The idea that business development is everyone’s business is truer than ever. There has been a removal of boundaries between departments such as business development, marketing and account handling, with recent research from Propeller Group showing that over 25% of agencies have involved more people in new business pitches since the pandemic.

Tenacity, flexibility, empathy, curiosity and confidence are all essential qualities for business development. But the new landscape requires a wider range of talents and skills and with more people getting involved in business development, this needs to be supported with structured training to develop the right skills and ensure best practice. Increased involvement in new business also needs to be built into job specs so that it can be sustainable, in addition to other responsibilities.

From prospecting and pitching, to creating a winning culture, now is the time to invest in your approach to new business across the agency and commit to making sure everyone has the skills, insights and ideas to contribute to future growth. Agencies need to make sure their teams have the right skills, insights and structure to allow them to succeed in business development - and back them every step of the way. With growth back on the agenda and marketing spend on the up, now is the time to invest in getting this right and don't just leave it to chance, or down to one individual.

With that spirit of togetherness in mind, we invite you to join us as we unite the agency community to share experiences, insights and tips to keep us pushing forward…

Winning Together is a virtual event that will take place on 12th May. Speakers on the day will include Sherilyn Shackell, Founder & Global CEO, The Marketing Academy, Magnus Djaba, Global President, Saatchi & Saatchi, Sara Tate, CEO, TBWA London and many stars of The BD100. Click here to register your ticket.