2023年代理机构调查报告（英）

2023RSW/US

AgencyNew

BusinessReportPerspective

On

TheAgencyNewBusinessEnvironment,2023

and

BeyondASurveyOfAgenciesConductedByRSW/US

Agency

New

Business

Virtual

ConferenceNew

Year

Outlook:

2024February

5th-9th,

202412pm-1:30pmESTeachdayRegistration

Coming

Soon!New

Year

Outlook:

2024We’reexcitedtoannounceour2024AgencyNewBusinessVirtualConference,from2/5-2/9,2024.ItwillbeanothergreateventfilledwithMarketer,Agency,andRSW/USperspectivesonthewaystohelpyouwinmorein2024!Eachday’sagendawillincludeashortpresentationfollowedbyapanelfeaturingseniorlevelmarketers,agencyprincipals,andourownexpertnewbusinessdirectors.Wehopetoseeyouandyourteamthere!Table

ofContentsContents3Table

ofContents4Introduction6DifficultyofObtainingNewBusinessSuccessAndTenure

OfNewBusinessDirectorsSatisfactionWithNewBusinessProgramDollarVolumes

OfNewBusinessin2023MostEffectiveTools

AtGeneratingNewBusinessImpactOfTheEconomy111518192122

Average

TimeBetweenFirstMeetingTo

Close24

TheImpactofAIandAITools26

Conclusion3IntroductionAbout

UsThisstudywascommissionedbyRSW/US.RSW/USisanoutsourcedleadgeneration/businessdevelopmentfirmthatexclusivelyservicesmarketingservicefirms(ofallsizesandtypes).RSW/USworkswithover50agenciesacrosstheU.S.,operatingastheiroutsourcedsalesandmarketingteam.RSWwasfoundedin2005.In2010,RSWstartedRSW/AgencySearch.To-date,RSW/AgencySearchhasmanagedover40searchesformarketersacrossarangeofdifferentcategories,helpingthemfindbetteragencies.TheRSW/AgencySearchmodelisuniquetotheindustry.TheexposuretotheagencyandthemarketerworldhasarmedRSW/USwithperspectiveunmatchedintheindustry.Thisperspectiveiswoventhroughoutthis,andeverysurveyreport.TolearnmoreaboutRSW/US,visit.TolearnmoreaboutRSW/AgencySearch,visit.4Introduction,cont’dAbout

the

ReportThisistheRSW/US2023AgencyNewBusinessReport:PerspectiveOnTheAgencyNewBusinessEnvironment,2023andBeyond.We’vefieldeditsince2010andpresentcomparabledatathatisavailableacrossallpreviouseditions,providinginsightontrendsinkeyareasoverthepasttenyears.Thisreportistypicallyheavilydownloadedbecausetheanswerscomefromoursurveyofyouragencypeers.Thisyear’ssurveyandtheresultingRSW/US2023AgencyNewBusinessReportseeadagencies,marketingservicesfirms,andPRfirmscontinuingtostrugglewithobtainingnewbusiness,however,2023hasalsobroughtchallengesintheformofslowingreferrals,decreasedbudgets,andlongersalescycles.Over3,000Agencyexecutivesnationwidehadtheopportunitytoparticipate,andinfieldingthesurvey,wewantedtodiscernhowthechallengesanddynamicsofagencynewbusinesseffortshaveevolvedaswefinish2023andheadinto2024.Ourhopeisthekeyfindingsandimplicationsofthestudypresentedinthisreportprovidevaluetoyouasyoudevelopyourplansfortheremainderof2023andinto2024.Ifyouwouldliketoreproduceanyofourfindingsinanyformatwhatsoever,pleasecontacteitherMarkSneiderorLeeMcKnightJr.:Mark

Sneider513-559-3101mark@Lee

McKnight

Jr.513-559-3111lee@5DifficultyofObtainingNewBusinessWe

Asked

Agencies:

