<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" media="screen" href="/~d/styles/rss2full.xsl"?><?xml-stylesheet type="text/css" media="screen" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~d/styles/itemcontent.css"?><rss xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" xmlns:feedburner="http://rssnamespace.org/feedburner/ext/1.0" version="2.0">

<channel>
	<title>New Business Agency Blog from Alchemis</title>
	
	<link>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog</link>
	<description />
	<lastBuildDate>Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:37:14 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6</generator>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
			<atom10:link xmlns:atom10="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/alchemis" /><feedburner:info uri="alchemis" /><atom10:link xmlns:atom10="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" rel="hub" href="http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/" /><feedburner:emailServiceId>alchemis</feedburner:emailServiceId><feedburner:feedburnerHostname>http://feedburner.google.com</feedburner:feedburnerHostname><item>
		<title>Goodbyes are hard to do</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/alchemis/~3/JqrDrBSff8w/</link>
		<comments>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/goodbyes-hard/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:37:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Claudia</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Life at Alchemis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[branding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[e-commerce]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new business calling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new business managers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sales team]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/?p=467</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Tuesday 28th February 2006, that was my first day at Alchemis.
I was nervous; unsure of what was expected of me and whether I could deliver.
What would the people be like? Would I get on with them? Would they like me?
I needn’t have worried, because Alchemis turned out to be better than I could ever have [...]<p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/goodbyes-hard/">Goodbyes are hard to do</a> is a post from the <a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/">Alchemis New Business Blog</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Tuesday 28th February 2006, that was my first day at Alchemis.</p>
<p>I was nervous; unsure of what was expected of me and whether I could deliver.</p>
<p>What would the people be like? Would I get on with them? Would they like me?</p>
<p>I needn’t have worried, because Alchemis turned out to be better than I could ever have imagined.</p>
<p>The people were warm, my bosses were cool (almost like me) and they’d go out of their way to help you with any issues that you had. I could tell right away that they worked hard to create a comfortable, happy office environment where everyone wanted to do well and were well rewarded for it.</p>
<p>Actually, the support from my bosses and the team camaraderie is something that I will never forget about Alchemis and it’s what carried me through when I have been stressed or up against it.</p>
<p>I won’t lie to you - working for Alchemis can be challenging. You need to perform consistently and manage the needs of your clients, as well as deliver an effective campaign over the telephone that will win them new business. It can be stressful meeting your targets (especially when you have a day when everyone says &#8220;no&#8221;) but the sense of achievement that you get when you finally hit target is fantastic and you want to do it again and again.</p>
<p>In my 4 years and 9 months at Alchemis I have worked on a number of marketing services clients from PR and design right through to branding and eCommerce and what strikes me immediately is the shift from traditional marketing methods to online mediums. It literally seemed to happen overnight!</p>
<p>I’m thankful for the opportunity I had at Alchemis. Without it I would never have been able to take up my new job, working for a fashion eCommerce agency with international offices.</p>
<p>I’ll miss everyone &#8211;  the jokes, the laughter the support and the challenges.</p>
<p>Most of all, I’ll miss working with incredibly smart and talented people who I have go to know here.</p>
<p>Long live Alchemis, I’ll miss you…</p>
<p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/goodbyes-hard/">Goodbyes are hard to do</a> is a post from the <a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/">Alchemis New Business Blog</a></p>

	<h3>Related posts</h3>
	<ul class="st-related-posts">
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/new-business-executive-confessions-2/" title="True Confessions of a New Business Executive &#8211; Part 2 (24 November 2009)">True Confessions of a New Business Executive &#8211; Part 2</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/new-business-executive-confessions-1/" title="True Confessions of a New Business Executive &#8211; Part 1 (5 November 2009)">True Confessions of a New Business Executive &#8211; Part 1</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/training-for-the-mile/" title="Training for “The Mile” (to save face) (9 March 2010)">Training for “The Mile” (to save face)</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/importance-social-media-mobile-marketing/" title="The importance of social media and mobile marketing (23 February 2010)">The importance of social media and mobile marketing</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/evolution-of-viral-marketing/" title="The evolution of viral marketing (19 March 2010)">The evolution of viral marketing</a></li>
</ul>

<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=JqrDrBSff8w:S68Gz_i8NL0:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?i=JqrDrBSff8w:S68Gz_i8NL0:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=JqrDrBSff8w:S68Gz_i8NL0:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=JqrDrBSff8w:S68Gz_i8NL0:I9og5sOYxJI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?d=I9og5sOYxJI" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/alchemis/~4/JqrDrBSff8w" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss />
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/goodbyes-hard/</feedburner:origLink></item>
		<item>
		<title>Can researchers read minds?</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/alchemis/~3/j5WoOGa0Unk/</link>
		<comments>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/can-researchers-read-minds/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:03:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Market Trends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Media Commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[direct mail]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[direct marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[e-marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[market research]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/?p=465</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Do the lengths companies go to research consumer habits today have any limits? It would seem not! Working with a research client for over 3 years I’m fully aware of companies employing neuroscience as a method finding out what makes consumers tick, but this takes the biscuit.
Earlier this year Royal Mail commissioned Millward Brown and [...]<p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/can-researchers-read-minds/">Can researchers read minds?</a> is a post from the <a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/">Alchemis New Business Blog</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Do the lengths companies go to research consumer habits today have any limits? It would seem not! Working with a research client for over 3 years I’m fully aware of companies employing neuroscience as a method finding out what makes consumers tick, but this takes the biscuit.</p>
<p>Earlier this year Royal Mail commissioned Millward Brown and Academics at Bangor University to undertake a study to determine if the brain reacts differently to marketing messages delivered through direct mail in comparison to email campaigns. This was based on the assumption that consumers tend to engage more to physical objects that they would to an electronic format.</p>
<p>Participants were shown the same creative format in both digital and print. Following this a measurement of brain activity was taken in the MRI scanner to identify parts of the brain that show increased activity by imaging changes in the blood supply.</p>
<p>The research showed that certain parts of the brain were more active when given a piece of physical direct mail (you don’t say). So in short the research found that actually holding something in your hand is “a significantly more multi-sensory than marketing that appears online”.</p>
<p>The study concluded that “when a piece of DM was held and read by a participant, their reactions suggested that they were experiencing thought patterns similar to those the brain exhibits when processing memories and emotions. Other studies have shown that emotional processing can generate a positive response to brands and their messages, and enhanced levels of engagement. When someone engages with an emotional response through tangible material, it produces an enhanced recognition that can result in increased attention given to the brand in the future.”</p>
<p>This is all very interesting stuff and I agree that holding something in your hand will of course create a stronger response within the brain than looking at the same creative on your computer, but perhaps the next study should look at how we can promote the brain to pick it up and read it instead of chucking it in the bin in the first place?</p>
<p>Now there’s a thought.</p>
<p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/can-researchers-read-minds/">Can researchers read minds?</a> is a post from the <a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/">Alchemis New Business Blog</a></p>

	<h3>Related posts</h3>
	<ul class="st-related-posts">
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/labour-dm-campaign-targets-cancer-sufferers/" title="Labour’s direct marketing campaign targets cancer sufferers (20 April 2010)">Labour’s direct marketing campaign targets cancer sufferers</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/death-of-direct-marketing/" title="Is this the death of traditional direct marketing in Britain? (29 January 2010)">Is this the death of traditional direct marketing in Britain?</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/generating-new-business-email-vs-snailmail/" title="Generating new business – the email vs snailmail debate (25 March 2010)">Generating new business – the email vs snailmail debate</a></li>
</ul>

