Building A New Business Legacy
New business requires bravery; dare to dream that the wish list clients will want to speak with you, get out of your comfort zone and make the first move. Expanding your world of opportunity is key for business growth. However, when speaking to agency leaders, one of the most widespread fears Brittany Atkins encounters is the challenge of engaging in cold outreach. Coming from a privileged position of having had to overcome this fear early in her career (day one in her first job out of university as a recruiter), Brittany can relate to the challenges of agency leaders while finding it paradoxical that those who can so brilliantly sell the brands they represent are gripped by anxiety at the thought of doing it for themselves.
Your product is your people.
Fear of failure combined with daunting thoughts of where even to begin marries prospecting with procrastination. Empowering your team to represent the agency is the most effective way to create a bountiful new business engine. Your product is your people. Put them at the forefront of all your new business activities and equip them with all they need to succeed. Part of that will be leading by example, diving into the deep end, owning your learnings (not failings), and sharing those publically.
Again, new business requires bravery and methods can be applied to build it up. To access Brittany's article for a deeper dive into her lessons, download The Agency Growth Book'24.
Lesson 1: Sales is a sport.
Build your team, nurture a winning mentality and get out there. You miss every shot you don’t take. A community mindset around the niche where you deliver your actual value is fundamental for creating and fostering the right culture.
Lesson 2: Niche = Community = Pipeline
"For community-building, I advise not to quickly abandon a good idea for the next one. I often wondered, ‘What’s the next ‘F in Fintech’?’ In hindsight, I focused too much on that question and neglected a successful idea. If I were in that position today, I’d look for ways to iterate to maximise returns and expand expertise and enhance credibility."
Lesson 3: Don’t fix what ain’t broke. Iterate and go further.
Iteration will require creativity, and to make the launch of your initiative a success, you’ll need to create something your prospects want to be a part of. You’re asking for your prospects’ time in a world where we are time-poor.
Lesson 4: Prospects are people, too.
It sounds obvious yet seems to be so commonly forgotten: Your prospects are people, too. It’s simple. If you aren’t interested, they won’t. And if you are, they just might.
You represent your business.
If you have a mouth to speak and/or hands to type with, you represent your business. In representing the business, you’re a salesperson for it. Good, bad or wasted.
"So my advice is to step up and own that position.Conquer your fear, empower your team to have something too good for prospects not to listen to and let communities grow a legacy of clients to come."