How

Difficult

Is

Obtaining

New

Business,Compared

to

Last

Year?Thisyear(2023)58%ofagenciesreportobtainingnewbusinessAlot

harder

(21%)hasbeenharder,oralotharder,comparedtothepreviousyear.Asseeninourgraph,that’screepingcloserto2020levelsat67%,whenwefacedlockdowns,budgetfreezes,andoverallextremeuncertainty.Easier

(7%)Harder

(37%)58%Sincethen,we’veseenasteadyuptickfrom28%in‘21to43%in‘22.Found

obtainingnew

businessmore

difficultin

2023The

same

(35%)“Harder/Much

Harder”

Responses

Over

Time67%58%51%48%43%43%28%35%31%2008

2012

2014

2016

2019

2020

2021

2022

20236DifficultyofObtainingNewBusiness,cont’dImplicationsSowithonly7%ofagenciessayingit’sbeeneasieroraloteasiertoobtainnewbusinessin2023,versus17%in2022(and38%in‘21),what’sbehindtheescalatingtrend?Theanswerstoourfollowupquestionshedsomelight:“Relativetolastyear,haveyouseenthenumberofopportunitiesfornewbusinessdecrease,increase,orremainthesame?”.38%ofagenciessaidthenumberofopportunitiesfornewbusinessdecreasedthisyear,versus26%lastyear.38%reported

a

decreasein

new

businessoppertunitiesFroma4/23AdAgearticle,TheAgencyReviewLogjamHasBroken—HowExpertsSeeTheRestOf2023,“mostcreativeagenciesreportedasluggishnessinoverallnewbusinessopportunities.”7DifficultyofObtainingNewBusiness,cont’dAndinanAxiospiecedated8/23,Signs

Of

Optimism

Shine

Through

The

Bleak

Ad

Market,BrianWieser,atopadvertisinganalyst,argues:“much

of

the

sentiment

around

the

ad

marketslowdown

failed

to

consider

that

the

double-digit

growth

levels

the

industry

saw

during2021

and

early

2022

were

not

sustainable.

Youwere

always

going

to

see

some

deceleration.”Coldcomfortperhaps,butatleastbeginstoexplainhowandwhyagenciesgothere.Wedugdeeperwithaquestionwe’veaskedyearoveryear:“WhyIsItHarderToObtainNewBusiness?”.https://youtu.be/CoEQo8M3s-c?si=KM9Wio1LqRE77baKDifficultyofObtainingNewBusiness,cont’dWe

Asked

Agencies:

Why

Is

It

Harder

To

Obtain

New

Business?Inprevioussurveys,agencieshaveunilaterallygiven“breakingthroughtoprospects”asthemainreasonwhyit’shardertoobtainnewbusiness.

Thisyear,forthefirsttimeever,itcomesinthird.Fewer

opportunitiesOther5%

11%2023202261%47%37%

15%

13%11%55%39%26%31%25%18%4%55%23%59%14%5%36%202132%Youcanseethebreakdownoverthelast3yearsinthegraphsaboveandonthenextpage,andhere’sthetop3in2023:•••Feweropportunitiesoutthere61%Prospectbudgetstoosmall55%Hardertobreakthroughtoprospects47%9DifficultyofObtainingNewBusiness,cont’d71%66%63%61%48%59%23%57%53%55%39%59%42%54%46%45%46%42%2010

2012

2014

2016

2018

2020

2021

2022

2023“Feweropportunitiesoutthere”,at61%isquiteajumpfrom39%lastyear,and“prospectbudgetstoosmall”at55%isanewaddtothequestionthisyear.Oneotherstatofnote:thepercentageofagencieswhosaytheyhavenoprocessinplacedroppedfrom25%lastyearto13%thisyear.Withinthisquestionwasan“other”option,withtheopportunitytoprovideopen-endedresponses.Giventhevarietyofresponses,wewantedtogiveyouasamplefromyouragencypeersastowhyitwasharderforthemtoobtainnewbusiness:•••••••Referralsarewaydown.Wearepickieraboutnewclients.Lessinboundaswell.Economicconcerns.Morecompetitionfrombiggeragencies“playingdown.”Salescycletakingmuchlongertoclosebusiness.Marketdownturn.Notsuccessfullyclosingthesales.10SuccessAndTenure

