3 Takeaways Ep. 108 - 6th Halloween Special - The Frogman Cometh

The Frogman cometh, and now is the time for an open mind in this, our 6th 3 Takeaways Halloween episode.

And in it we give you the true story of the Loveland Frogman and the three takeaways your agency should glean from it’s croaking madness

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

The Loveland Frogman is particularly special to me because I live in Loveland, Ohio, not terribly far from the famous second sighting of this fabled cryptid.

The most common account of the Loveland Frogman came from Officer Ray Shockey, who saw a creature crossing the road at 1 a.m. on March 3, 1972 in Loveland.

The creature crouched, then stood and stared at Shockey before climbing over a guardrail near the Little Miami River.

Other officers later investigated, but no proof of the scratch marks they reportedly found were ever confirmed.

But two weeks later, Officer Mark Matthews reported a similar sighting, firing at the creature as it stood up before it also disappeared over a guardrail.

And there have been other sightings since.

The Frogman cometh, and lurks in Loveland still.

(I’m actually in a band named Frogman after the creature, come see us if you’re ever in the Cincy area, but I digress.)

What possible takeaways can your ad agency get from the Frogman?

Here’s you first:

🎃 Turn Legends into Leads – Leverage Storytelling 🕸️👻

The power of storytelling is central to the Frogman’s lasting allure.

In business development, agencies can use storytelling to build emotional connections with prospects.

At the top of the funnel, that means sharing case studies, brand journeys, and even agency origin stories can transform cold leads into warmer relationships, much like how the legend of the Frogman has captured the public’s imagination for decades.

Your second takeaway:

🎃👻 Adapt and Evolve with the Changing Environment 👻🎃

Yes the Frogman cometh, and the sightings of the Frogman have evolved over the years, adapting to different interpretations and settings.

Similarly, agencies need to be agile, evolving with trends, and technology. Staying relevant requires constant adaptation and innovation in your approach to business development.

And your third takeaway:

🕸️🧛‍♂️ Embrace the Mystery – Differentiate Yourself 🧛‍♀️🕸️

The Loveland Frogman is memorable because of its mystery and uniqueness.

In business development, standing out in a crowded market is crucial.

Agencies should embrace their unique qualities and expertise to capture attention.

Whether it’s a niche focus or a distinctive creative approach, you must craft a narrative that sets you apart from competitors.

That’s all for now

Hit our site at rswus.com for more business development content, and if you’re ever in Loveland at night, don’t venture too closely to the banks of the Little Miami. 

Content, consistency, and conversions for agency business development

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.”
Ad Agency Business Performance so far in ’24: 3 Takeaways Ep. 105

Ad Agency Business Performance so far in ’24: 3 Takeaways Ep. 105

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

We just released our 2024 RSW/US Mid-Year Progress Report-we surveyed ad agencies and marketers at the end of June as a follow up to our 2024 New Year Outlook Report in January, and we’ve got some stats to report to you agencies out there

The first one comes from this question we asked agencies:

How was your business performance the 1st half of 24 versus the first half of 23?

Ad Agency Business Performance so far in '24 3 Takeaways Ep. 105

Happy to report 62% of agencies said there was some improvement, or it was significantly better.

’23 was rough, agencies needed this.

So let’s dig into some of the reasons behind this stat, and a few things to be aware of for the rest of the year

Here’s your first takeaway:

Sales pipelines increased

One agency responded with “We have a solid sales pipeline again”.

We’re not out of those 2023 woods all the way yet, but if your agency is not actively pursuing new business, you need to start yesterday, because pipelines are generally stronger so far in 2023

Alright, second takeaway:

Specialized agencies are in a better position

One agency responded: “We have really honed our niche and are actively promoting it. Starting to see returns!”

I’ve said it before in this series, specialization doesn’t mean you only focus on one vertical

But you do need focus, that’s what prospects are looking for

And your third takeaway:

Mixed project sizes and client spending caution

Not all roses and rainbows at this point.

Activity is increasing, but certainly seeing some agencies experiencing a mix of larger and smaller projects.

One agency said:

More activity, but with smaller projects to supplement, while working to retain all our current clients

And then despite an increase in leads and pipeline, some agencies are still seeing some slower deal closures, reminiscent of 2023.

One agency said: “greater lead volume and pipeline activity, still slow to close”.

Look, if nothing else, you’ve got to take advantage of what’s coming in the rest of 2024 and you’ve got to get that business development strategy and process in place as soon as possible.