<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=j5WoOGa0Unk:b3zhQ4zzsO4:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?i=j5WoOGa0Unk:b3zhQ4zzsO4:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=j5WoOGa0Unk:b3zhQ4zzsO4:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=j5WoOGa0Unk:b3zhQ4zzsO4:I9og5sOYxJI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?d=I9og5sOYxJI" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/alchemis/~4/j5WoOGa0Unk" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss />
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/can-researchers-read-minds/</feedburner:origLink></item>
		<item>
		<title>Sales Team round up for July &amp; August and August bird catches the worm</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/alchemis/~3/QvTreJpHJPs/</link>
		<comments>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/sales-team-round-up-july-august-and-benefits-of-august-new-business-callinbird-gets-the-worm/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:18:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David Newman</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Life at Alchemis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Market Trends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[better sales results]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economic recovery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[football]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new business agency]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new business calling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new business generation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new business managers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new business opportunities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recession]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sales summary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sales team]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/?p=460</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Today is officially the last day of summer, though one could be forgiven for thinking it ended 4 weeks ago based on the weather we’ve been having. Next year, even if UK PLC is in the grip of a double-dip recession, British Airways cabin crew have elected Bob Crow as union Chief and Iceland looks [...]<p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/sales-team-round-up-july-august-and-benefits-of-august-new-business-callinbird-gets-the-worm/">Sales Team round up for July &#038; August and August bird catches the worm</a> is a post from the <a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/">Alchemis New Business Blog</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Today is officially the last day of summer, though one could be forgiven for thinking it ended 4 weeks ago based on the weather we’ve been having. Next year, even if UK PLC is in the grip of a double-dip recession, British Airways cabin crew have elected Bob Crow as union Chief and Iceland looks like it’s about to explode I suspect this August&#8217;s record of abysmal weather should hopefully mean the phrase “staycation” has had it’s day. I’m undecided as to whether this has been a price worth paying.</p>
<p>The Sales Team had much to live up to in July following a record June for quality new business meetings set. In the end we fell just short of June’s peak with a highly creditable performance that delivered the 2nd best set of results for the year so far. August has been storming though; we’ve bettered June to establish the best set of results for over 4 years.</p>
<p>I know that clients often ask whether August is a good month for new business prospecting and we’ve occasionally had a job convincing them that it is. Most people acknowledge that September-November is a great time for seeing prospects and picking up briefs and will see the benefit of laying the groundwork in August but I often hear “surely so many key decision makers are on holiday, getting through to people must be impossible?”.</p>
<p>This sounds logical but actually we enjoy a higher than average access rate (ratio of attempted calls to actual decision maker conversations) in August. For every Marketing Manager regretting their staycation (hoping this will be the last ever recorded usage of the term) on the soggy south coast there are half a dozen sat in an office but unable to progress full pelt because at least one cog in their wheel is being washed out on an English beach somewhere. Consequently they have the time to reflect on the year to date and what’s required as they approach the final quarter. Crucially, they also have time to take calls and talk to new agencies.</p>
<p>We find Marketing Decision Makers to be particularly frank around this time of year. Regardless of when their company’s financial year runs August seems to be a natural time to take stock of things, which is why so many agency reviews take place in the Autumn.</p>
<p>Prospects rarely criticise their incumbent overtly when they’re on the phone to us but we’re more likely to hear rumblings this time of year, which makes our job MUCH easier.</p>
<p>The irony is that many marketing agencies consider August to be a lost month and chose to take their holidays. The guys in the office holding the fort will be servicing clients and won’t have time to prospect for new business, which means many marketing agencies are missing out on a very fertile period for making new connections. This is where a New Business Agency that is working day-in, day-out on your behalf can be such an asset.</p>
<p>While many agencies have put their new business efforts on ice over the summer we have been very busy indeed. A quick analysis of meetings we have set show that 12% of the FTSE100 and 21 from Top 100 UK advertising spenders will be meeting clients of ours as a result of work over July &amp; August. Not bad considering most of the companies we target would fall just outside of these league tables.</p>
<p>July was also the month for momentous sporting events of course. The Alchemis Rounders Match on 9 July saw the company split into two teams, each under the captaincy of a Director. Three innings and much arguing later and my team emerged victorious. Some special mentions for:</p>
<p>John for volunteering to referee. To describe this role as a poisoned chalice would be a gross understatement. He was still taking stick for decisions made in the 2009 match so that took some courage.</p>
<p>Pete, Dan and Algie for the most outrageous act of cheating; over the course of one innings the distance between bases grew from 20 metres to 40 as they shuffled them further and further apart.</p>
<p>George for almost decapitating two of his colleagues with a wildly struck ball and Amanda and Claudia for bravely taking said baseball in the face in relatively good spirit.</p>
<p>The other sports event of note in July was the world cup. Much has been written about the mockery that unravelled in South Africa so I won’t comment further here but two guys who took more from the tournament than most are George and Richard who each earned a big night out with optional hotel for winning World Cup based team incentives.</p>
<p>So a great few months for Alchemis and our clients. Brilliant though August has been for the sales team I don’t expect the record to last until the end of the year. September to November is usually our strongest period so the challenge is to meet or beat August’ performance every month until December.</p>
<p>By the way, December can be a good month for similar reasons to August but there just aren’t enough working days to be breaking records for absolute performance numbers. Needless to say we we’ll be looking at setting a new high for productivity instead.</p>
<p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/sales-team-round-up-july-august-and-benefits-of-august-new-business-callinbird-gets-the-worm/">Sales Team round up for July &#038; August and August bird catches the worm</a> is a post from the <a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/">Alchemis New Business Blog</a></p>

	<h3>Related posts</h3>
	<ul class="st-related-posts">
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/new-business-executive-confessions-2/" title="True Confessions of a New Business Executive &#8211; Part 2 (24 November 2009)">True Confessions of a New Business Executive &#8211; Part 2</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/new-business-executive-confessions-1/" title="True Confessions of a New Business Executive &#8211; Part 1 (5 November 2009)">True Confessions of a New Business Executive &#8211; Part 1</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/training-for-the-mile/" title="Training for “The Mile” (to save face) (9 March 2010)">Training for “The Mile” (to save face)</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/top-5-tips-managing-first-new-business-meetings/" title="Top 5 tips on managing first meetings (18 June 2010)">Top 5 tips on managing first meetings</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/top-5-tips-business-development-strategy/" title="Top 5 tips for developing a new business strategy (8 June 2010)">Top 5 tips for developing a new business strategy</a></li>
</ul>