OfNewBusinessDirectorsWe

Asked

Agencies:

Have

you

hired

a

full-time

new

business

hunter/director/manager

(as

part

of

your

staff)

to

prospect

for

leads

for

youragency

in

the

past

three

years?Oneofthekeystodrivingnewbusinessisofcoursetheindividual,orindividuals,leadingthecharge.

Hiringanewbusinessdirectorisonewaytogo,andthisisaquestionweaskyearlyofagencies.Inthelasttwoyearsofoursurvey(‘21&‘22),hiringforthenewbusinessdirectorpositionatanagencyfelltoitslowestlevelsincewestartedthissurveyin2010,withjust32%ofagencieshiringanewbusinessdirectorinthepast3years.We’reseeingthattrendreversein2023,althoughnotbymuch,with36%ofagencieshiringaninternalnewbusinessdirector.Toaddafurtherlayertothediscussionwealsoaskedagencies,“Howdifficultoreasyhasitbeenforyoutohirequalityemployeesforyouragency/firm?”51%ofagenciessaiditwasverytosomewhatdifficultand39%saidneithereasyordifficult.46%42%40%39%36%32%32%2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

202311SuccessAndTenure

OfNewBusinessDirectors,Cont’dImplicationsAninterestingstatfromaJuly,2023pieceineMarketer,Us

Ad

Agency

Employment

MarksAn

All-Time

High,“Junesawasignificantboostinemploymentacrossadvertising,publicrelations,andrelatedservices,risingby2,200jobs,pernewBureauofLaborStatisticsdatacitedinAdAge.Withthisuptick,employmentinthesesectorshasreacheditshighestsince2001.”However,inregardtothebusinessdevelopmentpositionspecifically,it’sanongoingsagaagencyownersmustcontendwith:85%ofAgencyNewBusinessDirectorslastlessthan2years.Ofcourse,thelastthreeyearshavehadtheirfairshareofuniquestrugglescomingoutofthepandemicwithanuncertaineconomyandhiringdifficulties.Beyondthesestruggles—andthosestrugglesarecertainlyreal—agenciesoftenjustdon’tknowwhattolookforwhentryingtohireforthe

developmentposition.Theprocessisnoteasy,butweseesomekeymistakesupfrontinthehiringprocess:1They

hire

a

person’s

network.Ifthiscandidate’smainmethodofprospectinghasbeennetworkingevents,localhappyhours,etc.,youneedtodigdeeperandaskquestionsaroundtheirinsidesalesexperience.2They

hire

green.

AtRSW,wehirenewbusinessdirectorsthathave10-15yearsofsalesandmarketingexperience.

Itmakestheprocesslongerandtougher,butit’stheexpectationweset.Agencieswillhiregreenandthenthinktheycantrainup.34They

don’t

dig

deep

enough

ontheindividual’splannedprocess.Alwaysaskforatop-lineversionoftheprocessandplanyournewbusinessdirectorwillcarryout.Define

the

new

business

position

clearly

up

front.Isthispersonresponsibleforallfacetsofnewbusiness,fromtopofthefunnelallthewaythroughtopitchingandRFPresponses?Isthatpersonpurchasingprospectinglists,orexpectedtobuildthoseout?12SuccessAndTenure

OfNewBusinessDirectors,Cont’dWe

Asked

Agencies:

How

successful

would

you

say

your

last

newbusiness

hire

was/is?Inregardstohowsuccessful,44%ofagenciesreporttheirlastnewbusinesshirewasunsuccessful.Andaprecipitousdropcontinuesinagenciesreportinghowlongtheirmostrecentnewbusinesshirewasemployedattheagency:Thisyear,23%reported1-2years.