So, again, not completely out of the 2023 woods yet, but definite signs of optimism at this halfway point in the year, and more stats and data for your agency in our latest report, which you can download now at no cost.

All right, we’ve got more videos around our report coming in the next several weeks.

Thanks for watching.

You can get more of our content at rswus.com, just hit that resources drop down 

Watch the full episode below:

Why Business Development Efforts Fail in Mid-Sized Ad Agencies

🎥 This is episode 103 of “3 Takeaways,” our RSW/US ad agency new business video series where we share three key takeaways to help you enhance your new business program and we’re talking Why Business Development Efforts Fail in Mid-Sized Ad Agencies

🚧 Tackling a Critical Issue: Why Do So Many Business Development Efforts Fail in mid-sized agencies?

Starting is half the battle, but once agencies get started, they often create their own roadblocks. Being too close to the effort and the business makes it difficult to see these obstacles.

If you notice one of these situations in your efforts, it’s time to step back and evaluate. We’ll break this down over two episodes. Here are the first three reasons why biz dev efforts fail:

1️⃣ Lack of Prospecting Skill Set

Having a knack for advertising doesn’t necessarily translate into being great at sales, especially at the top of the funnel. Agency principals often lack this specific skill, which is about making quick, impactful connections rather than detailed pitches upfront.

Agency principals often apply their pitch style to top-of-the-funnel activities, but these are very different processes. You have seconds to break through at the top of the funnel, and it’s easy for internally managed biz dev efforts to fizzle out due to frustration.

2️⃣ No Manageable Plan

Time and again, we’ve seen agencies take on too much initially and quickly get overwhelmed.

Baby Steps should be your mantra. While we aren’t diving into specific steps today, the first one is crucial: block out your calendar for the next month with 1 hour a day devoted to biz dev and stick to it as best you can.

That’s where you start.

3️⃣ Lack of Focus

Your agency needs a clear positioning aligned with the needs of your target verticals. It’s not just about what you want to sell; it’s about addressing what your prospects need help with.

These can be mutually exclusive, but always think about what your prospect wants to hear: “How can you help solve my business challenges?”

If you see these issues cropping up in your business development efforts, take a step back. Evaluate and adjust your approach using the insights we’ve discussed. Recognizing these roadblocks is the first step towards overcoming them and ultimately winning more business.

Stay tuned for the next episode, Part 2 on Why Business Development Efforts Fail in Mid-Sized Ad Agencies, where we’ll cover additional reasons why biz dev efforts fail and how to address them.

Why Business Development Efforts Fail in Mid-Sized Ad Agencies

Sales Automation Has Replaced Any Sense Of Understanding

Welcome to episode 100 of 3 Takeaways, with a focus on sales automation (also our 5th Halloween episode, although Lee says 4-no, no).

There is nothing wrong with your device.

Do not attempt to adjust the picture.

We are controlling transmission.

Business development for your advertising agency has been subsumed. 

Humans no longer control strategy or execution-technology is all- automation has replaced any sense of understanding. 

Ominous opening, right?

Well, we don’t have much time-the sales automation overlords are watching. 

But we’ve jammed their signal for a few minutes.

I can’t take credit for that last sentence in our opening. 

It comes from an agency principal, discussing the high volume of sales outreach being vomited, copiously into our email boxes, on LinkedIn, and, occasionally, on our phones.

With little sense of targeting, lack of research, and a reliance on volume to the detriment of any relevant message, he said, and I quote, automation has replaced any sense of understanding.

It’s become pervasive-you get the same emails and messaging I do-there is rarely any sense of understanding of prospects or their companies in most outreach today.

If there were, I wouldn’t be getting these emails, because I’m not the right-fit prospect in most cases.

But these salespeople wouldn’t know that, because they haven’t taken the time to do the homework.

So in this episode, we bring you 3 Takeaways to make sure your agency isn’t subsumed by the hivemind that we call, Extreme Automation Reliance. 

 

Your first takeaway is paramount and simple:

Don’t let technology take over your business development process.

Let’s not kid anyone, technology is essential in making your process more efficient, but here’s a critical stat:

76% of agencies get more than six sales emails a day.  And almost 90% of those agencies said only 9% of those are effective.

Some salespeople are content with that. 

Perhaps they are one of the 9%. 

But great salespeople know that reliance on one platform leaves potential opportunities on the table.

Yes, use email, but how many of your competitors are picking up the phone? 

