Ten Fast FAQs on Sanders Consulting Group
Q1. Where are you located?
A. We began in Richmond VA but five years ago we moved our operations to Florida, on the East Coast, near West Palm Beach, because Stuart likes the sun and the fishing. Besides, it’s a great spot to hold agency retreats anytime of the year with agency executives who want to get away for some long range planning. And the airports are good. Bob is headquartered in the Pittsburgh area and near a good airport there so our travel is easy.
Q2. What’s the business split within the industry?
A. Our business splits this way. About 50% comes from ad agencies of all types and sizes and another 50% come from other forms of marketing communication companies such as design firms, PR firms, direct response companies, media buying organizations and others such as brand consultancies.
Q3. How does the agency side split down on business side? Are there any patterns?
Every year about 1/3 of our business comes from agencies with less than 10 people. Another 1/3 comes from what we might describe as regional firms. And 1/3 comes from large national firms, holding companies, and international agencies.
Q4. How does your practice areas break out?
A. Our work is split evenly into three practice areas: 1) What we call new business or growth opportunities including the firm’s brand; 2) Client retention including account management training; and 3) What we describe as management concerns. These include activities such as exit planning, merger and acquisition support, executive coaching, partner issues, operational improvements and other leadership problems and opportunities.
Q5. Why type of work do you do on the client side, meaning customers of ad agencies and other communication firms?
A. We do no work on the client side unless we have been invited in by one of our marketing communication company clients. This happens several times each year.
Q6. Are you available to meet with clients on behalf of agencies?
A. We do meet with clients on an agency’s behalf for a wide variety of reasons, and we provide backup in many cases to help our agencies sell in a major recommendation. And this happens often.
Q7. Tell me about the firm’s staff.
A. The firm uses a number of well-qualified senior consultants in the field who work with us usually on exclusive relationships but normally not full time. This adjunct staff keeps our costs low and allows us to deploy enough resources to make sure the work we promise is done on time.
Q8. Do you guarantee your work?
A. All of our assignments are taken on a 100% guarantee. That means you must be satisfied with our performance, or you do not pay.
Q9. What’s the biggest problem facing agencies today?
A. We believe that marketing communication companies, for the most part, have been badly hurt by the drift from once being strategic to being more tactical. This shift has been forced upon the industry by clients and consultants who have won the ear of senior management on the client side. We believe this drift must be reversed, and it begins by changing one client at a time.
Q10. What new trend do you see for agencies in new business?
A. We believe that agencies are beginning to see how to use social media in outreach and that’s a positive step. Outreach is often the missing link in most marketing communication company new business programs. So any outreach that builds relationships is a helpful sign.
Q11. What’s the hardest job agency CEOs have?
A. Being able to work with the new breed of clients who want things faster, cheaper, and with stronger results guaranteed. Clients are moving quicker from job to job and they want that urgency felt on the agency side. Most agency CEOs have had a hard time adjusting to that.
Q12. Isn’t this more than 10 FAQs.
A. You’re right but we like to do more than we promise.
