“Your responsibilities”.

Imagine an agency telling a prospective client – not one we’re working with already – that they had to actively participate in delivering to make the marketing programme effective?

I love it.

Now I’m recommending we put this into all new client proposals. It’s authentic and transparent and gives the brand clear boundaries and guidelines that will help us give them exactly what they hired us to do.

What do you do in order to improve your client briefing and agreements?

And so we hoped to find a strong follow up to that story and were delighted that Lance Wiggs wrote up a talk John Brackenridge did to the BBD CEO Summit.  We were hoping to find out exactly what John hired….

There is a bit of ‘history’ in the industry as Mckinsey was hired to advise on the structure of the growers versus the marketers in 1999 and recommended splitting the marketing and promotion function off into a ‘commercial entity’.

And we thought now was a good time to show off our original 2010 pitch.  What’s interesting is that little has changed.    We’d still recommend most of the same activity.

Download it here NZ Merino Proposal

Or review the slides.

Brian Carroll wrote a super blog post about this subject and came out with solid suggestions about how to get executive support for your proposal or project.

Working with larger organisations means that budgetary control is not always within the grasp of the person wo you’re speaking with.

Brian made these suggestions:

1. Identify executive priorities [align your pitch to their priorities]
2. Analyse your sales organisation [how much time do they spend prospecting vs closing]
3. Show what others have done [sell using case studies]
4. Huddle with your sales team [check you're on the same page on what works/doesn't work]
5. Develop a pilot

All great advice – read the full article here for the detail and the links Brian suggests.

But how to up-sell your proposal to the Marketing Director?

Last month we had three situations where Creative Agency Secrets was approached by a member of staff who didn’t have sufficient authority to buy our services – but they wanted to work with us.

Take a read of these three mini-case studies on how to upsell your proposal to your contact’s boss.

1. We wrote to the CEO stating the issue and a solution – he forwarded it to the young man who’d originally approached us with a note to investigate our ‘offer’…. Nice way to let the CEO think he had the idea first.
2. We took a detailed brief from the junior and agreed not to write a proposal, but to email him a critique of the company website and sales process – he then took that to the CEO for discussion with a view to getting a con call for us with the CEO.
3. We analysed the issue; suggested a small pilot.   This fitted the budget for which the executive already had sign-off but was below our normal charge out rate.  We worked to adapt the campaign to work on a parallel platform and to an audience we controlled [our blog newsletter list] thus giving the exec a case study pilot with measurable results which he could use to prove the case to his bosses.  This also enabled us to demonstrate our skill and set up the campaign to deliver the ROI needed.

Related articles

• Find New Customers Helps Businesses Keep SCORE to Improve Demand Generation(fearlesscompetitor.com)

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• Aha! Marketing Leaders Reveal Their Most Powerful Marketing Insights from 2011 (customerthink.com)

In the book you use the phrase “Hybrid agency” – is this commonly used?

It’s not yet common. There’s another PR book coming out describing us as hybrid professionals which I have read a preview.  But I do believe that the agency of the future will be more blended or mixed than today’s specialists.

How do you keep PR 20/20′s sales funnel full?

Athletes make great salespeople – I look at everything in that way [a sports metaphor]. Many people have an interest in sport and the motivation, passion, drive commitment works in business and sport.  Hence athletes make great salespeople.

What is the most under-learnt part of biz dev?

I think it is to listen instead of talk – too many people think they have to have all the answers. The best [new business people] keep asking questions until they can recommend a fit.

Our process is based on keeping digging until we understand the situation.  We find the answers are unique to every business. Learn to be patient and ask questions.

How do you handle working with other agencies?

If a customer comes to us and wants to work with us and we know there’s another agency on their roster we are very transparent.  We are willing to work and it must be collaborative and we have to be on the same page. Not fighting on strategy and direction. We perfer to control the strategy if we can.

But sometimes it’s we just don’t get into bad situations like when an existing client brings in a new agency – we would walk away if it doesn’t make sense for us.