Are using traditional mail?

Do what your competitors are not.

With all this, the message here is not that you should never incorporate automation into your business development strategy.

Sales automation, whether through an automation platform, or using CRM tools that automate certain tasks, can be effective, but, and this is your second takeaway:

If you’re going to automate, make sure you are targeting the right prospects. 

A different agency principal, in an initial conversation about our services at RSW/US, told me about a meeting coming up their new business director had set. 

This business director relied on simple automation via email blasts and his network. 

This principal told me, they had no business taking this meeting-it wasn’t a fit.

Many alarm bells went off.

It . . .does not compute.

So many business development failures can be traced back to going after the wrong prospects. 

You have to take the time to nail those parameters down and make sure everyone involved in new business is on the same page.

We’ve now come to our final takeaway, time is short-they, are watching. 

We’ve established that automation isn’t inherently ineffective, however-your third takeaway is this:

Make sure sales automation isn’t THE strategy.

Since automation occurs through email, when you do use it, it is, of course, vital that those emails actually reach your prospects, which means your sender reputation must be up to par.

But 60% of agencies do not monitor their email sender reputation.

There are many tools, from Google, Microsoft and others, to ensure your deliverability is not impaired. 

Alright, I must go. 

Thank you for watching our 100th episode of 3 Takeaways! 

Don't Send These Emails | 3 Takeaways Ep. 99

In this episode, we continue with one of our most popular new business themes — don’t send these emails. 

Comin’ at ya!

Welcome to “3 Takeaways”, your agency new business video series where we focus on one new business category and give you three takeaways to help improve your new business program. 

Over the course of making this video series, we’ve done several episodes on ineffective sales emails, and I’ve mentioned that I keep most of the sales emails I get in two folders: good emails and bad emails.

I learn from both, and I now have multiple agency principals (thanks to each of you) who will send me the worst of the worst they get. 

So, as we’re one episode away from our 100th episode, we bring you three more examples of emails you shouldn’t send.

 

And your first take away:

For the love of all that is holy — keep your initial sales emails short.

The email I’m about to show you — the only way I can really convey how long this sales email is, is to have Craig filming me scrolling through it. 

(You’ll have to watch the episode starting at 1:19 for the full experience.)

I realize you may be thinking: well, you’re talking about it, Lee, and you actually read it, didn’t you. 

Fair, I did, but it was out of morbid curiosity. 

I don’t remember what that person was even selling, just how long it was. 

And by the way, that same person has sent 3 more, giant emails. 

Wow.

OK, second takeaway:

Don’t tell me you’d like to learn more about my business if you don’t mean it.

Getting a sales email that starts with “I’d love the opportunity to learn more about your business” is not new, but I’m either noticing it more recently, or some new overly-used email template is floating around.

Many salespeople use this line because they can’t think of anything else at the moment.

But some salespeople genuinely mean it, in which case, actually show your prospect you’ve done even a little bit of homework on their business.

Remember, LinkedIn and Google are your friend.

OK, our last takeaway is this:

Don’t start an email to your prospect with “I reached out to you a few days ago, and never heard back”. 

This also isn’t new, but it’s become a greatest hit — I’ve also never understood it. 

Is it supposed to guilt your prospect into answering you, “oh no, I didn’t respond to your ineffectual sales email? 

Let me get right on that!” 

That may have worked the first year email became a thing in the business world, maybe, but it certainly has no place in today’s prospecting world. 

It’s a waste of time and real estate.

Thanks for watching 3 Takeaways — lots of new business content our site to help you at rswus.com, just hit the resources drop down 

The Prospecting Tool Your Agency Is Not Using-But Should Be

There’s a prospecting tool most ad agencies aren’t using to drive new business-we’re going to tell you what it is and give you some tips on how to use it-stay with us.

Welcome to “3 Takeaways”, your agency new business video series where we focus on one new business category and give you three takeaways to help improve your new business program. 

We’re at episode 98 of this thing! 

If you haven’t subscribed, take a second and do that, along with smashing the old like button if you’re so inclined. 

Now, being so close to episode 100, I wanted to go back to our very first episode, called “Embrace the Snail”.

(Check out this episode below at .53, it’s good stuff.) 

We’ve made some quality strides since then (nice work Craig), but the content in that episode still holds up, and I wanted to provide you with an update of sorts.

A little background-in that episode, I talked about the continued efficacy of snail mail, of a physical mailer as part of your prospecting process.

