RSW/US has helped 300+ agencies build disciplined new business programs since 2005. These articles cover outsourced prospecting, pipeline strategy, and what separates agencies that grow from those that stagnate.

The Professional Services Dilemma

We have been working with professional services firms since 2005 to help them win more new business

Started with a heavy focus on marketing service firms and have since branched out into other professional services sectors.

When I first started helping marketing agencies, I quickly realized how much alike they all were. I also quickly discovered that what the principal of the firm thought was unique (relative to how they positioned themselves and talked about their benefits and value), wasn’t unique at all.

“Hard working”, “senior talent”, “highly strategic” were among the many things firms felt differentiated them.  But reality was, it didn’t.

Being “hard working”, offering “senior talent”, and selling how “strategic” your firm is are all things that a client would recognize and see value in after they bring a new professional services firm on board.

It’s not something that is a differentiating selling proposition for a firm when making first contact with a prospect. Any firm can make the claim.

Not every firm can deliver – but that never stops firms from making the claim.

As we talked with accounting firms, and law firms, and IT and software development firms, we quickly discovered that the challenges facing the marketing service space was no different than that in the broader universe of professional services firms.

The differentiators versus the “non”

We have identified 5 central tenant questions that can help a professional services brand differentiate itself in a sea of sameness.

We can help you work your way through this exercise or you can do it yourself

Answering these five questions can quickly identify the critically meaningful components that can help distinguish your business from those you compete with.

  1. Why would someone want to sit down and talk with you in a first meeting or call?
  2. What technical or categorical expertise do you possess?
  3. What are the unique or different ways you can talk about what you do, beyond the standard/typical descriptor?
  4. When in competitive reviews, why do you most often win new business?
  5. What are the top 3 business challenges your firm solves for their clients?

The key is objectivity and diversity

Share these questions with your team members, gather up their responses and you’ll be amazed at the differences you’ll encounter!

And don’t just look to get your marketing team or strategy team (or point being, any one single team in the company) to be the only ones answering the questions. Look to some outlier teams to get a broader, more diversified scope of perspective.

And we also recommend sharing the questions with your clients/customers and see how they respond. Again the differences will likely be stunning.

Bring the team together and open up a meaningful and passionate dialogue about the responses.  Have respondents stand up and present and support their responses.

And the last thing you want is for your group to feel like they can’t objectively share their opinions and can’t openly challenge others’ opinions.

Creating an environment of trust and openness is the key to successfully landing on a better way to talk about your brand or your firm.

If looking for some help, we can support the initiative.

We can certainly help you carry this exercise all the way through to the end – helping you define the right way to talk about your firm, what you do, and what you do that really sets you apart from other firms in your space.’

I’ve been doing work like this for the past 20 years and plan on doing it for another 20 more!

Happy to talk if there’s interest (mark@rswus.com).

 

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You Can’t Control the Market, But You Can Control Your Positioning 

Sigh.  Let’s talk about your site. 

And start with a little tough love. 

If you’re relying on referrals and repeat business to keep things going right now—you’re not alone.  

But here’s the problem: in a market where budgets are tight, competition is fierce, and decision-makers are under pressure (some 63% of CMOs responding to the Spring 2025 report said that marketing is feeling increased pressure from the CFO, up from 52% who said the same in the Fall 2023 edition of the report – Marketing Charts), agencies and professional services firms can’t sit back and wait.  

Your messaging has to do more, especially your site.

You Can’t Control the Market, But You Can Control Your Positioning 

Because like it or not, that homepage headline might be the only shot you get. 

In this post (1 of 3), I’m walking through a few real-world agency site examples—anonymized on purpose—because this isn’t about being a jerk.  

This is about showing you what’s not working, so you can take back control of your new business narrative. 

And yes, these are real examples, laid out by the issues they represent. 

Issue #1: Saying Nothing with a Lot of Words 

“Turn up the volume on your marketing.” 

It’s the first thing a prospect sees on this particular agency site—and it tells them nothing. 

Catchy, I suppose, but it doesn’t give the visitor any sense of who the agency helps, what problems it solves, or what type of firm it is.  

That space is prime real estate.  

Don’t waste it on metaphors that could apply to any firm, anywhere. 

It doesn’t get better on the second try, as the prospect scrolls down: 

“We are experts, leaders, strategists, creators, disruptors and innovators revolutionizing the marketing landscape.” 

You lost them at “disruptors.”  

This kind of language is well-intentioned, but ultimately meaningless without context. 

 What’s the actual benefit to the client? What makes this firm worth their time? 

Issue #2: Claiming Results—Without Showing Any 

“Our results speak volumes.” 

Cool. Show me. 

This is the same site, and this language is found after scrolling a few more times. 

If your site makes a claim about results but doesn’t back it up in an easily found way—case studies, proof points, metrics, quotes—it’s a red flag.  

Prospects are skeptical by default.  

You don’t earn trust by declaring it—you earn it by demonstrating it. 

