Agency Development | Jonathan Kirk

Pitching is here to stay. 99% of clients believe that a pitch is good business practice for high value projects so being excellent at pitching has become vital to agency growth and success. This workshop utilises the post-pitch interviews that Up to the Light conducts with clients and the many pitch presentations that they advise upon.

• How pitching and client expectations are changing.
• How to pitch in 10 key stages.
• A client’s perspective – drawing up the shortlist, pitch processes and evaluation, what clients look for, where pitches succeed and fail.
• Structuring your argument, ways to raise audience engagement.
• Ways to win – practical tips and techniques.

Conventional notions of design agency ‘sales’ and ‘selling’ are changing. Many of the old methods have become ineffective and discredited. This workshop explores the most up to date and effective ways to grow your business, from positioning and messaging to business development strategy and tactics.

• Setting out your stall – getting the right positioning and messaging.
• Your claims to fame – looking at your clients and case studies with new eyes.
• Structuring your new business and client development effort – increased focus, meaningful output not just activity.
• Keep in touch strategy – cherishing the people you know, your biggest asset.
• Business development messages and routes to market – evaluating different types of activity.
• Developing action plans that are realistic and achievable.

Arguably, the biggest variable between agencies lies not in levels of creativity but in the quality of their business relationships. Understanding what makes these relationships tick and how they can be strengthened is the key to client retention, development and commitment.

• Setting and aligning expectations at the beginning – starting as we mean to go on.
• Common relationship pitfalls and how to avoid them – drawing on evidence from the hundreds of client interviews that Up to the Light conducts on behalf of design agencies.
• Account management versus true client service.
• Defining your approach to client service.
• Understanding the client journey and anxiety points
• Ways to add value for the client and the agency