Our first takeaway back then was:

36% of marketers learn about agencies from mailings.

So that episode was back in 2018-a lot happened between then and now, right. 

And physical mail for prospecting took a bit of a back seat at the height of Covid.

But if you want another new business tool in your arsenal, you need to think about mail. 

It’s funny how often I heard, phone calling didn’t work during Covid. 

Short answer-it did, were you trying? 

Similarly, I hear the same thing-mail?

Pretty old school. 

Yeah, it is, and you know what it works.

Here’s your first take away:

It’s only one prospecting tool. 

I can’t stress that enough-in our own RSW programs, we use mail as one tool in the toolbox, our tech stack is another, well many tools there, but we do not use mail as the main driver to drive new business for our clients. 

If you ever come across advice that you should only use one tool, like email or LinkedIn, to drive new business, potential opportunities will be left on the table. 

Let’s get to takeaway two:

You have to use mail to interact and reinforce all your other tools. 

It’s a succession, a chain if you will, as you reach out to a prospect, referring back to the mailing piece, a phone call, an email, alternating each of these touches-it’s going to reinforce your awareness and make what could be a cold call warmer.

OK, your third takeaway-

Keep your copy concise with any mailing piece.

According to stats from the Who’s Mailing What database, the word count in direct mail they’ve tracked has declined by 62%. 

That’s a good thing, and you should mirror that with any piece you create.

Less copy, more images-that’s the direction you want.

Thanks for watching 3 Takeaways-lots of new business content our site to help you at rswus.com, just hit the resources drop down. 

Ghosted After The First Prospect Meeting

Far too often, we see agencies build a solid connection with a productive first prospect meeting, and then… nothing.

For our three takeaways today, we have pointers to make sure you don’t get ghosted on the way to meeting number two.

And we have a bonus, a one-pager you can download with our three takeaways from this episode.

Download that here: Climbing the Prospect Follow-Up Hill

You’ve had that first prospect meeting, and ideally you’ve set the second meeting. 

But that doesn’t always happen, or it’s tentatively set, and maybe you’re getting ghosted. 

To ensure that second meeting happens, let’s get into how you can better your odds.

Your first takeaway:

Remind them why they took the first meeting with you.

If your prospect took 30 minutes of their time to meet with you, they have a need or they saw some sort of value in talking with you.

Your primary goal in that first meeting should be to determine why they decided to take the meeting.

Perhaps their current agency is underperforming.

Maybe they are interested in a strategy that aligns with your specific strengths.

In any case, your follow-up should help to re-establish their motivation for speaking to you in the first place.

OK, your second takeaway:

Provide insight on something discussed in the first meeting. 

After that first meeting, you should have some sense of the prospect’s pain-points and you should have some understanding of their past strategies.

As you prepare to follow-up with the prospect, find ways to offer valuable perspective around something you learned in that first meeting.

Show the prospect that you understand what they told you and demonstrate your resourcefulness.

And your third takeaway:

Share your experience solving problems like theirs.

Hopefully this is not the first time you’ve heard this.

Your follow-up should include examples of work you’ve done for clients in the same (or a similar) industry as the prospect’s.

This helps to alleviate any potential concerns the prospect may have about your ability to understand his/her business.

Your goal is to establish credibility, provide value, and show the prospect that you are eager to help achieve his/her goals.

Thanks for watching 3 Takeaways-lots of new business content our site to help you at rswus.com, just hit the resources drop down. 

3 Business Development Strategies That Work In 2022

Lee McKnight Jr. is delivering you 3 business development strategies that come straight from your agency peers.

Welcome to “3 Takeaways”, your agency new business video series where we focus on one new business category and give you three takeaways to help improve your new business program.

We attended the AMI Conference in Chicago a few weeks back, and were privileged to moderate three different agency roundtables, with the topic, Business Development in 2022-What’s working and what’s not. 

I can’t give away all the good stuff, but for our three takeaways, I wanted to point out three tips on what’s working: what we see working with our own clients, and what agencies from our roundtables mentioned was working for them.

Here’s your first takeaway:

Try posting something personal on LinkedIn. 

Does that sound weird?

It kind of feels weird-I have not done it often, but I’m planning on doing it a bit more. 

Because it does two things-

  • Gets you more views and likes, and
  • Brings a human side to you, that prospects will respond to.

There are some ground rules here.

Do it sparingly, and provide some type of insight or reflection. 

