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About Robin Boehler

Robin is a co-founder of international management consulting firm Mercer Island Group. Mercer Island Group is a prominent global marketing management consulting firm, helping clients and agencies solve a broad range of business problems from building business in tough, competitive markets, creating strategic roadmaps, matching the right clients and agencies for productive relationships, launching new products and businesses, and enhancing organizational effectiveness. As the #6 market share firm in agency searches in the US, MIG has managed hundreds of agency searches and relationships for businesses of all sizes and types, like Ahold Delhaize, Starbucks, American Century Investments, PEMCO Insurance, PetSmart, Seabourn, Avis Budget Group, Sargento, Ulta Beauty and dozens of other blue chip firms. She also has consulted to a wide array of agencies including Digitas, Periscope, DaviesMoore, W&K, GS&P, Havas, Cactus, DNA and many others. Robin’s unique ability to work with teams and help improve organizational productivity is the direct result of an eclectic background including her degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Cornell University, several years of experience in elementary education, plus training and teambuilding experiences across a myriad of industries and extensive volunteerism experiences. Robin is active in her community and brings her leadership and strategy expertise to many nonprofit Boards and organizations. Robin has actively served on over two dozen local and national nonprofit Boards over the past 25 years. Robin’s volunteer work has been recognized with many accolades such as Cornell University’s “Outstanding Volunteerism Award”, being named a Wexner Heritage Foundation Scholar, receiving the Spitzer Young Leadership Award in Recognition and Appreciation of Outstanding Service from the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, and the Shirley Bridge Power of One award. Robin is a frequent speaker, having presented and keynoted at events sponsored by the BMA, the 4As, AMI and others.

Win More Business with Virtual Presentations

By Robin Boehler & Stephen Boehler
 (Founding Partners of 
Mercer Island Group
) Covid-19 has changed our lives and our work. Business as usual has been interrupted, yet your clients and prospects are trying to remain truly operational. Agencies may find themselves in a pitch process that has become a virtual exercise. To capitalize on these opportunities, agencies need to adapt – and adapt quickly. How do you pitch your agency without a face to face meeting? The pitch will likely be a virtual meeting which requires different planning and approaches for your agency to stand out and win. To help agencies during this difficult time, we have put together a practical guide on how to pitch effectively via virtual presentations. 1) Ensure you have the right technology in place, and expertise using the technology Use a professional web conferencing platform for your presentation. These platforms enable the agency team and the prospects to see each – a much more personal experience than a conference call. You are also able to control the slides that your prospect sees, enhancing the communication. There are many fine web conference platforms like Zoom, GoToMeeting and BlueJeans. Choose one and master it. The presentation is not the time to explore the rich capabilities of these platforms. Also, keep in mind that your agency may need to use the prospect’s platform of choice. Some client firewalls prevent other platforms. Be sure all agency presenters have hands-on experience managing the intricacies of the selected platform. 2) Prepare materials with the medium in mind Online presentations are very different than in-person presentations. For example, the screen sizes of the participants can vary dramatically. You need to be sure your presentation is clear and [...]

How Agencies Can Execute on Strategic Selling

“I hate selling.” I hear that so often from agency owners and agency leaders. I especially hear it from junior agency staffers. I think the key to solving this problem is moving away from “I hate selling” and moving toward “I love helping others succeed.” My years of agency experience have taught me that the most successful agencies have a specific mindset. They have embraced the art of being the very best at understanding their clients and have a deep desire to make their lives easier and better. The agency business is a relationship business; it’s about putting the needs of your client front and center. Your success is based on their success. Their good days are your good days; and conversely, their bad days are your bad days. So, if agency success is about building great relationships, I would pose to you that for agencies, executing on strategic selling is very much like dating. If that’s the case, then imagine thinking of the prospect the same way you think about a prospective date - that person you’ve wanted to date for oh, so long. As you get ready to make the ask… what’s first? The answer: the first thing is understanding the prospect. Strategic Selling Requires Understanding the Prospect First and foremost, remember that you must think about this from their viewpoint – the viewpoint of the prospect. What’s on her mind and how has the landscape changed since the last time she looked for agency services? Budget and headcount pressures are enormous in most companies today There are heightened expectations that marketing supports sales – it’s no longer enough to simply produce great creative Sales and revenue are typically the top marketing success [...]

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