2Bobs—with David C. Baker and Blair Enns

Given the data from recent research about Chief Marketing Officers, David has four things creative agencies should keep in mind during sales and work interactions with them.

LINKS

"Inside the Head of a CMO" by David C. Baker for punctuation.com

The Boathouse Fifth Annual CEO Study

Confessions of a CMO: A Field Guide to How CMOs Are Evolving to Thrive Under Corporate Pressure

Blair has been thinking about how, as AI continues to streamline more administrative tasks over time, we will be left to focus on the things we humans are good at – interacting with other humans. Because of this, the interesting people will win in selling their services and expertise.

Links

"The Interesting People Will Win" by Blair Enns for winwithoutpitching.com

"The Fertility Crash Will Make the World a Small Town" by Tyler Cowen for The Free Press

Jesse Ratner's March 27 LinkedIn Post about AI

We all know how valuable external input from trusted advisors can be for our business. But what does that look like for independent agencies who don't have investors to answer to?

LINKS

"Do Independent Firms Need A Board?" by David C. Baker for punctuation.com

Categorizing AI-generated copy as "human vs AI" is not as binary as with AI-generated images or video. So Blair has developed an AI Contribution Scale to help us all be more transparent when using LLMs in the creation of written communication intended for prospects, clients, and peers.

[This episode's notes are AI-0]

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Links

AI Contribution Scale

"The Coming Collapse of 'Thought Leadership'" by Blair Enns for http://winwithoutpitching.com/

Curt Jaimungal's 5-minute YouTube video on why you shouldn't let AI write for you

In a recent article, David discloses the questions all creative agency principals need to answer whenever they are ready to find the right buyer and successfully navigate the merger and acquisition (M&A) process to complete the sale.

LINKS

"How Sellable Is Your Firm?" by David C. Baker for Punctuation.com

Blair and David are hearing all kinds of people talking about how their positioning needs adjustment because of AI. Blair does see an issue developing for many creative firms, but more with business strategy instead of positioning.

Links

Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind and The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout

Good Strategy / Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt

Playing to Win by Roger L. Martin

The Lords of Strategy by Walter Kiechel, III

David recommends regular in-person company-wide gatherings for remote workers as an opportunity for creative agencies to help build their organization's culture in our post-pandemic economy where online video meetings continue to fill our calendars and working from home is the new norm.

LINKS

"Investing in Ee Retreats at Remote Firms" by David C. Baker for punctuation.com

Blair changes his mind on productized services. Again. And AI is the reason.

LINKS

"The New Age of Consulting" by Blair Enns for winwithoutpitching.com

David shares a quick list of website elements he sees is missing from a lot of creative firms' websites which could help them attract more new business.

Links

"13 Signals Your Website Might Send" by David C. Baker for punctuation.com

Blair shares what stuck in his mind about marketing success from listening to a recent podcast interview with Rory Sutherland on Liam Curley's Undisputed Authority.

Links

"Embrace the Marketing Mess" article by Blair Enns for winwithoutpitching.com

Rory Sutherland podcast interview on Liam Curley's Undisputed Authority

Which segments of our field will thrive in the near future and which ones will slowly lose relevance, and why? David wants creative entrepreneurs to continue being resilient and reinventing themselves every two years while keeping a watchful eye on constantly evolving industry practices and technologies (including AI).

Links

"Most At-Risk Shops" by David C. Baker for punctuation.com

Blair sees creative entrepreneurs opening themselves up to pricing resentment from their clients when the value of their contributions diminishes over time, especially when they've created significant economic value at the beginning of a long-term engagement.

LINKS

"Is Your Pricing Creating Resentment?" by Blair Enns for winwithoutpitching.com

Prompted by a recent trip to Europe, David considers how the differences between worker protection laws in Europe compared to North America affect starting and running an agency in this fast-changing global economy.

Links

"Employment Law + Economic Flexibility" by David C. Baker for punctuation.com

2Bobs in Tuscany

Join David, Blair, six other business owners and their spouses for four days and nights of creative business exploration in an intimate countryside villa designed for long meals, deep conversations, and unhurried thinking.

Learn more and apply at 2Bobs.com/events

Blair identifies three recurring categories of lost sales in creative firms and offers solutions to each. Fixing two of these patterns can reap the dividends immediately, and adjusting your sales approach for all three will pay off for years.

LINKS

"Three Patterns of Lost Opportunities" article by Blair Enns for winwithoutpitching.com

https://www.brigadoon.live/

"Slapping Down Your Childlike Glee" 2Bobs episode

"Debriefing After a New Business Call" 2Bobs episode

"Assume an Advantaged Player" 2Bobs episode

"The Rungs You Can Reach on the Ladder of Lead Generation" 2Bobs episode

David sees a lot of creative agencies making bad assumptions about their client relationships by not making the distinction between the reasons why clients come to them in the first place, why they choose to continue working with them as time passes, and then why they ultimately move on.

LINKS

"Distinguishing Between Why Clients Come, Stay, and Leave" by David C. Baker for punctuation.com

"The Waterfall of Differentiation" 2Bobs episode

Blair is stunned that he still encounters so many advisory businesses like ad agencies, consulting firms, legal and accounting practices — large and small — that are still selling time. So he and David discuss what new revenue models should look like as we all adapt to how AI is changing our businesses.

Links

"Time's Up, Babycakes" by Blair Enns for winwithoutpitching.com

Time's Up!: The Subscription Business Model for Professional Firms by Paul Dunn and Ronald J. Baker

The Automatic Customer: Creating a Subscription Business in Any Industry by John Warrillow

The Forever Transaction by Robbie Kellman Baxter

Subscribed: Why the Subscription Model Will Be Your Company's Future – and What to Do About It by Tien Tzuo and Gabe Weisert

Blair interviews David about a recent article he's been receiving a lot of feedback on, in which he lists all of the things he would try to incorporate into a brand new creative agency, based on what he's seen and learned from working with thousands of firms over the years.

Links

"If I Started A New Firm, Now" by David C. Baker for punctuation.com

Blair differentiates between decoy pricing and price anchoring, which are two different techniques that are often confused for each other, and can increase your average proposal value in multi-option pricing when used appropriately.

Links

"Decoy or Anchor?" article by Blair Enns for winwithoutpitching.com

"The Perils of 'Good/Better/Best' Pricing" 2Bobs episode

Despite the fact that many entrepreneurs hate people telling them what to do, they end up running their own agencies using a "central planning" model. Instead, David encourages entrepreneurial leaders to set clear standards, give staff more freedom, and institute kind accountability, for them and ourselves.

Links

"Countering Your 'Central Planning' Tendencies" by David C. Baker for punctuation.com

David interviews Blair about his recent article in which he gives us methods to cope with our own natural emotional and physiological responses that can be triggered when unforeseen events unfold within sales conversations.

LINKS

"Can Improv and Cold Plunges Improve Your Sales?" by Blair Enns for winwithoutpitching.com

Blair's interview on the Undisputed Authority podcast with Liam Curley

What Doesn't Kill Us by Scott Carney