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How Does One Effectively Market An Ad Agency?
Posted By: orangedelights* on 1/30/2007 8:24 PM (CST) 125 Points
Hi everyone. I'm a long time reader, first time poster. I know that I will find some great answers here so here it goes:

I recently switched careers and accepted a sales position with a growing advertising agency. During the interview process I was told that they had too many leads to follow up on and needed a few extra bodies to maintain the acct base as well as grow the operations. I have been there for a couple of months now and while I really enjoy the people and environment, I am growing a little frustrated.

While I have had a handful of leads to work with, I am expected to predominantly farm my own personal network for further opportunities. I have no problem with this yet it is difficult to find and close a sale within a short time frame. The sales cycle is quite long especially when most of my efforts are to sell pricey (but very good) graphic design, ad campaigns, and web development.

My question is how to generate more leads for myself so as to meet a quota that I am starting to think may be unatainable with lack f experience within the industry. We are being pushed to cold call anyone and everyone and as a marketing/advertising agency, I find it rather odd. This is a relationship based business and it's rather difficult to get that quick sale unless I am doing something wrong here.

Any advice/insight?

Posted by: ASVP/ChrisB Accepted Answer
1/30/2007 8:45 PM (CST)
Oh dear.

Sounds like your advertising agency has oversold you on the role and has possibly indulged in "misleading and deceptive practices" as far as their description of the situation.

The good news is that while the recruiters who got you in there may be a bunch of unethical, dishonest, lie-through-their-teeth good-for-nothings, if the agency itself can deliver a good level of service, has imaginative writers and art directors, and a good media buying channel, all is not lost.

Far from it. You can go out there and create a decent living using an honest, ethical approach, using techniques apparently forgotten by whomever recruited you.

First, do some analysis on your agency.
  • What are they really good at?
  • What are they not really good at? (Don't try to get sales based on weaknesses)
  • Who are the competitors?
  • What are the competitors strengths and weaknesses?
Next, figure out who the agency already has for clients, and look for industry/segment/niche gaps. Clients usually won't take their work to an agency which is working for their competitor, and similarly, agencies should not be accepting business form competing accounts. That would be unethical, right..?
  • Make a list of the current clients and classify them into industry segments.
  • You can use the Dun & Bradstreet SIC Numbering system as a starter, although you won't be able to fill all the categories unless your agency is huge.
  • Now look for companies in categories where you aren't representing anyone
  • Next, try to find a way to get to speak to each VP-Marketing in prospective client companies.
  • Send them a creative reel and some collateral examples, explaining that you would like to meet with them to discuss their advertising.
  • Follow up with a phone call the following day (after they've received your package) to try to get an appointment.
  • Find out as much as you can about their existing advertising arrangements, their agency, examples of recent work.
  • See if you can find out how well it worked out for them.
  • Now see what you can find wrong with the work, so you can suggest possible ways to improve upon it.
  • Ask them if you can submit a pitch for their business
  • At worst, try to get them into the agency for lunch and to meet the top creative, media and account service people. If they are as impressive as you think they are, they should help sell the place to the client
  • Ask all your existing clients if they are happy with the agency's performance, and if so, if they can refer you to their friends and colleagues in other companies who might be interested in speaking with you with a view to increasing sales and profits.
Good luck. Let us know how it goes...

ChrisB
 
Posted by: CarolBlaha Accepted Answer
1/30/2007 9:03 PM (CST)
When you are cold calling, do not attempt to go to the sale. Sell the appointment. Every relationship begins with one hello. In a perfect world you have friends and raving clients that give you wonderful referrals. You will have some of those and work them hard. Work any opportunity to network. Create a non commercial presentation and present it often. Do box luncheon presentations. And make those cold calls-- they will balance your highs and lows.

When you cold call, capture their attention by telling them how you've helped clients like theirs and in what way. Again, sell an appointment -- not the sale.

Carol
Sell Well and Prosper tm
 
Posted by: CarolBlaha Member Response
1/30/2007 9:13 PM (CST)
By the way, you will shorten the cycle when you find someone ready to buy. (Make your calls, and keep them in a call back schedule with a reason to call back other than Hi -- just checking in) This sounds obvious, but remember-- unless they have called you, they probably are not ready to buy. Most sales are done after 8 or 9 points of contact, and most sales people stop at one. Trust me, build the funnel and you'll have consistent sales and income.

A good salesperson is good at creating need-- as the above poster said "find something wrong". While that is good advice, be careful, do not do it in a way that insults the buyer. The piece you find something wrong with may be their pet project.

