EP 281: How to maximize strategic thinking in your agency with Adam Pierno

One of the biggest bottlenecks in many agencies is that the agency owner is the only person who can develop strategies for clients or new business pitches. As you know, this causes a host of problems, not the least of which is then the agency owner can’t focus on doing his/her job. Most owners feel stuck – believing that strategic thinking is not something you can teach. But what if you could? Adam Pierno has a long resume working with well-known agencies and brands. When his experience on the creative side led to a realization that there was no methodology that could help agencies bake strategic thinking into their business model, he put his research and experience into authoring two books on the subject and now helps agencies looking to enhance their strategic approach.

In this episode of Build a Better Agency, Adam and I talk about the necessity to expand an agency’s strategic thinking beyond one or two people. We look at specific ways to do this that can empower your entire team to think strategically. We also discuss the errors many agencies make in communicating strategy to clients and prospects and how to leverage strategic thinking as we begin to move beyond the pandemic.

A big thank you to our podcast’s presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They’re an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev, or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here.

What You Will Learn in This Episode:

• How to infuse strategic thinking throughout an agency.
• Different ways agencies can approach strategy.
• How to soothe the conflict points that can develop when strategy expands to the who team.
• Specific ways agencies screw up strategy during a pitch.
• The need to create a story connection between the strategy and the creative.
• The place for strategy in pitching.
• The importance of having a captivating storyteller share the strategy.
• How to help a team become better strategic thinkers.
• The need to document the steps of your agency’s strategic thinking.
• The secret to making clients want to stay with your agency as we begin to move into the next normal after the pandemic.