I was working with an agency this week, coaching them through rehearsals for a final meeting of an important new business pitch. At times my feedback had to do with weighty stuff like pitch strategy and meeting flow, but I was also struck by how many of my comments pertained to smaller gestures that are [...]
I’m super excited (also relieved, fatigued and so over it as anyone who has written a book will tell you) to introduce you to my latest book, which I wrote with agency owner and AMI member Stephen Woessner called Sell With Authority. The premise of the book is simple — it’s written exclusively for agencies [...]
I am a huge fan of doing one on ones with your team member.s. I outlined the strategy and benefits in an early podcast that might be worth a listen. The very first question that should be covered in every one on one is what is your quarterly growth goal and how are you going [...]
Every spring, I put together a list of trends that I think agency owners need to be tracking. I present this content at the spring meetings of the AMI owner peer groups and then later in the summer/fall, I share the trends with my podcast audience (2019 part one and two). I just finished the [...]
I am wrapping up two weeks of workshops and I am so gratified that AMI gets to offer these educational experiences. Yes, I love that we help agency owners and leaders get smarter and succeed faster but what I love even more is the energy that happens when agency people are together. It’s such a [...]
As agency owners and leaders — we live in a pressure cooker. There’s always an endless list of To Dos. Deadlines constantly loom. Someone is always in our doorway, needing five minutes that quickly turns to twenty. Clients call with emergencies, employees have personal issues and we seem to be the focal point where all [...]
Do you remember the movie “What Women Want” with Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt. You do watch any movie that takes place inside an advertising agency, don’t you? Anyway —the premise of the movie is that Mel Gibson is an arrogant, sexist ad guy who receives the “gift” of being able to hear what women [...]
If you're going into business with someone, the best thing you can do for yourself, your agency and your partner is to establish an agency partnership agreement. This document details each person's respective role, expectations for the partnership, how finances will be handled and more. In this piece I recently contributed to Forbes.com, I discuss [...]
Partnership agreements document important terms so you know how to resolve disputes as they arise or, in a worst-case scenario, dissolve the partnership. When forming the agreement, make sure to include these three sections: roles and responsibilities, partnership authority, and conflict resolution. In this piece I recently contributed to MediaPost.com, I discuss how to make [...]
This is a tough time to be an agency on a growth path. Ironically, not because the clients aren’t out there and ready to spend money. Agencies are reporting better biz dev opportunities than I’ve seen in awhile. But those same agencies are saying to me, “Drew, I can’t go after it. I just [...]