Does the client have to sit everyone down round a table and initiate the discussion?
It depends – if it’s the CEO of a small business then it probably is more the agencies initiating the sharing discussion. They may not be so marketing savvy as a larger brand – one agency may need to take the lead to start talking.

But in a larger enterprise – a sophisticated CMO will have a plan why they have multiple agencies and will lead.

Do you ever subcontract?

Yes – more now than in the past. It was part of the throught behind the Blueprint book – I believe agencies will have to do it more in future.  It makes sense now – we are very cautious.  We bring on people who have core competencies e.g. graphic design and web that we don’t have.

What advice do you have for people who are doing biz dev for agencies?

The best biz dev people are also the consultants – if it’s a straight sales person is for them to gain a deep understanding of how client relationships work and how services are evolving. When we’re on a phone doing a discovery process the people draw on their campaign experience to know what’s best.

I see it being difficult to not have agency or client experience and be able to sell our agency services properly.
My advice would be to a biz dev person

“Learn the client services side very well.”

If you are a client services person – don’t assume you can natrally be a sales person – there are tricks of the trade and so take the hybrid mentality to see both sides.

What will the agency of the future be like?

Not what we see today….I think the big agencies will still be around – some will have figured out how to evolve but most won’t have.

New names will be driving the innovation and direction of the industry – the big professional organisations are very relevant now e.g PRCA, and ad agency organisations rely on traditional firms for revenue $$ and membership revenue. so their views are slanted towards what these agencies are thinking….I think it’s going to be smaller to mid sized firms will drive the future of the industry.  Rather than the massive conglomerates who will struggle to manoeuver to where they need to be.
In the meantime, why not buy the book [affiliate link] it’s in hardback or Kindle editions.

 Related articles

• The Marketing Agency Blueprint (twistimage.com)
• PR Agencies That Survive Will Be Inbound Marketing Agencies (hubspot.com)
• The Hybrids are Coming: Evolution of the Prototype Marketer(convinceandconvert.com)

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• Shout! The Marketing Agency Blueprint: Paul Roetzer interview(creativeagencysecrets.com)

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Related articles

• The Hybrids are Coming: Evolution of the Prototype Marketer(convinceandconvert.com)

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• Shout! The Marketing Agency Blueprint: Paul Roetzer interview(creativeagencysecrets.com)

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You worked in a traditional agency – how did they view biz dev?

They didn’t really have it – they were reliant on the traditional networks of the founders. The growth was dependent on that and referrals. Some limited efforts to do DM pieces and promotions.

Is that normal?

Yes I think in a lot of cases – agencies are built that way. We did research in 2010 into PR agencies only a small % were blogging. They were trying to provide social media services but weren’t doing it wll for themselves.

Agencies tend to come last and that’s why they haven’t done good biz dev work. Take care of your own needs after everything else. I find that messaging and websites are often outdated and they rely on reputation and networks and RFPs for new business.

In the book you liken your business plan to a football field – Why?

I tend to see everything in a sports metaphor. Whether we are bringing in entry level talent (the draft) versus free agency. When I was trying to figure out how to explain to clients how the [online] market was evolving and how these strategies were integrated and they rely on each other, I tried a Venn diagram and in my mind I started thinking about watching

Drive Charts – showing progression down the field 10-20 yard line. This was an analogy – we have to do each of the phases systematically to eventually get to the end zone or the goal. I also wanted to represent different things at once – audiences (stadium) the brand (a place).  See Paul’s diagram here.

Inbound Marketing Gameplan

How do you manage the agency website internally?

One of the senior consultants is also the agency’s marketing manager and is also the blog editor. In most cases her role is to keep the editorial calendar up to date and the team of the writers – we try to do 1-2 per week.  We also have a premium content strategy – the book started as a 2010 e book; we did “The marketers guide to web design”. We also have plans to do premium content which isn’t paid for but is just high quality. Gated content = lead form to access.

How does she report and on what?

