194. Bolster Your Business Development Strategy, with Jody Sutter

The Innovative Agency

Intro

Agency owners who do not engage in the business development aspects of their organizations are few and far between. Yet, Jody Sutter has found that even agency leaders with a strong interest in business development sometimes find themselves unprepared for unexpected market downturns. As a resolution, we've invited Jody to provide her perspective on potential strategies agency owners can implement to bolster their business development efforts.

What you will learn in this episode:

• The impact COVID responses have had on agency employees' work arrangements.

• The value of prioritizing empathy throughout business development programs.

• The importance of evaluating clients regularly to ascertain whether there is any risk of losing their business.

• How taking a straightforward and honest approach with potential clients can improve business development efforts.

• How your agency should approach business development if a recession occurs.

• Why it is critical that agency owners prioritize opportunities that are in line with their individual strengths.

Bio

Jody Sutter's mission is to ensure that owners of small marketing agencies are in control of their new business destiny. Most agency owners didn't start their agencies because they love to drum up new business, and yet the success of their agency depends on it.

Jody helps these agency leaders develop a sustainable approach to winning new business via coaching, consulting, and done-with-you models.

She is a career business development professional and her clients benefit from her years of experience doing agency sales and marketing. Jody has run large global new business operations for agencies like R/GA, OMD and Havas but she has also spent time on the front lines at smaller creative firms, generating leads and building relationships that led to new revenue.

Jody knows what a challenge it can be to get the attention of new prospects and win the right kind of business for your agency. It takes hard work, creativity, and discipline. But it can also take an outsider's perspective to help you understand your greatest strengths and how to position them.

Equal parts storyteller and problem-solver, Jody knows how to prescribe the right tools and techniques that will work for your agency and get your prospects to say "yes".

Resources:

• Website: https://www.thesuttercompany.com/
• LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodysutter/
• LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-sutter-company/