<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=QvTreJpHJPs:DvDK4zB8ZAc:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?i=QvTreJpHJPs:DvDK4zB8ZAc:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=QvTreJpHJPs:DvDK4zB8ZAc:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=QvTreJpHJPs:DvDK4zB8ZAc:I9og5sOYxJI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?d=I9og5sOYxJI" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/alchemis/~4/QvTreJpHJPs" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss />
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/sales-team-round-up-july-august-and-benefits-of-august-new-business-callinbird-gets-the-worm/</feedburner:origLink></item>
		<item>
		<title>Could Tottenham’s tactics open the new business floodgates for sponsorship deals?</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/alchemis/~3/ZnmFyP2_oFI/</link>
		<comments>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/opening-new-business-floodgates-for-sponsorship-deals/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:17:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Rob</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Market Trends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Media Commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[affiliate marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dearmrlevy.com]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[football]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing week]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new business agency]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new business generation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new business opportunities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sponsorship]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/?p=456</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Being a life-long West Ham fan, I read with a huge amount of resentment and bitterness about Tottenham’s latest cunning plan to make more money last week. Not content with having one sponsor, they’ve only gone and got themselves a second one – just for cup and European games.
Why didn’t West Ham think of that? [...]<p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/opening-new-business-floodgates-for-sponsorship-deals/">Could Tottenham’s tactics open the new business floodgates for sponsorship deals?</a> is a post from the <a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/">Alchemis New Business Blog</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Being a life-long West Ham fan, I read with a huge amount of resentment and bitterness about <a title="Marketing Week article on Spurs second sponsor" href="http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/3017111.article?cmpid=MWE01&amp;cmptype=newsletter">Tottenham’s latest cunning plan </a>to make more money last week. Not content with having one sponsor, they’ve only gone and got themselves a second one – just for cup and European games.</p>
<p>Why didn’t West Ham think of that? Aside from the fact that we’re not in Europe, will no doubt get knocked out of the Carling Cup by Oxford United tonight and possibly of the FA Cup by, hmmm… let’s say Bolton in the fourth round, it seems to be a pretty good idea to generate more revenue for clubs in these tough times for the beautiful game.</p>
<p>Realistically, this brainwave will mainly suit the bigger, more successful clubs as the additional sponsors would have to feel they were getting enough exposure for their money and therefore a decent run in these competitions. But why not extend the idea even further to have a separate sponsor for home and away kits?</p>
<p>Logic would dictate that this will result in one of the following outcomes:</p>
<p>either the floodgates will open for the marketing departments of companies not currently represented to get their brand names splashed across the kits of other top-flight clubs in some way, shape or form;</p>
<p>or existing sponsors will up their money to retain exclusivity across all competitions.</p>
<p>The other scenario is that brands won’t play ball at all – but I suspect the lure of all that publicity will be too great and there will always be someone who will jump in to fill their shoes.</p>
<p>And let’s not forget the replica kit sales – 4p to make, £40 to buy and now you not only need home and away, but also the limited edition Champions League, FA Cup and Carling Cup version. All revenue for these cash-strapped clubs!</p>
<p>Come to think of it, why stop at football – there are plenty of other televised sports to target too.</p>
<p>I suspect there will be a window of opportunity opening for affiliate marketers and sponsors following Tottenham’s tactics and my advice to agencies is to hit those phones now &#8211; or better still get the longest established (and best) new business agency to do it on your behalf!</p>
<p>PS – for any Spurs fans reading this, check out <a href="http://www.dearmrlevy.com">http://www.dearmrlevy.com</a> &#8211; it’s a cracking site.</p>
<p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/opening-new-business-floodgates-for-sponsorship-deals/">Could Tottenham’s tactics open the new business floodgates for sponsorship deals?</a> is a post from the <a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/">Alchemis New Business Blog</a></p>

	<h3>Related posts</h3>
	<ul class="st-related-posts">
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/top-5-tips-managing-first-new-business-meetings/" title="Top 5 tips on managing first meetings (18 June 2010)">Top 5 tips on managing first meetings</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/top-5-tips-business-development-strategy/" title="Top 5 tips for developing a new business strategy (8 June 2010)">Top 5 tips for developing a new business strategy</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/top-5-reasons-prospects-choose-new-agency/" title="Top 5 reasons why prospects choose to work with a new agency (13 August 2010)">Top 5 reasons why prospects choose to work with a new agency</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/new-business-presentation-tips/" title="Top 10 Tips for New Business Presentations (18 November 2009)">Top 10 Tips for New Business Presentations</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/business-generation-tips/" title="Top 10 Tips for Generating New Business (21 October 2009)">Top 10 Tips for Generating New Business</a></li>
</ul>

<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=ZnmFyP2_oFI:in3wwRnPmpk:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?i=ZnmFyP2_oFI:in3wwRnPmpk:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=ZnmFyP2_oFI:in3wwRnPmpk:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=ZnmFyP2_oFI:in3wwRnPmpk:I9og5sOYxJI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?d=I9og5sOYxJI" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/alchemis/~4/ZnmFyP2_oFI" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss />
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/opening-new-business-floodgates-for-sponsorship-deals/</feedburner:origLink></item>
		<item>
		<title>Top 5 reasons why prospects choose to work with a new agency</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/alchemis/~3/flnvtEvQ1RI/</link>
		<comments>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/top-5-reasons-prospects-choose-new-agency/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 13 Aug 2010 15:43:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Amanda Francis</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[New Business Advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[art of selling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[building relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business pitching]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business presentations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[case studies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[first meetings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new business generation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new business opportunities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new business strategy]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/?p=452</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[New business is an interesting space to be in at the moment; although if I&#8217;m honest, it&#8217;s been interesting for 23 years!
We have approximately 55 clients and a good proportion of these have won business this year, with fees totalling £3.5m so far. There is, however, a fine line between those who win business and [...]<p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/top-5-reasons-prospects-choose-new-agency/">Top 5 reasons why prospects choose to work with a new agency</a> is a post from the <a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/">Alchemis New Business Blog</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>New business is an interesting space to be in at the moment; although if I&#8217;m honest, it&#8217;s been interesting for 23 years!</p>
<p>We have approximately 55 clients and a good proportion of these have won business this year, with fees totalling £3.5m so far. There is, however, a fine line between those who win business and those who don&#8217;t, particularly in this climate.</p>
<p>Setting the meeting with the right person at the right time is our job, but maximising the opportunity is obviously the responsibility of our clients. Our approach on the phone tends to focus on a rational sell (relevant experience, case studies, size and location of the agency we&#8217;re representing etc). The meeting itself then tends to be more about the emotional part of the sell (chemistry, trust etc) as well as the reiteration of the experience.</p>
<p>So, based on our experiences this year (and in no particular order), here are our top 5 reasons why prospects are prepared to give out a brief or an opportunity at a cold meeting:</p>
<p>1. A willingness to listen to the prospect&#8217;s priorities and challenges</p>
<p>2. A demonstration of flexibility of approach and potential solution</p>
<p>3. A clear and simple proposition with absolute relevance to the prospect</p>
<p>4. A desire and hunger to work with the prospect</p>
<p>5. A Trojan Horse such as an audit or workshop</p>
<p>Do you have any others to add?</p>
<p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/top-5-reasons-prospects-choose-new-agency/">Top 5 reasons why prospects choose to work with a new agency</a> is a post from the <a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/">Alchemis New Business Blog</a></p>

	<h3>Related posts</h3>
	<ul class="st-related-posts">
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/agency-collaboration-in-todays-markets/" title="What does agency collaboration mean in today’s markets? (4 March 2010)">What does agency collaboration mean in today’s markets?</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/top-5-tips-managing-first-new-business-meetings/" title="Top 5 tips on managing first meetings (18 June 2010)">Top 5 tips on managing first meetings</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/top-5-tips-business-development-strategy/" title="Top 5 tips for developing a new business strategy (8 June 2010)">Top 5 tips for developing a new business strategy</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/new-business-presentation-tips/" title="Top 10 Tips for New Business Presentations (18 November 2009)">Top 10 Tips for New Business Presentations</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/business-generation-tips/" title="Top 10 Tips for Generating New Business (21 October 2009)">Top 10 Tips for Generating New Business</a></li>
</ul>

