Small Spark Theory: a marginal gains approach to new business and marketing

The people part of our business can so often get overlooked in our efforts to generate new business. Yes, we might think about chemistry once we are faced with a pitch opportunity but beyond that, our thinking tends to get muddled when we consider the power of our people to drive referrals and introductions. There might be an expectation that this will happen, or an unspoken, mild resentment when it doesn’t, but the reality is that only a fully engaged, motivated and inspired workforce will act as true ambassadors for your agency.

Your culture is more than the Friday beer trolley, jolly Facebook page or annual karaoke / bowling / pizza night. It’s the glue that binds your people together with guiding principles, a way of working and a desire to succeed for the greater good of the business.

It’s the bit that truly makes your agency bigger than the sum of the parts. And for those agencies that really get it right, it’s the bit that will turbo charge new business.

In this episode of Small Spark Theory I chat to Katz Kiely. Serial entrepreneur, technologist and organisational change ninja, Katz shares her experience of culture and the way people work together, from agencies to start-ups and the UN.

This is one episode you will not want to miss!

As always, we’ve got a competition for you and will be giving away a copy of Katz’s recommended book ‘Predictably Irrational’ by Dan Ariely. So listen in to find out how to win.

Follow us on Twitter @gunpowdertweets and join the conversation at #smallsparktheory

This episode was recorded at Cameo Productions.

For more information on improving your agency new businesses effectiveness, get in touch with Lucy Mann.

The people part of our business can so often get overlooked in our efforts to generate new business. Yes, we might think about chemistry once we are faced with a pitch opportunity but beyond that, our thinking tends to get muddled when we consider the power of our people to drive referrals and introductions. There might be an expectation that this will happen, or an unspoken, mild resentment when it doesn't, but the reality is that only a fully engaged, motivated and inspired workforce will act as true ambassadors for your agency.

Your culture is more than the Friday beer trolley, jolly Facebook page or annual karaoke / bowling / pizza night. It's the glue that binds your people together with guiding principles, a way of working and a desire to succeed for the greater good of the business.

It's the bit that truly makes your agency bigger than the sum of the parts.

And for those agencies that really get it right, it's the bit that will turbo charge new business.

In this episode of Small Spark Theory I chat to Katz Kiely. Serial entrepreneur, technologist and organisational change ninja, Katz shares her experience of culture and the way people work together, from agencies to start-ups and the UN.

This is one episode you will not want to miss!

As always, we've got a competition for you and will be giving away a copy of Katz's recommended book 'Predictably Irrational' by Dan Ariely. So listen in to find out how to win.

Follow us on Twitter @gunpowdertweets and join the conversation at #smallsparktheory

For more information on improving your agency new businesses effectiveness, get in touch with Lucy Mann.

So far in our Small Spark Theory podcast series we’ve been exploring the ways we can make marginal gains in our agency new business and marketing performance. We’ve discussed the tweaks and improvements, the tips and tricks that can help us perform better, and see a better return on our time and money.

So far so good.

But even with clear objectives, effective planning, brilliant processes and all the communication skills we have discussed, our best efforts can still be undone by a lack of productivity.

How many times do we find ourselves finalising a pitch deck in a cab on the way to a meeting, scrabbling to submit an RFI seconds before the deadline or simply looking at our new business pipeline and knowing we just haven’t implemented enough of the plan to generate sufficient new opportunities?

Most of us will be familiar with the feeling. The procrastination, indecision and ultimately – paralysis.

So why does it happen? And what can we do about it?

In this episode, we talk to best-selling author Robert Kelsey. Founder and CEO of a successful London PR agency, co-founder and deputy chairman of a leading entrepreneurs’ think tank: The Centre for Entrepreneurs, Robert’s books: “What’s Stopping You?“, “What’s Stopping You Being More Confident?” and “Get Things Done” have sold over 100,000 copies and being translated into 10 languages.

Spoiler alert: The answer to our lack of productivity is rather more complex that we think and requires some honest self-appraisal. The good news is, a tidy workstation and good stationery are still very important. We’re stocking up on nice notepads and post-its right away…

As always, we’ve got a competition for you and will be giving away a copy of Robert’s book “Get Things Done”. So listen in to find out how to win.

Follow us on Twitter @gunpowdertweets and join the conversation at #smallsparktheory

For more information on improving your agency new businesses effectiveness, get in touch with Lucy Mann.

