Small Spark Theory: a marginal gains approach to new business and marketing
Lucy Mann
New business is one of those subjects guaranteed to get a reaction from agency owners everywhere. Many will have a nagging feeling they should be doing a bit more, wonder how other agencies manage to land the accounts they covet, have moments of wild inspiration and energy then falter because the day job just, well gets in the way.
Gunpowder’s Lucy Mann has worked in agency new business for over 25 years and has witnessed these scenarios, and many more like them, as an outsourced new business telemarketer, a new business recruitment consultant, in house new business developer, in house head of marketing, and new business mentor across multiple disciplines and agency shapes and sizes.
Regardless of size and discipline, many agencies encounter the same new business challenges, and more and more, the solution is not necessarily an ambitious marketing plan, or expensive sales resource, but instead a forensic application of process and a marginal gains approach to performance improvement.
Gunpowder’s podcast, Small Spark Theory™ explores the small changes we can make to our sales and marketing process to achieve better new business results. With contributions from a range of experts, each episode will examine a single element of the process in detail, providing manageable tips for improvement.
Find our more about Gunpowder Consulting, please visit gunpowderconsulting.com
Follow us on Twitter @gunpowdertweets and join the conversation at #smallsparktheory
With thanks to Matthew Syed for audio extract permission.
Host - Lucy Mann
Producer - Isabelle Jarvis
Gunpowder’s Lucy Mann has worked in agency new business for over 25 years and has witnessed these scenarios, and many more like them, as an outsourced new business telemarketer, a new business recruitment consultant, in house new business developer, in house head of marketing, and new business mentor across multiple disciplines and agency shapes and sizes.
Regardless of size and discipline, many agencies encounter the same new business challenges, and more and more, the solution is not necessarily an ambitious marketing plan, or expensive sales resource, but instead a forensic application of process and a marginal gains approach to performance improvement.
Gunpowder’s podcast, Small Spark Theory™ explores the small changes we can make to our sales and marketing process to achieve better new business results. With contributions from a range of experts, each episode will examine a single element of the process in detail, providing manageable tips for improvement.
Find our more about Gunpowder Consulting, please visit gunpowderconsulting.com
Follow us on Twitter @gunpowdertweets and join the conversation at #smallsparktheory
With thanks to Matthew Syed for audio extract permission.
Host - Lucy Mann
Producer - Isabelle Jarvis
Episodes
Mentioned books
Dec 4, 2022 • 33min
EP71: Managing mindset | Wendy Bollard
Whichever way we cut it, 2022 has been A LOT. The last few years have seen so much change; for individuals, businesses and our industry. Many of us are still adapting. Whether we are recalibrating, reinventing, surviving or thriving, we’re doing it all against a backdrop of relentless economic and political turmoil and uncertainty. So for our final episode of the year I wanted to focus on how we can maintain our confidence and positivity as we close off the year and look ahead to 2023. Wendy Bollard is a mindset coach with many years’ experience in the creative industry. Working with artists, designers, performers and directors, she uses her brilliant box of tricks to help her clients manage the day to day noise and bring out their very best performance. Listen in as Wendy shares her valuable tools and advice and helps us understand how to give our minds a daily workout. As always we are giving away a copy of Wendy’s recommended read: The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. Thank you all listening this year and continuing to support Small Spark Theory, every time we get your feedback and reviews it really is like a big internetty hug. Wishing you all a warm and restorative break. Also mentioned in the episode: Atomic Habits by James Clear
Nov 7, 2022 • 43min
EP70: A client perspective | Gareth Turner | Big Black Door
It’s been a little while since we had a client perspective on this podcast, and given the current economic wobbles, now feels like an excellent time to remedy this. So I’m delighted to share this conversation with Gareth Turner. Having enjoyed a stellar marketing career with brands such as Johns Smith’s, Bulmers and Lurpak, Gareth was most recently Head of Marketing at Weetabix and earlier this year, published his own research on client / agency relationships. We pick though the six key themes of this research to provide practical, actionable tips to help reinforce your relationships. You can download a copy of the report here – and while you’re at it, I highly recommend subscribing to Gareth’s newsletter: Sporadic Brand Ramblings. As always we’ll be giving away a copy of Gareth’s recommended read: How not to plan: 66 ways to screw it up by Les Binet and Sarah Carter. Listen in to find out how to win. For more information about Gunpowder’s client audit programmes – get in touch.
