Agency New Business Tips: WWMBD (What Would Mr. Belding Do)
Rather than the traditional post, I’m going to throw out a few agency new business tips of extreme importance in rapid-fire form. A few may even border on rants, but it’s done out of love-it truly is. Let’s get to it:
Agency New Business Tip 1: Keep things simple for your prospects.
A prospect signing up for a webinar, downloading a survey or making a comment on your agency blog-don’t make it too hard to get to your content.
I just signed up for a webinar yesterday and had to jump through about 12 hoops, literally, to register.
It couldn’t have been a more brazen attempt to collect the most minute information about me and my business.
Look, I know you’re potentially going to prospect me, but I’m not doing all the work for you. In fact, I’ll do very little-just an email actually, thanks.
Agency New Business Tip 2: Keep things simple (Part 2).
Still amazes me, absolutely amazes me, when an agency is keeping up their social media presence and providing valuable content, but they don’t have an easy way to find it.
Great Twitter feed, BUT NO BUTTON ON THE MAIN SITE.
Aaahhhh, why?!
Agency New Business Tip 3: Social media should make you look good, not closed for business
I know, I’m starting to sound like your Mom, but please, please delete your blog or Twitter feed if you’re not participating. It-looks-terrible.
Pull off the band aid.
If you haven’t blogged in a year, you’re probably not going to get back on the horse consistently.
(And it doesn’t count if you have 4 posts in one day every 5 months.)
Agency New Business Tip 4: WWMBD?
Mr. Belding, Principal of Bayside High on Saved By the Bell.
In case you don’t know, Saved by the Bell was a sitcom that aired between 1989 and 1993 and launched, to varying degrees of success, the careers of several actors and actresses.
Dennis Haskins played the principal (Belding) and apparently now makes appearances at bars across the country, playing off the nostalgia of the sitcom.
A Gawker titled a piece about him The Sad Second Career of Saved by the Bell’s Mr. Belding, but he’s apparently just fine.
In fact, he’s thankful for where he is, making some, presumably, decent money and gracious to the fans who come see him-quite a few, according to the article.
He’s got a second act going and he’s embracing it.
(Certainly you want to aim higher than making nostalgia appearances in cheesy bars when you’re 60, but that’s not the point.)
The second new business act is what you’ve got to embrace as well.
That second act can come in several forms and it’s all about the follow up: follow up after coming in second on a pitch or follow up months after a first meeting goes dark for example.
Neither are particularly fun but you can’t let disappointment or resentment get in the way.
Unless there was a specific reason that precludes you ever talking to that prospect again, you’ve got to embrace your inner Mr. Belding and get back in the game by staying on the radar.
And be glad you’re not Screech.
Lee McKnight Jr
I'm the VP of Sales at RSW/US. We specialize in working with services firms to help drive and close new business-if you need help with that, email me at lee@rswus.com. What I actually do: drive sales efforts to bring ad agencies and services firms on board with RSW, create content around successful new business tactics and help drive RSW/US marketing objectives, including social media channels, blog content, webinars, video and speaking engagements. Dig it.