In2022itwas34%,andin2021itwas52%.Sowe’reseeingadownwardtrendherearoundnewbusinesshiresin2023.How

long

has/was

your

mostrecent

New

Business

Directoremployed

at

your

f

irm?52%of

New

BusinessDirectors4

4%of

agencies

reporttheir

last

newbusiness

hire

wasunsuccessful.are

employedless

than

twoyears.13SuccessAndTenure

OfNewBusinessDirectors,Cont’dImplicationsSolidnewbusinessdirectorsarenotunicorns,theydoexist,buttheyarestillsomewhatrare.Theworstthingyoucandoasanagencyownerissettleormakearusheddecision.

Ifyourgoalistohireforthepositioninternally,itwilltaketime.

Andsoyouneedtohaveaplaninplacetogarnernewbusiness.

Makeitsimpleandmakeitmanageable.

Amanageableeffortwillputyouaheadof75%ofyourcompetition.There

are

4

areas

your

newbusiness

plan

should

cover:1Organic

growth—AsDrewMcLellanatAMIposits:65-70%ofyournetnewrevenueshouldcomefromexistingclients.

Lookingatyou,AEs!23ofnewbusinessforagenciesReferrals—Aswe’llsee,they’rethenumberonedriverInbound/content—There’snoexcuseforyourfirmnottohaveamanageablecontentengine.Thatcouldbe2-3postsaweekonLinkedIn,forexample.Andremember,ChatGPTisyourfriend.(Moreonthatlater).4Outbound—Thehardestofthefour,butdonecorrectly/well,isasviableasanyofthefour.Finally,theremustberealisticexpectationsaroundthewholeprocess,andespeciallyaroundclosingbusiness-14SatisfactionWithNewBusinessProgramWe

Asked

Agencies:

Are

you

satisfied

with

the

success

of

your

newbusiness

plan/program?We’veaskedthisquestionofteninoursurvey,andtraditionallyitsfairlyclosetoanevensplitacrossyesorno.Thisyearthat’schanged,with56%reportingnoand44%reportingyes.OurRSWagencyclientsarepredominantlysmallandmid-sizedagencies(aswerepredominantlythetakersofthissurvey),andasthestatshavereflectedsofarinourreport,it’sincrediblyhardtofindanindividualtodrivenewbusiness.

