“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

“Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you’d have preferred to talk.” – Doug Larson Listening and talking it seems is a dying art. A moribund form of communication, superseded by emails, text and tweets etc. both in a private and professional environment. I am from a generation brought up … Read More

It’s the age-old cliché – quality over quantity. In fact, it’s an analogy that can be applied to most walks of life, not least in the lead generation game. Perhaps more accurately, it’s important to achieve a balance when it comes to the quantity and quality of leads into a business. Traditional, perhaps more dated, … Read More

Cold calling continues to be a topic that divides opinion. For us, it forms the core element of our lead generation activity. However, it’s a concept that is often misunderstood, and one whereby a number of people still don’t fully understand the facts. One of the fundamental areas of misunderstanding, is how cold calling has … Read More

Relationship management is one of the most important aspects of any client-agency partnership. A clear line of communication, combined with transparency, honesty and mutual goals are essential if the agreement is to be a successful one, and any new business targets will be achieved. Whilst results are important, an overall understanding and a willingness to learn … Read More

What really matters to B2B customers? It is not always just about the rational in the buying process. People buying agency services may have a range of conscious and subconscious triggers and playing to these may give your agency the edge over another. But what are these and do B2B decisions really go through a … 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

It’s the Holy Grail.   Phoning someone just at the point they are reviewing or may be considering a new agency or indeed using an agency for the first time. If someone tells you that they can accurately predict this, take it with a pinch of salt or at least question their methodology or criteria. … Read More

What is a good value proposition? Our role in new business development is to help our clients define just that. It doesn’t matter if you are a creative, digital, research or any kind of agency, competition for business is rife and any prospective buyer of your services needs to be able to quickly identify the … Read More

15 years ago, when I was in my relative infancy as an Alchemis employee, I remember a great murmuring resonating through certain parts of the marketing industry and national press. An event was about to happen and its ramifications were so great that they were almost unthinkable to thousands of sales organisations across Britain… Companies … Read More