Same as clients – traffic, organic, lead generation, blog subscriber base, social media and how engaged – followers and likes we have.  We do a monthly scorecard – pull the data out of GA and Hubspot and create a spreadsheet thta shows core numbers, assess it and 3 takeaweays – highlights, learning snad what we’ll do next month.

Tomorrow, read Part 2 of the interview with Paul.

In the meantime, why not buy the book [affiliate link] it’s in hardback or Kindle editions.

If you have a newsletter or an online sign-up, you know the usefulness of an auto-responder.  Once it’s set up, it takes over and you get to sit back, relax, and have a drink while your auto-responder does all the talking.

But in order to get to that point, you have to write the copy and set it up.  Check out our how-to guide for Auto Responders.

The autoresponder marketing analysis breakdown

First off, know what you are marketing, who your auto-responder audience is, and how long it will go for.  Also, identify the main goal of the auto-responder: “to guide customers through our technology”, “to thank a customer for choosing our product”, “to sell a customer on our product during their free trial”.

Once you’ve established the background information and know the goal that you are hoping to achieve, it is time to write the copy for each message.

Remember that the purpose of an auto-responder is to lead a consumer through to a goal.  It is a guide. The content in each step should be supportive and relevant.

Although each post will differ, it is wise to have a consistent format for each.  This can be as simple as intro, info, and customer support details on each message.

Let’s take a look at a breakdown of an example series of messages.

1. Welcome

The first auto responder message should be dedicated to welcoming and thanking the customer for signing up for your service.

2. Road Map

One auto-responder format is to “tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them”.  In that case, the second message should let consumers know exactly what to expect from the series.  Some guiding questions to consider are how long duration the responder will be, what you will disclose in each message, how to contact customer support, etc.

Then…

3. Let the Show Begin

Whereas the other messages gave an overview and instructions, the third message in your auto-responder series should give out the information itself.

This is the meat of the auto-responder.  The length of this middle, informative section depends on the details and purpose of your series.  Just remember, that when it comes to an auto-responder, it’s best to keep each message as one-pointed as possible.

4. Goodbyes

With your information given, it’s now time to say your goodbyes.  It’s nothing fatal, but it is your last chance to summarize your teachings, promote your product, and say adieu to your customer audience.

Make it count.  The last message is usually the one that will stick the most, so show your appreciation for their choice and encourage them to continue on with your product.

One nice feature we found in Feedblitz who we use to deliver client auto-responders is the ability to use the end of an auto responder sequence to trigger the start of something else (a coupon discount; a subscription to a mailing list).  That saves you having to re-engage with the customer in future.  Hopefully they like what you’ve been saying and are happy to remain in touch.

Your turn

Sounds easy enough, right?  And just think, by taking the time to write what we’re sure will be a superb auto-responder, you have saved yourself from having to respond one-by-one to each of your eager customers.  And saved time, means saved money.

Read more about how to Create Opportunities in our biz dev methodology category 6 – Creating Opportunities

chilwell retail park (Photo credit: victuallers2)

You’ll have read our post about the Altimeter research into mobile apps for retail last week.  If you missed it, why not subscribe to get our posts in a handy email summary? Top right of home page in the “subscribe” box.

Philip Slade’s Future Shopper one slide summary of retail formats and buyer behaviours

Shopper Online/Offline behaviour research by Delvinia from Canadian consumers

• Digital dominates pre-purchase research
• Product categories influence pre-purchase behaviour
• Price is the top consideration in online retail research
• Offline channels to confirm availability
• consumer reviews for vetting
• Use of mobile while shopping – clicking in-store
• Three helpful “retail persona” scenarios

Related articles

• Mobile and Tablet E-commerce: Is Anyone Really Ready? (bestbatteryshops.typepad.com)
• Social Media for Retail (wearesocial.net)
• Retail Trends 2012: Bricks Perish, Screens Profit (viralblog.com)

• price
• location (time zone to align with our client)
• did they answer the RFP questions

Easy.

How did I choose you?

So the sifting begins… and the first thing that went out the window was anyone who couldn’t or didn’t answer the RFP questions.

