Today’s guest is Joe Koufman, CEO of the AgencySparks and he’s going to share with us some very amazing things to prove to you how creativity can go a very long way.
Founded about three years ago, AgencySparks is a dating service for brands and marketing agencies. Eight marketing agencies get their services to help them connect with potential clients. They set up that first date in the hope that both the agency and the brand get to kiss at the end of the date. In other words, business development is outsourced to them so they can help bring clients to their clients.
Here are the highlights of my conversation with Joe:
One of the major challenges Joe faced during his career:
From selling product to selling service and getting challenged that he wasn’t doing a great job
Strategy Joe used to overcome his challenge:
Working on his deficient areas so he can be productive
Result he got:
When Joe joined the company, they were about a 60-person digital agency. They soon became part of a full-service 250-person marketing agency. His responsibility: bringing in new clients and being a key part of the agency’s success. This led them to be acquired by a $10-billion holding company.
Unique strategies Joe has done with AgencySparks to be UNIQUE:
The Perfect Match
In time for Valentine’s day, they shot a video which “spoofs” an eHarmony or Match.com where a person delivers cheesy lines. As the video progresses, visitors who watch it would come to realize that it’s actually not a dating service per se but a service that will help connect them with the perfect marketing agency for their needs.
Next, they sent a physical mailer piece to some of their prospects. They purchased 250 matchboxes from a wedding favor website and there were writing on them in red and white that says, The Perfect Match. go to MakeSomeSparks.com. Inside each package, they filled the boxes with little heart-shaped candies with a handwritten note that tells them to watch the video on their website as well. (There was also a form capture for lead generation.)
Speed Dating
They hosted an in-person event the week before Valentine’s day where they invited 25 senior marketers and facilitated a “speed dating” event. They asked each agency person who were their clients and every 7 minutes, by the sound of the bell, they switch over to the next seat to have a speed dating conversation with the prospects.
Benefit for the prospects: They got exposed to 8 different agencies in a very short period of time.
Benefit for the agencies: They were able to pitch themselves in a very short of time to a bunch of clients;
Result: 19 requests from clients for a “second date” with the agencies.
Joe’s Major Takeaway:
Step outside of your norm and everyday routine and be creative. Step outside of the box. Joe also ends the interview with a quote from Theodore Roosevelt
“It is not the critic who counts; nor the one who points out how the strong person stumbled, or where the doer of a deed could have done better.
The credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming.”
Episode Resources:
To learn more about them, visit http://MakeSomeSparks.com. Check out the video they made as well as their blooper reel.
Contact AgencySparks at http://AgencySparks.com/contact.
Subscribe to their content by visiting http://AgencySparks.com/preferences
Dare Mighty Things by Theodore Roosevelt
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