Ad Agency New Business, First Build a Relationship
October 20, 2011 by Kevin Michael Gray
Today's feature article comes from the independent blog newbusinessintel.com and was written by Todd Knutson. It discusses when meeting a client for the first time the urgency to find out their needs rather than sell your services (or capability). Read more below:
Your agency's first meeting with a prospective client should be all about them and not about you or your capabilities by Todd Knutson
I've enjoyed reading Norm Brodsky's articles in Inc. magazine for years. He's seen and experienced just about anything you'll ever encounter, and there's a wealth of good business insight in every article and post. If you're a creative person who's perhaps less fond of the business aspects of running an agency, reading his stuff is a quick way to get a degree in management and sales.
Take the following post about the first meetings. This topic is one of my favorites because I've seen so many ad agencies blow what could be the first step towards a sizable piece of new business. Here's what Norm says:
I usually go out on the first sales call with any new sales person we hire. After we leave that first meeting, the new sales person's comment is usually, You didn't tell them what we do.
My answer is always, they know what we do. And they know we're there to make a sale. But the best way to close a sale is by building a relationship. Every time I go into somebody's office, I look at the plaques on the walls, the trophies, the memorabilia, the photographs. I always try to learn something about the person I'm meeting.
More times than not, I steer the conversation toward their hobbies, their passions, their families, and try to relate my experiences to what they like. In our business, which is a service business, we never close on the first call anyway. But when I leave that meeting, I want them to remember that we've been there.
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