Whichmeansthatprocess,ifthereisone,fallstoapartner,principal,orowner.%

of

agencies

who

said

yes

YOYFor

small

and

mid-sized

firms,

thereoften

is

no

plan

for52%-2021new

business.Visit

our

ebook

pagefor

ways

to

makeyour

list

building,thought

leadership,website,

and

casestudies

strongerand

more

effective,with

specificand

actionableinstructionson

each./ebooks/15SatisfactionWithNewBusinessProgram,cont’dOnenewadditionthisyearwastheopportunitytoprovideopen-endedresponsesastowhya“no”answerwasgiven.Herearesomeofthoseresponsesfromyouragencypeers:•••Notgettinginfrontofenoughqualifiedleads.Feelswaymorereactivethanproactive.Wearebetterdoingleadgenforourclientsthanweareforourselves.•Continuetofinditdifficulttofindanystrategyorcontentthatisgettingthroughinourcurrentenvironment.•••It’sjustnotbringinginsignedcontracts.Wearechasingtoomanyofthewrongopportunities.Needmoreleads,needtogetbetteratprospectingathuntingforleads,needtofindlargeropportunitieswithbiggerbrands/budgets.••Itwashistoricallybasedonreferralswhichhavemostlydriedupandwe’vestruggledtocreateanoutboundprogramduetolackofexperienceandtime.WeusedCOVIDtofocusonourtargetverticalsandwhilethat’sagoodidea,it’stakingawhiletogettraction.Also,ourtwobiggestclients(30%ofannualrevenue)leftusattheendof2022andwe’venotrecoveredthatrevenueasyet.••It’smerunningitandbudgetshaveshrunk.Ouragencyisn’tcurrentlystructuredforclientstoonly“orderoffthedollarmenu”.Weneedtofindawaytomakemarginswithextremelysmallinvoicesrelatedtosocial/digital.••••Welostfocusontarget.Notconnectingwiththerightpeopleordecisionmakers.Iwouldn’tsaywehavemuchofone.Prospectstakingalongtimetoconvertorpausingtheirdecisions.•Itisdifficulttomotivateemployeestodoconsistentfollowupwithprospects.••Smalleropportunities,lowerwinrate.Thereisnoplanhere.Principalsaretoobusywithoverwhelmingexistingworkandmaynotfullyunderstandthevalueofconstantnewbizefforts.16SatisfactionWithNewBusinessProgram,cont’dImplicationsManyofthereasonsbehindincreasedagencydissatisfactionwiththeirnewbusinesseffortscanbeattributedtotheagenciesthemselves,andthey’veadmittedasmuchintheseopenresponses.Ifthereisnorealplancreatedoractedupon,thenyes,youwillbedissatisfied.However,otherfactorsaremuchhardertocontrol,likeshrinkingreferrals,diminishedbudgets,andtheextendedlengthoftimeit’stakingtocloseopportunities.Threewayswe’veseenagencies,includingourownclients,combattheseare:1Asmentionedpreviously,ensuringorganicgrowthisapriority.23Makingnewbusinessanagency-wideendeavor,ensuringeveryemployeeknowstheyhaveahandindrivingit.Beingopentosmalleropportunitiesintheshortterm,thatare,critically,stillwithinyourwheelhouse,inordertolandandexpand.“It

was

historically

based

onreferrals

which

have

mostly

driedup

and

we’ve

struggled

to

createan

outbound

program

due

to

lackof

experience

and

time.”-

Open

ended

response

from

agency

owner17DollarVolumes

OfNewBusinessin2023We

Asked

Agencies:

Relative

to

last

year,

have

you

seen

the

dollarvolume

of

new

business

opportunities

increase,

decrease,

or

remainthe

same?Perthegraph,41%saiddecrease,31%saidremainedthesame,and27%reportedanincrease.Forreference,lastyear37%ofagenciesreportedanincrease.Implications72%With70%ofagenciessayingtheoverallnumberofnewbusinessopportunitiesof

new

businessopportunities

arethe

same

or

lowerdollar

amount.stayedthesameordecreased(perpg.6),and72%ofagenciessayingnewbusinessdollarvolumestayedthesameordecreased,it’smoreimportantthaneverthatagenciesensurethey’regoingaftertherightprospects.

Peroneoftheopen-endedresponsesfromanagencyabove,“wearechasingtoomanyofthewrongopportunities”.Leadinginto2024,nowisthetimetolookatyourcurrentclientbase:123orinatimelymanner?Areyouholdingontoclientswhodon’tpayyouenough,Areyoutargetingright-sizeprospects,intermsofrevenue?Andlastly,areyouchargingenough?Thesecanallbetoughquestionstoanswer,andtoughtoactuponaswellinthecurrentclimate,butyouhavetostartsomewhere,andthefirstplaceisthecurrentprospectsyou’repursuing.18MostEffectiveTools

AtGeneratingNewBusinessInveryunsurprisingnews,continuingthetrendsfrom2021and2022,newbusinessto-datein2023hascomefromreferralsandexistingclients.Bothofthesesourcesshouldbepartofyourbusinessdevelopmentprogram,butmorethaninpreviousyears,we’reseeingagenciesreporttheseaslessreliablein2023.7%14%PaidsearchEmails8%6%18%15%20%6%20%7%13%18%16%16%Organicsearch19%12%28%46%21%19%1%43%37%37%Networking50%64%71%64%69%53%60%60%Referrals202020232022202119MostEffectiveTools

AtGeneratingNewBusinessImplicationsReferralscameinasthenumberonenewbusinessgeneratorat69%,withBusinessfromexistingclientsat50%,andNetworkingat46%.