For a simple job, not offering all the information requested in the RFP meant immediate exclusion.  Reason: it’s not a multi-thousand dollar contract – why do you need to speak to me?

Price was the second criteria for exclusion – our client had  a budget and we needed to stick to it.  Reason: We decided to keep a margin above the quoted price so that if needed, there was slack in the quote to put right errors or get a second or third draft design within an acceptable price.

Location was the third reason – timezones and availability during our working day matter to us.  Reason: If we can never speak to you because of the timezone, it’s a no-go for working successfully together.

Lastly, the message in the covering letter counts.  In fact, it is probably more important than you think.  When two or more providers are very similar on all other assessments, this is the ONLY thing that serves to differentiate your offering.

Show me your personality

What can a covering letter show or demonstrate that engages…. take these extracts.  Which turns you on?

I’m sure it’s a bit surprising to get a simple letter, instead of a portfolio — but as I’m currently employed, I had set aside freelancing. Your project, however, has inspired me to reconsider.

and this one

After reading your posting for the need of someone with great English speaking and writing skills to 1) design a template from scratch using the client’s logo style and branding and 2) add new content to the existing HTML template on a monthly basis, I feel confident that I am the person for the job.

and another

Our Concern is currently located in Tamil Nadu in India; we are interested in applying for this project. We have deep Knowledge (More than 7 years of IT experience)in web design.

finally

I’ve created numerous email-templates in the past, my 2 favorite clients were 412media.com and bakertravel.com. I thoroughly understand the limitations email-delivery impose on design.

So check out your prose and take our advice:

• Make yours stand out
• Show off the “special ness” of your firm
• Add ‘personality’ by being personable, friendly and telling me something unique

Go knock their socks off.

You may be finding a new marketing agency to work with or briefing in new campaigns for your existing agency.

Both require communication of the utmost clarity.

And so whether you are a brand who uses agencies; a brand who has an internal marketing department or an agency wanting to use best practice with your brand clients, here are two slide decks and a blog post which will help you to write the best possible creative brief.

Thanks to Dare who created this slide deck as a training event for their internal staff.

Image by imjustcreative via Flickr

Sometimes it’s nice to be on the receiving end of some in-bound agency marketing.  There’s a nice branding agency we have been following based in Birmingham, UK.  They sent us a little slide deck.

It had some background slides about the company and some case studies of client work.  All very nicely presented.

BUT

There was no apparent purpose to the communication.  The deck arrived with a nice covering letter but no call to action, no reason for the email except to say they had some ‘exciting news’.

So we launched in to a critique and sent them this email

That’s a very interesting slide show you’ve presented. Thanks for sharing it.

However, you really do sell yourself short in an email shot like this – what would a prospective client like myself think after reading it…… “Nice slideshow. What was the ‘exciting news’ anyway? What now? Back to my work.”

Using some direct response copywriting in the covering letter/email can you provoke me to deliver a response? For example – get an answer to questions like ‘what did Rebecca think?’ and ‘could they do this for my brand?’ Both questions that will help to narrow down your list of ‘suspects’ and take them one step closer to becoming prospects and then clients.

What about building on the campaign like this?

• Having a special website landing page just for people who got the email?
• Use the landing page to measure click throughs and get a poll / survey / comments / discussion going?
• Sharing the slides on slideshare / docstock so others can embed them and let them go viral
• Putting them up on your website for others to ‘like’ on Facebook / Twitter
• Asking for a meeting in the email text so you can show your credentials in more detail
• Asking questions about my brand so I can see if I ‘suffer’ from the same problems you solved for your clients

Anything but just sharing your slide deck…

So that’s just my two pennyworth suggestions for you – free of charge.
You can take them and put them into practice yourself.

This is an unsolicited approach offering you some free advice on how to improve your marketing. I just happen to be on your mailing list and so hope I’m trusted.

And they replied

Thanks so much for your thoughts.

This soft launch does indeed have a plan underpinning it, with more activities to come.

That said your passionate response is appreciated. We will keep you in mind for future activities!

What would you do in response to an unsolicited email?