How can a small agency compete in new business?

• Leadership: The client is always dealing with the principal when he or she is dealing with your firm. You are the relationship manager. There is no junior partner to whom responsibility will be transferred. There is no decreased accountability, no “handoff” to a less-informed colleague. If the prospect’s interests are at stake continually, shouldn’t the client reasonably expect the principal’s continual involvement?
• Streamlined: You provide resources on a “just-in-time” basis. That is, your agency does not have to cover excessive overhead, such as multiple offices, large administrative backup, recruiting, partner perks, and so on. You are organized to efficiently provide everything the prospect needs but nothing more than that.
• Private: There is greater likelihood of observing privacy and confidentiality with fewer people working on the project. In addition, the fewer people working on an account, the fewer “filters” there are to go through. Larger agencies sometimes have a problem dealing with a number of revolving staff’s differing perceptions or interpretations of information, and this can stall results. You (and the few people you might also involve) are constant, removing the need to sift through dozens of differing perceptions.
• Speed: You’re faster. You can respond to requests quickly and return all calls within two hours. (If you can’t, then you’re not taking advantage of your smaller size.) Your client needn’t worry about a bureaucracy, delays, and unfamiliar people answering their calls.
• Focus: Since you handle fewer concurrent projects than larger agencies, your attention is relatively undiverted. The client doesn’t have to “compete” with another dozen or so of your clients, some of which may be larger or more time-demanding. You structure your work so that every client receives maximum attention.
• Cost: Inevitably, you are less expensive. (Note that this is way down here in the list, because you shouldn’t be that much less expensive!). There are economies to using someone who can base their fees on each situation and not on a predetermined rate or their need for reaching a holding company goal.