The secret to effective scope & $ discussions
Very few clients or agency people like to discuss money. At best it’s a necessary evil, and at worst it is nerve wreaking and painful. And maybe because of what seems like the inherent stress involved in these discussions, the norm is to do this poorly. Clients often expect far more than they can afford. […]
The Secret Marketing & Agency Community Power
Last week I attended the 2024 Build a Better Agency Summit and I was struck by the amazing community that the Agency Management Institute has created. Over 400 executives from small and mid-sized agencies attended and the overall feeling I came away with was one of close, almost familial ties. It felt like the world’s […]
Five things Mercer Island Group will talk about at this year’s Build A Better Agency Summit
The annual Build A Better Agency Summit is happening this week in Denver. There are lots of conferences that will help you learn the latest and greatest SEO techniques or digital media buying strategies, but there is only one conference that focuses on helping small to mid-sized agency owners run their business better, so that […]
Service matters!
I’m on a long flight today and the experience has been a good reminder that a big part of an agency’s product is the service they deliver. And clients play a significant role in that service. Back to my travel story! We had left the airline lounge and the hot coffee and treats to find […]
How to develop your marketing philosophies
You are growing in your career as a marketer or agency executive and you want to run the show. There is little training available these days, so you are mostly learning on the job. What do you need to know? How do you advance your knowledge and vision? Here’s a hint: successful, modern CMOs and […]
Droplets: the secret weapon to better proposals
The perfect sentence, properly placed, can make a world of difference to the persuasiveness of an agency’s written proposal. And the perfect line added to your formal or informal pitch, in the right context, can add great weight to your agency’s capabilities and the prospect’s confidence in you and your team. What is this perfect […]
Agency Execs: please stand up (when presenting)
A curious behavior has become relatively commonplace in many of the agency pitches we observe: agency execs often sitting as they present during pitches. It is undoubtedly well intended! These folks probably are hoping for a conversation between their agency and the prospective client and sitting across a table seems like the natural way to […]
How to solve the great “agency pitch staffing” challenge
Our friend Scott Davis, an EVP at the fine, independent media agency Harmelin, recently challenged us to write a blog on agency pitch staffing. Here is a lightly edited version of his note: If I could be so bold as to suggest a topic that is of particular interest (and frustration) to me – it […]
Your plan to win Ad Age Small Agency of the Year
Many Ad Age Small Agency of the Year winners have gone on to enjoy incredible success. There are so many potential benefits from winning Small Agency of the Year. The agency’s reputation grows! Team morale swells! The phone rings! Given the importance of the award to building a small agency’s reputation, many small agency owners […]
How Marketers & Agencies can win the tissue session
The tissue session is often a key step in a competitive agency review. This guide will help agencies and marketers properly prepare for and get the most from their tissue sessions. “Tissue Session” is a term that originated long ago, prior to the digital age. Creatives – generally Art Directors – would use tracing paper […]