Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Across the Pond: How to grow your Insight Agency

In this episode, Steve and Paul explore how commercial leaders and their teams in market research and insight agencies can leverage AI tools to enhance their marketing and sales processes and workflows. From content creation to client engagement, to proposal writing.

We share practical tips, real-world examples, and easily applied ways to integrate AI into everyday commercial activities your agency will be doing, to boost efficiency and effectiveness.

Key topics

• Using AI for content repurposing and creation
• AI for sales process enhancement and proposal critique
• AI for prospect research and account management
• Integrating AI tools into existing workflows
• Practical tips for leveraging AI in marketing and sales

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to AI in Sales and Marketing

02:57 Using AI for Marketing Content Creation

05:41 AI as a Brainstorming Tool

08:22 Enhancing Sales Processes with AI

10:54 AI in Proposal Writing and Critique

13:34 AI for Account Management and Client Engagement

16:22 Exploring AI Tools for Sales

18:54 Conclusion: Embracing AI in Business

In this episode, Steve and Paul explore the importance of re-engaging with lapsed clients, talk about strategies to reconnect, and give their advice on how to leverage ongoing relationships for business growth, if you have commercial responsibility in an insight agency.

They give practical tips on maintaining contact, sharing value, and turning past clients into future opportunities.

Topics include:

• The true value of lapsed clients
• Common reasons for client disengagement
• Strategies for reconnecting with past clients
• The importance of ongoing communication and value sharing
• Building a purposeful and strategic re-engagement plan

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and episode overview

01:01 Why businesses hesitate to re-engage with lapsed clients

02:09 The importance of ongoing communication and visibility

03:02 Reframing the term 'lapsed clients' and maintaining relationships

04:02 The role of sales and marketing systems in client retention

05:21 Identifying and targeting lapsed clients using data

06:40 Purposeful outreach and relationship ownership

08:22 The power of revisiting past clients' new opportunities

09:25 Effective ways to reconnect: conferences, social media, and direct outreach

11:22 Authentic and transparent communication strategies

13:11 Sharing new insights and value-added content

15:54 Leveraging content and thought leadership for re-engagement

17:53 The importance of persistent, non-intrusive follow-up

19:15 Final thoughts: take action and try reconnecting

In this episode, Steve Henke and Paul Griffiths discuss their experiences and key takeaways from the recent CEO Summit in Miami. They explore the importance of networking, the impact of AI on business decision-making, the role of synthetic data in the insights industry, and the value of in-person events for building relationships. The conversation highlights the evolving landscape of insights agencies and the need for transformation in response to technological advancements.

Takeaways

The CEO Summit fosters authentic connections among business leaders.

Networking is a key component of the event's success.

AI was a major topic of discussion, emphasizing its role in decision-making.

Presentations highlighted the transformative power of insights in organizations.

Synthetic data is becoming an accepted part of the insights landscape.

In-person events provide unparalleled opportunities for relationship building.

The insights industry is rapidly evolving due to technological advancements.

Agencies must adapt to remain relevant in a changing market.

The importance of transparency and openness in discussions was emphasized.

Future episodes may explore AI's impact on agency operations.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the CEO Summit Insights

02:39 Networking and Authentic Connections

05:23 Key Presentations and AI Discussions

07:56 The Role of Synthetic Data in Insights

10:35 The Future of Insights and AI Integration

13:07 The Value of In-Person Events

15:58 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Keywords

CEO Summit, insights agency, networking, AI, synthetic data, in-person events, business transformation, insights industry, growth strategies, market research

In the second of our HOTSEAT 🔥episodes, it is Steve Henke's turn to be grilled by Paul Griffiths.

Steve talks about the advantages and disadvantages of the seller-doer model that many insight agencies employ. He goes on to give advice, tips and tricks that will mean you get your seller-doers to be as effective as possible in the way they approach sales and client engagement.

Key Takeaways:

• There's a balance in managing seller-doers between activity and results.
• A fully flushed out sales pipeline is crucial for effective management.
• Understanding each stage of the sales process is key.
• Knowing the next steps and probability of close is essential.
• Sales goals can be tracked through a clear sales pipeline.

In this special HOTSEAT 🔥 episode, Steve Henke puts Paul Griffiths through his paces!

Paul is grilled about the often overlooked importance of internal feedback within agencies. He highlights the irony that while agencies focus heavily on client feedback, they neglect to apply the same principles to their own operations.

Paul emphasizes that feedback is a valuable and cost-effective tool for agency growth and development.

Key Takeaways

• We're so busy thinking and talking about our clients, we just don't do it to ourselves.
• Feedback is a really easy way of getting input - it is almost free!
• Agencies need to harness feedback for growth.
• Neglecting internal feedback can hinder agency development.
• Understanding feedback can lead to better agency practices as well as growth.

Steve Henke and Paul Griffiths discuss the pros and cons of outsourcing sales and marketing functions for market research and insight agencies.

When is it beneficial to outsource, and when it is better to keep functions in-house?

They also discuss the importance of understanding the disadvantages of outsourcing, including costs and communication challenges, and the need for agencies to build their own capabilities over time.

Key Takeaways

• Outsourcing can provide immediate access to expertise.
• It's essential to evaluate the size and scale of your agency before outsourcing.
• SEO is a good candidate for outsourcing.
• Account management should not be outsourced to freelancers.
• Building internal capabilities for lead generation is crucial.
• Outsourcing can be expensive but may be efficient for specific tasks.
• Communication challenges can arise with outsourced teams.
• Outsourcing marketing can be beneficial if internal skills are lacking.
• Hiring agencies with industry knowledge is vital for effective outsourcing.
• Agencies should consider their long-term strategy when deciding to outsource.