Carol
Sell Well and Prosper tm
 
Posted by: hotbuttons Member Response
1/30/2007 10:20 PM (CST)
Thanks. I have asked to concentrate on a niche market yet they do not want to limit the realm per say. There are very limited agency marketing materials so I am basically walking in blindly and hoping to strike a rapport and leave behind a good impression based on my communication skills. Again, I am being pushed to discover quick close opportunities and feel like I am spinning in circles. Not looking to throw in the towel but am looking for a unique approach.
 
Posted by: W.M.M.A. Accepted Answer
1/30/2007 10:38 PM (CST)
I have to agree with Chris, completely.
It seems like these guys are used to bringing someone in, using them up, to get a couple of accounts, and then moving them out the door....next!!!

I've seen this a dozen times throughout the years. And, it isn't unique in the ad agency biz. One of my clients is an insurance group. Within this industry, there is a saying that goes something like:
"Hire them in masses, teach them in classes, then kick out their asses."

In the interim, get the business from their friends, neighbors and relatives...next.

I would like to tell you that it is easy to convince clients to go w/you...but, it isn't, and I won't. There could be a sales cycle of 6 months to a year. You must develop a relationship...it is an incredible responsibility. Clients look to an agency for not only creativity, but guidance and consistent results. It is hard enough to come to a concensus within a company to put up the money to hire an agency. Wishing you the best of luck. Read Chris' post again. He's on the money.

Randall
WMMA
 
Posted by: orangedelights* Author Response
1/30/2007 10:46 PM (CST)
Sorry for the confusion. Apparently my buddy has her own acct on here (she's the one who turned me on to the forum) and since I am utilizing her desktop, my response came under her name. Is the remember me/automatic sign in really a good thing? Maybe if I keep trying I can even get into her bank account. Hee hee :)
 
Posted by: telemoxie Accepted Answer
1/31/2007 7:14 AM (CST)
Great advice above, I'd like to add a couple comments.

One trap you can fall into is to implement a program as described above, and then stop the marketing as you become busy. This is especially a problem when you have a very long sales cycle... you need to allocate time EVERY WEEK to look for new business, ESPECIALLY when it starts to work, and you are getting busy with new clients.

There are two schools of thought on whether or not to focus on companies who currently do things "in house". My personal belief is that you should not waste your time educating folks that proper marketing is a good investment. There are more than enough companies out there who have a corporate culture to use agencies, and I believe they are your best prospects. My belief is that you need to begin by building a list of folks who are "happily buying from the competition".

Also, do the math. Suppose a company in your focus industry changes agencies every 3 years, or 36 months. Suppose that, by staying in touch consistently, after getting your campaign up to speed (which may take 6 months) you have a one in three chance of getting in to pitch your agency... and if you pitch your agency, you have a one in five chance of getting the business. Plug in your own numbers, and calculate how many folks will you need to be marketing to in order to get a new client each month.

In addition to the above, to get your best chance of bidding on more immediate opportunities, try attending events where you can network with CEOs. Also, look for "compelling events" in the market (e.g. companies raising money, mergers, new hires, companies relocating, etc.)

I've done a number of sustained outbound programs on behalf of ad agencies, and if you would like to chat by phone, I'd be happy to do so outside of calling hours (maybe on the weekend). Good luck.
 
Posted by: CarolBlaha Member Response
1/31/2007 10:14 AM (CST)
You will find quick closes, when you find clients ready to buy at the minute you walk in. Make enough calls and you will find them. They want you up and profitable quickly and assuming you are paid on performance-- so do you.

Where are you stuck? What are you saying when you make the calls? Are you frustrated with the # of calls it takes, getting thru to the decision maker, or? There are tons of techniques in your toolbox. Be specific and we can coach you through. Email me directly if you want.

Have a reason for your call. Many reps wonder why they aren't getting a response yet their message is like sending a letter saying "Hi, I'd like to correspond with your company. Please call me back". Think WIIFM, whats in it for me. Do the "so what" test on your message. If you message is "hi I'd like to talk to you about your printing", say to yourself "so what" and fill in the blanks.

A couple other questions-- is this a new position or are you replacing someone? How long were they in this position. I'm intrigued by Randall's comment about some crash and burn industries.

Carol
Sell Well and Prosper tm
 
Posted by: bigstarnow Accepted Answer
1/31/2007 5:12 PM (CST)
All great responses

Does this Agency have a PR dept or person?

Enlist them in refining those your should approach.

If not, Tell the agency they must to some self promoting to get noticed and for you to do your job effectively.
 
Posted by: Stephen Denny Accepted Answer
1/31/2007 8:56 PM (CST)
Sell success stories with metrics -- assuming you have them -- to people who care about results. If you don't have them, go out and get them.