Issue #3: Making Prospects Work Too Hard 

“Join the Transformational Growth Journey Powered by the Transformation Growth Engine.” 

Now we’re on to a different site, and this is a real headline. Unfortunately. 

When a prospect lands on your site, they need clarity in seconds.  

Not a puzzle. Not a buzzword bingo board. And definitely not charts above the fold.  

If it takes more than a few seconds to understand what kind of firm you are and who you serve, you’ve already lost the click. 

This site goes on to break messaging into a scroll-through of  circular diagrams, icons, and hard to read copyrighted names—without ever really saying what they do or who they help. 

That’s a problem.

Especially when today’s buyers are moving fast and hunting for solutions, not abstract philosophies. 

Issue #4: Leading with Fluff Over Substance 

Another firm’s site opens with a name and a word cloud of adjectives.  

That’s it.  

The prospect doesn’t even get a sentence—just a collection of brand-y words that could just as easily describe a candle line or a wellness app. 

Further down, their mission statement reads: 

“To delight, inspire, create affinity and form essential connections with audiences, brands, products and services.” 

There’s a place for aspiration—but not at the expense of clarity.  

Especially when, a few scrolls later, the firm itself says: 

“In a media-saturated, hyper-connected world, we have mere seconds to capture attention.” 

Yes. Yes, you do. And that’s why your messaging has to work harder. 

You Can’t Control the Market—But You Can Control Your Positioning 

Issue #5: The “Process Page” Problem (AKA, Prospects Don’t Care About Your Process) 

Again, you can’t control the market—but you can control your positioning

A lot of firms try to prove their legitimacy by showcasing their process—but it ends up doing the opposite typically. 

Two examples: 

  • One agency maps out their process in a giant workflow diagram filled with generic icons and buzzwords. It’s visually busy, conceptually vague, and feels like it was pulled from an agency template circa 2011. 
  • Another opens their homepage with what looks like a PowerPoint slide: circular diagrams, arrows, and labels like “Transformation Growth Engine.” (see #3 above) 

It’s hard to read, and harder to care about. 

Here’s the problem: if your process page could be copied and pasted onto another firm’s site and still make sense (or not)—it’s not distinctive enough. 

Clients don’t need to understand every step of your process. They need to understand: 

  • What outcomes it leads to 
  • Why it’s important 
  • How it solves the specific problems they’re trying to fix 

Don’t lead with the machine—lead with the result.  

Then, if they’re interested, you can show them how the gears turn. 

So What’s the Fix? 

Well, that’s in my next post, but for now: 

  • Be specific. Say who you help, how you help them, and why that matters. Quickly. 
  • Lead with outcomes. Start with what your work does, not how you feel about it. 
  • Back up your claims. Results don’t speak for themselves—they need a microphone. 
  • Think like a buyer. If you were your ideal client, would your site make you want to learn more? 

The Big Idea: You Can’t Control the Market—But You Can Control Your Positioning 

Your site may not be the first way a potential client hears about you—but it is where they’ll go next. 

And when they do, the messaging they find will either move them forward… or close the door. 

You can’t control the market, but you can control how you show up. 

If you were a prospect, would you hire you? 

In many of these cases, you don’t need a complete site re-work, you just need to change up the copy, or where it sits on your site. 

Now’s the time to revisit how your firm tells its story. 

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Challenging but Signs of a Turn

2008. 2020. 2025.

This whole tariff thing and the wild state of inertia it has seemed to cause in the market is unlike anything many of us have ever seen.

The 2008 recession was hurtful, but it did not affect every type of business, nor did it have nearly the global impact that tariffs are having today. And consequently, agencies kept their foot on the new business gas.

And the 2020 pandemic was stunning, but PPP helped a lot of business through some tough times and in our world helped us help clients and prospects that wanted to keep things rolling.

While things may seem very out of control, with the stock market rising and falling throughout any given day, and all the uncertainty that is surrounding us, we are seeing some signs of life for the small-to-mid-size agency world.

In-Housing on the Slide?

Ok, maybe not on the slide…but what’s happening today could prove a blessing for agencies.

Pepsi just announced that it’s moving some in-house content work to Vayner Media.

In a release, PepsiCo and VaynerMedia said: “We are excited to form a unique partnership that leverages our combined marketing and advertising strengths on digital platforms for the PepsiCo portfolio of carbonated soft drinks.”

While I certainly don’t wish ill on anyone, I suspect that as margin pressures grow on companies due to tariffs and other market pressures, the value in having an expensive in-house team, loaded with overhead, might prove to be challenging for companies.

Working with marketing agencies can provide greater flexibility and allow for more agility in moving as the market moves.

We’re already seeing marketers recognize the value an agency can bring to their marketing worlds.  In our on-going series “The Marketer’s Edge“, marketers consistently tell us that they use outside agencies for things they simply aren’t good at or when they need help to manage overflow work.

Therefore, the door has been, and will continue to be open.  I suspect it will only continue as companies look to manage their worlds more cost efficiently.

