Agency New Business Thought Leadership

Welcome to the RSW/US blog, focused on a variety of new business insights and thought leadership, from getting a program off the ground all the way to the final pitch, it’s the place for experienced new business pros and owners/principals alike. Catch our posts based on 18 years of experience working with professional services firms.

Featured, Outsourced Business Development, Processes

AI Transparency Requirements: What Agencies Need to Know

AI Transparency Requirements: What Agencies Need to Know

I know you see the sales emails, LinkedIn posts and comments that are blatantly written by AI. Not only is it becoming increasingly easy to spot (words like frameworks, gap, playbook, quietly, actually, sharpen, for example), but transparency requirements are becoming a part of AI platforms and it’s important for you and your team to know what that means for your business development strategy, the […]

September 3, 2026/by Lee McKnight Jr

Ad Agencies Are Finding New Business Harder To Drive in 2022

Featured, Outsourced Business Development

Ad Agencies Are Finding New Business Harder To Drive in 2022

Ad Agencies Are Finding New Business Harder To Drive in 2022, and you can look into the reasons why in our latest RSW/US report. Download it now at no cost: RSW/US 2022 Agency New Business Report: Perspective On The Agency New Business Environment. (And…

Your Ad Agency Tagline Is Not Your Agency Elevator Pitch

Your Ad Agency Tagline Is Not Your Agency Elevator Pitch

Let me repeat, and not just for SEO purposes: your ad agency tagline is not your elevator pitch. Yet, so many agencies treat them as one and the same. An Adweek article defines an agency tagline this way: Every organization has words…

Cobbler's Children And Agency New Business-An Update

Cobbler’s Children And Agency New Business-An Update

The most-used description we hear for agencies and their new business process (or lack of one) is the story of the cobbler’s children. (If you’re not familiar, read here.) Essentially the cobbler (maker of shoes) is so busy making…

The The New Business Team Is All Here-Not Always A Good Thing

Outsourced Business Development

The New Business Team Is All Here-Not Always A Good Thing

The New Business Team Is All Here-Not Always A Good Thing I had a question from an agency principal recently about first meetings with prospects. This principal typically went into first meetings via referral, so more of a comfort…

Ad Agency Prospects Are Thinking You All Do The Same Thing

Ad Agency Prospects Are Thinking: “You All Do The Same Thing”

In a presentation I gave in Ontraport's Agency Summit (a shout out and thank you for having me!) on ad agency business development, I pointed out that ad agency prospects will often think agencies look and sound alike, framing it with a brief…

Why Don’t Ad Agencies Actively Pursue New Business?

Why Don’t Ad Agencies Actively Pursue New Business?

A question as old as time (ish): Why Don’t Ad Agencies Actively Pursue New Business? Well, the answer will take us on a journey, through a labyrinth of long days, longer nights, and-actually that’s not true, the answer is fairly straightforward. And…