Ad Sales
Updated: The 13 Biggest Myths About Sales Prospecting
Still holding onto the idea that all prospects are the same or that cold calling is a thing of the...
Before I became Winmo’s content marketing manager, I was a client. I ran marketing and sales for an experiential agency in New York and never closed the Winmo tab on my computer. It was like a scavenger hunt working my way through the platform. I worked to uncover agency-brand relationships and decode which opportunities would best align with our talents. One of my most-used tools was (and still is) also a popular favorite among the current clients I talk to every week, WinmoEdge.
Download Q1 2021’s list of 25 brands on Winmo’s Vulnerable Account Index
Achieving sales and revenue goals is brutal and constant. There’s no rest for the wicked when it comes to agency new business and the Winmo team knows this. In fact, many of us come from agency backgrounds (hi, hello, me) and remember the daily grind of #agencylife.
WinmoEdge is a sales predictor designed to point readers to imminent campaigns, spending shifts, and partnership potentials on the horizon in 3-18 months. Here are four ways I used the tool as a sales and marketing leader to pursue new projects and client relationships:
1) To stalk the brands we wanted to work with.
As I’m sure many of you do, my agency had a hit list of dream brands that we wanted to work with. Our list included LVMH, Tiffany & Co., and Tesla. Of course, I set alerts in my account to notify me of any important changes to these brands, but WinmoEdge also kept me informed about the activities of their competitors, too. The weekly Emerging Brands article and content by demographic opportunities (like Millennials, Gen Z, “momvertising,” and “dadvertising”) allowed me to expand our horizons beyond these high-value logos to explore similar, and uncharted, partnerships.
2) To jump on opportunities when new CMOs are hired.
When a brand hires an outside CMO (versus promoting from within), it’s a strong signal that an agency review is imminent. After all, bringing on a new department head is a major shakeup and communicates that the old marketing wasn’t working. As agency professionals know, the early creative team catches the project. Most of the time, it’s best to relationship-build before the RFP goes out, so your team is the one against all others are compared to. WinmoEdge’s Vulnerable Account Index (VAI) offers these kinds of valuable insights even before a new CMO starts.
3) To learn more about prospecting triggers.
Another awesome feature of the VAI is learning to recognize the most common actions that precede agency reviews. Since January 2015, the WinmoEdge team has updated their top 100 VAI standings every Friday with the latest top scores, new entries, and forecasts. Pay attention to brands increasing their advertising spend, (especially if it’s in a channel your agency specializes in), securing new funding, or shifting messaging.
4) To keep tabs on the competition.
This one feels illegal, but it isn’t. One of my favorite WinmoEdge secrets is to use it to keep tabs on industry competitors. When you search their name in Winmo, Edge clients can also read through all of the articles they are included in, from any year. This provides insight into their wins, losses, and changing leadership. It’s important to know what you’re up against and learn from other people’s mistakes.
Looking for new business opportunities before the competition? Download our latest list of 25 brands on Winmo’s Vulnerable Account Index (VAI), a scoring system that ranks accounts based on how soon they’ll be open to approaches from agencies:
- 85 – 100: Review imminent (an agency shift could happen within 3-6 months)
- 70 – 84: Account in jeopardy (signs of an agency shifts are there)
- Download here