As a brand side guy for most all of my career, the last thing I need is a lot of charming people telling me how creative and out of the box they are. Tell me how you sold more stuff, got high ROI's and improved the market position for your clients. Have your clients sell you to me. No one sells a peer like a peer. If your agency has done excellent work, this won't take too much work to do.

Awards only matter to other agencies. Results are all that matter to clients. Over and out.

Good luck!
 
Posted by: KathySmithFilms* Accepted Answer
2/1/2007 5:03 AM (CST)
These posts are amazing weaves...all quite useful. This is the checklist I use to pick up clients; some essential so pick what works for you.

I suggest making a list of the top 5-10 customers you would like to represent as your ideal new clients and target them--as well as the usual mass reach but keep the dream going:
Pick 1-3 well-defined market segments that you can dominate.
Succeed in those niches and get to critical mass.
Who are your customers?
Why will they buy your service or product?
How much will they pay?
Instead of “promoting your product,” it’s “finding your customer.”
Customers “hire” products to do a job. Design your products/services to do a specific job for a specific kind of customer. Customers buy BENEFITS. Tell us the benefit of your idea/product/service. What’s broke that my product/service fixes? Who cares? That is, who is trying to fix that problem? How many of them are there? Do they have any money? How do I find them? How are they solving the problem now? Why is my solution compellingly better than what they’ve been doing? Where do my customers go for help/advice re: this problem? How will I reach them? Who will be my first customer? Word of Mouth, referrals, interviews, Apple seminars, PC Conventions, etc.

What evidence do I have that they will be willing to pay for my product/service? If customers aren’t spending money now to solve the problem you are addressing, it’s not a problem. Whatever they are buying now is your competition. How is your solution BETTER in the eyes of your customer? Customers buy VALUE. What you value may not be what your customer values (technical elegance vs. ease-of-use).

Then go find those customers.
If you’ve done this right, the selling will be easy.
TALK with your prospective customers -- there’s only so much you can glean from reports. KNOW them: how do they view their problem?
What are they buying now to solve the problem?
What do they read? To whom do they go for advice?

Understand what’s behind what they’re asking for (Henry Ford)
Corny but true: “There is no hocus-pocus that takes the place of focus.” Find out what your customers want.
Knock yourself out to provide it to them.
Know your customers intimately: what are they really buying?

Being a cynic (not personal) is contemptibly easy. If you let yourself think that nothing you're working on is ever going to make a difference, why bust your tail over it? Why care? If you're a cynic, you don't have to invest anyhting in your work. No effort, no pride, no compassion, no sense of excellence, nothing. You can sit around on your butt most of the day, you don't really have to produce much of anything to pull down $400 a week.

Aiming at the lowest common denominator is poor practice. In communicating anything, you do better if you aim slightly above the heads of your audience. If you make them stretch a little, they respond better. If you keep aiming at the dumb prospects, you never challenge them and you bore the hell out of the bright pros. You also commit the grievous and pernicious error of thinking the that people are dumb. One of the most horrific results is that the people start to think so themselves. The Ad Agency closes those new clients because they do not know how to create futures and ads as well as you.

The ad agency and crew are trying to construct the reality of
the image in the real world in order to capture it--so important in the field of marketing and good ones like you can convince new customers to come on board. Possibly some day you will even own your own and get others like you to bring in new clients as you are now. I also suggest you do one lecture at a nice hotel to your prospects and close after your done. This has been my greatest success besides getting press.

Kathy
 
Posted by: wnelson Accepted Answer
2/1/2007 10:57 PM (CST)
You really have two opportunities to improve your business:
  1. To increase the number of leads. Kathy and Chris have excellent suggestions for this and I won’t repeat them.

  2. To improve your closure rate by working more effectively on the close. This I will cover.

When you are talking sales, you are talking about a funnel. You have potentials above the funnel and there you are prospecting. In the funnel, you are working on closing. In general, you should spend 75% of your time working IN the funnel and 25% above it. Generating sales (and leads) comes from four sources. First, sales to existing customers existing services. Additionally, sales to existing customers of new products and services. These two quadrants are easier to work in because maintaining a relationship with an existing customer is about 10X easier to do than building a relationship with a new customer. So, your first priority is to work with existing customers to sell them MORE. Sales expansion comes from grabbing share first - this is the sell more existing products to existing customers. Next, sell these same customers new products/services they presently aren't buying. From the data you get from the research that Kathy and Chris wisely recommended you to do, you will find new ways to satisfy customers. The next priority is to sell existing customers new products and services you develop. Then, in the 25% time you spend above the funnel, you identify new customers to penetrate, again, per Kathy's and Chris' recommendation. Easiest here is to sell them existing products and services. Then, the highest risk and last priority is selling new customers new products and services. This process of categorizing customer opportunities helps you prioritize your efforts and be more effective with the opportunities you develop.

