Yes there are some short term challenges in terms of Covid restrictions but they won’t be there forever.

The barriers to entry are lower than ever before and agencies can open in new markets with minimal costs and time investment. In this article we are going to look at some of the ways we can support your agency internationally, helping you establish new clients and setting up offices in international locations.  

Understanding your market: Picking the right market is critical. There is no point trying to be in several locations at the same time, unless you have the size and scale to make this a reality. It is better to understand and focus on one market first. 

Focus on the Mega Projects: There are a huge number of mega projects in the world that drive business for creative agencies. Whether it’s sporting events such as The World Cup or cultural events such as Expo 2020. I visited Expo last week for a client and the sheer scale of creativity is incredible. Many of our clients have won business in the preceding years running up to these events. The next World Cup and Expo are already being planned. What could your agency do to target business in these (and other) mega projects? 

Cultural Differences: Each market has it’s own specific differences and nuances that must be understood. Winning business in New York or North America is a very different process to doing it in Dubai or The Gulf! Spending time getting up to speed on the sensitivities and cultural details will stand you in good stead. Things don’t happen overnight either. A long term and patient approach is required, which takes a committed board or agency owner(s) to see things through. 

Growth plan: When going into any new market you will need a clear plan for growth. What are the steps you need to take to secure business? How can you do it in an effective and lean way? Most SME creative agencies do not have FTSE 100 budgets when it comes to international expansion! I have watched many agencies burn through 2 years worth of business class travel, to China for example, with precisely zero to show for it at the end. Getting bang for your buck and spending carefully is essential. 

Foundation clients: Ideally, having 2-3 foundation clients can help provide a springboard into new markets. Those can usually be won from base camp – before you take the plunge and invest significant sums in travel and a new office. This is a very effective strategy that has worked for lots of our agencies. 

On the ground network: Build your on the ground network as quickly as you can. Get to know the key players and major prospects in a specific city you may be targeting. There are lots of resources via British Embassy teams and the DIT (Department for International Trade). There is a well developed infrastructure on the ground, all over the world, to help you. Tap into those services and get to know people locally. 

Office: This will probably be the final stage in the process, taking the plunge and opening an office. It may take a while to get to this point, if you build up business and your client roster beforehand. Being able to say “we have an office here” or “we’re about to open an office here” is a very powerful signal to prospective clients and it goes down very well. A satellite office with a simple presence can often be enough to start with.   

In summary, there has never been a better time for SME’s and agencies to expand abroad. The technology is there to support you and there are less barriers to overcome. The political and economic link between many countries and the UK are a major focus on government agendas. Markets such as North America, The Middle East and The Far East are all very hot for creative companies.  

The UK creative sector is revered around the globe. Whether in music, arts, fashion, film, events or createtech it’s one of the things we do best. Now is the time to take your creativity out there to the world!  

Rob King – The Client key: A new way, for new business 

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However, is that really so? Can you run successful business development campaigns purely in the digital realm? Are clients just as motivated to engage digitally, than they are in real life?

The balance of power has shifted massively towards the customer and buyer, which in itself is a great thing. Suddenly customers – your clients – have more information, more knowledge and more power at their fingertips. They can find you, qualify you and make a quick judgement based on that information (rightly or wrongly!) on whether to give you any of their most precious resource – their time. Beyond company websites all of your CVs are on Linkedin and all of our personal lives are on Facebook and Instagram. All that person has to do is go and have a quick look! In short buyers don’t need to meet sellers. The old agency world of meet-greet-pitch and win has changed.

However, I don’t believe that this is now the permanent reality for any business or creative agency. Human beings are a social species and we’re hard wired to want to interact, communicate and socialise. Whilst a lot of the sales process can now be conducted through technology there will always be a place for customer interaction at some stage in the process. Buyers want to understand and they want to learn. They seek rapport, want to do their due diligence, and they like a relative degree of certainty in their decision making. Logic makes people think but emotion makes people act.

For now, at least, the majority of this work must take place through a digital and virtual lens. It’s important for agencies and creatives to understand their clients and their problems. To ask deep and searching questions that uncover a basis for a constructive and collaborative relationship. This can be done virtually but it takes preparation and research to put yourself in the mindset of your clients. Here are some of the key things to look out for when prospecting new and existing client relationships:

• Listening
The first rule of law in sales. Listen more than you talk. Practice becoming a better listener. Most people listen with the intent to respond, planning their response. Instead, try being an active listener. Asking questions will allow you to understand more. If you do one thing, talk less – listen more!

• Understanding people
First and foremost you are simply trying to understand the other person or company. Once you’ve understood a little more about that person you can begin to understand their needs and if they align with yours.

• Learning
Listening and understanding will help you to learn more about your clients and their business. Learn as much as you can and use that knowledge.

• Building rapport
It’s your job to help lower the tension levels in any conversation as quickly as possible. Both you and client will have a degree of tension in any first conversation or meeting. It’s literally hard wired into our DNA as human beings to be a little wary in unfamiliar situations. Use the above tools, to lower the tension levels and build rapport.

• Thinking like your clients
Put yourself in the mind of your clients and try to walk a mile in their shoes. Why should they talk to you, how are you relevant? See things from their side of the fence. Try to think like a client when pitching, how will you be perceived in their mind?

To thrive in this ‘new normal’ agencies and businesses must recognise that sales and new business is central to growth and success. It’s no longer enough to just hire a sales person and hope it works out. Or undertake some lead generation and marketing in isolation.

There is a new way for new business. Agencies need a holistic, comprehensive strategy for sales and business development. When it’s embedded and engaged across every level of your organisation, and with every team member, then your business will thrive. Even in a downturn or lockdown!

The Client Key – A new way for new business.

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