Marc Jantzen, founder of The Consultancy Growth Network, is a business growth specialist with a track record of leading performance improvement for top brands like Virgin, O2, and Barclays.
After building and selling his own consultancy to Capita, he now mentors consultancy owners to achieve their growth goals. He believes success is a journey, with always more to learn.
The Foundation: Essential Building Blocks
The foundation of an effective sales strategy starts with five essential building blocks that need to be in place:
1. A clearly defined target market and geography
2. Well-identified attributes of ideal clients
3. A compelling value proposition
4. Clear service offerings
5. Lead magnets to attract and capture potential client data
The Five Key Questions
The team uses a strategy map framework to create an ambitious three-year plan, working backwards from goals like:
1. Where Will Your Revenue Come From?
Future revenue typically falls into three categories:
– Contracted revenue
– Pipeline opportunities
– Unidentified revenue
To address the “black hole” of unidentified revenue, focus on two sources:
– Existing clients (with clear ownership and targets)
– New clients (through various channels like networks, outreach, third-party relationships, and online portals)
2. What Business Development Activities Will Close the Gap?
Success requires proactive planning for each channel:
– Network: Identify target relationships, engage serial referrers, and develop team mindset around asking for referrals
– Outreach: Create targeted campaigns with clear metrics
– Third-party relationships: Partner with complementary businesses
– Online portals: Develop efficient response processes
3. What’s Your Sales Approach?
Research shows that being a “challenger” through insight is more effective than being just a relationship builder. Key aspects include:
– Sharing valuable insights that challenge client thinking
– Implementing a portfolio pricing strategy
– Using clear qualification criteria
– Developing a disciplined discounting strategy
4. How Will You Organise for Success?
Structure your team with clear roles and responsibilities:
– Document your sales process
– Define ownership of accounts
– Plan capacity effectively
– Consider the right mix of sales and delivery roles
5. How Will You Improve Performance?
Focus on three key metrics:
– Volume of sales qualified leads
– Conversion rates
– Average client value
Implement specific improvement strategies for each metric, such as:
– Regular sales call reviews
– Role-playing exercises
– Development of a “best answer bible” for common objections
– Continuous proposition enhancement
Moving Forward
The key to success is shifting from reactive to proactive sales approaches. This means:
– Regular monitoring and adjustment of your strategy
– Continuous team development
– Clear accountability for results
– Systematic approach to improvement
What is the Better Agency Programme?
The Growth Programme provides crucial peer support alongside expert talks, events, and networking designed for agency leaders who want to take their agency to the next level, whatever that means for you.
Key features include:
- 45-minute expert sessions with a 15-minute Q&A.
- Optional 60-minute group discussions after each module.
- Unified learning through video calls, with accountability groups based on agency size.
Find out more about the Better Agency Programme here.
Want to hear more from Marc?
Become an Agency Collective Grow+ member to access all the Better Agency Programme sessions. To explore membership, book a call with Rob or join a Find Out More session.