Slow, But Steady!

The other trend we’re seeing now, right here in our world of outsourced agency new business, is more agency clients winning new business.  It was a slow start to the year.  Lots of good meetings, but not a whole lot of movement on the part of marketing prospects. Proposals submitted, but a good deal of wait and see.

While you would think that what’s happening in the world today would squash any movement by marketers, just the opposite seems to be happening.  More meetings with prospects and more clients winning new business.

I saw this happen in 2008 and 2020. At some point, marketers have to turn things back on. They can’t ride on the “no spend train” forever.

While your marketing clients and the prospects you’re going after may not want to go “all-in” just yet, they need to fully recognize that, like you, they need to stay at least a half-step ahead of their competition.

And you need to help them strategize on how to best communicate to their end-users and reconsider the marketing channels being used, given the state of the economy and uncertainty surrounding us.

In his “Slams Laptop Shut” newsletter last week, Nathan Jun Poekert, a CMO advisor and marketing consultant, advised brands to optimize those performance marketing channels that are currently effective and reduce channels that are not so immediately measurable, such as print and out-of-home, in the near term.

The Smaller Agency Advantage

While smaller agencies may not have all the resources of a big networked agency, they do bring a boatload of advantages that have and will continue to help them excel. Some of those include:

  1. Lower overhead and more affordable services.
  2. Top-tier talent and none of this “C-Team” garbage you get from bigger agencies.
  3. More nimble and agile to move as the market moves.
  4. More entrepreneurial, which clients in today’s unpredictable marketplace will appreciate.

So as you think about your message to the market, whether it be your existing clients or the prospects you’re working to engage, plug some of this into the conversation.  Don’t hang your hat on every element of it, because any small agency can talk these things whether they deliver them or not.  But bake it into your positioning, have examples of where you’ve delivered against these advantages, and make sure every element of what you’re putting out in the market (from your website to your proposals and RFP responses) are reinforcing the value that your marketing agency can bring to potential client partners.

Head Down and See You on the Other Side

All we can do is do our best, keep our head down, be flexible in how we market ourselves and what we offer the market, and don’t be afraid to take a few chances.

And by all means, don’t go quiet.  Keep your brand out there because like Pepsi’s move to take work out of house, you need to be present when that prospect opens their doors and looks for some outside help.

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When Brands Skip the Pitch Consultants—and Go to LinkedIn Instead
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When Brands Skip the Pitch Consultants—and Go to LinkedIn Instead

What happens when big brands like The North Face and Jordan start crowdsourcing their agency searches on LinkedIn?  

The industry starts buzzing—and splitting. 

An Ad Age post from Lindsay Rittenhouse that made the rounds on LinkedIn this week:  

Why major brands are hiring agencies on LinkedIn—and dividing the industry 

In recent weeks, brands like The North Face and Jordan have made headlines—not for their creative campaigns, but for how they’re choosing their creative partners.  

By posting open calls for agency support on LinkedIn, they’ve bypassed the traditional consultant-led pitch process and triggered a wave of debate across the industry.  

Is this a smart, cost-effective evolution? Or a chaotic cattle call that commoditizes creativity? 

Individuals more experienced than I have weighed in, but before I get to the main point of my post, the implications for agency business development, I did want to briefly respond to a few quotes from the piece: 

The North Face: Good Intentions, Bad Execution?

The North Face example, I would agree, appears to be a straight up cattle call.  

The North Face originally posted an announcement on LinkedIn for a “nationwide RFP” to hire “a studio for our digital e-commerce creative and operational needs”. 

Per Lindsey Slaby (who you should follow if you’re not): 

It also forces agencies to position themselves broadly—without the necessary details—diluting both their credibility and TNF’s ability to evaluate them meaningfully,” she wrote. “This is the process agencies frequently criticize—one that shifts the burden onto them, leading to wasted time, misalignment and frustration. … If the goal is to find the right partner efficiently, this method seems counterproductive.

And then Jonathan Balck, co-founder and managing director of independent creative shop Colossus, said:  

The tactic risks commoditizing creativity, which has recently become a hot-button topic, because it creates an auction-style process that feels entirely transactional. 

All of a sudden you’re delivering ideas to a client you’ve never met just to get in the door,” Balck said. “I don’t necessarily blame these agencies that are replying. I get it. It’s not a criticism of them. It’s more like, ‘Is this where we are?’

This Isn’t New—It’s Just More Public

Yes, but, isn’t this just the RFP process anyway, whether it’s posted on LinkedIn or not? 

(And to be clear, we’re not fans of the RFP hamster wheel at RSW.  We don’t ignore them as we’re working for our clients to drive new business, some do make sense, but we’re also not constantly chasing them.) 

And them Lindsey points out that these types of callouts –

 . . . have attracted a slew of responses from agencies that may not necessarily be fit for the job. 

But this is North Face’s problem isn’t it? (And one they probably came to quickly regret fomenting.)