Sep 30, 2022 • 47min
EP69: New business talent | Adam Graham | BD Matters
It’s been a while since we talked about new business talent on this podcast. But after a bumpy couple of years, it seems like the right time to shine a spotlight on the superstars in our industry who willingly show up every day to seek out new clients for their agencies. I wrote about the challenges for new business practitioners for Mental Health Awareness week highlighting the importance of getting the right support in place to retain our industry talent. So I was delighted to chat to Adam Graham about his new business community, BD Matters. Together we discuss the highs and lows of marketing and prospecting, managing expectations, the power of community and share some top tips for agency owners looking to support their new business folk. Adam’s recommended read is a Small Spark Theory favourite, To Sell Is Human by Daniel Pink. Join in the conversation on Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram using #smallsparktheory for your chance to win a copy. You can find out more about BD Matters here. To chat in confidence about Lucy’s mentoring, feel free to book in a time here.
Sep 8, 2022 • 33min
EP68: Marginal gains in practice | Joe Perkins | Chaptr
The theme for this series has always been to explore how we can use a marginal gains thinking to improve agency new business and marketing performance. That said, I’m conscious that in some episodes, when we do a deep dive into a particular element of new business and marketing mix, our reference to marginal gains may seem a little abstract. So with September upon us and in keeping with that ‘back to school’ vibe, I wanted to dedicate an episode to practical examples of how this marginal gains thinking can deliver tangible results. Joining me for this conversation is Joe Perkins, founder and MD of Chaptr. Joe started working through Gunpowder’s New Business & Marketing Bootcamp with me back in 2020 and shares his experience of the warts and all process and his top tips for applying this approach to performance improvement. As always we have a book giveaway - Joe’s recommended read is Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility by Patty McCord. Join in the conversation on Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn using #smallsparktheory for your chance to win a copy. Also mentioned in this episode: Agency Collective Agency Hackers Agency Local The Trussell Trust New Business Trouble Shoot
Aug 9, 2022 • 25min
EP67: The Summer Reset | Lucy Mann
There is no doubt these are troubling times. As the economic storm clouds gather, we are all bracing ourselves for some pain in the months ahead as marketing spends come under pressure. But what concerns me most is the timing. For most of this year, I’ve witnessed agencies juggling an influx of projects, finally unlocked after the stranglehold of the pandemic, with the twin challenges of resourcing and post-Covid working practices. Inevitably, when all hands are to the pump to deliver and bill client work, even the best laid new business and marketing plans fall by the wayside. And now, more than ever, this cannot happen. So before we head into the most important window in the new business and marketing calendar, in this episode I share the best advice I can give to any agency, struggling with resource, knowing they are neglecting the pipeline and worried about the forecast six months from now. Of course if you want to talk in confidence about any of the issues raised in this episode, please get in touch at lucy@gunpowderconsulting.com Referenced in this episode: Rory Spence at Wow Company Blair Enns on pricing Kelly Molson on marketing IPA Bellwether
Jul 1, 2022 • 34min
EP66: Building a prospect community | Kelly Molson | Rubber Cheese
Over recent episodes we've been taking a deep dive into some very specific elements of agency marketing and prospecting. We revisited agency positioning with Roland Gurney at Treacle, really got to grips with thought leadership with Mark Wellings at Grist and in the last episode on relationships, Trenton Moss talked about the prospect communities he created and how they translated into billing clients. So for this episode I wanted to showcase an agency founder who has brought all of these elements together to really demonstrate how ANY agency can implement these ideas. Kelly Molson is co-founder of Rubber Cheese a web development agency focussed on supporting the visitor attractions sector. We talk about the road to specialisation and positioning, and how immersing yourself in the challenges of your audience builds community, grows relationship, and in turn, your new business pipeline. For anyone who has found the strategies we discuss on this podcast interesting but perhaps inaccessible - maybe due to a perceived lack of time, resource or confidence, I urge you to listen to this episode and take inspiration from Kelly's experience. Kelly's recommended read is the evergreen How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. We will of course be giving away a copy - listen in to find out how to win. For any visitor attraction owners or marketers listening, you can access the Rubber Cheese Visitor Attraction Website Survey here. Want to see how you can refine your new business strategy? Contact Lucy.
