Business development in the agency world can be a pretty tough racket at times. It will often require the seller to convince the buyer to take a leap of faith. In many cases, you are effectively trying to put across the case for buying into a “new idea” and this may feel like a step … Read More

Well here we are in a new decade! I hope you are all feeling bright-eyed and bushy tailed after a significant period of relaxation over the Christmas break? And as is tradition at the start of a new year, I trust you all made some achievable resolutions to improve your lives in 2020? I made … Read More

It’s dark for well over an hour before I leave the office. Our local in Soho, The Spice of Life, seems a lot busier than usual with jovial office workers – even on a cold Monday night – as I pop in and wait for the worst of the rush hour crowds to ease before … Read More

Some recent research conducted by Verint Systems in partnership with Opinium Research has revealed a rather distressing trend that suggests both customer loyalty and retention rates are declining. This is based on a sample size of 34,000 consumers worldwide, so by no means an insignificant study. Apparently two thirds of those surveyed are more likely … Read More

We’ve finally reached that time of year… I’ve been watching the clock tick down and counting the days until it happens and at last it is upon us. No more delays. No turning back. Just a group of narcissistic ego-maniacs displaying no morals whatsoever and caring about nothing beyond their own self-preservation and financial gain. … Read More

I was intrigued to read about LG’s cunning plan to partially subsidise the cost of their new smart TVs by placing native ad units in the launch bar. The idea is that a user will click on the ad and either be directed to the advertised program, or to the app store to download the … Read More

Over the last 10 years or so, a significant proportion of the blogs that have been published on the Alchemis website have been tips and advice on the fundamentals of winning new business. If we break it down into three basic elements of that process it would broadly be: How to set meetings with marketing … Read More

“Uncertainty” is a word I think I’ve heard used more in the last three years than in the previous 43 that I’ve been on this planet. Not a day goes by now that I don’t see a headline or strapline informing me of the woes of the business world (well, the UK portion of it … Read More

There are a couple of frequently used adages that anyone in the commercial world will be familiar with: Time is money. You have to speculate to accumulate. Both are proved true time and again. However, linking both together would form what I like to call “The New Business Paradox.” (Note to self – register that … Read More

As anyone who may have read any previous blogs of mine might gather, I’ve been at Alchemis for a VERY long time. But prior to that – in the final 6 years of the last millennium in fact – I had a somewhat different role. I used to work in contract publishing. Not just any … Read More