David thinks principals should build their firms as if they were going to sell it while Blair’s advice is to run it as if you’ll never sell it. Being aware of options as your firm matures can give you the leverage you might need in negotiations.
Read MoreThrough the process of writing his latest book, Blair's thinking has evolved on whether or not firms should resist the urge to productize their services as they work to creatively meet the unique needs of each client.
Read MoreIn Blair's experience, the most common reason a lead generation plan doesn’t get executed is it doesn’t recognize and leverage the strengths or motivations of the individuals executing.
Read MoreDavid describes the differences in what kind of people principals should hire during the early stage of their creative firm’s development when it’s all about “what we can afford,” the middle stage when it’s about “what we need,” and then the later days of an agency when it’s about “what we can learn.”
Read MoreBlair borrows a concept from finance and fitness to help creative agencies find the balance between low risk and high risk pricing strategies.
Read MoreBlair interviews David about his new book, Selling Your Professional Services Firm: A Primer.
Read MoreBlair interviews David on his recent article about the idea that expertise does involve supplying answers, eventually, but mainly expertise is about asking the right questions, first, and then offering a few answers after the truth surfaces.
Read MoreBlair shares how to determine whether or not we are the advantaged player the “polite battle for control” within the game of sales, and how we can get the odds of winning the sale to be more in our favor.
Read MoreDavid interviews Blair about his new book, which lays out his proven framework B2B service providers can use to increase closing ratios and average proposal values.
Read MoreBlair and David reminisce about their podcasting journey since Blair first pitched the 2Bobs idea to David back in 2016, sharing what they've learned along the way, and what they might like to try with the podcast in the future.
Read MoreDavid unpacks six principles that can help creative firms benefit from delivering strategic guidance through their account managers.
Read MoreBlair sees four common behaviors when business owners are looking to get deals moving in times of economic decline, stagnation, or uncertainty that end up doing long term harm to their positioning and pricing.
Read MoreEvery few years we’re told that we need to move on from using email newsletters as a part of our marketing platform. And David says that advice has always been wrong.
Read MoreDavid provides some clear examples of what is required for a firm to be successful at offering one service for many different verticals.
Read MoreGiven these uncertain economic times we are in right now, Blair is asking if some creative firms might need to rethink the market they serve, looking at whether their positioning might be too broad, too narrow, or just wrong.
Read MoreDavid shares his decision-making framework that will help agency principals make better decisions during chaotic times like these.
Read MorePricing is a prison cell of our own making. And it’s cultural. Blair has come up with a series of prompts as a creative exercise to help us all move into a realm of higher pricing.
Read MoreDavid wants agency principals to develop new business plans which delivers more new leads with less labor so their organizations can have more controllable growth, as well as increasing their likelihood for a successful exit when that time comes.
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