I am always amazed when I reach out to agencies by email and even phone calls when I am doing an agency review that some agencies don’t respond. I get nada.
Imagine the fact that you have to chase an agency when you could be a conduit to New Business.
This has been consistent over the years for all the agency searches I have conducted for brands from Jacuzzi to Toyo Tires.
I often wonder why? Do they think I am trying to sell them something?
Maybe agencies are skeptics. After all when your business is basically selling new ideas then you may get tired of being sold.
Maybe people have changed. Certainly the business has.
In the past agencies met with outside people. You could call them vendors, suppliers, printers, or media reps but they came with ideas and information. They had value. The time with them was a good investment but maybe we had more time then.
The Production people would meet with various print reps and maybe get some donuts. Paczki for sure if it was close to Lent. Often a tip or two on upcoming campaigns their clients were working on. Media people would see media reps and maybe get a New Business tip or two. They would also have a nice lunch and some baseball tickets for sure.
You know if you sit beside somebody for 2-3 hours you learn a lot and it may build a trust tree of sharing information that could help you in the future and further your career.
Knowledge and insights into a potential client is one of the most important things in New Business.
Even account people like me in an office of the 27th floor of the Hancock building in Chicago would see people. They gave me ideas that I could convert into possible sales opportunities for the clients.
Today not so much.
It is funny when I talk to clients about what has soured their agency relationships, many tell me that their agencies have stopped bringing them ideas.
I think that many agencies have lost the value of meeting with people or the power of returning an email from a vendor, supplier or other folks.
You can’t make it your life but you can make it part of your week.
What hasn’t changed is the same 24 hours a day that we all have. It comes down on how you use it.
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I believe there’s a lack of humility in the agency business. A sense of entitlement displaces gratitude for new business opportunities.
Just a symptom of a cultural decay, in my *humble* opinion! 😉
* -Chuck*
Chuck Sink Link
117 Maple St. | Contoocook, NH 03229
603-345-7223
http://www.chucksink.com
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On Wed, Aug 12, 2015 at 9:53 PM, Hank Blank: Thoughts on Networking, New
As you know, some agencies are very disorganized when it comes to handling new business and don’t have a good system in place. They fly by the seat of their pants and their efforts look like a scene from I Love Lucy at the chocolate factory conveyor belt.
To be successful, agencies need to invest in an internal team that focuses on inbound and outbound efforts and manages new business as if their agency was also their client. Also, you never know when that new opportunity will find you so one must be alert, 24/7.
We’re always ready 24/7 at BIGEYE – newbiz@bigeyeagency.com. 🙂
– Wágner