Growth: it’s everyone’s business
by The Hand
Staying focused on the growth of your agency will be vital this year. When you’re busy ‘working in the business’ and on client work, it can be tricky to find the time to focus on ‘working on the business’. So what’s the secret to ensuring that growth is always on the agenda?
Within agencies, ‘finding new clients’ is often cited as one of the biggest challenges and often new business sits with just one person as part of their job. In many agencies, new business is done in and around other things and the ‘day job’ often gets in the way. Whether it is the MD, New Business Director, or Client Services Director, that’s quite a lot of pressure on just one person…
But growth benefits everyone working in a creative agency, so why don’t we talk about that enough? And why don’t we involve more of the team? The temptation is always to keep conversations about business development amongst ‘the suits’ rather than the creatives. But in a business based on thinking and ideas, why wouldn’t you bring creatives into that dialogue so that they can contribute and feel part of the company’s journey?
This year, growth will be on everyone’s minds. And so, it’s in everyone’s interest to develop a proactive and positive growth culture. A culture where everyone has a role to play in new business, no matter how large or small. So, how do you go about doing this?
- Have a plan in place and engage the team in it. Talk to people about areas they might want to help with. Give them a clear role and sense of responsibility, but one they feel comfortable with. It could even become part of their own personal growth plan
- Regular updates. Make sure you keep everyone updated on progress, have regular meeting sessions where you can report back on plan and share more ideas as a group
- Review and celebrate. When you have losses, talk about them. Review what you think can be done better next time. And make sure you celebrate the wins so that everyone feels part of that too
If you want to talk more about embedding a positive growth culture in your agency, then please get in touch natasha@thehand.co.uk