How to write proposals that win
Your agency is terrific, but your proposals aren’t. You have a talented team. Your work is smart. Clients love you. You get asked to write proposals. Despite all that talent and success, your proposals simply aren’t winning enough new business. Maybe you aren’t winning enough, or winning the big ones, or winning the ones you […]
Are the Indies Really Growing?
There is a comfortable story making the rounds: independent agencies are having a moment, the holding companies are in decline, and the future belongs to nimble, founder-led shops. You’ll read about it in the advertising trade press. Countless consultants selling services to independent agencies proclaim it loudly on LinkedIn, at agency conferences and on their […]
21 Tips for running a better agency review
You need a new agency. It could be an agency to lead creative, media, PR, social, influencer, shopper marketing or any other marketing strategy. You’ve initiated a review that you are overseeing personally and it’s proving to be considerably more challenging and time intensive than you initially anticipated. Heck, you already had a full-time job […]
The Pitch Readiness Checklist for Agencies
After several relatively quiet years, many believe we are on the cusp of an avalanche of agency pitch opportunities. Media will once again lead the way, but we also expect a strong market for creative, social and PR opportunities. Is your agency ready? Doing great work and delighting your clients is essential. Great work creates […]
AI, Agencies, and a Warning
AI is everywhere, and a very popular discussion when it comes to marketers and their agencies. Like any new technology, there will be good and bad players. In the world of marketers and their agencies, most agencies will leverage AI to deliver even better support and outcomes for their clients. And some won’t. And unfortunately, […]
The New Reality of Agency Search: Why Clarity Wins in a Sea of Choice
If you’ve participated in an agency search recently, you’ve likely noticed a shift. What we’re seeing: RFIs are met with unexpected declines. Shortlisted agencies withdraw late in the process. Clients feel overwhelmed by options, even with expert guidance. Agencies struggle to convey their unique value before the clock runs out. What used to be “one-off” […]
Misaligned Teams Don’t Grow. Here’s How to Fix That
Picture the last time your leadership team left a meeting without actually deciding anything. Everyone nodded. Someone said, “Let’s take this offline.” And two weeks later you’re back in the same conversation. That’s misalignment in action. And until you fix it, your agency’s growth is effectively held hostage to it. The fix isn’t more meetings […]
4As speed dating: what we learned from 34 indie agencies in an afternoon
The 4As hosted another fascinating effort last week in Austin as part of their 2026 Management Practitioners Forum (MPF) for Independent Agencies: they programmed an afternoon of speed dating for agencies and search consultants. Mercer Island Group’s Barry O’Neil and Steve Boehler met with thirty-four fine agencies in quick 15-minute sessions. The 4A’s Management Practitioners […]
Feedback Is a Gift—But How You Receive It Says Everything
Feedback is a gift. Yes, it’s a cliché. Yes, it needs to be said again and again. But here’s what actually matters: how you receive feedback says infinitely more about you than all the work you’ve done up to that moment. In a pitch, feedback is a test. Not of your work—of your character. When […]
Sizzle reels don’t sizzle
As long as I can remember, a staple marketing technique of creative agencies has been the “sizzle” reel. You’ve undoubtedly seen many. A video mashup of quick cuts generally pulled from an agency’s best video work. Sometimes set to a soundtrack. The intent is to impress a prospect with the amazing creativity of the agency. […]