When Open Doesn’t Mean RFP

But reading the piece, the Nike Jordan and Feastables examples weren’t RFPs, and that’s where I don’t have a problem.

In fact, I would call it an opportunity. 

From the Ad Age piece: 

Benjamin Kaplan, a senior creative director, global brand creative, Jordan Brand, also recently said in a LinkedIn post that he was seeking creative agencies specializing in seasonal retail storytelling, retail and brand activations and events. 

And Bryan Waddell, senior brand director of marketing at Feastables and a former marketer at Nestlé for six years, explained how he did it in 2024: 

“We are not running an RFP, instead my DMs and inbox are open for the next 45 days to hear from you,” he had written in the LinkedIn post, which garnered nearly 500 likes and more than 150 comments in one week. 

As an executive at Feastables, a small snack brand launched by YouTuber MrBeast, Waddell said he didn’t have the resources to run a consultant-led pitch like he did when he worked at Nestlé. 

Here’s the Shift That Matters

How Brands Are Hiring Agencies on LinkedIn—Without RFPs

Now to my point: 

Brands are increasingly using alternative tactics to formal reviews. 

That comes directly from the Ad Age piece, and as an agency principal or growth leader, you already know this. (Or you should) 

One last quote: 

For him [Waddell], he said the goal of the LinkedIn call out he launched was to create a Rolodex of potential agency partners that could be a fit for an immediate project or one down the road. And he said Feastables was successful in identifying those partners. 

 “Any crack in the door is an opportunity,” Waddell said.  

This. 

Regardless of where you stand, one thing is clear: this shift has implications for agency business development, and how big those implications are, we’ll see. 

But for shops willing to adapt, it presents new opportunities to get in front of brands, in some cases, without the red tape of a formal RFP.

BD Leaders: Read Between the Lines

Below are three key BD takeaways every agency should be thinking about now. 

(And these should be incorporated into your new business efforts whether this LinkedIn strategy continues for brands or not.) 

1. Optimize your Agency LinkedIn Page Yesterday 

Even if you’re skeptical of the “LinkedIn cattle call,” more brands could use the platform to scout talent in the future. (Ands again, even if they don’t, you should be using LinkedIn to follow and interact with your prospects. More on this below) 

 That means: 

  • Your agency’s LinkedIn presence should clearly communicate your specialties. 
  • Key leaders at your shop should be actively engaging and posting relevant work. 
  • Keep case studies, client wins, and differentiators front and center. 

BD Tip: Treat your agency’s LinkedIn page like a storefront—because for some brands, it’s becoming the front door. 

2. Refine Your Outreach Pitch for Fast, No-RFP Scenarios 

When brands post these open calls, they’re not asking for a 20-page deck. They want fast clarity. 

You should:

  • Create a lean, well-positioned intro message that highlights relevance to the ask. 
  • Lead with results, not philosophy. 
  • Be ready with modular creds you can personalize quickly. 

(Forget LinkedIn for a moment, this is something you should have, period.) 

BD Tip: Build a “Quick-Strike Kit” that lets you respond in 24 hours with purpose and precision. 

  3. Rethink How You Identify & Nurture Opportunities 

This shift signals that the agency search process is potentially becoming more fluid—and often less formal.

And yes, it’s only a handful of brands right now, but you should be doing the following 3 things regardless: 

  • Track your key marketing decision-maker prospects on LinkedIn and engage with them meaningfully.  
  • Don’t pitch—comment, contribute, and add value to public posts. 
  • Use LinkedIn outreach not only for prospecting but also to stay top of mind for project-based work. 

BD Tip: Business development isn’t just about knocking on doors—it’s about already being in the room when the conversation starts. 

You Don’t Have to Like It—But You Can’t Ignore It

Again, it will be interesting to see where it all goes, but in the Nike and Feastables situations, at least, I see those as more potential opportunities. 

And we can talk about commoditizing creativity all we want, but as they say, it is what it is. 

Agencies can choose not to be a part of it, as is their right, but their competitors will be there. 

One concrete way to stay part of that flow instead of watching from the sidelines is building your own presence with a LinkedIn Newsletter, something we cover in Your Agency Has a LinkedIn Newsletter. Now What?

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Do What Others Aren’t

A frightening tale with a happy ending.

I’ll never forget the day when I thought the world was going to implode and our outsourced new business company would fold.

It was March, 2020 and it appeared all was over.  Calls came in from clients wanting to bail and employees had no idea what tomorrow would bring them.

The Kellogg Graduate School at Northwestern never taught me how to muscle through a pandemic, so I had to figure it all out on the fly.

I did however, have one good point of reference, and that was the ’08 recession.

I had just started RSW/US in late 2005 and was told by my former partner in the UK who started RSW in 1992, that when times got a little tougher, firms generally needed us more.  But even that re-assurance was no guarantee.

My experience in 2008 really helped reinforce the need for agencies and other professional services firms to do what most other agencies don’t do – which is probably the same thing you try and tell your clients: Keep visible.  Invest in your business. Don’t retreat.

