16 More New Business Resources to Solve Your Sales Struggles

Your goal is win more new business

But you don't want just any client. 

That only leads to suffering for your agency and staff.

You need to win the right accounts. You're done with unprofitable work.

Have you ever considered how the common excuse in the dating world -- it's not you, it's me -- might apply to your agency? Are you the one that needs to figure out what you want? Do you need to make some hard decisions?

New Business Resources for Agencies

Sometimes, it is you who needs to make a change. But you don't have to do it alone. We've already outlined a few new business tools you should consider if you are struggling with prospecting, cultivating, and closing deals. But if you are looking for more training, consulting, coaching, and prospecting information and tools, consider how these 16 resources can help you position your agency, market your services, and win more new business.

Ignition Consulting Group

Run by Tim Williams, Ignition Consulting Group provides consulting, seminars, workshops, and resources on agency compensation, positioning, client services, business models, delivering value, and of course, new business development. Williams' book "Positioning for Professionals" is a must-read for any ad exec.

Sanders Consulting Group

Sanders Consulting Group is a new business consulting firm that helps agencies define their brand, implement new business programs, refine client service, and improve agency operations to set them up for growth. The firm provides consulting and training programs on topics such as time management, brand consulting, profitability, and process management. 

Agency Firebox

Karl Sakas, founder of Agency Firebox, works with digital marketing agencies to help them land higher-paying clients, increase close rates, and improve new business operations. He has developed a few helpful tools for new business professionals and agency owners. 

Inbound Central

Many people relegate the marketing of their firm to the bottom of their task list. If they do market their agency, it is sporadic, they don't measure results, and they don't have a plan for reaching the clients they want. Inbound Central is the agency for agencies. It develops a plan for lead generation and nurturing and can manage content creation, social media, email marketing, PPC and SEM, and whitepaper or ebook creation.

Win Without Pitching

Win Without Pitching, founded by Blair Enns, provides a business development and pitching training program that is based on the insights Enns wrote about in his book of the same name. The virtual training program is done during three nine-week classes throughout the year, and it includes tutorials, virtual classroom discussions, and individual coaching. 

Peter Levitan

Peter Levitan provides consulting services to help agencies define their brand and business objects, create inbound and outbound new business sales programs, and win more new business. Previously, Levitan was the business development director at Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide, ran and sold three agencies, and wrote a book on new business.

AgencyFinder

AgencyFinder works with a database of more than 3,000 agencies and matches them with clients seeking a new firm. Typically, clients issue RFPs, review proposal after proposal, and in the end, choose an agency based on gut and price. AgencyFinder uses data points on the registered agencies and its industry expertise to find the right agency for the client's specific needs. 

Agency Spotter

Agency Spotter is a tool for advertisers to find their next marketing partner. Clients can search by keyword, location, type, and budget, view creative, key contacts, and learn about the agency's specialization in industries or by audience. Decision-makers are looking for an agency partner, and they are doing the research before they even contact a firm. Agencies can add their agency or claim their listing to be included in search results. 

Fuel Lines

Michael Gass's blog Fuel Lines is a must-read for new business professionals looking for tools and tips on how to generate new business from inbound marketing. Gass speaks at various industry events, provides consulting on positioning, pitching, inbound marketing, and more, and he does one-day workshops meant to jump-start an agency's sales program. 

Redbooks

Redbooks is a list-building tool with information on more than 10,000 agencies, 15,000 advertisers, and 200,000 contacts. Users of the subscription service can mine data such as the the person's LinkedIn profile, the brand's media spend, and the agencies the brand has worked with in the past. 

HubSpot CRM

The HubSpot CRM gives new business professionals everything they need to track contacts, companies, deals, and tasks, so they can reach out to prospects at the right time and better understand their sales process. You can send tracked emails, get notifications when a recipient opens an email, and log call recordings and details, and the platform pulls in company details and social media information. 

Ratti Report

The Ratti Report, a membership-based new business lead service, is run by Steve Ratti. Every week, he emails members about new leads (more than 1,100 per year), and he provides individual consulting.

Thunderclap Consulting Group

Steve Congdon, founder of Thunderclap Consulting Group, has provided new business coaching for the past 11 years. Previously, he worked at FCB and Ogilvy. Congdon works with agencies to help them develop prospecting strategies and brand awareness programs, and he consults on topics such as new business pipeline management, pitching, and talent recruitment. 

Louws

Louwes provides training, coaching, and consulting on brand positioning, selling creative, prospecting, negotiation, and closing sales. The firm conducts in-depth interviews and reviews materials such as proposals, presentations, and marketing to determine problems with the current process and recommendations for future outreach. 

Brenner Business Development

Brenner Business Development helps agencies identify, cultivate, and close new business opportunities. Mark Lesselroth, founder of the firm, was previously the new business director for Eric Mower and Associates. He also specializes in international business development, helping clients determine the market opportunity and challenges of launching products or a business in a foreign market. 

Linkergy

Linkergy is run by Janet Vinci and Marian Temesvary, who founded the firm in 2006. The company provides three core services to assist with new business opportunities: awareness and credibility, demand and lead generation, and lead nuturing and conversion.