“We’re {agencyname}, you may have heard of us”

I was recently contacted by an agency to discuss working with them and their outreach email said ‘we’re XYZ agency, who you may have heard of’, which struck a chord because it sums up two big issues for agency new business.

Firstly, current estimates are that there are something like 25,000 creative agencies in the UK, of all shapes and sizes. It would be impossible to have heard of all of them, even for a consultant whose job involves understanding the agency landscape. The sheer number of businesses alone underlines the importance of standing out within the market; having a clear, differentiated positioning to build and grow a reputation around. But there’s more to it than that, which brings me on to my second point.

It actually doesn’t matter that I may not have heard of this agency, because I’m not their target market.

What IS important is that their potential clients have heard of them. And ideally not just heard of them, but understand both what they do, and what the agency can bring to that client’s business. Reputation is not just about being known, but about being known for something in particular.

And this is the crux for new business.

When you’re looking for and approaching new clients, that’s not the moment you want to start selling your services – you ideally want them to already have a clear, positive image of you and how you’re relevant to their business so that half the work is already done. Having a strong client list, or showing some great work, even having won awards is not enough on it’s own. They’re evidence, absolutely. But you still need to communicate the specific area that your expertise lies in, where you add value, and what a client will get by working with you that they won’t get at another agency.

New business is so much more than just making calls and selling in creative services, it’s the long game, where you must understand the value you offer as a business, and having your efforts as an agency feed into that message – the work you do, the clients you work with, the opinions and views you express -  to win more business that supports your positioning and reputation, and builds a virtuous circle of growth for your agency.

If you’d like some help defining and building your agency reputation, please drop me a line