Is new business everyone’s business?

‘New business is everyone’s business ‘ is a common refrain, the idea that everyone has to take responsibility for selling the agency and growing the business. But is this true and if so, how does it work in practice?

I think it is true, but not in the way most people think.  

It doesn’t mean that everyone should be out there looking for opportunities, selling the agency and bringing in new clients. It means instead that whilst the strategic direction of the business - and therefore new business - needs to come from the top down, everyone within the company needs to clearly understand the agency positioning, the value and benefits that the agency’s work brings to its clients, and how their role in the company supports that.

This means that as well as focussing on delivering great work for clients, everyone in the team understands how campaigns and projects support the agency positioning and business as a whole. It also means that when anyone is in the situation of talking to a potential client – whether directly or via channels such as LinkedIn -  they can clearly articulate the benefits and value the agency delivers and how that would be relevant to that potential client.

Ultimately, new business has to be driven from the top at a strategic level, but by having a clear focus it means that the entire team can support that vision and effort.

If you’d like help building a culture of new business in your agency, drop me a line