<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=flnvtEvQ1RI:xKjcurVARvU:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?i=flnvtEvQ1RI:xKjcurVARvU:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=flnvtEvQ1RI:xKjcurVARvU:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=flnvtEvQ1RI:xKjcurVARvU:I9og5sOYxJI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?d=I9og5sOYxJI" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/alchemis/~4/flnvtEvQ1RI" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss />
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/top-5-reasons-prospects-choose-new-agency/</feedburner:origLink></item>
		<item>
		<title>Just as we get our heads around the idea of eCommerce…</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/alchemis/~3/4-RWIx_VLc4/</link>
		<comments>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/social-ecommerce/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 10 Aug 2010 12:04:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Claudia</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Market Trends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Media Commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[digital marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[e-commerce]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing week]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social e-commerce]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/?p=448</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I read an article in Marketing Week recently which explored the new buzzword of digital marketing, ‘Social eCommerce’.
Social eCommerce is the integration of eCommerce and social media and it’s a movement that has really taken off in the past few months. However, I do wonder whether this concept has been introduced to the digital mix too [...]<p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/social-ecommerce/">Just as we get our heads around the idea of eCommerce…</a> is a post from the <a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/">Alchemis New Business Blog</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I read an <a title="social commerce is where it's at" href="http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/disciplines/digital/forget-e-commerce-social-commerce-is-where-its-at/3016388.article">article in Marketing Week</a> recently which explored the new buzzword of digital marketing, ‘Social eCommerce’.</p>
<p>Social eCommerce is the integration of eCommerce and social media and it’s a movement that has really taken off in the past few months. However, I do wonder whether this concept has been introduced to the digital mix too soon, especially at a time when some retailers have not even mastered the art of providing good transactional sites and many websites still remain difficult to navigate and fail to entice customers to buy their products.</p>
<p>Amazon is one of the first companies to embrace social eCommerce and they have definitely earned that right, as advocators of the eCommerce explosion.</p>
<p>So what have Amazon actually done?</p>
<p>Amazon has launched a new program that lets shoppers access their Facebook pages directly through Amazon.com. The program allows them to receive personalised movies, music and book recommendations based on the preferences listed within their profiles on the social networking site. The application also keeps track of friend’s birthdays and can automatically provide you with gift suggestions based on their listed preferences.</p>
<p>Amazon, sensing the backlash about privacy, has already promised not to share information with Facebook or any outside sources. However, despite this promise, there still seems to be scepticism about other companies going down this route and it remains to be seen how popular this new feature will be.</p>
<p>Whatever the cost, brands in this day and age need to be continuously demonstrating that they are moving with the times and this is probably why Amazon have been prepared to take the risk.</p>
<p>Please let us know if any of you have had any experiences with social eCommerce and whether you feel it will take off.</p>
<p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/social-ecommerce/">Just as we get our heads around the idea of eCommerce…</a> is a post from the <a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/">Alchemis New Business Blog</a></p>

	<h3>Related posts</h3>
	<ul class="st-related-posts">
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/perils-of-social-media-marketing/" title="Walking the fine line of social media marketing (4 August 2010)">Walking the fine line of social media marketing</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/social-marketing-generate-voters/" title="Using social marketing to generate new voters (9 April 2010)">Using social marketing to generate new voters</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/importance-social-media-mobile-marketing/" title="The importance of social media and mobile marketing (23 February 2010)">The importance of social media and mobile marketing</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/data-accuracy-wins-new-business/" title="The Importance of Data Accuracy in Winning New Business (17 December 2009)">The Importance of Data Accuracy in Winning New Business</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/rollercoaster-marketing-budgets/" title="The coalition, the goal that never was, rollercoaster marketing budgets &#8211; Nostradamus would struggle with 2010! (20 July 2010)">The coalition, the goal that never was, rollercoaster marketing budgets &#8211; Nostradamus would struggle with 2010!</a></li>
</ul>

<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=4-RWIx_VLc4:H6HhunT0680:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?i=4-RWIx_VLc4:H6HhunT0680:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=4-RWIx_VLc4:H6HhunT0680:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=4-RWIx_VLc4:H6HhunT0680:I9og5sOYxJI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?d=I9og5sOYxJI" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/alchemis/~4/4-RWIx_VLc4" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss />
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/social-ecommerce/</feedburner:origLink></item>
		<item>
		<title>Walking the fine line of social media marketing</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/alchemis/~3/EssYZx7P2HU/</link>
		<comments>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/perils-of-social-media-marketing/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:14:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Rob</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Media Commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[digital marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new media age]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sales promotion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[the independent]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/?p=447</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The news that Lean Mean Fighting Machine has lost the Coca Cola account after it’s Dr Pepper social media marketing campaign put a reference to “2 girls one cup” (I won’t put a link to that here!) on the Facebook page of a 14 year-old girl shows the pitfalls of a medium where the brand [...]<p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/perils-of-social-media-marketing/">Walking the fine line of social media marketing</a> is a post from the <a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/">Alchemis New Business Blog</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The news that Lean Mean Fighting Machine has <a title="new media age article" href="http://www.nma.co.uk/3016303.article?cmpid=NMAE01&amp;cmptype=newsletter">lost the Coca Cola account </a>after it’s Dr Pepper social media marketing campaign put a reference to “2 girls one cup” (I won’t put a link to that here!) on the Facebook page of a 14 year-old girl shows the pitfalls of a medium where the brand owner loses a certain amount of control in the direction that a campaign can take.</p>
<p>Before the days of interactive marketing, a brand would commission its agency to produce work that was carefully monitored and signed off at every stage and then released to the world. There would be the occasional blunder – anyone remember the<a title="the independent's article about hoover's ill-fated airmiles promotion" href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/sucker-punch-to-free-rides-hoovers-illfated-flight-of-fancy-has-dealt-a-fresh-blow-to-the-image-of-sales-promotions-chris-blackhurst-and-russell-hotten-report-1453279.html"> Hoover Airmiles sales promotion </a>offer during the recession of the early nineties? – but on the whole, it was the brand rather than the agency that was holding the reins.</p>
<p>Whilst the development of technology has allowed brands to communicate with consumers in exciting new ways and at relatively low cost, the sheer speed and scale at which these campaigns can gather pace (and notoriety) shows how the brand can go from hero to villain in an instant.</p>
<p>Agencies know that they sometimes need to push the boundaries to give the brands they represent the edge over competitors but, as LMFM found out to their cost, it can be a very fine line between what the intended target audience, people outside this (as was the case here) and the brand owners themselves find humours or horrific.</p>
<p>How ironic the old Dr Pepper slogan of “so misunderstood” must seem now &#8211; but maybe not so much as “What’s the worst that could happen?”… Well, you could lose a multi-million pound account.</p>
<p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/perils-of-social-media-marketing/">Walking the fine line of social media marketing</a> is a post from the <a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/">Alchemis New Business Blog</a></p>

	<h3>Related posts</h3>
	<ul class="st-related-posts">
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/social-marketing-generate-voters/" title="Using social marketing to generate new voters (9 April 2010)">Using social marketing to generate new voters</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/importance-social-media-mobile-marketing/" title="The importance of social media and mobile marketing (23 February 2010)">The importance of social media and mobile marketing</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/rollercoaster-marketing-budgets/" title="The coalition, the goal that never was, rollercoaster marketing budgets &#8211; Nostradamus would struggle with 2010! (20 July 2010)">The coalition, the goal that never was, rollercoaster marketing budgets &#8211; Nostradamus would struggle with 2010!</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/labour-diy-over-easter/" title="Labour tries a spot of DIY over the Easter weekend (9 April 2010)">Labour tries a spot of DIY over the Easter weekend</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/social-ecommerce/" title="Just as we get our heads around the idea of eCommerce… (10 August 2010)">Just as we get our heads around the idea of eCommerce…</a></li>
</ul>

