Small Spark Theory: a marginal gains approach to new business and marketing

Something interesting happens when you ask an agency leader about their website. Usually a slight shift in their seat, followed by a sigh, a pained expression and a mumble about the site being due for an overhaul. A similar thing happens when you talk to marketing or new business practitioners in an agency, there's a sense of exasperation or worse, resignation. At a Design Business Association new business event in November, I asked the assembled audience of 60 agency folk, how many felt their website truly represented their agency offer. Just five hands were raised. We've heard it all before. This isn't a new dilemma, and we all know the reasons why so many agencies have a suboptimal website. It's a perfect storm of lack of time, lack of resource, a focus on delivering client work, creative differences and the search for the perfect portfolio execution. But if we're not careful, months, then years pass by and what should be a highly effective weapon in your new business and marketing arsenal is undermining the rest of your efforts and affecting the return on any new business investment you are making. But the good news? This is a huge opportunity to make marginal gains. In this episode of Small Spark Theory, we explore the common website pitfalls and how to tackle them. And in true marginal gains spirit, you've only got to be that little bit better, engage with one more budget holding prospect to make a difference to your bottom line. If you're not sure about your website, try our quiz, just answer the following with a yes or no. 1. Has your current website been redesigned or significantly overhauled in the last 3 years? 2. Do you have a blog? 3. Is your blog a subfolder of your main site (eg: www.joebloggs.com/blog) or a separate, but linked url? 4. Do you update your blog at least once a month? 5. Are there sharing links on all of your blog posts? 6. Is there a twitter feed on your website? 7. Are links to ALL of your social channels active and easily seen on your website? 8. Does your website talk about your people/team? 9. Does it name the senior team/key contacts? 10. Are there contact details for named MD, or new business contact? 11. Get someone outside your agency (your mum, a neighbour, someone on the bus) and ask them to read the 'About Us' descriptor on your homepage. Do they immediately understand what you do? 12. Are your case studies up to date? 13. Do your case studies make clear the problem that you solved and what you actually delivered? 14. Do you track Google Analytics? 15. Do you know the primary source of your site traffic? 16. Do you update the content on your website yourselves or is it done by a third party? 17. Are you using SEO keyword techniques when you upload content? 18. Have you ever used Google Adwords? 19. Do you have a legal footer on your homepage stating your company registration details etc.? 20. Are you happy with your website? If you score more than 10 no's - feel free to get in touch, we can help! Website grader is also an excellent resource to put your site through its paces ... This month's book recommendation is To Sell is Human by Daniel H Pink, listen to this episode for a chance to win a copy.

Prospecting, cold calling, lead generation. Call it what you will, most agencies recognise the need to supplement the more reliable client and network referrals by investing in generating opportunities with new audiences. And whether this activity is managed in-house, our outsourced to a lead generation specialist, it certainly is an investment; either in salary, in fees and always in time. At best, this activity can be highly effective, delivering sizeable portfolio clients but for every success story, there are untold examples of ineffective prospecting activity. Alex Sibille and Dan Sudron set up The Future Factory 2011 and since then, their team of 30 have worked with over 300 agencies undertaking lead generation and new business training for some of London's biggest and smallest creative, comms and digital agencies. Last year their clients won new business in excess of £15m through The Future Factory's work. In this episode, Alex and Dan join me to discuss the common lead generation pitfalls and opportunities for performance improvement. In this episode, Alex and Dan join me to discuss the common lead generation pitfalls and opportunities for performance improvement. This month's book recommendation is The Win Without Pitching Manifesto by Blair Enns, listen to this episode for a chance to win a copy. You can find out more about The Future Factory here.

For agency leaders, managing the day to day business of client and staff needs whilst staying focused on a clear growth trajectory can seem an insurmountable task. Whether you are looking for a high value exit, attempting to break through the turnover ceilings of one, two five or ten million or simply want to avoid the boom and bust revenue rollercoaster, this podcast episode is for you. Agency growth expert Felix Velarde has founded, grown and sold agencies many times over and now works with as a consultant and mentor focusing on strategy-driven growth and agency scaling. In this episode we discuss the need for differentiation, building superstar teams, and power of planning and process. This month's book recommendation is The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive by Patrick M. Lencioni – as always we'll be giving away a copy – tune in to find out how to win. You can read more about Felix here. Follow us on Twitter @gunpowdertweets and join the conversation at #smallsparktheory

Sound the new business klaxon! You've got an opportunity to meet the prospect of your dreams. That first meeting, the pitch, the first strategy or creative presentation with any new prospect or client is a huge opportunity to dazzle, yet this last precarious mile of securing the business can so often be derailed by nerves, lack of preparation or simply lack of experience. How do you become an engaging presenter? How can you get rid of pre-pitch nerves? How can you make the very best first impression? In this month's podcast I'll be exploring how we can make marginal gains with our communication and presentation skills with new business supremo and former actress Catherine Allison, founder of Master the Art. You can also be in with a chance to win a copy of Catherine's recommended book: Gravitas: Communicate with Confidence, Influence and Authority by Caroline Goyder You can find out more about Master the Art via the below links: www.mastertheart.co.uk @mastertheartltd

Raising your agency profile works hand in hand with new business lead generation, but with so many (free) social media channels at our disposal, it's easy to overlook the impact of a planned and coordinated PR approach. In this episode I chat with Tim Duncan, founder of TDC PR about his PR successes, tips for getting noticed and published. And there's another competition - we're spoiling you! You can find out more about TDC PR via the below links: www.tdcpr.com @TDCPR http://sodazine.com/ @SODA_ZINE Tim's book choice: Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman Richard Seymour's Ted Talk

New business is one of those subjects guaranteed to get a reaction from agency owners everywhere. Many will have a nagging feeling they should be doing a bit more, wonder how other agencies manage to land the accounts they covet, have moments of wild inspiration and energy then falter because the day job just, well gets in the way. Gunpowder's Lucy Mann has worked in agency new business for over 25 years and has witnessed these scenarios, and many more like them, as an outsourced new business telemarketer, a new business recruitment consultant, in house new business developer, in house head of marketing, and new business mentor across multiple disciplines and agency shapes and sizes. Regardless of size and discipline, many agencies encounter the same new business challenges, and more and more, the solution is not necessarily an ambitious marketing plan, or expensive sales resource, but instead a forensic application of process and a marginal gains approach to performance improvement. Gunpowder's podcast, Small Spark Theory™ explores the small changes we can make to our sales and marketing process to achieve better new business results. With contributions from a range of experts, each episode will examine a single element of the process in detail, providing manageable tips for improvement. Find our more about Gunpowder Consulting, please visit gunpowderconsulting.com Follow us on Twitter @gunpowdertweets and join the conversation at #smallsparktheory Music from Jukedeck - create your own at http://jukedeck.com. With thanks to Matthew Syed for audio extract permission. Host - Lucy Mann Editor - Isabelle Jarvis Producer - Rosanna Miles makemypodcast.space