In this episode, Steve Henke and Paul Griffiths discuss the critical aspects of key account management for insights agencies.

We explore the importance of building strong relationships with key clients, the challenges posed by relying on a few large clients, and the necessity of diversifying client bases.

Our conversation emphasizes the need for active account management strategies, accountability within agencies, and the significance of setting revenue targets for key accounts.

We also highlight effective strategies for maintaining client engagement and ensuring that agencies remain top of mind with their clients.

Takeaways

• Big clients are crucial for agency survival.
• Diversifying client bases is essential to mitigate risks.
• Key account management should focus on building multiple relationships within a client organization.
• Key account plans often end up unused; activation is key.
• Accountability in account management is vital for success.
• Revenue targets should be set for key accounts to drive growth.
• Cross-selling and upselling are effective strategies for account growth.
• Referral opportunities can significantly enhance client relationships.
• Regular engagement with clients is necessary to maintain relationships.
• CRM systems can help manage account activation processes effectively.

What do end-clients really want from their insight agencies?

As Across the Pond: How to Grow your Insight Agency launches Season 2, Steve Henke (Harpeth Marketing) and Paul Griffiths (Client Advocates) share their observations and advice for what insight agencies need to do, if they really want to deliver that their clients want. Crucially, based on real evidence, interviews and conversations they have had with end-clients.

20 minutes, if you are a leader, owner, commercially accountable person that you cannot afford not to listen to!

We asked our audience for questions. And they gave us some!

In Episode 10, as a Season 1 wrap-up, Paul Griffiths (Client Advocates) and Steve Henke (Harpeth Marketing) set themselves the challenge of answering questions from their audience... six questions, six opportunities to get advice and ideas about How to Grow your Insight Agency.

The questions:

• I'm an independent consultant with a very limited budget... what are my best marketing options?

• Beyond, "We need to grow by 10% next year," what are some tips for setting good sales goals?

• I know I need to post on LinkedIn 3-4x per week, but what can I post about that often that isn't salesy? And how do I come up with those ideas?

• What can an agency do, post-project, to keep engaging with a client?

• Do you think researchers can ever be good salespeople, and if so, how have you seen them do it?

• How can a small agency differentiate itself against larger agencies, with bigger marketing spend and resources?

If you want quick fire Q&A, this is the Across the Pond Episode for you...

In-person events and conferences are a rich and effective way of growing your insight agency.

But too often, the ROI on them is not realised. Poor prep, average focus on the day, no follow-up.

In Episode 9, Steve Henke (Harpeth Marketing) and Paul Griffiths (Client Advocates) give their advice and ideas about how to maximise the positive opportunities from in-person events.

If you or your team are heading out to a conference or event, or you are wondering if you should commit to involvement in one, then this is the Episode you need to listen to.

In-person = growth for insight agencies, if you do it right!

If you want to grow your insight agency, then the most obvious and immediate place to focus is with your existing clients.

But that doesn't mean it is straightforward or a given.

In Episode 8 of Across the Pond, Steve Henke (Harpeth Marketing) and Paul Griffiths (Client Advocates) give their ideas and advice about what is needed to win more work from existing clients.

Whether it is upsell, cross-sell or referral, Steve and Paul discuss how you can systematically approach managing your client relationships more effectively.

What are the most effective low cost or no cost marketing and sales activities you can implement as a leader growing your insight agency?

In this episode, Steve Henke (Harpeth Marketing) and Paul Griffiths (Client Advocates) discuss and suggest ways to boost your sales and marketing activities and impact - and they don't cost much, or indeed, anything at all!

Growth at no cost... What's not to love? And all in less than 20 mins.

If the insight industry could get three things for Christmas, what would they be?

In this Christmas special, Paul Griffiths from Client Advocates and Steve Henke from Harpeth Marketing talk about the things that they think they like to see the insight industry get from Santa Claus, to help with agency growth this festive season.

Amidst the references to Christmas carols and Paul's festive jumper (we can only apologise for both), get some ideas for what you, as an agency leader, should be thinking of when it comes to improving your marketing and sales activities and focus as we enter 2025.

Oh, and Merry Christmas!

How do you structure your marketing and sales teams to maximise the growth of your insight agency?

What's the optimal set-up that means that you get the most value from your marketing and sales activities and investment?

In Episode 5, Paul Griffiths and Steve Henke talk about what they have seen work well and how to make sure your brand building and sales activation are aligned and supporting each other. So that you get the greatest possible impact and value from both.

How do you encourage a more commercial culture in your market research and insight agency? How can you get more conversations going, to talk about sales and marketing, to promote a growth agenda?

In Episode 4, Steve Henke and Paul Griffiths talk about what they have seen work , to engender everyone in your research and insight agency to become more focused on the commercial agenda.

How do you make sure sales and marketing is a priority? What helps build familiarity and confidence in your colleagues? How can you encourage everyone in your agency to take some responsibility for engaging with prospects and clients?

Listen to find out!

In Episode 3 of Across the Pond, Steve Henke and Paul Griffiths debate how to most effectively differentiate your market research and insight agency's brand and proposition.

Can you? Should you? What not to do (!) and what works most effectively to create and communicate the difference between your insight agency and the competition; so that clients and prospects see the value you create and your agency grows.

In Episode 2 of Across the Pond, Steve Henke and Paul Griffiths discuss what the biggest marketing and sales challenges facing insight agencies are, right now.

They come up with suggestions and solutions for how insight leaders can deal with these, and ensure growth for their agencies.

In Episode 1 of Across the Pond, Steve Henke and Paul Griffiths talk about the three things leaders in insight agencies can do to before the end of the year to boost their growth.