<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=EssYZx7P2HU:dmSPgyNka6Y:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?i=EssYZx7P2HU:dmSPgyNka6Y:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=EssYZx7P2HU:dmSPgyNka6Y:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=EssYZx7P2HU:dmSPgyNka6Y:I9og5sOYxJI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?d=I9og5sOYxJI" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/alchemis/~4/EssYZx7P2HU" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss />
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/perils-of-social-media-marketing/</feedburner:origLink></item>
		<item>
		<title>Pinocchiogate part 2</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/alchemis/~3/oDxcMRhdcj0/</link>
		<comments>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/pinocchiogate-part-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:02:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Rob</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Media Commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[branding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[the daily telegraph]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[the drum magazine]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/?p=445</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[After taking the trouble of going to court to sue Michael O’Leary for saying that he lied about easyJet&#8217;s punctuality rates, Stelios Haji-Ioannou has only gone and published a letter on the easyGroup website threatening to terminate easyJet’s brand license – unless they improve their punctuality rate within 90 days. Perhaps Michael O’Leary can go to [...]<p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/pinocchiogate-part-2/">Pinocchiogate part 2</a> is a post from the <a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/">Alchemis New Business Blog</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>After taking the trouble of going to court to sue Michael O’Leary for saying that he lied about easyJet&#8217;s punctuality rates, Stelios Haji-Ioannou has only gone and published a letter on the easyGroup website threatening to <a title="daily telegraph article on removal of the easyJet brand name" href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/epic/ezj/7901778/Sir-Stelios-Haji-Ioannou-threatens-to-remove-easy-name-in-easyJet-battle.html">terminate easyJet’s brand license </a>– unless they improve their punctuality rate within 90 days. Perhaps Michael O’Leary can go to the court of appeal with a view to downgrading his “unreserved apology” to maybe “just being a little bit sorry”.</p>
<p>In my<a title="pinocchiogate blog" href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/pinocchiogate/"> last blog</a>, I complained about suffering at the hands of easyJet (and Ryanair) on many occasions over the years. If they haven’t managed to improve punctuality (or customer service) over 10 years, doing it within 90 days could be a tall order.</p>
<p>Therefore I can see an opportunity for a few branding agencies to come up with something punchy and effective to reflect “the brand soon to be formerly known as easyJet’s” ethos.</p>
<p>My initial suggestion would be AreWeThereYetJet. (unfortunately not) but I’m sure that the talented copywriters who enter The Drum magazine’s <a title="link to 2010 chip shop awards" href="http://www.chipshopawards.com/nominations/archive/2010/">Chip Shop Awards </a>could come up with a few crackers.</p>
<p>Anyone else got any suggestions?</p>
<p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/pinocchiogate-part-2/">Pinocchiogate part 2</a> is a post from the <a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/">Alchemis New Business Blog</a></p>

	<h3>Related posts</h3>
	<ul class="st-related-posts">
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/importance-social-media-mobile-marketing/" title="The importance of social media and mobile marketing (23 February 2010)">The importance of social media and mobile marketing</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/evolution-of-viral-marketing/" title="The evolution of viral marketing (19 March 2010)">The evolution of viral marketing</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/goodbyes-hard/" title="Goodbyes are hard to do (7 September 2010)">Goodbyes are hard to do</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/colour-of-year/" title="Colour of the year (16 February 2010)">Colour of the year</a></li>
</ul>

<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=oDxcMRhdcj0:XQ2dlc6L32o:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?i=oDxcMRhdcj0:XQ2dlc6L32o:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=oDxcMRhdcj0:XQ2dlc6L32o:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=oDxcMRhdcj0:XQ2dlc6L32o:I9og5sOYxJI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?d=I9og5sOYxJI" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/alchemis/~4/oDxcMRhdcj0" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss />
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/pinocchiogate-part-2/</feedburner:origLink></item>
		<item>
		<title>Good work if you can get it!</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/alchemis/~3/2aFNEfNhGUs/</link>
		<comments>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/long-term-client-relationships/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Jul 2010 09:10:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jim Piper</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Media Commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New Business Advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[building relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[evening standard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new business managers]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/?p=442</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Gideon Spanier highlighted in the Evening Standard on 19th July that the most successful creative agencies were built on long-term client relationships.
 The focus was on the advertising industry and cited example agency/client relationships such as AMV and Sainsbury’s (30 years plus), DDB and Volkswagen (50 years plus) and JWT and Shell (47 years). These large [...]<p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/long-term-client-relationships/">Good work if you can get it!</a> is a post from the <a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/">Alchemis New Business Blog</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Gideon Spanier highlighted in the <a title="what's the secret of a long term relationship in advertising" href="http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/markets/article-23857572-whats-the-secret-of-a-long-term-relationship-in-advertising.do">Evening Standard on 19th July</a> that the most successful creative agencies were built on long-term client relationships.</p>
<p> The focus was on the advertising industry and cited example agency/client relationships such as AMV and Sainsbury’s (30 years plus), DDB and Volkswagen (50 years plus) and JWT and Shell (47 years). These large agencies don’t fit the Alchemis client base profile, but it is interesting to view the reasons why these relationships have withstood the test of time. The usual statements and parallels are made – “The secret of success is as simple and as hard as in marriage” (Stephen Woodford – Chief Executive of DDB). Cilla Snowball (what a fantastic surname!) of AMV says “the relationship, the work and the output have to be bigger than the individuals at any point in time”. Nigel Bogle of BBH said of the departure of the Levi’s account that it felt like “your arm has been cut off”.</p>
<p> These are all the things a client of any agency would want to hear, but what does it actually mean? Of course you work hard for your clients and losing one is a painful experience. Whilst it is not common at Alchemis, we do lose clients from time to time, and it is gut wrenching when it happens. However, reading between these slightly clichéd comments, the article, in fact, does capture the essence of a strong working relationship which applies to the Alchemis/Client relationship as well. An open, honest approach with constant evaluation and evolution is fundamental. An agency should never get complacent. There are numerous others out there with enthusiasm and fresh ideas waiting to grab that account, so you need to stay focused and constantly supply innovative, quality output. However, therein lies the opportunity. “The average client-agency relationship is only four and a half years” highlights Snowball. With the scale of creative requirement in the UK, that means opportunities for our clients. If incumbents get complacent, don’t quite deliver as they have before, or the company requires a new approach/change in direction and a new way of communicating, we need to ensure that our clients are in place to win that business and that is what Alchemis is good at. We have the tools and processes plus high quality New Business Managers to ensure that we are speaking to those prospects at the right time.</p>
<p> I don’t want to sound too sceptical, but I do think the article needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. These 30 year plus relationships are great and show that the agencies involved must be producing quality output. However, these are “glamour” accounts. There is no doubt that the agency will ensure involvement from the top level. These clients will win that agency new business and as a result don’t want to be lost at any cost. However, is that the case for all of the clients under that agency banner? With independently owned and run companies, senior (owner) level involvement is the norm on each and every account. Livelihoods depend on it. That is the case for 99.9% of Alchemis clients (and most other small to medium sized agencies), but it really is something that prospects like to hear when being courted by a new agency.</p>
<p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/long-term-client-relationships/">Good work if you can get it!</a> is a post from the <a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/">Alchemis New Business Blog</a></p>

	<h3>Related posts</h3>
	<ul class="st-related-posts">
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/agency-collaboration-in-todays-markets/" title="What does agency collaboration mean in today’s markets? (4 March 2010)">What does agency collaboration mean in today’s markets?</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/new-business-executive-confessions-2/" title="True Confessions of a New Business Executive &#8211; Part 2 (24 November 2009)">True Confessions of a New Business Executive &#8211; Part 2</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/new-business-executive-confessions-1/" title="True Confessions of a New Business Executive &#8211; Part 1 (5 November 2009)">True Confessions of a New Business Executive &#8211; Part 1</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/training-for-the-mile/" title="Training for “The Mile” (to save face) (9 March 2010)">Training for “The Mile” (to save face)</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/top-5-tips-managing-first-new-business-meetings/" title="Top 5 tips on managing first meetings (18 June 2010)">Top 5 tips on managing first meetings</a></li>
</ul>

