How boutique agencies can crack big-ticket accounts

There has been a sea change in the way even large companies function in the post-COVID-19 era. As offices shrank across the globe there was a need to shift focus to greater value and tighter systems. As an agency head who runs a pan-India agency with large national brands, I have noticed a shift in even big-ticket clients towards boutique agencies that can deliver more for the buck.
What has precipitated the shift? How can boutique agencies make the most of it? What do they need to skill up for it? These and more are some of the things that need to be addressed.
Authenticity matters
In a world of white noise, stay true to your craft. Be authentic in your story-telling approach and outreach. Smaller agencies tend to get intimidated by large clients and feel pressured to suggest big-ticket press conferences, celebrity endorsements and events that might create a lot of noise around the brand, but may be detrimental to the overall story-telling for the brand. Stay authentic to the craft and focus on the larger picture you want to create.
Invest in talent
Yes! The war for talent is real and it’s only getting harder for all of us to find the right skilled people. Some tips that will help you as you scramble the tiny pool could be this: Look for talent beyond your cities and hire across different geographies. Covid has genuinely changed the way we will work forever, and skilled people are happy to negotiate and do interesting work if you give them some more flexibility. Another tip is to hire for attitude and not just skill. Get used to the responsibility of skilling up your team and taking the onus of making them future-ready. In many instances, they are only to keen to level up as well.
Create partner associations
You need to grow, but not always at the cost of hiring more resources. Larger clients want to see large teams that can operate across geographies and that kind of infrastructure can be prohibitive for a smaller agency. It would be best to get into partnership associations and create a network of smaller partner agencies across geographies for you that can be available for on-ground events, localised media outreach and even market intelligence.
Get ready to implement processes and technology
Handling large national accounts is going to mean reporting into larger teams and having greater accountability. This means you need to ensure your office and team can handle more processes that can streamline things across. Do get used to using technology for more detailed analysis and reports as national-level clients will demand more data-driven results. Use tracking methodologies and technology to make your own work easier.
Be ready with fresh ideas
One of the main reasons larger clients want to hire smaller agencies is to get fresh ideas and a fresh perspective which they may not have gotten from a larger agency. This is your chance to take a leap of faith and think outside the box. Bring on board your younger and enthusiastic team members and let the reins of creativity flow free. You need to be able to think out of the box and have a lot of new and fresh perspectives for your clients to snag the deal.
Be meticulous
Larger companies have a greater talent pool of people hired to ensure seamless deliveries and processes. They hire from the best B schools and are keen to work with peers who dot every ‘i’ and cross every ‘t’, so you need to have stringent quality checks in place when it comes to your output. Content can be a major peeve so invest in good content writers as well as people with good presentation skills. Hiring a senior consultant is also a good idea to give you direction in cases of technical help and assistance.
Don’t be afraid to ask for money
Yes, you are small, you are boutique, but your clients are not! Which means you need to make sure you are paid compensation for your work. It may be a smaller team you handle and a smaller office, but if your output is comparable in quality and quantity to a larger agency, then you deserve to be paid accordingly as well. So, do make sure you get compensated for all that hard work.
All in all, large or small, every client is important for your agency’s brand and reputation. Your craft and your skill can take you through both localised and national campaigns. So go ahead and make that pitch perfect.

Marketing
@adgully

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