We had many clients in ’08 that stuck with it.

Almost saw it as an opportunity to do what others weren’t.

One of our longest-standing clients (of 12 years) did just that and here they sit today.

They were a small firm when they came on board (about 7 people).

They have since doubled in size and investing even more today in new business than they were in 2008.

To-date they have won close to $3M in new business as a result of our efforts (not including any recuring revenue).

So let’s return to 2020.

We have a client on the East Coast that was among the “need to pause” clients that called me during that one month stretch when the pandemic set in.

His New Business Director and I saw all the potential opportunities we had opened for him and while we were having some issue connecting with prospects because of the uncertainty of the pandemic, connections didn’t stop.

Reluctantly, he stayed on…believing in what we believed to be right and true and not only did he win some nice business within the months that followed, but he has since increased his spend against our programs and is going strong…heading into his 10th year with us!

He has close to $4M as a result of our efforts (and that doesn’t include any year-over-year account carry-over revenue he’s pulled in from his account wins).

So why all this, you ask.

Well, probably obvious…but just in case it’s not.

Today isn’t too different than what we dealt with in ’08 and ’20.

The uncertainty we face with all the stuff happening in DC, the unwillingness of your clients’ clients to pull the trigger, the slowness of your prospects to commit.

It makes for a very challenging environment for all professional services firms.

So some advice based on my trifecta of economic and global pandemic disasters:

Jack Be Nimble

Use this time as an opportunity to change up your game in how you service your existing clients, how you interact with your employees, how you sell the services that you have. Consider something we recently shared – a story about “productization” could prove an interesting way to make it easier for your prospects to engage with you.

Don’t Retreat—Engage!

Don’t retreat! Just because your prospects are slow to the draw doesn’t mean they don’t have needs now – or will soon have needs.  As I told clients in ’08 and again in ’20…”these people can’t not spend forever!

They have to turn things back on at some point.”  Same holds true here.

And if you’re not there, finding your way on to their radar, you run the risk of the train leaving the station without you.

A New You

Yes, I know you’re an agency that only focuses on a couple of core categories, but think about a local effort across lots of different categories – using your relative proximity as a selling point.

We’re doing this for some of our clients that partner with us on the RSW/US full-service side of our outsourced new business program and some of it within our lower-cost LAUNCH program.

Think back to when you first started your agency.

You didn’t have a whole lot of experience operating in the sectors you do today.

You need business (more than likely) so in addition to targeting the sectors you know…open it up a bit and see what it ultimately gets you.  You might be surprised.

It Will All Be Ok

Be Calm. “Protect us from all anxiety.”

Something I think about every day.

At the end of the day, all will be good.  You’ve hopefully got your health, your family, your friends.

Keep a clear head as you work through any challenges that might confront you on any given day.

And use what surrounds you that appears not so calm to find more order in what you do for your firm every day.

As an example, in the midst of all this craziness we are re-looking at our Vision and Mission to make sure that it is clear, compelling, and meaningful to employees, clients, and prospects.

Size Doesn’t Matter

Not in this case.  Regardless of whether you’re a small firm of 7 or a bigger firm with double digit counts on FTEs or 1099s, the need is still the same.

You need to be out there.

Now For Something Completely Different!

So whether you do it on your own (here’s a clip from our recent virtual new business conference where we hosted RSW/US team members talking about creating a successful new business program), or you turn to a skinnied down program like our outsourced LAUNCH program or our more strategic, full-service RSW/US program, you don’t want that prospect you’ve been pining for to wake up one day, realize they need to turn it on, and you’re not there – you’re not on their radar.

Do what others aren’t!

Tell that to yourself and your clients!

Some Additional “Bonus” Perspective.

As I was researching this topic, came across a good article titled “18 Maxims That Keep Entrepreneurs Strong In Tough Times“.  Provides some good counsel for those of you that either started or are running the business to help you through these tougher times.  Enjoy

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How a Full-Service Advertising Agency Landed an $84K Contract with a National Education Association

How a Full-Service Advertising Agency Landed an $84K Contract with a National Education Association

Client TypeFull-Service Advertising Agency
Win$84K Contract, National Association for the Education of Young Children
Verticals ServedEducation, Associations, Non-Profit, Financial Services, Restaurant
Building a Smarter Brand for a National Education Association

The Challenge: Real Sector Depth, but No Consistent Engine for New Business

This Maryland-based advertising agency had thirty years of building campaigns for financial institutions, trade associations, educational organizations, and non-profits.

It gave them something tough to replicate: a genuine understanding of what it takes to reach audiences in sectors where trust, mission, and member value drive every marketing decision.

They knew, for example, that association marketing isn’t just about awareness, it’s about retention, membership development, event attendance, and demonstrating value to members who have a choice about where to put their professional loyalty.

What they didn’t have was a systematic way to get that expertise in front of new prospects.

New business had come through referrals and repeat work.

Getting in front of the right decision-makers at national associations and education organizations required the kind of sustained, disciplined outreach that’s difficult to maintain alongside full client workloads.

