How to Close a Deal for your Marketing Agency

21 Jan 2024

As an entrepreneur or marketer with your agency, you know that closing deals for your business are crucial for your growth and success. But, even with a top-notch marketing agency, it's still not easy to land that deal. While there are no guarantees in the world of sales, you can definitely take steps to increase your chances of success. This guide will show you how to close a deal for your marketing agency.

Secure the discovery call meeting.

The first step in closing a deal is to get in touch with a prospect and secure a discovery call. During the call, you can learn more about your prospect's needs, the problems they are trying to solve, and how your services can help them. It's important to remember that you are not here to sell them on anything but rather to get to know them and see if there is a fit.

I recommend sending any sales collateral upfront and checking to see if the prospect has read it before the call. This will save time and allow a more productive conversation during the call.

Once you have secured the discovery call, here are some tips to make it a success:

Do your research: Before the call, research the prospect's company and industry. Doing the research will help you understand their needs and pain points better.
Prepare questions: Come prepared with a list of questions to ask the prospect during the call. Good preparation will show that you are genuinely interested in their business and not just trying to make a sale.
Listen actively: During the call, pay attention to what the prospect is saying and take notes. Listening to your prospect will help you tailor your pitch later on.
Highlight success stories: Share any success stories or case studies from your previous clients relevant to the prospect's needs. Your success stories will help build credibility and trust in your agency.
Be transparent: Don't over-promise or oversell your services. Be honest about what you can deliver and set realistic expectations.
Set a follow-up: Before ending the call, agree on a date and time for a follow-up call or meeting. Following up with your prospect will help keep the conversation going and show your commitment to working with the prospect.

Remember, the discovery call is not just about gathering information and pitching your services. It's about building a relationship with the prospect and understanding their business needs so you can provide tailored solutions. Be genuine, listen actively, and follow up to make a lasting impression on the prospect. And most importantly, be patient and don't rush the sale. Building a strong foundation through productive conversations will lead to successful partnerships in the long run.

Qualify the leads with BANT

After the discovery call, qualifying your lead with the BANT method is important. BANT stands for Budget, Authority, Need, and Timeframe. Ask yourself whether the prospect has the Budget to pay for your services, the Authority to decide, a Need for your services, and a clear time frame for getting started. If the answer to these questions is no, it may not be worth pursuing the deal.

Build a solid proposal

Once you have qualified the lead, creating a proposal is time. Your proposal should be tailored to the prospect's specific needs and clearly outline the benefits of your services. Be sure to include case studies, examples of past work, and testimonials to help support your proposal and show your credibility.

The structure of your proposal would vary by agency, client needs, and objectives, but a general outline would be.

Agency Overview
- Team Overview
- Area of expertise (Service overview)
- Clients
Proposal section
- Recap of client's needs
- High-level view of how you'll serve the client: objectives, goals, strategy, tactics
- What you're going to deliver for the client
- Simulation (if you have good data and assumptions)
- Timeline of deliverables (what client should expect)
- Use cases
- Pricing
Next Steps

Pitch your proposal

Ensure you are clear, concise, and confident when pitching your proposal. Address the prospect's needs and problems you will solve for them, and communicate the value of using your agency. You can also include details about your process for delivering results and answer any questions or concerns the prospect may have.

Follow up and get feedback

After the pitch:

Follow up with the prospect and get their feedback.
Ask them if they have any questions, concerns, or objections.
Address any objections the prospect has and provide more information if necessary.
During the follow-up, be professional, courteous, and persistent without being too aggressive.

The prospect often asks questions and requests the proposal to reflect the most recent discussion and needs.

Sign the contract and close the deal

Finally, if everything goes well, it's time to prepare the agreement, sign the contract, and close the deal. Ensure you and the prospect understand the contract terms and are comfortable moving forward. Once the contract is signed, it's important to communicate with the client regularly, address any concerns or issues, and deliver on your promises.

Closing a deal for your marketing agency is not easy, but it's possible. Following the steps we have laid out in this guide can increase your chances of success and ultimately grow your business.

Remember to focus on understanding the prospect's needs, building strong proposals, and being professional, persistent, and confident. By doing so, you will be well on your way to closing more deals and achieving your business goals.

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Kris Twitter

As a data journalist, I enjoy curating and analyzing marketing trends, and data. The things that fascinate me the most are the transforming business landscape due to evolving marketing technologies.