<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=2aFNEfNhGUs:pQqMkMprFFo:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?i=2aFNEfNhGUs:pQqMkMprFFo:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=2aFNEfNhGUs:pQqMkMprFFo:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=2aFNEfNhGUs:pQqMkMprFFo:I9og5sOYxJI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?d=I9og5sOYxJI" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/alchemis/~4/2aFNEfNhGUs" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss />
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/long-term-client-relationships/</feedburner:origLink></item>
		<item>
		<title>Don’t take no for an answer – a case study in the right approach, busting a gut, tenacity and great results!</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/alchemis/~3/RT5feJSrfac/</link>
		<comments>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/tenacious-approach-to-win-new-business/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Jul 2010 09:04:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jim Piper</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[New Business Advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[building relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business pitching]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business presentations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[case studies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[collateral]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[first meetings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new business opportunities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new business strategy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[objection handling]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/?p=438</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We all know new business is tough, yet it remains essential to the survival and growth of any successful agency. There are various ways of going out and getting it, but Alchemis are experts in the cold calling channel to find and create genuinely new opportunities. We’ll put you in front of the right people [...]<p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/tenacious-approach-to-win-new-business/">Don’t take no for an answer – a case study in the right approach, busting a gut, tenacity and great results!</a> is a post from the <a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/">Alchemis New Business Blog</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>We all know new business is tough, yet it remains essential to the survival and growth of any successful agency. There are various ways of going out and getting it, but Alchemis are experts in the cold calling channel to find and create genuinely new opportunities. We’ll put you in front of the right people with the right budgets &#8211; it is then over to you.</p>
<p>Good new business development opportunities are hard to find. One thing is for certain though &#8211; if you think going on meetings and then sitting back and waiting for those briefs to come in is what happens, then you will be disappointed. All meetings should be followed up with a good contact strategy, which is stuck to. A proportion of meetings our clients go on will result in immediate opportunities, but by their very nature, if briefs are on the table, they are likely to be competitive.</p>
<p>How many times have you heard “we have an agency in place”? Rather than look on this as a negative, any company with an agency in place should be viewed as an opportunity &#8211; they have work and they have a confirmed budget. The next challenge is how to ensure you get a piece of their marketing pie.</p>
<p>You really need to maximise any new business opportunity you get to ensure you give the process every chance of being successful. We give realistic expectations that any return on investment is likely to take as long as six to twelve months or potentially longer, depending on your discipline and offer.</p>
<p>However, that does not have to be the case if you are prepared to take a few risks. We have recently started working with a creative agency. In reality, they don’t have a real USP. There is just great work, strong case studies and a really positive outlook (that description fits the vast majority of our client base). We are only three months into the campaign but only last week we received confirmation that the first meeting has converted into business.</p>
<p>This is rare, but the story behind this win is fantastic in illustrating what can be achieved. The prospect had agencies in place. However, the client in question really used that initial meeting to dig into the prospect’s problems, ambitions and requirements. Using that understanding, they pressed the prospect to allow them to present some ideas relating to their next project (despite being told that this was tied up with the current agency). They bit the bullet and invested time (and money) in photo shoots and creative work, whilst continually speaking to the prospect. The end result was the work they produced wowed the client and they are now undertaking the project in full (and being paid).</p>
<p>In reality, this is not always going to be the case and we certainly wouldn’t advocate this sort of effort in every instance. We know you have active, paying clients to service. However, where the prospect potential is right, the chemistry is right and you know you could do a better job than the existing agency, it is well worth thinking about what you could do to force their hand and get a foot in the door. In a number of cases, it will be a risk worth taking.</p>
<p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/tenacious-approach-to-win-new-business/">Don’t take no for an answer – a case study in the right approach, busting a gut, tenacity and great results!</a> is a post from the <a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/">Alchemis New Business Blog</a></p>

	<h3>Related posts</h3>
	<ul class="st-related-posts">
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/agency-collaboration-in-todays-markets/" title="What does agency collaboration mean in today’s markets? (4 March 2010)">What does agency collaboration mean in today’s markets?</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/top-5-tips-managing-first-new-business-meetings/" title="Top 5 tips on managing first meetings (18 June 2010)">Top 5 tips on managing first meetings</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/top-5-tips-business-development-strategy/" title="Top 5 tips for developing a new business strategy (8 June 2010)">Top 5 tips for developing a new business strategy</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/top-5-reasons-prospects-choose-new-agency/" title="Top 5 reasons why prospects choose to work with a new agency (13 August 2010)">Top 5 reasons why prospects choose to work with a new agency</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/new-business-presentation-tips/" title="Top 10 Tips for New Business Presentations (18 November 2009)">Top 10 Tips for New Business Presentations</a></li>
</ul>

<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=RT5feJSrfac:C6KfPJWkpJY:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?i=RT5feJSrfac:C6KfPJWkpJY:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=RT5feJSrfac:C6KfPJWkpJY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=RT5feJSrfac:C6KfPJWkpJY:I9og5sOYxJI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?d=I9og5sOYxJI" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/alchemis/~4/RT5feJSrfac" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss />
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/tenacious-approach-to-win-new-business/</feedburner:origLink></item>
		<item>
		<title>The coalition, the goal that never was, rollercoaster marketing budgets – Nostradamus would struggle with 2010!</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/alchemis/~3/U0IrGPaV8OA/</link>
		<comments>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/rollercoaster-marketing-budgets/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Jul 2010 09:25:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jim Piper</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Market Trends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Media Commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bellwether report]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[digital marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economic recovery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[election]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ipa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new business agency]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recession]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sales promotion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[the guardian]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/?p=433</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[2010 has been interesting for a number of political, sporting and other factors. However, Alchemis is focused on advertising and marketing and the Guardian article (July 12th) was a great sanity check as it mirrors our experiences over the first half of 2010.
The article focuses on the recent Bellwether report, published by the Institute of [...]<p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/rollercoaster-marketing-budgets/">The coalition, the goal that never was, rollercoaster marketing budgets &#8211; Nostradamus would struggle with 2010!</a> is a post from the <a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/">Alchemis New Business Blog</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>2010 has been interesting for a number of political, sporting and other factors. However, Alchemis is focused on advertising and marketing and the <a title="bellwether report on advertising budgets article" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jul/12/bellwether-report-advertising-budgets">Guardian article (July 12th)</a> was a great sanity check as it mirrors our experiences over the first half of 2010.</p>
<p>The article focuses on the recent Bellwether report, published by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising. It has found that one in five companies cut annual advertising spend between April and June. This compares with 15% that said spend was increased.</p>
<p>It was as recent as Quarter One when the report announced that more UK companies raised their marketing budgets than cut them for the first time in two-and-a-half years.</p>
<p>Advertising took a knock, although big events such as the World Cup meant the dip in this area was not as significant as it could have been. Sales promotion was hit very hard, with the report recording “the third fastest downgrade to spending on the sales promotion sector in the Bellwether survey&#8217;s history”</p>
<p>It is not all doom and gloom. For those in the digital sector spend went up, although at a very slow rate. Internet advertising continued to grow, with social media remaining a major focus. With ROI crucial, digital media’s measurability is very appealing to company bean counters.</p>
<p>Despite all of this, as a new business agency, we (and our clients) should latch onto Rory Sutherland’s (IPA President) comments &#8211; &#8220;Although this indicates a less optimistic picture than previously thought for this year, marketing spend is still set to increase.&#8221;</p>
<p>In fact, we are optimistic at Alchemis. As I mention above, our experiences have mirrored the positive first quarter followed by a slower second quarter with the digital sector remaining the growth area. We, and our clients, entered 2010 with a bang. New briefs were plentiful and outstanding proposals suddenly got the green light. We had a record quarter for clients converting business in all disciplines. The feeling from the market and our clients felt positive. Companies and marketing departments had stuck two fingers up to the recession and the combined efforts of Alchemis and our clients over the last hard 12 months were paying dividends.</p>
<p>Quarter Two did see a dip, although in fact, there were and are still lots of opportunities out there for small to medium sized agencies and results from the second quarter still smashed the figures from 2009. I am not an economist, but there is no doubt in my mind that the uncertainty both before and following the election was a factor. Those are out of the way now and the one thing that has not waned is the number of marketing professionals who have wanted to meet new agencies. We have set record numbers of meetings in May and June. If times are tough, you need to look at quality, cost-effective solutions. I’ve waxed lyrical about it before, but our client base of small to medium sized agencies offer exactly that and the market is really open to approaches from them.</p>
<p>There is still much uncertainty out there and whilst commentators will have their opinion, what happens next is anyone’s guess. However, we know that you will need to be prepared for both a down or upturn. If your current clients cut their budgets, you need to have irons in the fire with new business. If, as we all hope, the second quarter dip is short lived, you want to make sure that you have got the introductions out of the way before those budgets are released and allocated.</p>
<p>The Lib-Cons will be there for a while yet, Germany has beaten us again, but who knows what the rest of 2010 will bring? All I know is that everyone in agency land needs to be prepared for any eventuality.</p>
<p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/rollercoaster-marketing-budgets/">The coalition, the goal that never was, rollercoaster marketing budgets &#8211; Nostradamus would struggle with 2010!</a> is a post from the <a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/">Alchemis New Business Blog</a></p>