Forreference,in2022,Referralscomeinat64%,Businessfromexistingclientsat59%,andNetworkingat46%.Sotheactualpercentageonreferralsishigherthisyearby5points,whichisinteresting,givenwhatagencieshavealreadyreportedmorethanonce,someversionofreferralsstartingtodryupin2023versuspastyears.Andasfarasexistingbusiness,quoteslikethefollowingfromapreviousquestionshouldraisesomeconcern:“Itisdifficulttomotivateemployeestodoconsistentfollowupwithprospects.”Quoteslikethese,tobefair,arenotwidespread,butifyoufindyourselfinthissituation,itneedstobeaddressed,andtreatingnewbusinessasagency-wideisthefirststep.Whenitcomestotools,focusisall-important.

Yourfirmdoesn’tneedallthetools,andespeciallyforsmallandmid-sizedfirms,there’snotenoughtimetousethemall.

Typicallyyouhaveagreatmajorityofthecoretoolsalreadyinplace:phone,email,social,forexample.

Beyondthat,anemaildeliverytool,someformoftrackingforthoseemails(andideallyonyoursite)andthenpotentiallyaCRM,whichyouultimatelywillneedforanyseriousbusinessdevelopmenteffort.

ToolslikeChatGPT,whichwe’lldiscusslaterinthisreport,shouldcertainlybeonyourradar,foryouragencyandyourclients,andcouldbeveryhelpfultoyouroveralleffort.Andasasidenote,themajorityofnumbersinthisquestionstayedrelativelythesamecomparedtolastyear’sreportwithoneexception:conferencesasatooltodrivenewbusinesscameinat15%in2022,versusthisyearat28%-quiteajump!

Anecdotally,wecanconveyconversationswithagencies,clientandnon-client,whoreportfindingconferencescomingbackpost-covidinameaningfulway.Thekeyiszeroinginonatightgroup,andhavingaplaninplacepre-conference,andmostimportantly,post-conferenceforprospecting.20ImpactOfTheEconomyWe

Asked

Agencies:

How

has

the

economyaffected

your

business?45%ofagenciessaidbusinessisdownsomewhattosignificantly,and28%saidthebusinessisunchangedtothispoint.Therealityof2023fromabusinessdevelopmentstandpointformanyagencies,especiallythosetryingtohandlenewbusinessinternally:prospectshavebeenhardertobreakthroughtoandslowertorespond,andaredraggingtheirfeetonceit’stimetostartthework.

Ontopofthat,it’sbeentoughertofillthepipeline.How

has

the

economy

affectedyour

business?45%of

agencies

reportbusiness

being

downdue

to

theeconomy.Whileyoucanattributethistothecurrentstateoftheeconomy,anothercontributingfactorinequalmeasureisthelackofanongoingbusinessdevelopmentengine.Thatenginewillnotsolvethetimeittakestostartthework,tobefair,butitwillensureyouhaveaplanandstructureinplacetoconsistentlystayinfrontofyourprospectsinameaningfulway.Andpotentiallygoodnews,theeconomyisshowingsomesignsofbecominghealthier,butnotoverheated,intermsofemploymentandinflation.

