Leaders at ad agencies and professional services firms are stubbornly holding on to a few business development myths that have to be corrected.

That’s what we’re talking in this episode.

Welcome to “3 Takeaways”, our new business video series where we give you three takeaways to help improve your new business program. 

Alright we’re going to briefly dig into a few of those business development myths I mentioned.

The first one: social is a waste of time for business development. 

Takeaway 1:

Make social work for you by focusing on social listening, specifically Reddit

(Don’t stop watching, I know, it’s a free for all there, but hold on). 

You may feel like social isn’t doing anything for your firm. 

That’s probably because, 1) you posted once a week on LinkedIn for several weeks and gave up. And 2) I know, it seems like every LinkedIn post these days is a platitude, or a personal journey, or instructions on how to follow your dreams.

Social listening will help.

Get on Reddit, you initially will have to do a little bit of searching on the verticals you play in, in conjunction with your service offerings.

There’s some gold there if you pay attention to Reddit conversations. 

Yes, there’s a lot of garbage on there, a lot, but there are also a lot of frustrated marketers there, who are giving unfiltered insights into their challenges.

Let those inform your messaging, not only in prospecting, but in posting, or commenting, like an actual human being on LinkedIn about real business challenges.

The next business development myth: referrals are how we get new business, it’s how we’ve always done it.

Well, here’s your second takeaway:

Referrals are reactive – be proactive.

Even with a strategy around referrals (which you should have) you’re still waiting on them to come in.

Not a dependable process.

You get in the door when you show you understand your prospects’ business challenges before they ask.

Bring solutions to the table early with your prospects.

Not talking spec work, but ways you’ve helped clients in the same verticals.

It positions you as a strategic partner — not just a vendor waiting for a brief.

And that final mistaken business development belief: our amazing work speaks for itself.

Here’s your third takeaway:

Great Work Alone Doesn’t Speak for Itself.

Unless it’s something on a national scale.

Of course you need great work, creative or otherwise— but agencies still today often assume the work will do the talking. (Like the Joe Perry Project – Let the music do the talking.  No? I’m dating myself?)

But it can’t do that unless 1) they see it, and 2) there’s a clear niche to a targeted prospect.

It doesn’t have to be one vertical, but you have to focus your positioning.

Who are you best built to serve?

What verticals or business challenges are you especially good at?

That’s how prospects connect the dots between your great work and their specific needs.

Alright, until next time, stay on the path on Reddit, leave it, and madness ensues. 

If you’re an agency or professional services firm, you’ve likely faced, and had to overcome these 2 common agency objections when prospecting: ‘We already work with an agency‘ or ‘We handle that in-house.’

Today, I’ll share exactly how to overcome both and open doors instead of closing them.”

Welcome to “3 Takeaways”, our new business video series where we give you three takeaways to help improve your new business program.

Let’s jump to your first takeaway: Embrace the Existing Agency Objection.

First, let’s talk about the objection: ‘We already work with an agency.’

Believe it or not, this is actually good news—it means your prospect values external expertise and understands agency relationships.

So respond positively: That makes sense—we often collaborate with other agencies to bring additional expertise or bandwidth where our clients need it. Many of our clients have strong agency partnerships, and we step in to support specific areas like [and mention your specific expertise].’

By positioning your firm as complementary rather than competitive, you differentiate yourself and stay in the conversation.

Alright, your second takeaway: Focus on complimenting those in-house strengths.

It’s actually similar to the first objection, so let’s tackle that one: ‘We handle that in-house.’

Many prospects believe their internal teams have it covered.

Maybe, but your approach here should focus on complementing their strengths:

We frequently collaborate with internal teams, providing specialized expertise or additional resources, when they need it most. We specialize in [X]—could your team use support there?’

Your role becomes clear: not as a replacement, but as a valuable strategic partner, enhancing and elevating their in-house capabilities.

And your third takeaway: Remember this crucial insight: While 54% of marketers handle much of their work internally, the routine stays in-house, leaving specialized, high-value projects up for grabs.

To win these opportunities, your firm has to clearly demonstrate expertise and some innovative thinking—areas where internal teams typically fall short.

Clearly communicate how your agency uniquely solves specific client challenges.

Overcoming these objections is all about strategic positioning.

Embrace collaboration, emphasize complementary strengths, and always lead with your unique expertise.

If you do, you’ll not only overcome objections—you’ll transform them into opportunities. make sure and subscribe for more business development content. 

We’re excited to post Chip Griffin’s most recent “Chats with Chip” episode, “Content, consistency, and conversions for agency business development” featuring our VP of Sales, Lee McKnight Jr.

Chip and Lee discuss RSW/US’s most recent survey report, coming in mid-October, indicating optimism among agencies, and explore the role of AI in business development, emphasizing its current limitations but potential in the future.

They advocate for a consistent, omnichannel approach for business development, which should include outbound, referrals and content creation like podcasts and videos to foster expertise and client relationships.

The conversation also covers the challenges agencies have been facing in 2024, such as prolonged sales cycles and client budget constraints, and how that’s starting to improve.

The episode concludes by highlighting the need for persistence in business development efforts and the benefits of continuously providing valuable resources to prospects.

Key Takeaways for agency business development:

• Lee McKnight, Jr: “Build it and they will not come just because you’ve done it. Now you’ve got to get it into your prospect’s lap.”
• Chip Griffin: “You need to find whatever tactic it is that you can do well, that you will keep with, and that will help you to build your business much more quickly.”
• Lee McKnight, Jr: “Agencies are going to default to referrals as they always have. And that’s not a bad thing. In fact, it’s a fantastic thing.”
• Chip Griffin: “The reality is that AI, like many things, can be very helpful. But it is not a replacement for anything.”