The session was expertly hosted by the Managing Partners of Future Factory, Sam Wheatman and Lucy Young, alongside an all-star panel of experts:

Alison Ralph

Head of New Business Training & Development at Future Factory

Kabillian Navaratnarasa

Head of New Business at Uncommon Creative Studio

Gill Huber

Managing Director of Ingenuity+

Build a winning new business email strategy

For most small to mid-sized agencies, your dream client isn’t likely to come knocking on your door. In fact, the reality is that many of the high-quality, ideal clients you’re hoping to work with may never reach out to you unless you make the first move.

That’s where having a solid, proactive outreach strategy becomes essential. By taking the initiative to connect with potential clients, showcase your expertise, and build meaningful relationships, increases your chances of getting noticed and position your agency as the go-to solution for their needs. It’s not just about waiting for opportunities to come to you, it’s about creating your own opportunities and reaching out in a way that captures their attention.

But with senior marketers often inundated with over 300 emails a week, identifying the right person to contact and standing out amidst the overwhelming noise is no small feat. But don’t worry, we’ve asked the experts everything you need to know to create a winning new business email strategy.

Identify your target list

It all starts with the right target. Begin by identifying the brands you want to work with, ensuring they align with your agency’s expertise.

Once you’ve established the type of brands you want to target, get clear on who it is at those companies that you want to approach. Don’t focus all your time and effort on targeting CMOs and Marketing Directors, make sure you broaden your scope and reach out to the wider marketing team.

Gill added, “I’ve spoken with many CMOs and the common theme amongst them all is that they’re incredibly busy people and don’t always have the time to respond to a cold email. However, someone else on their marketing team might be more receptive, and if someone from their team recommends a meeting with an agency, the door is much more likely to open.” So, make sure to reach out to Marketing Leads and Managers at those brands too.

(For top tips on how to identify the right new business targets for your agency, read this article)

Tailor your approach

Once you’ve zeroed in on the brands you want to target and the people within them, it’s time to craft a tailored approach. As we mentioned earlier, research is key! Get as much insight into the brand and the individual as you can. A personalised approach, that shows you truly understand their business challenges, will always get a better response than one that doesn’t.

Take your time to research the brand and the individual you want to contact. Look for any recent news or articles they or the brand have been featured in that you could mention to make your approach more relevant. Use all the available information out there to make your approach resonate as much as possible with your prospect.

“We live in an era where marketing leaders are openly sharing their insights—through podcasts, webinars, and events. This gives agency leaders invaluable content to tap into, offering a clearer view on the challenges CMOs face and how your agency can offer solutions.” Kabillan added.

Once you’ve crafted a tailored email that’s bespoke to their business needs, make sure you end it with a strong call to action. Suggest some dates that work for the week ahead or share a link to your calendar that allows them to book a meeting with you directly.

(For top tips on how to write new business emails that actually get a response, check out this article) 

Follow up, follow up, follow up

Don’t feel disheartened if you don’t hear back the first time, as we mentioned before, marketing leaders are busy. They may have missed your call, or your email might have got buried in their inbox. Don’t give up just because it wasn’t successful the first time round, make sure you follow up and take a slightly different approach each time you do. But don’t over do-it, be persistent, not pushy.

ARE YOU READY TO POWER UP YOUR NEW BUSINESS STRATEGY FOR 2025?

If you’re looking at how you can implement these techniques into your new business strategy for 2025, or are interested in how our lead generation services can support your agency’s growth, email:  sam.wheatman@thefuturefactory.co.uk and let’s chat.

LOOKING TO LAND MORE NEW BUSINESS MEETINGS?

Our ‘Winning new business via call and email’ training workshop is here to help you do exactly that. Check out all the details on our new business training here.