10 lessons on how to position your agency for growth by karla morales-lee

10 key lessons in how agencies can position for growth

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The agency brand expert Karla Morales-Lee

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ABOUT KARLA !!

Boss at strategic new business consultancy Hunter & Farmer.

!Passionate champion of the winning of new business being an art, not a

numbers game. !

Thought leader, speaker and writer on how creative companies can

position for growth. !

Creator of The UK Agency Awards & The Art of New Business.

What I do !

I help agencies create a brand that is compelling to the clients they wish to attract !

Process: positioning for growth !

Identify - articulate - market

Clients

“Your brand should be all about what makes you different and unique and why a customer should

buy you over the competition.” Peter Drucker

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Positioning lesson no.1 !

Have a guiding philosophy that underpins everything you do. !

A purpose acts as a ‘North Star’ guiding the business through inevitable change. It also gives the business a platform

for communication above and beyond the work.

!Positioning lesson no.2

!There is power in truth.

!“In a time of universal deceit telling the truth

is a revolutionary act.” George Orwell

!Positioning lesson no.3

!To be right for everyone, is to be right for no one.

!Be extremely specific about who your target audience is. This reduces the amount of time (and money) you spend

on pitching for projects you don’t want and can’t win.


A positioning isn’t something you create, it’s something you uncover.

!Step 1: assume nothing

!Step 2: research:

Internal stakeholders Market

Competitors Clients SWOT

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Look for a niche within why + how. !

(It is increasingly hard to sell what you do as scarce). !!

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Identify & articulate the ‘golden thread’ that connects everything you do.

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Leaders polarise. !

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“Most companies want to create the holy grail of products that appeal to every demographic,

socioeconomic background and geographic location. Doing so creates mediocrity. Instead, create segments

of products that make some people very happy. Fear not if these products make other segments unhappy.

The worst scenario is to incite no passionate reactions at all.” Guy Kawasaki


Show, don’t tell. !

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I’m brilliant Don’t be this guy


Sell what you know. !

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Visibility is everything. !

(If clients can’t find you, they can’t buy you). !!

Useful frameworks

INSIGHT Clients are bombarded by cold calls and unsolicited direct mail from

undifferentiated creative agencies. !

POSITIONING CONCEPT The agencies that are brands outperform the market

when it comes to the winning of new business

POSITIONING Agency brand expert

!POSITIONING STATEMENT (AN ORGANISING IDEA)

New business is an art, not a numbers game

POSITIONING FRAMEWORK !

(Using Hunter & Farmer as the example)

MARKETING FRAMEWORK !!

Illustrate Proven examples

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ORGANISING IDEA !!

Dramatise Expand Create a tribe/movement around it Put more thought around the idea

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Thank you! !

@karlahuntfarm [email protected]

!www.hunterandfarmer.com

www.theartofnewbusiness.com www.ukagencyawards.com

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