If it’s just a post with a picture of you by the lake, or the team at happy hour, you’ll probably get some views, but then you’re just turning it into your Facebook feed.

Ideally, you tie in some aspect of your personal life, could be a reflection on something positive, or how you handled a struggle, into your work life.

I will tell you, it’s not always easy, because, and I hate this overused word, it needs to be authentic. 

But mixing one of those posts in, with every nine thought leadership posts, gives your profile more dimension-prospects work with agencies and people they like.

This will help you do that. 

Your second takeaway:

Don’t sell in every email.

Also sounds weird, right?

You need to take advantage of that email real estate with every send. 

Well, email deliverability is getting more and more important. 

The days of blasting out ineffectual, no homework emails is going away. 

Your sender reputation is incredibly important. 

If more and more of your emails are going into spam filters, Google will ding you.

If you pick one email a week, or 1 out of 4 in your cadence, and not sell to your prospect, but instead, provide them with something of value, that relates to their industry-it will help you stand out, and your prospects will respond in kind. 

It will still take time, it’s not a silver bullet, but everyone else is blindly selling, seeing what sticks. 

And your third takeaway, and it’s purely tactical:

Pursue new hires-the right way. 

A new CMO, or VP of Marketing, will have a lot on her or his plate being new on the job. If you approach them respectfully, and show your value, chances are good they’ll at least be more open to talking.

They’ll need the help. 

Doesn’t always work, and you can’t jump all over them, but there are some software platforms, like a ZoomInfo, or more inexpensive options, just Google ZoomInfo new hires, or Lead 411 new hires, and other platforms will pop us as well within that search to help you find those new hires. 

Couple that with Google alerts and LinkedIn, and you’ve got what you need.

There you go-3 business development strategies for 2022.

Thanks for watching 3 Takeaways-lots of new business content our site to help you at rswus.com, just hit the resources drop down. 

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🔔 Subscribe for more free content on how to help improve your new business program: https://bit.ly/2Mn0gXy

If you’re looking for a more effective business development strategy for your ad agency, email Lee McKnight Jr. at lee@rswus.com. He would love to talk.

Or, if you’re not ready for that step, you can read about how our outsourced business development programs work here.

3 Tips On Crafting Effective Emails Prospects Won’t Ignore

For this episode, we’re bringing you 3 pieces of advice on how to craft effective emails from our own RSW/US new business directors.

Welcome to “3 Takeaways”, your agency new business video series where we focus on one new business category and give you three takeaways to help improve your new business program.

If you’re driving new business for your advertising agency or PR firm, you’re always looking for ways to make your emails more effective.

In this episode, we’re giving you 3 quick tips, or takeaways, directly from 3 of our new business directors here at RSW.

Your first takeaway on crafting effective emails is from Brandon Buttrey:

Shy away from links, bold, italics, underlines and attachments.

I like this one a lot, Brandon points out as well,

The e-mail should read like a conversation between two people.

I’ve talked about this before in these episodes, and it’s a prospecting mantra of mine:

Talk to your prospects, not at them.

An email full of bold or underlined copy with multiple links screams sales email.

I’m not advising you never use any of these, but early on, especially, avoid all of them-just reach out with simple text.

Your second takeaway is from Amanda Mudd:

Be literal in your subject lines.

I’ll give you an example.  You‘ve heard that your subject line should reflect, in some way, the content of your email.

So, one way to be literal in your subject line, and a great way to use your case studies, is naming the company that’s in your case study in your subject line.

And that’s it, just the company name.

It should obviously relate to the prospect’s industry you’re reaching out to, but getting your email opened is that huge first step.

And just the company name will create some interest, and quite frankly, maybe some confusion, but that’s a good thing.

Chances are better they’ll open it.

And your third takeaway is from Carrie Shoemaker:

Be Enthusiastic, upbeat, and confident.  Be memorable. 

Advice you may have heard before, but so many salespeople don’t embrace it.

Your enthusiasm and passion shows, on the phone or video, sure, but in email and voicemail as well.

There’s a balance-you don’t want to be over the top in your enthusiasm, but it humanizes you.

So much sales outreach comes off as an ad a robot wrote.

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🔔 Subscribe for more free content on how to help improve your new business program: https://bit.ly/2Mn0gXy

If you’re looking for a more effective business development strategy for your ad agency, email Lee McKnight Jr. at lee@rswus.com. He would love to talk.

Or, if you’re not ready for that step, you can read about how our outsourced business development programs work here.