process and how we do things fascinating and informative.