Wecanonlywaitthatout,butagencieshavebeenherebeforeandhaveseenthecyclicalsideofthisindustry.21Average

TimeBetweenFirstMeetingTo

CloseWe

Asked

Agencies:

How

long

does

it

take

(on

average)

to

move

f

roma

1st

meeting

to

closing

a

piece

of

business?Nowinourfourthyearofaskingthisquestion,it’sacriticaltouchstoneinsettingexpectationsforyourselfandyouragency’snewbusinessprogram.75%ofagenciestellustheaveragetimeittakestomovefromafirstmeetingtocloseto-datein2023is1-6months.That’sdown10pointsfromlastyear.

And“morethan6months”hasrisenfrom5%to18%.ImplicationsToprovidefullperspective,yearoveryearnumberslooklikethis:Less

than

a

monthA

month

to

six

monthsMore

than

six

months20237%75%85%18%2022

11%5%7%87%73%6%8%2021202019%22Average

TimeBetweenFirstMeetingTo

CloseSoatfirstglance,1-6monthsdroppedfrom85%to75%,whichlookslikeanimprovement,buttheothertimeframesshowitgettingharderforagencies.“Lessthanamonth”droppedfrom11%to7%and“Morethan6monthsrosefrom5%to18%”.Dovetailingfromthepreviousquestion,theprocessfromfirstmeetingtoclose,andclosingbusinessoverall,issimplytakinglongerforalotofthefirmsoutthere.Apartfromconsideringyourlong-termfinancials,inregardtoplanning,we’velaidoutwhatagenciesshouldbedoingfromabusinessdevelopmentstandpoint.Butoneaspectwehaven’ttouchedonareexpectations.Howeveryou’rehandlingbusinessdevelopment,youmustrecognizethatit’saprocess.That’snothingnew,butnowit’stakinglongertogetthere,anditwillpass,butitmeansyouneedtobepreparedforitandnotbeswayedbyyourownconceptionsofhowlongitshouldbetaking,orbythecountlesssalesemailsyougetpromising/guaranteeinglotsofprospectmeetingsperweekwithquickclosesrightbehindthosemeetings.Thoseguaranteescan’tbelegitimatelymadebecauseyoucan’tforceaprospecttogiveyouworkifit’snotthere.Whichiswhyacadenceof8-12touchesover3-6monthsissocritical,asisfollowup.Agenciestendgiveupwhentheprocessgoesbeyond2-3touchesortakesmoretimethantheyhadallottedintheirhead.https://youtu.be/kKFxga4KgLs?si=8LIPxXmwKyA0D_bu23TheImpactofAIandAIToolsWe

Asked

Agencies:

Are

you

incorporating

ChatGPT

and

other

AItools

into

your

business

development

efforts?Inaseriesofnewquestions,wewantedtoexplorewhatimpactAIhashadonbusinessdevelopmentandonclientwork.Wefirstasked,“AreyouincorporatingChatGPTandotherAItoolsintoyourbusinessdevelopmentefforts?”Perthegraphbelow,62%arenotand38%are,so,verymuchintheexploratoryphasesofarin2023.Interestingly,inourfollowupquestion,“AreyouincorporatingChatGPTandotherAItoolsintoyourtoolsetforclientwork?”,70%saidyes,and30%saidno.(Asanaside,aMay2023piecefromPewpointedout,only14%ofUSadultshavetriedChatGPT!)Are

you

incorporating

ChatGPT

and

other

AI

tools

into...your

new

business

efforts?your

toolset

for

client

work?38%of

agencies

areusing

AI

tools

fornew

businessdevelopment.70%of

agencies

areusing

AI

tools

forclient

projects.24TheImpactofAIandAIToolsImplicationsGoodtoseeagenciesexploringthesetools.

Whileit’sstillearlydaysinmanyrespects,clientslooktoyourfirmtobemorethanordertakers.However,stayingontopoftrendsiscritical,butcertainlyitcantiptheotherwayandgetinto“chasingshinyobject”territory.Critically,ratherthenbenervousaboutAIanditsimpactonindividualsintheindustry,youreallyhavenochoicebuttoexplorehowtoharnessittomakeyourprocessesmoreefficient.Toprovidesome