	<h3>Related posts</h3>
	<ul class="st-related-posts">
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/perils-of-social-media-marketing/" title="Walking the fine line of social media marketing (4 August 2010)">Walking the fine line of social media marketing</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/social-marketing-generate-voters/" title="Using social marketing to generate new voters (9 April 2010)">Using social marketing to generate new voters</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/price-pay/" title="There’s always a price to pay! (13 April 2010)">There’s always a price to pay!</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/importance-social-media-mobile-marketing/" title="The importance of social media and mobile marketing (23 February 2010)">The importance of social media and mobile marketing</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/sales-team-round-up-july-august-and-benefits-of-august-new-business-callinbird-gets-the-worm/" title="Sales Team round up for July &#038; August and August bird catches the worm (31 August 2010)">Sales Team round up for July &#038; August and August bird catches the worm</a></li>
</ul>

<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=U0IrGPaV8OA:IK9Z38n7x1g:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?i=U0IrGPaV8OA:IK9Z38n7x1g:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=U0IrGPaV8OA:IK9Z38n7x1g:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=U0IrGPaV8OA:IK9Z38n7x1g:I9og5sOYxJI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?d=I9og5sOYxJI" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/alchemis/~4/U0IrGPaV8OA" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss />
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/rollercoaster-marketing-budgets/</feedburner:origLink></item>
		<item>
		<title>Pinocchiogate</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/alchemis/~3/bcHnEd_0jYA/</link>
		<comments>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/pinocchiogate/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 16 Jul 2010 13:52:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Rob</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Media Commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[customer relationship management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[evening standard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public relations]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/?p=428</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[From a customer&#8217;s point of view, I had a certain amount of satisfaction reading about the outcome of the &#8220;Pinocchiogate&#8221; court case this week. I&#8217;m sure you would have heard it in the news, but the topline is that Ryanair ran some advertising in the press featuring Stelios Haji-Ioannou with a long Pinocchio nose and [...]<p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/pinocchiogate/">Pinocchiogate</a> is a post from the <a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/">Alchemis New Business Blog</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>From a customer&#8217;s point of view, I had a certain amount of satisfaction reading about the outcome of the <a title="Ryanair boss says sorry to easyJet's Stelios" href="http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23856413-ryanair-boss-says-sorry-to-easyjets-stelios-with-pound-150000.do">&#8220;Pinocchiogate&#8221; court case</a> this week. I&#8217;m sure you would have heard it in the news, but the topline is that Ryanair ran some advertising in the press featuring Stelios Haji-Ioannou with a long Pinocchio nose and implying that Easyjet flights are usually late which is why they had not updated the &#8220;flights arriving on time&#8221; statistics on their website.</p>
<p>Having suffered numerous delays and other perceived injustices at the hands of both of these airlines more times than I would care to remember, the publicity surrounding this case made me smile for the following reasons:</p>
<p>Firstly, Michael O&#8217;Leary had to apologise &#8220;unreservedly&#8221; to Stelios for the slander (and pay him £50K plus court costs). That must be the first time Mr O&#8217;Leary has said sorry to anyone who has been wronged by Ryanair without adding words to the effect of &#8220;we&#8217;re the cheapest airline and Europe, so like it or lump it&#8221;. Must have been pretty hard for him to get those words out of his throat without choking I would imagine.</p>
<p>Secondly, even though Stelios won the court case, there may be a certain amount of negative publicity generated by the whole affair with people thinking &#8220;no smoke without fire&#8221; concerning Easyjet&#8217;s punctuality. My personal experience with them is that if you get the first flight of the day at 6am you&#8217;re generally going to arrive at your destination on time. If you get a flight in the evening though, well that&#8217;s another matter.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m now eagerly awaiting the next stage of their public relations war with bated breath.</p>
<p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/pinocchiogate/">Pinocchiogate</a> is a post from the <a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/">Alchemis New Business Blog</a></p>

	<h3>Related posts</h3>
	<ul class="st-related-posts">
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/data-accuracy-wins-new-business/" title="The Importance of Data Accuracy in Winning New Business (17 December 2009)">The Importance of Data Accuracy in Winning New Business</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/public-relations-revolution/" title="Renaissance, Rebirth, Revival &#8211; The Public Relations Revolution (1 April 2010)">Renaissance, Rebirth, Revival &#8211; The Public Relations Revolution</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/labour-dm-campaign-targets-cancer-sufferers/" title="Labour’s direct marketing campaign targets cancer sufferers (20 April 2010)">Labour’s direct marketing campaign targets cancer sufferers</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/labour-diy-over-easter/" title="Labour tries a spot of DIY over the Easter weekend (9 April 2010)">Labour tries a spot of DIY over the Easter weekend</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/too-soon-too-often/" title="How soon is too soon and how often too often? (18 February 2010)">How soon is too soon and how often too often?</a></li>
</ul>

<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=bcHnEd_0jYA:vS_uQVTVjEw:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?i=bcHnEd_0jYA:vS_uQVTVjEw:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=bcHnEd_0jYA:vS_uQVTVjEw:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=bcHnEd_0jYA:vS_uQVTVjEw:I9og5sOYxJI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?d=I9og5sOYxJI" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/alchemis/~4/bcHnEd_0jYA" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss />
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/pinocchiogate/</feedburner:origLink></item>
		<item>
		<title>Handing your child over (aka appointing a new business agency)</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/alchemis/~3/J45qxT4vNf0/</link>
		<comments>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/emotional-objection-to-new-business-agency/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:12:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Amanda Francis</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Life at Alchemis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New Business Advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[building relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new business agency]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new business blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new business calling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new business generation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new business managers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new business opportunities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new business strategy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[objection handling]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/?p=425</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I was at a meeting yesterday with a really interesting agency (genuinely imaginative, innovative and pioneering; they’ll know who they are if they’re reading this) and one of the most common objections for outsourcing business development to an agency like Alchemis came up.
The objection is similar to the emotional response of passing over your child [...]<p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/emotional-objection-to-new-business-agency/">Handing your child over (aka appointing a new business agency)</a> is a post from the <a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/">Alchemis New Business Blog</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I was at a meeting yesterday with a really interesting agency (genuinely imaginative, innovative and pioneering; they’ll know who they are if they’re reading this) and one of the most common objections for outsourcing business development to an agency like Alchemis came up.</p>
<p>The objection is similar to the emotional response of passing over your child to someone else (something most parents experience when their child first goes to a childminder or to school). Most of our clients are small-medium sized agencies and are owned and run by a founding partner, therefore handing over responsibility for contacting prospects and articulating their proposition on their behalf can initially prove unsettling. How can I entrust my child to another person? How will they able to put across my offer to prospects when they haven’t grown up with it? See how easily the experiences can get blurred…</p>
<p>The rational response to this is that someone from the outside can add great value to your business/child. We all fondly remember a teacher who made a difference to our lives by pointing us in a direction we hadn’t previously considered or opening our eyes to an author we hadn’t previously read. Run with the analogy and you’ll rationally understand that an outsider (with 23 years experience in this market) can add enormous value to your business, helping to refine your proposition to work in this current marketplace for example.</p>
<p>However, it’s the emotional objection that is the most difficult to overcome, which is why we always insist on our prospective clients meeting our team of New Business Managers prior to appointing us &#8211; the only way they will ever truly feel comfortable with handing over their child is by spending time with the childminder.</p>
<p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/emotional-objection-to-new-business-agency/">Handing your child over (aka appointing a new business agency)</a> is a post from the <a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/">Alchemis New Business Blog</a></p>