Jun 6, 2022 • 37min
EP65: How to master relationships | Trenton Moss | Team Sterka
After a tough couple of years, I’ve been spotting some really positive signs in agencies over the past six months; clients seem to be spending, delayed projects are being given the green light and new business pipelines are flourishing. But there is no escaping the wider economic picture and we should rightly be bracing ourselves for impact on future marketing spend. And whilst there is much we can’t predict, or control, strengthening our relationships and communication with our clients is only going to stand us in good stead for the future. In this episode I chat to the brilliant Trenton Moss from Team Sterka. We discuss the rollercoaster of agency ownership, what happens when inbound new business referrals dry up, the power of growing prospect communities and how to become a relationship master. We are giving away a copy of Trenton’s book: Human Powered. Simply listen in to find out how to win. Take the quiz to find out your communication style here! For details of Gunpowder's client development workshops, get in touch.
May 4, 2022 • 48min
EP64: The Agency Growth Challenge | Daniel de la Cruz | Polymensa
Whether your agency has a fast track growth plan or a more modest desire to maintain the status quo, there are innumerable challenges that can derail even the best laid plans. Client insecurity or overexposure, floundering new business pipelines or skills shortages not to mention the wider economic backdrop, can all create pinch-points for agency leaders. At each of these moments critical decisions must be made. Those agencies of real scale, with a sizeable exec board have some safety in discussion and consensus, but for the small to mid-size agency owner these can be lonely times. How do you find the right sounding board? Many listeners of this show will know Daniel de la Cruz. Having experienced exactly these challenges running his own agency, and grown The Agency Collective alongside The Wow Company, Daniel has created Polymensa to provide the ‘non-ego’ board for independent agencies. In this episode we get together to discuss the challenges of scaling, avoiding the echo chamber and why differing perspectives matter. Daniel’s recommended reads are: What You Do Is Who You Are: How to Create Your Business Culture by Ben Horowitz and Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire, and How to Want What You Need by Luke Burgis. Also mentioned in this episode is The First Minute by Chris Fenning. We’ll be giving away a copy of What You Do Is Who You Are, simply listen in to find out how to win. Read Daniel’s thoughts on the shortcomings of the traditional non-exec director.
Apr 19, 2022 • 35min
EP63: Agency positioning 2022 | Roland Gurney | Treacle
Within the ecosystem of agency new business, marketing, client development and the wider sphere of agency growth, there are certain topics which we will undoubtedly revist again and again. So, not for the first time, and certainly not the last, I wanted to talk about agency positioning. And not for the first time, and I hope not the last, I wanted to talk to Roland Gurney. Roland joined us on the podcast in January 2020 to help us unpick some agency messaging pitfalls. So many people loved that episode and got in touch with Treacle for help, that it seemed only fitting get together again and take stock of where we are now. How has the landscape changed in the last two years? Should we be thinking differently about difference? Is niching still the answer? Listen in as we discuss all this and more. Roland’s recommended read is The Advertising Concept Book: Think Now, Design Later by Pete Barry.
Mar 7, 2022 • 39min
EP62: Mastering thought leadership | Mark Wellings | Grist
Thought leadership – in its various forms, is a topic we have covered in a number of episodes over the years. Done well, it can be a game-changer for agency marketing, sparking and re-igniting meaningful prospect and client conversations. However, there are a number common hurdles I tend to encounter when speaking with agency founders which means that great content either never gets made, or worse, is created but not optimised. To really get to grips with how to master thought leadership I got together with Mark Wellings, co-founder and client services director at specialist thought leadership agency Grist. Mark and his team work with leading B2B brands like PwC, PA Consulting and DLA Piper delivering insight-led programmes designed to fuel sales pipelines. In this episode, Mark shares his 6 Golden Rules of Thought Leadership – so grab a pen and paper, there are marginal gains a-plenty! Mark’s recommended read is the ever-popular Win Without Pitching Manifesto by Blair Enns, listen in and find out how to win a copy. As I know so many of you are keen cyclists, you may also be interested in Mark’s own book RIDE! RIDE! RIDE! The Story of British Track Cycling. Also mentioned in this episode: The Leadership Book by Mark Anderson You can read more of Grist’s insights here.
