The Hand Talks

Enter the business development age…

by Natasha Ellard-Shoefield

When we say, that person is really good on the phone, or is great face-to-face, or writes compelling propositions, what is the key ingredient – their great personality aside? It is the fact that they are a good communicator.

So, when you are thinking about how to approach selling your agency’s creative services and technical skills, what will be key to being armed with the right tools to do this? Stretching your communications skills, improving them, developing them, just like you would limber up before running a race.

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Six key new business tips

by Natasha Ellard-Shoefield

It’s summer holiday season, it is a good time to take stock and create some time to prepare for the months ahead. Business development should be a continuous process and using all the marketing tools available to grow your business will help you succeed where others fail. Use the next few weeks wisely and plan for a healthy future.

Here are some top tips on gearing up your business for an effective new business programme. Previously written for DBA members, we are sharing these insights with you today. We hope that you enjoy reading this article, as always any feedback is welcome.

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Take an agile approach to new business

by Natasha Ellard-Shoefield

Having an action plan — you might call it a Roadmap, Critical Path, New Business Plan or Marketing Plan — in place for the months and potentially years ahead is crucial for your business’s success. But so too is having the flexibility and ability to change it, if and when necessary.

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Planning to win more new business soon?

by Natasha Ellard-Shoefield

Those agencies that get it right know that new business campaigns should not be short term, but need to be part of a planned, overarching strategy that is employed and measured consistently. They also know that the new business team shouldn’t be sat within a silo, it must be fully integrated in the business of an agency to achieve its goals. It is not necessarily complacency that agencies can suffer from when seeking new business, but not refining the approach.

Here at The Hand, we’ve written before about the culture within the agency environment and the need to embrace the sales process. But we haven’t yet shared the essential tools for getting it right once the culture is addressed.

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Yo, I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want*

by Natasha Ellard-Shoefield

Five things design clients REALLY want (but are probably too afraid to ask)

Keeping clients happy is vital to the success of any design agency. Their endorsement of your services and personal recommendation is the easier and quickest way to win more business. But how do you do it?

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