	<h3>Related posts</h3>
	<ul class="st-related-posts">
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/agency-collaboration-in-todays-markets/" title="What does agency collaboration mean in today’s markets? (4 March 2010)">What does agency collaboration mean in today’s markets?</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/welcome/" title="Welcome to the Alchemis new business blog (20 October 2009)">Welcome to the Alchemis new business blog</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/new-business-executive-confessions-2/" title="True Confessions of a New Business Executive &#8211; Part 2 (24 November 2009)">True Confessions of a New Business Executive &#8211; Part 2</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/new-business-executive-confessions-1/" title="True Confessions of a New Business Executive &#8211; Part 1 (5 November 2009)">True Confessions of a New Business Executive &#8211; Part 1</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/training-for-the-mile/" title="Training for “The Mile” (to save face) (9 March 2010)">Training for “The Mile” (to save face)</a></li>
</ul>

<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=J45qxT4vNf0:JGaOMNZB7nY:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?i=J45qxT4vNf0:JGaOMNZB7nY:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=J45qxT4vNf0:JGaOMNZB7nY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=J45qxT4vNf0:JGaOMNZB7nY:I9og5sOYxJI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?d=I9og5sOYxJI" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/alchemis/~4/J45qxT4vNf0" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss />
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/emotional-objection-to-new-business-agency/</feedburner:origLink></item>
		<item>
		<title>New business – who pays wins?</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/alchemis/~3/pqVW-i34BM0/</link>
		<comments>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/new-business-who-pays-wins/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:28:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Amanda Francis</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Market Trends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Media Commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New Business Advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business pitching]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ipa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new business opportunities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new business strategy]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/?p=420</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I echo the views of Martin Hamish of the IPA following the news that Thomas Cook are to demand a &#8217;signing on fee&#8217; to the lucky agency who wins their business. The word Martin chose was &#8216;outrageous&#8217; which pretty much reflects the views of most of our clients, who are typically creative, marketing and communications [...]<p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/new-business-who-pays-wins/">New business &#8211; who pays wins?</a> is a post from the <a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/">Alchemis New Business Blog</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I echo the views of Martin Hamish of the IPA following the news that Thomas Cook are to demand <a title="Media Week article re Thomas Cook signing on fee" href="http://www.mediaweek.co.uk/news/bulletin/mediaam/article/1014883/?DCMP=EMC-MediaAMBulletin">a &#8217;signing on fee&#8217;</a> to the lucky agency who wins their business. The word Martin chose was &#8216;outrageous&#8217; which pretty much reflects the views of most of our clients, who are typically creative, marketing and communications agencies.</p>
<p>This attitude of large brands and advertisers is having a major impact on the agency world and is one of the main reasons why we recommend getting our agencies <a title="how to win new business through the back door" href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/back-door-new-business/">&#8216;under the radar&#8217;</a>.</p>
<p>This approach avoids the pain, expense and stretched resources of procurement and pitching which frankly most agencies can do without, particularly in this climate.</p>
<p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/new-business-who-pays-wins/">New business &#8211; who pays wins?</a> is a post from the <a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/">Alchemis New Business Blog</a></p>

	<h3>Related posts</h3>
	<ul class="st-related-posts">
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/top-5-tips-managing-first-new-business-meetings/" title="Top 5 tips on managing first meetings (18 June 2010)">Top 5 tips on managing first meetings</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/top-5-tips-business-development-strategy/" title="Top 5 tips for developing a new business strategy (8 June 2010)">Top 5 tips for developing a new business strategy</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/top-5-reasons-prospects-choose-new-agency/" title="Top 5 reasons why prospects choose to work with a new agency (13 August 2010)">Top 5 reasons why prospects choose to work with a new agency</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/new-business-presentation-tips/" title="Top 10 Tips for New Business Presentations (18 November 2009)">Top 10 Tips for New Business Presentations</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/business-generation-tips/" title="Top 10 Tips for Generating New Business (21 October 2009)">Top 10 Tips for Generating New Business</a></li>
</ul>

<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=pqVW-i34BM0:JrW60WVg5XA:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?i=pqVW-i34BM0:JrW60WVg5XA:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=pqVW-i34BM0:JrW60WVg5XA:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=pqVW-i34BM0:JrW60WVg5XA:I9og5sOYxJI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?d=I9og5sOYxJI" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/alchemis/~4/pqVW-i34BM0" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss />
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/new-business-who-pays-wins/</feedburner:origLink></item>
		<item>
		<title>Sales team round up for Q2</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/alchemis/~3/q62fvqHeJjc/</link>
		<comments>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/sales-team-round-up-q2-2010/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:04:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David Newman</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Life at Alchemis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new business calling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new business managers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sales summary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sales team]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/?p=416</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The second quarter of the year has been even better than the first in terms of the performance of our business development managers. It was with some relief that we navigated the traditionally sticky period of April-May in good shape and then broke records in June.
June normally marks the beginning of our most productive period [...]<p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/sales-team-round-up-q2-2010/">Sales team round up for Q2</a> is a post from the <a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/">Alchemis New Business Blog</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The second quarter of the year has been even better than the first in terms of the performance of our business development managers. It was with some relief that we navigated the traditionally sticky period of April-May in good shape and then broke records in June.</p>
<p>June normally marks the beginning of our most productive period through to November. Despite what one might think August is normally a very good month despite it being ‘holiday season’. We tend to find that for every decision maker that is on holiday the day we call there will be several more that are having a quieter than normal day and are available to talk.</p>
<p>June has been the best month for absolute number of meetings set for at least 4 years. I put this down to 2 reasons;</p>
<p>1. World cup related incentives – we have been running world cup related incentives since May including ‘players for meetings’ where one selects a player every time they set a meeting and this player then earns fantasy league points with big prizes up for grabs for the most points. Once a player was picked they became unavailable for selection UNLESS a New Business Manager had a spectacular day. The opportunity to watch the big games in the pub for hitting team targets also proved very effective. I doubt I’m the only Sales Director to have exploited the World Cup in this way. The Olympics can’t come around quick enough</p>
<p>2. Bigger Sales Team – we welcomed 3 new colleagues to the team in May and June. More people means more calls means more meetings.</p>
<p>Although the World cup is coming to a close it’s business as usual at Alchemis and we’re confident we can have a cracking summer. The next update will include a match report for the annual Alchemis Rounders match scheduled for 9 July.</p>
<p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/sales-team-round-up-q2-2010/">Sales team round up for Q2</a> is a post from the <a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/">Alchemis New Business Blog</a></p>

	<h3>Related posts</h3>
	<ul class="st-related-posts">
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/new-business-executive-confessions-2/" title="True Confessions of a New Business Executive &#8211; Part 2 (24 November 2009)">True Confessions of a New Business Executive &#8211; Part 2</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/new-business-executive-confessions-1/" title="True Confessions of a New Business Executive &#8211; Part 1 (5 November 2009)">True Confessions of a New Business Executive &#8211; Part 1</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/training-for-the-mile/" title="Training for “The Mile” (to save face) (9 March 2010)">Training for “The Mile” (to save face)</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/evolution-of-viral-marketing/" title="The evolution of viral marketing (19 March 2010)">The evolution of viral marketing</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/back-door-new-business/" title="The benefit of the back door (21 January 2010)">The benefit of the back door</a></li>
</ul>

<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=q62fvqHeJjc:R8Kj4K0ALQs:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?i=q62fvqHeJjc:R8Kj4K0ALQs:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=q62fvqHeJjc:R8Kj4K0ALQs:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?a=q62fvqHeJjc:R8Kj4K0ALQs:I9og5sOYxJI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/alchemis?d=I9og5sOYxJI" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/alchemis/~4/q62fvqHeJjc" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss />
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://www.alchemis.co.uk/blog/sales-team-round-up-q2-2010/</feedburner:origLink></item>
	</channel>
</rss>