So far in our Small Spark Theory podcast series we’ve been exploring the ways we can make marginal gains in our agency new business and marketing performance. We’ve discussed the tweaks and improvements, the tips and tricks that can help us perform better, and see a better return on our time and money. So far […]

So far in our Small Spark Theory podcast series we’ve been exploring the ways we can make marginal gains in our agency new business and marketing performance. We’ve discussed the tweaks and improvements, the tips and tricks that can help us perform better, and see a better return on our time and money.

So far so good.

But even with clear objectives, effective planning, brilliant processes and all the communication skills we have discussed, our best efforts can still be undone by a lack of productivity.

How many times do we find ourselves finalising a pitch deck in a cab on the way to a meeting, scrabbling to submit an RFI seconds before the deadline or simply looking at our new business pipeline and knowing we just haven’t implemented enough of the plan to generate sufficient new opportunities?

Most of us will be familiar with the feeling. The procrastination, indecision and ultimately – paralysis.

So why does it happen? And what can we do about it?

In this episode, we talk to best-selling author Robert Kelsey. Founder and CEO of a successful London PR agency, co-founder and deputy chairman of a leading entrepreneurs’ think tank: The Centre for Entrepreneurs, Robert’s books: “What’s Stopping You?“, “What’s Stopping You Being More Confident?” and “Get Things Done” have sold over 100,000 copies and being translated into 10 languages.

Spoiler alert: The answer to our lack of productivity is rather more complex that we think and requires some honest self-appraisal. The good news is, a tidy workstation and good stationery are still very important. We’re stocking up on nice notepads and post-its right away…

As always, we’ve got a competition for you and will be giving away a copy of Robert’s book “Get Things Done”. So listen in to find out how to win.

Follow us on Twitter @gunpowdertweets and join the conversation at #smallsparktheory

For more information on improving your agency new businesses effectiveness, get in touch with Lucy Mann.

So far in our Small Spark Theory podcast series we've been exploring the ways we can make marginal gains in our agency new business and marketing performance. We've discussed the tweaks and improvements, the tips and tricks that can help us perform better, and see a better return on our time and money.

So far so good.

But even with clear objectives, effective planning, brilliant processes and all the communication skills we have discussed, our best efforts can still be undone by a lack of productivity.

How many times do we find ourselves finalising a pitch deck in a cab on the way to a meeting, scrabbling to submit an RFI seconds before the deadline or simply looking at our new business pipeline and knowing we just haven't implemented enough of the plan to generate sufficient new opportunities?

Most of us will be familiar with the feeling. The procrastination, indecision and ultimately – paralysis.

So why does it happen? And what can we do about it?

In this episode, we talk to best-selling author Robert Kelsey. Founder and CEO of a successful London PR agency, co-founder and deputy chairman of a leading entrepreneurs' think tank: The Centre for Entrepreneurs, Robert's books: "What's Stopping You?", "What's Stopping You Being More Confident?" and "Get Things Done" have sold over 100,000 copies and being translated into 10 languages.

Spoiler alert: The answer to our lack of productivity is rather more complex that we think and requires some honest self-appraisal. The good news is, a tidy workstation and good stationery are still very important. We're stocking up on nice notepads and post-its right away…

As always, we've got a competition for you and will be giving away a copy of Robert's book "Get Things Done".So listen in to find out how to win.

For more information on improving your agency new businesses effectiveness, get in touch with Lucy Mann.

Getting in a room together with clients and prospects is undoubtedly the best way to foster good relationships. But creating the opportunity to connect in person, outside of the cut and thrust of delivering day to day project work, or a credentials or a pitch scenario, can be a challenge.

Hosting an event, which either showcases thought leadership to your existing clients, or allows you to demonstrate your expertise to a wider audience can be prove to be a highly effective weapon in your new business and marketing arsenal.

But where to start? Will people turn up? And what will we say when they do?

In this episode of Small Spark Theory, we explore how to make the most of agency events and avoid some of the most common mistakes (a clue, it’s all in the planning)!

As always, we’ve got a competition for you and will be giving away a copy of Adam Grant’s Give & Take. So listen in to find out how to win.

If you feel inspired to host your own event here are some of the tried and tested London venues we like:

Firmdale

The central events team at Firmdale manage event spaces for all of the hotels in the group including Ham Yard, Charlotte Street, Haymarket and Soho Hotel. Plenty of fabulous rooms for private dinners, screenings or larger scale events.