Why Outsourced New Business Made Sense

Associations and non-profit organizations don’t move quickly.

The people who make marketing decisions at national membership organizations are balancing internal stakeholders, board priorities, limited budgets, and multi-year strategic plans.

Getting a conversation started requires patience and consistency, not just a strong email.

RSW/US assigned a dedicated New Business Director to work on the agency’s behalf, reaching marketing, communications, and membership directors at target organizations through phone, email, LinkedIn, and direct mail.

The messaging was built around the specific challenges those teams face in serving members effectively and making every marketing dollar count in mission-driven organizations where budgets are scrutinized closely.

How RSW/US Built the Program

The kick-off process focused on surfacing what made this agency genuinely valuable to associations and education organizations: a full-service capability that covered everything from brand development and advertising to PR, digital, and social, combined with three decades of hands-on experience understanding how membership-driven organizations think about marketing differently than commercial brands.

RSW/US built a targeted prospect list of national associations, education organizations, and non-profits where the agency’s depth of experience was a real differentiator.

Outreach was tailored to speak to the challenges those organizations faced, whether it was growing and retaining membership, building brand authority in a crowded professional landscape, or stretching limited marketing budgets further than they’d gone before.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children first came onto the radar in 2022.

Initial outreach opened a conversation, and RSW/US kept the relationship active and the agency visible over the following two years through consistent, thoughtful follow-up.

When NAEYC was ready to move, the agency was already known to them, already trusted, and ready to respond. The deal came together quickly once the timing was right.

The Result: An $84K Contract with NAEYC

The agency won an $84K contract with the National Association for the Education of Young Children, one of the most recognized organizations in early childhood education in the country.

NAEYC advocates for high-quality early learning environments for children from birth through age eight, and its membership spans educators, administrators, and program leaders nationwide.

It was a win that took a bit longer to close, but closed fast when the moment arrived.

That’s what persistent, professional outreach produces when it’s done right.

Not every opportunity moves on your timeline, but the ones that are worth winning are usually the ones that require someone to stay in the game long enough to be there when the door opens.

Learn more about NAEYC.

Is Your Agency Leaving Long-Term Opportunities on the Table?

Some of the best wins take time. RSW/US builds the program, keeps the relationships moving, and makes sure your agency is in the right place when the right prospects are ready to act.

Want to see exactly what’s included in a full program? Explore Our Offerings

Want to understand how we work day-to-day? See Our Process

Have questions before you reach out? Read Our FAQ

Contact us to discuss how we can help you get in front of the right prospects and win more business!

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How a Franchise-Focused Agency Became AOR for a Growing Casual Dining Chain

How a Franchise-Focused Agency Became AOR for a Growing Casual Dining Chain

Client TypeFull-Service Franchise Marketing Agency
WinAgency of Record, ~$900K Budget, Wings Etc. Grill & Pub
Verticals ServedRestaurant, Franchise, Food & Beverage, Healthcare, Education, Financial Services
Cooking Up a Winning Strategy for a Casual Dining Franchise

The Challenge: Franchise Expertise That Wasn’t Reaching the Right Brands

This Indiana-based agency had built something genuinely rare in the Midwest advertising landscape: deep, hands-on franchise marketing expertise backed by a certified Women’s Business Enterprise track record and a portfolio that included some of the most recognizable names in fast-casual, food service, and multi-unit retail.

They understood the specific dynamics of franchise marketing: the tension between brand consistency and local relevance, the economics of co-op advertising, the challenge of motivating franchisees who have skin in the game but varying levels of marketing sophistication.

That kind of earned expertise doesn’t automatically translate into new business.

The agency’s growth had come through relationships, referrals, and word of mouth, and getting in front of franchise brands that were actively evaluating agency partners required a level of consistent, targeted outreach that wasn’t happening alongside full client workloads.

They needed a program that could get their capabilities in front of the right decision-makers at franchise and restaurant brands on a regular, predictable basis.

Why Outsourced New Business Made Sense

The marketing directors and brand leaders at franchise brands evaluating a new agency want to see relevant experience, understand how an agency thinks, and build some level of familiarity before they’re willing to have a serious conversation.

That process takes time and multiple touchpoints, more than most agency teams can sustain on top of existing client responsibilities.

RSW/US assigned a dedicated New Business Director to work on the agency’s behalf, reaching franchise and restaurant brand decision-makers through phone, email, LinkedIn, and direct mail.

The messaging was built around the specific challenges those teams face: maintaining brand standards across locations, driving customer counts in competitive local markets, and finding an agency partner who actually understands the franchise model from the inside out.

How RSW/US Built the Program

The kick-off focused on what made this agency’s franchise experience genuinely credible.

Not just a list of restaurant logos, but its proven ability to navigate the complexity of multi-unit marketing, develop campaigns that worked at both the national and local level, and understand the unique pressures facing franchise marketing teams who are accountable to both corporate and franchisee stakeholders at the same time.