I hope this helps.

Wayde
 
Posted by: farfromnormal* Accepted Answer
2/2/2007 9:36 AM (CST)
All the above replies are super.

But I have this question...how do you call those number of clients where to get there contact number from...
Just open the phone directory and call. is it?How?where to get the list from?

Am I asking something stupid, please apologize.

Palak
 
Posted by: telemoxie Accepted Answer
2/2/2007 9:51 AM (CST)
There are an ever increasing number of sources for online info...

Here is one I just found today: http://www.usdirectory.com/

Be careful - don't waste time from 9 to 5 surfing the internet or researching companies or looking up names. Do that nights and weekends... or outsource it. Spend your time during the day servicing clients, closing deals, and prospecting to folks in your "sweet spot".

I've cut and pasted some notes from one of my earlier responses to a previous question - feel free to contact me offline for more help.

If you can define industry by primary SIC or NAICS code, there are many sources: Hoovers, ZapData, eferenceUSA, InfoUSA, etc.

I've used the following, my favorites first:
http://www.infousa.com/
http://www.zapdata.com/
http://www.switchboard.com/
http://www.corptech.com/
http://www.jigsaw.com/
http://www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/webusers.htm
http://www.usadata.com
http://www.goleads.com
http://www.hartehanksmi.com
http://www.hoovers.com/free/

Others I've found from surfing, probably worth a look:
http://www.biz-sales-leads.com
http://www.corporateinformation.com/
http://www.selectoryonline.com/Selectory/Login.aspx
http://www.mergentonline.com/
http://www.marketresearch.com/
http://www.naics.com/Service-CustomLists.html
http://www.rubinresponse.com
http://www.edithroman.com
http://www.harrisinfo.com
http://www.hartehanksmi.com
http://www.scottsinfo.com
http://www.wendovercorp.com

Some sites are free, some require a payment of some sort. You might also visit your local business reference library... your county library system may have subscribed to one or more databases.
 
Posted by: gurubaba* Accepted Answer
2/2/2007 6:56 PM (CST)
Now, this is an ad agency in trouble! How does a cobbler fix his shoes? Just like any other person's.

Cemal
 
Posted by: orangedelights* Author Response
2/2/2007 10:11 PM (CST)
Wow! I am overwhelmed with the responses here. Great advice and I have cut and paste from the forum into a word doc so that I can accurately digest.

Bottom line frustration here is that the company does nothing to market itself beyond the efforts of the sales team and yet we are expected to be able to find those quick sales.

I do not have access to their client base nor do I have a project that has been finished yet to gauge the satisfaction of my client and subsequently gain a referral.

Utilizing my network is not gaining me instant results nor do I expect it to. Again, like any other sales role I have held in the past, it takes 5,6,7+ "touches" before an opportunity to quote on a project actually surfaces.

So, essentially, what I really need to figure out here is how to start from "scratch" and successfully create my own book of business per say in a somewhat short period of time with limited assistance from my employer and very few resources besides that of my smile and business card.

:)
 
Posted by: KathySmithFilms* Member Response
2/3/2007 3:24 PM (CST)
You don't hire a sales guy and then tell him he has no access to clients.
 
Posted by: wnelson Accepted Answer
2/3/2007 5:06 PM (CST)
Might better spend the time looking for other employment. It seems as if your present employer is especially hostile and wants you to fail. That's a very strange position for someone you just hired.

The experts above have given you ample ideas to start from scratch. From here out, it's a matter for hard work and perseverance.

Good luck!

Wayde
 
Posted by: susieh* Member Response
4/18/2007 4:15 PM (CST)
I have recently discovered this web site and have renewed hope! I can completely understand orangedelights frustration. I have been in advertising for a long time as a designer, creative director and production manager. I am now with a newly restructure agency which took over an agency on the verge of close. Because of my experience and I am great with customer service, the agency has put me in a position to bring in new business! Ouch, this is NOT easy. I have called the existing few clients for referrals. I hand my card to practically everyone I meet. And I am now literally going through lead lists in niche markets that I feel we know best, cold calling, asking for the correct contact person, leaving messages and calling back to try and set appointments. It seems as though out of every 20-30 calls I get a positive response and a POSSIBLE appointment. Am I doing this right? Is it just a matter of persistence and timing. Please advise. And thank you telemoxie for the additional lead options.
 


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