Swan at the Globe

With wonderful views across the river to St Paul’s, the Swan can cater for meetings, private dining or larger events. Get in touch with the aptly named Lucy Beer who’ll talk you through the available options.

J&A Café

Lovely Clerkenwell space available for private hire for evening events.

Jones Family Project

Great location near Old Street, interesting space options and a dangerous cocktail list.

Forge & Co

Shoreditch co-working space can cater for a range of events.

Riding House Café

The Stables private dining room is a hidden gem for private dining group of up to 14 people.

Vinyl Factory Soho

A bigger space for a larger scale event with a central location.

Follow us on Twitter @gunpowdertweets and join the conversation at #smallsparktheory

Getting in a room together with clients and prospects is undoubtedly the best way to foster good relationships. But creating the opportunity to connect in person, outside of the cut and thrust of delivering day to day project work, or a credentials or a pitch scenario, can be a challenge. Hosting an event, which either […]

Getting in a room together with clients and prospects is undoubtedly the best way to foster good relationships. But creating the opportunity to connect in person, outside of the cut and thrust of delivering day to day project work, or a credentials or a pitch scenario, can be a challenge.

Hosting an event, which either showcases thought leadership to your existing clients, or allows you to demonstrate your expertise to a wider audience can be prove to be a highly effective weapon in your new business and marketing arsenal.

But where to start? Will people turn up? And what will we say when they do?

In this episode of Small Spark Theory, we explore how to make the most of agency events and avoid some of the most common mistakes (a clue, it’s all in the planning)!

As always, we’ve got a competition for you and will be giving away a copy of Adam Grant’s Give & Take. So listen in to find out how to win.

If you feel inspired to host your own event here are some of the tried and tested London venues we like:

Firmdale

The central events team at Firmdale manage event spaces for all of the hotels in the group including Ham Yard, Charlotte Street, Haymarket and Soho Hotel. Plenty of fabulous rooms for private dinners, screenings or larger scale events.

Swan at the Globe

With wonderful views across the river to St Paul’s, the Swan can cater for meetings, private dining or larger events. Get in touch with the aptly named Lucy Beer who’ll talk you through the available options.

J&A Café

Lovely Clerkenwell space available for private hire for evening events.

Jones Family Project

Great location near Old Street, interesting space options and a dangerous cocktail list.

Forge & Co

Shoreditch co-working space can cater for a range of events.

Riding House Café

The Stables private dining room is a hidden gem for private dining group of up to 14 people.

Vinyl Factory Soho

A bigger space for a larger scale event with a central location.

Follow us on Twitter @gunpowdertweets and join the conversation at #smallsparktheory

Getting in a room together with clients and prospects is undoubtedly the best way to foster good relationships. But creating the opportunity to connect in person, outside of the cut and thrust of delivering day to day project work, or a credentials or a pitch scenario, can be a challenge.

Hosting an event, which either showcases thought leadership to your existing clients, or allows you to demonstrate your expertise to a wider audience can be prove to be a highly effective weapon in your new business and marketing arsenal.

But where to start? Will people turn up? And what will we say when they do?

In this episode of Small Spark Theory, we explore how to make the most from agency events and avoid some of the most common mistakes (a clue, it's all in the planning)!

As always, we've got a competition for you and will be giving away a copy of Adam Grant's Give & Take. So listen in to find out how to win.

If you feel inspired to host your own event here are some of the tried and tested London venues we like:

Firmdale

The central events team at Firmdale manage event spaces for all of the hotels in the group including Ham Yard, Charlotte Street, Haymarket and Soho Hotel. Plenty of fabulous rooms for private dinners, screenings or larger scale events.

Swan at the Globe

With wonderful views across the river to St Pauls, the Swan can cater for meetings, private dining or larger events.

J&A Café

Lovely Clerkenwell space available for private hire for evening events

Jones Family Project

Great location near Old Street, interesting space options and a dangerous cocktail list.

Forge & Co

Shoreditch co-working space can cater for a range of events.

Riding House Café

The Stables private dining room is a hidden gem for private dining group of up to 14 people.

Vinyl Factory Soho

A bigger space for a larger scale event with a central location

Follow us on Twitter @gunpowdertweets and join the conversation at #smallsparktheory