I liked Amanda's so much I wrote a comment.

 I'd qualify your 'spend more' message by saying you can get more value for your spend by using direct marketing and digital marketing tools rather than PR and traditional advertising.
Here's a couple of suggestions1 – Set up Google Analytics to track links on your newsletter, digital adverts and online articles / blog.2 – Regular searches for key words / phrases on Google (the web), Technorati (blogs) and Twitter (microblogs) which you can then respond to direct, write about on your site or use to refine adverts
3 – get into listings directories e.g. Creative Match, Creative Brief, Tradewindlondon.com or similar.  Frequenly free or low cost and lots of people use them to find suppliers

What a bundle of aspiration-clashed-with-reality is contained in that one phrase. But making a clear and attractive offer is even more important now that you have less time and more to achieve.

As before, I'm using my own recent work as an example for this post.  When I approach a new organisation, I have a pretty standard introductory email that includes information how I found out about the agency, stuff about me, what I do, my blog, and it didn't really say anything about anything other than to assume that the reader would have a look at hte blog and maybe sign up to read it or possibly forward the link to a colleague in biz dev. 

Far too vague and imprecise.

And so here are two new variants I've introduced.

1.  Change the subject line

This used to be "Rebecca Caroe" - and it worked OK because I have an unusual name and it wasn't clear from the subject what the email was about, I got quote a good open rate. 

But it now needs improvement. This is what I now write.

Subject: Interview Request [varied to Interview Request for Named Person when sent to info@ type email addresses].

That makes an improved impact (and about 250% hike in response rates).  Because most agencies want free PR and many seem not to mind it being in a blog ratther than a printed paper. 

Initial responses are good – replies say "I'll check your website and get back to you" and "Call me Friday".

2.  Call to action. 

This used to read "And if you want a chat about your agency – give me a call."

Vague and fluffy.  No clear reason to call.

Now revised to "And if you want a chat about your agency in an interview –
suggest a time for me to call."

There's a bit of psychology in this.  Because I am short of time and I want respondents who WANT to speak to me, I ask them to do some of the running.  They have to suggest a time to me that suits them.  This is important in the balance of interest between me and the prospect.  We begin to meet on a neutral territory.  i want something from them and they also want something from me.  

This balance of interest is subtle and often overlooked.  A push salesman will get meetings because the prospect just wants to get them off the phone.  But the value is lower than my phone or face to face interview.

STATUS UPDATE: In my pipeline now I have 

13 at Prospecting Stage (Including 3 new ones)

3 leads at Qualification Stage [two postponed to Jan 09]

2 lead at Needs Analysis Stage 

2 leads at Proposal Stage (both new)

1 signed contract (facilitating an awayday)

1 Lost to a competitor (poor research on my part, didn't realise I wasn't the only game in town).

1 new client started work this week with Naked Eye Research

Here are some early plans you can put in place to ensure that your business does its best to survive.  I am starting with Lead Generation.  This is the earliest part of the business development cycle where your marketing communications have attracted a prospect to begin a conversation with your company.

1. Eliminate prospects who won't buy from your pipeline
2. Qualify your leads very carefully – ask golden questions , listen twice as much as you speak
3. Get the remaining prospects to acknowledge that they have a need
4. Nurture these prospects.  One response is not enough. 
5. Build a relationship with the prospects – it will take at least 3 "touches" to convert
6. Plan for a longer lead cycle
7. Manage the hand-off between sales and marketing carefully.  Writ large this means a weekly discussion with all parties involved in Biz Dev planning exactly what to do with every lead and understanding who will do what, when to whom. Micro-manage this in a recession.
8. Track your metrics – the % of opportunities that become clients.  This number will change and you need to be on top of what is influencing that change.

Let me know how you get on.

P.S. Just to be brutally honest, I'll be trying to take my own 'medicine' too and so here is the state of my personal business development pipeline October 2008.

STATUS UPDATE: In my pipeline now I have 

20 at Prospecting Stage

6 leads at Qualification Stage

1 lead at Proposal Stage

1 lead at Closed – project won (this morning – Celebrate!)