That story gave the New Business Director something specific and compelling to bring to market.

RSW/US built a targeted prospect list focused on casual dining, fast-casual, and multi-unit restaurant brands where the agency’s expertise was a direct fit.

Outreach was designed to speak to the real challenges those marketing teams were working through, whether it was building brand awareness in new markets, improving franchisee engagement with marketing programs, or finding a strategic partner who could both think and execute.

Wings Etc. Grill & Pub was identified as a strong target.

Founded in 1994 and built around award-winning jumbo buffalo wings, 22 signature sauces, and a genuine sports bar experience, Wings Etc. was a regional franchise with real brand equity and real growth ambitions.

The RSW/US New Business Director got in front of the right people, built the relationship, and positioned the agency to compete for the AOR assignment.

The Result: AOR Status with Wings Etc., $900K Budget

The agency was named Agency of Record for Wings Etc. Grill & Pub, with a total budget of approximately $900K.

It was a huge win on every level: a recognized franchise brand, a substantial budget, and an AOR relationship that put the agency in the driver’s seat rather than on a project-by-project basis.

The kicker? Wings Etc. was practically around the corner, the agency and the brand were in the same market.

But geographic proximity doesn’t close deals, sustained, professional outreach does.

RSW/US made the introduction that turned a neighbor into a client.

Learn more about Wings Etc. Grill & Pub.

Ready to Turn Your Agency’s Expertise Into a Stronger Pipeline?

If your agency has deep sector knowledge and the work to prove it, RSW/US can help you get in front of the brands that need what you do. We build the program, generate the right meetings, and help move opportunities forward.

Want to see exactly what’s included in a full program? Explore Our Offerings

Want to understand how we work day-to-day? See Our Process

Have questions before you reach out? Read Our FAQ

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Contact us to discuss how we can help you get in front of the right prospects and win more business!

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Agencies That Lead Win - Why CMOs Need More Than Just Order Takers
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Agencies That Lead Win – Why CMOs Need More Than Just Order Takers

“The average CMO tenure is notoriously one of the shortest in the C-suite. Most Fortune 500 CMOs last just 51 months” 

This is from the piece by Rebecca Stewart & Paul Hiebert in Adweek this past week titled The Real Reasons Why CMOs Get Fired and it’s an important read for your agency business development strategy and your client retention strategy. 

The High-Stakes Reality for CMOs

Gartner’s study revealed “the average marketing function is involved in or accountable for 10 business areas and will take on additional responsibilities by 2029”. 

That insight comes from the article, where Stewart and Hiebert reference a Gartner study in which 125 CEOs and CFOs were interviewed to reveal their expectations for CMOs and how they can extend their tenure.

Another pertinent quote before we dive in: 

The main reason marketers are fired, Gartner found, was the inability to deliver promised results, with 69% of CEOs and CFOs stating this would lead to CMO removal. 

I think (I hope) you see where I’m going here. 

Your Agency Can Help Extend CMO tenure 

In an agency panel I hosted this week in our RSW virtual conference on maximizing agency/client value, Stephen Larkin, Chief Marketing Officer at Erich & Kallman, said this:

Clients want to be led. Clients are under so much pressure . . . and advertising is literally 20% of her job. There’s the other 80% taking them in every other direction. 

The Dreaded Order Taker 

Oh, agency teams love hearing it: You have to be more than just an order taker. 

One of the main reasons marketers look for a new agency? 

They’re not bringing fresh thinking or ideas to the table. 

And the fact is, this is true. 

To Stephen’s point above, marketers are under enormous pressure, and they’re feeling isolated often because of it. 

(We did a 3 Takeaways episode around it last year after our key note speaker, who had worked on the agency and client side, explained the isolating nature of the marketing position post-Covid.)  

 

Marketers do want to be lead, and you have the opportunity to do that.

Agencies That Lead, Win.

They’re not paying you for what you do. They’re paying you for the result. 

That’s a quote from the same panel, and from Jamil Buie, Growth and Innovation at Campbell Ewald, in response to the order taker question. 

He went on: 

The same reason why folks go to a barbershop or a hairstylist. You could probably cut your own hair at home. It’s the result that you’re getting and it’s the experience to get you to the result. Like the consultive nature of, “I see where you’re trying to go, I see what you want to accomplish”. I can also see the blind spot that you can’t see behind your head and make sure that you take care of.  

And so that’s the reason why you can’t just be a flat order taker, because if you do that, at some point in time, they will build a structure that says, I can cut you out. And that’s what a smart marketer would probably do. So a smart agency would say, I can continue to listen, evolve, and be, as said, a couple of steps ahead of where you want to be. Because we focus and think about this all day, every day. And that’s how you create a tremendous amount of value for a client. 

Exactly this. And by doing this for clients, that effort can and should be employed as you engage with prospects. 

Don’t let that knowledge go to waste. 

Incorporate it into your thought leadership content and get it in front of your prospects. 

