I imagined that there is a line among design-based businesses that separates those who see themselves as in the business of design from those who see design as just one of the tools they use, in the service of whatever business they are really in. I wondered if this line was moving, squeezing out the traditional design firm.
Most firms have no problem making these claims of creativity or strategy privately in the protective bubble of a boardroom (where the claims are often expressed through the work itself, which is pitched for free, rather than articulated in conversation) but going public in an ad that is bound to be seen by the firm’s competitors is another matter.
Agency business development is a cocktail of sales, marketing and public relations activities. To be successful, your firm has to possess assets in each area.
Passion is a great thing, but if you fail to match your passion to a need in the market then you’re setting your firm up for failure…
Imagine that you’ve won a full-page ad in The New York Times for the use of promoting your firm. What would you say in that ad? If yours is a specialist firm, the answer is easy. In one variation or another you would stake a claim to your expertise as the leading provider of X
I once played a first game of chess with a friend in which he destroyed me with his opening move. In the very first second of the game he had me panicked – robbed of my ability to think clearly. The only thing that was clear at that moment was that he would beat me
After almost ten years of advising creative businesses on their positioning, I’ve looked back to find the five most common mistakes that I’ve seen. If you’re repositioning your firm, use this guide to help you avoid the mistakes I’ve seen and even contributed to over the years.
Four Ways to Get from Here to There Business development success is rooted in a firm’s positioning, and while choosing a focus for the firm is The Difficult Business Decision, it’s not the only decision around repositioning a firm. The question that immediately follows once you have chosen a focus is, how do we make
The difference between success and failure is often not in knowing what to do, but in doing it. One of the areas where the getting it done problem routinely arises is in living the firm’s positioning. When working with a firm I routinely see this pattern:
When an entrenched specialist is invited to compete for opportunity outside of his area of expertise, his reaction is often something close to terror. The specialist believes that when an opportunity within his area of focus comes to him, there is nobody better qualified to help the prospect.
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