AGENCY SERVICES

“Our win rates have improved by 10% since your workshop. If you ever need a reference, please feel free to use me.”

— EVP, Customer Engagement at healthcare marketing agency

“Ark Advisors has had a big impact on our agency. They offered some very specific constructive criticism that led to immediate changes on our website, our new business presentations and our overall new business program. In short order, the improvements they suggested led to an uptick in qualified new business opportunities.”

— Partner at full-service independent agency in the Southeast

“A former client asked if I knew any good agency search consultants. I said there’s only one good one, and that’s Ark Advisors. They are smart, reasonable and best of all, experts at managing the pitch process. They never make it about them, they are focused on the client’s business and matching them with the best possible agency resources. I always admired that because it’s so rare.”

— Former new business director of multinational agency network

“As we struggled to find our best and most compelling new business voice, Ark Advisors gave us what we needed most—tough love. They asked us questions we never asked of ourselves. They saw things in us we never saw. They brought a constructively critical eye to everything. And they rolled up their sleeves with us, until we got there. A tough love that continues to pay dividends for us everyday.”

— CEO at Omnicom agency

The Ark Advisors team is in the marketplace every day meeting with clients and agencies. Our knowledge of this space – and our experience as leading search consultants – offers agencies insights that cannot be found elsewhere. We’re a unique resource that can help agencies build and polish the tools needed for profitable growth and new business success. Our customized agency consulting services are available on both a retainer and project basis.*

Select Agency Services Include:

Agency Positioning & Marketing Strategies: Having attended hundreds of agency credentials presentations, we know what resonates with your agency’s key audiences — the clients, the media, and the search consultant community. Ark Advisors is uniquely qualified to evaluate an agency’s overall ability to convey a consistent, compelling go-to-market strategy. We offer either a series of workshops or ongoing counsel to help you step into a brand marketer’s shoes and better understand their priorities, so you can pinpoint and better communicate your unique agency DNA.
Business Development Audit & Counsel: Having trouble getting on the radar of clients and Search Consultants? Feel like your agency isn’t being included in pitches for which you’re qualified? Ark Advisors reviews scores of agency credentials materials every week and views hundreds of pitches every year. We can audit your business development efforts — including your website, marketing materials, prospecting programs, consultant outreach, RFI submissions and presentations — and deliver actionable feedback to help raise your profile and improve your chances of being invited to both pitch and close new business. We can also work with you on an ongoing basis to help craft and/or fine tune your RFI’s, presentations and marketing materials.
Compensation Counsel: Feeling at a disadvantage when defending fees to clients? Ark Advisors has extensive experience negotiating agency compensation agreements. We can act as a financial intermediary – either working behind the scenes or directly engaged with your client/prospect – to help develop, defend and negotiate mutually equitable terms. Having difficulty developing a workable incentive or value-based compensation program? Ark Advisors can help.
Fostering Organic Growth: Organic growth is as critical to agency health as a strong new business pipeline. The best way to ensure solid client relationships is to proactively identify potential problem areas, then swiftly remedy them to preserve the partnerships you already have. Ark Advisors offers “marriage counseling” to help you keep tabs on the state of your relationships – including semi-annual “state of the union” assessments facilitated by either one-on-one stakeholder interviews and/or cloud-based tools. We provide customized questionnaires and evaluation metrics, offering an easy, user-friendly, confidential, and trackable way to assess the health of these critical partnerships. Once the findings are reviewed, we work with you to develop joint client-agency action plans for improvement.
Working with Procurement: This session offers practical insights and guidance on how to best collaborate with client procurement executives for mutually beneficial outcomes. The content is tailored for agency new business, leadership and/or finance teams. Ark Advisors also provides professional support for your discussions with procurement managers (see Compensation Counsel section above).
Talent Recruitment: We’re routinely engaged to help fill key business development and marketing roles within agencies, drawing upon our understanding of the distinct skill sets necessary to help drive an agency’s growth.

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