Seth Gunderson, Sr. Director, Growth at Signal Theory, gave a concrete answer and example of how they go beyond order taker status in our conference panel: 

They’ve paid us money to do a specific job. And what we’ve learned is that if you’re not answering the brief, if you’re not answering what the client request is, no matter what you present next, it’s going to fall on deaf ears. So first and foremost, we make sure that we answer the brief.  

But then we have also amended our process to carve out time for teams. That’s not necessarily billing against the client’s hours, but it’s a time to really understand the business, truly understand the business, and bring up proactive ideas. And we do that on a quarterly basis to make sure that we are providing extra value to those clients. 

Agencies That Lead Win - Why CMOs Need More Than Just Order Takers

Please Stop Saying We make the CMO Look Like A Hero 

I’ve been in too many conversations with ad agency principals where they eventually bring this up as a selling point. 

It is not. 

It’s fantastic, but it’s pure fluff when you phrase it this way.   

Instead, you need 5-10 concrete examples of how you make her or him look like a hero. 

Fill in this blank 5 to 10 times: We make X client look like a hero because ____________

As Jamil said and I repeat: they’re not paying you for what you do. they’re paying you for the result. 

And maybe you don’t have a concrete, “we increased sales by 45%”.

That’s OK.  I mean, let’s be clear, it’s great if you do have that, but if not, then succinctly explain how you solved their business challenge, which in turn, made them look like a hero. 

Turning Insights Into Action

The Adweek piece ended with this: 

CMOs can rebuild CEO and CFO confidence by clarifying their accountabilities, communicating how marketing is connected to growth initiatives, improving collaboration with others, and more effectively demonstrating the impact of marketing. 

As an agency, you can’t, and shouldn’t, try to tackle every one of these for your clients, because not all are in your control, but you can absolutely help with a good portion of it. 

Take each of these and pinpoint where your agency specifically has an impact and get that in front of your client. 

Lead them. 

And then take those very same points and intertwine them into your prospecting process. 

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Agency Business Development Playbook
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The Agency Business Development Playbook: Navigating a Competitive and Cost-Sensitive Market

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does an effective agency business development playbook look like in 2025?

An effective 2025 agency business development playbook combines refined positioning, direct outreach, and a clear value story that goes beyond capabilities. With marketers scrutinizing every dollar, agencies need to lead with outcomes and ROI rather than process. The playbook includes a defined target prospect list, a multi-touch outreach sequence across channels, and a consistent content presence that builds credibility before a prospect ever gets on a call.

How are marketers finding new agencies in 2025?

Direct agency outreach has risen significantly as a discovery method, moving from 4th place in 2022 to 2nd in 2023, surpassing networking and peer referrals. This means proactive, well-targeted outreach from agencies is more important than ever. Waiting to be found through networking alone is an increasingly risky strategy.

How can agencies compete against in-house teams for new business?

Agencies need to demonstrate what in-house teams structurally can’t provide: outside perspective, specialized expertise, and scalability. The strongest agencies position themselves not as a vendor alternative to in-house, but as a strategic partner that makes in-house teams more effective rather than a threat to them.

Is the RFP process still worth pursuing for agency new business?

The RFP process is losing traction. Marketers report it as less effective year over year, and agencies that rely on RFPs as their primary new business channel are increasingly at a disadvantage. Direct relationship-building and proactive outreach now outperform waiting for formal review processes to begin.

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Roadmap
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The 1st Step in Your New Business Roadmap

Let’s get back to basics for a moment on the subject of new business.

We consistently preach our philosophy and mantra when speaking with prospects: we maintain a relationship-building approach that doesn’t shove the company down the prospect’s throat, but instead shows them, through respectful, yet consistent and useful contact, that the company understands their challenges. (Now we didn’t invent the concept, mind you, as its called lead nurturing, amongst other labels, but it’s one we’ve fully made our own.)

So it’s always heartening to see it touted by others, and specifically in this case, at the site marketo.com. Marketo, if you’re not familiar, is “the fastest growing provider of marketing automation and revenue-building best practices.”

Roadmap

While their focus is on B2B, they have a great (and free) guide called The Definitive Guide to Lead Nurturing. It’s a bit lengthy, but their tips can be very easily adapted to your own new business and it’s well worth a look. A couple of points to take away, the first slightly modified by me:

Up to 95 percent of qualified prospects on your Web site are there to research and are not yet ready to talk . . . but as many as 70 percent of them will eventually engage you.

Think about this in terms of your own new business efforts. Quite often, a visit to your site or a show of initial interest from a mail or email campaign doesn’t translate to immediate work-in-hand. And this is where companies so often fall short-they stop too early, sometimes after only one follow up email or phone call!

I altered the following chart to read “new business”, and I love these tips:

That last bit, “How can you tell” should be at the top of your new business road map. Per the report:

Most non-sales-ready leads will eventually be ready — and it is up to you to both provide them with relevant information and to be there when they are ready to make a buying decision.

Take this advice to heart-it will serve you well.

Download The Definitive Guide to Lead Nurturing here.

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