'Rollin' with the Pitches: Dan Pritchard
New business. Adland’s greatest juxtaposition. Clandestinely whispered, yet boomed from the hilltops. Lifeblood of the agency, but vampiric drain. Terrifying and tantalising in equal measures.
The Alliance of Independent Agencies brings you ‘Rollin’ With The Pitches’ – a series profiling its members and those bearing the weight of winning new work. Alliance of Independent Agencies interviews give a candid view from one of the most pressurised gigs in the industry, with insight and anecdotes from inside the war rooms and across the pitch tables.
This edition brings forward Dan Pritchard, CEO of Program Agency.
Q> Do you work exclusively in new business, or have other responsibilities within your agency?
Dan> As CEO I have to confess to a few other responsibilities! Having said that, since putting in a strong leadership team two years ago, we are very clear on who is leading on what. I now focus most intently on overall company strategy and business development.
Q> Are you focused on building the pipeline of opportunities, converting the leads, or embedding new clients? Or a new biz rep for all seasons?!
Dan> All of the above - with one exception. Thankfully, it’s alongside Caroline Orr, our brilliant Director of Marketing. We have also started working with JFDI to further develop the overall business development strategy and the key components of that.
Onboarding and embedding new clients is led by Emma McLeod, Head of Client Services. That flow from prospect to client was a gap previously - we weren’t doing it well. It came down to a disconnect between the pitch and proposal stage and the work getting underway. That’s not fair on the Account team, so we’ve changed that - bringing them in earlier, getting more people involved in the pitch process, and having a clear and documented onboarding process that they created. It’s working well.
Q> What’s the most novel way you’ve engaged a potential client?
Dan> Novel doesn’t have to mean one-off or quick. And I don’t do novelty just for the sake of it. I think for Program, it’s something we started five years ago, which has grown to become the most successful element of our business development strategy, that no agency can replicate in its entirety. It centres on a principle which I strongly believe in: don’t just build your brand, build your own brand community.
For us, that’s Tech South West. We provide Positive Impact Marketing - honing in on the good you do and building strategic marketing from that foundation. That means we support a lot of tech brands focused on people. So we started helping tech leaders, by setting up Tech South West, the regional tech cluster organisation for the South West of England.
We now have over 3000 members, partners including Microsoft and British Business Bank, startup and scaleup programmes, annual awards, podcast, tech news site, insight reports, summits and roundtables. It means we get to build relationships and support the sector, and as a rather wonderful by-product, get to know and work with some amazing tech brands. You have to do it for the right reasons - building a community that really helps those who are part of it, but the payback in terms of friendships, opportunities and new business is really starting to deliver.
Q> Can you let us into a pitch secret or special tactic?
Dan> Then it wouldn’t be a secret! I’d say bring your true self. The more honesty in the room, the more likely the chemistry will kick in. You might see it as a risk, but it’s actually about finding out whether client and agency align. Honesty is the best way of doing that.
Q> Biggest win?
Dan> March 2023, a major hotel group.
Q> Most painful loss?
Dan> A tech sector event that we helped seed the initial idea and scope out. It had public sector involvement and went out to tender. We had the inside track but didn’t get it. Ouch.
Q> How have you learnt to deal with failure? What would you recommend to those struggling with the pressure?
Dan> Remember it’s only work. I came to agency-life late so hopefully I have a chilled perspective (chilled - not laid back). My first agency job was as a co-founder at the age of 40, after five years in journalism and 12 in corporate communications. Those first few years can be tough, when cash flow can limit you. Every new client feels like a major step forwards, every rejection a bitter blow.
I’ve learnt to be more selective. We qualify every opportunity now, decide what not to go for as much as what we do pursue. That means we spend more energy and time on the ones we are excited about and know we’re a better fit. And guess what? The success rate starts to climb.
So, for me, it’s about learning as quickly as possible (and I certainly didn’t do that) what you’re great at, and what’s not worth pursuing. Over time an improved success rate means less pressure - a win-win.
Q> What is the best piece of new business advice you’ve ever been given?
Dan> Have a plan which includes the tangible tactics you are actually going to implement and measure against, for all new business. Then deliver it. Make sure that includes target companies you want to work with, which fit your ideal client proposition. A lot of us don’t like the s-word: ‘sales’. If that’s you, deal with it. Work out your approach and be honest with yourself. Get the right people doing the right things.
Q> What’s been your biggest disaster?
Dan> Losing a client with 24-hours notice after a shareholder revolt saw the CEO (who was also the original founder) ditched. It was early on in our journey and we were overexposed. We lost 25% of our income in the blink of an eye. Looking back, I realise it took about two years to fully recover. It left us under pressure which means you don’t always make the best decisions for the business. Scrabbling around for work is not where anyone wants to be.
Q> Most comical pitch moment?
Dan> Maybe it’s me, but I don’t recall too many comedy moments at pitches! Is that a copout? Probably…
Q> What does your agency’s independence mean in the world of new business?
Dan> Integrity and talent at the forefront. As an independent, it’s within your gift to make sure there is no client pecking order. That’s a really strong selling point for us. We have the set up and ethos that ensures every client receives senior director level involvement, a bespoke team and a truly agile approach. Plus you’re tapping into an outstanding and flexible talent pool built around the client’s needs, instead of having to deal with a complex agency hierarchy.
Q> What scares you most when it comes to new business?
Dan> Nothing scares me - because it’s only work. I love the strategy involved, relationships formed, and the brilliant work that our Creative Director and the team do for proposals and pitches. I’m super excited about the next phase of our growth at Program. If you truly believe in the quality of your people and the work they deliver, it’s then about developing a clear business development strategy to allow them to flourish through great clients and great projects. That’s my job and I enjoy it more and more.
Q> What roles does data and analytics play in your new business efforts?
Dan> I’ve been part of one of Agencynomics’ Mastermind groups and that has put a lot more rigour into our approach, including how we qualify every potential opportunity, track the whole process, understand the reasons - and numbers - behind every success and failure.
When I became majority shareholder during the pandemic, I knew we had to sharpen up. Learning from peers and experts at Agencynomics has been integral to that - which has also led to a complete rebrand including the company name, a new leadership team, new methodologies and processes and improved creative work. We’ve been busy!
Q> Book / podcast / film / person – what’s your top recommendation?
Dan> For business, there are so many. How about ‘Think Like an Artist and Lead a More Creative, Productive Life’ by Will Gompertz. It’s about creativity in business. As well as being erudite, it’s also short with great images - always a bonus for busy business people.
As Gompertz says in the last of eleven succinct chapters: ‘A creative economy needs independently minded individuals with the freedom and capacity to think imaginatively.’ Or, as Jack London says (as also quoted in the book): ‘You can’t wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club.’
For life, until I finish my first novel (it’s metaphysical, set during those early weeks of lockdown and I’ve no idea if it’s any good - first draft complete, now with a beta-reader), you’ll have to make do with another recommendation. If you want to understand where technology is taking us, immerse yourself in any of the mind-blowing short stories from Ted Chang. Think ChatGPT is neat? You ain’t seen nothing yet!
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We extend our thanks to Dan from Program Agency for sitting down with us and answering our questions!
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