| What has been your role in the new business efforts of the agency? | |
|---|---|
| Hawley Tremblay, Account + Business Development Supervisor | Helping to develop our strategy and plan for the coming year |
| Simone Katz | Media Director |
| Allison Martin, Director of Social Media | When I first started, and was consulting, I helped to put together some research presentations. |
| Simone Katz Media Director | I don't participate currently in new business efforts |
| Salman Javed, Development Director | Research mostly |
| MichaelAaron Flicker | President | been the lead of new business development since I started the agency |
| Shaun Samson, Creative Director | Have not been directly involved in new business efforts. |
| Jana Vetter, Director of Operations | Role with new business is from an operations perspective, people needed for the business effort, any NDAs, SOWs or contracts needed, financial expense requirements |
| What is your background, in terms of agencies, accounts, and client-side experience? | |
| Hawley Tremblay, Account + Business Development Supervisor | 6.5 years of experience at agencies, 5.5 of those years in client services |
| Simone Katz | Deutsch - 1.5 years - Bank of America, Revlon Colby & Parnters (dentsu) - Sharp Active - Playtex, Dean Foods, Pfizer Freelance - Dassualt, Caia, Little Miss Matched No client -side |
| Allison Martin, Director of Social Media | My degree focused on Public Relations, and at my first PR agency my time was split between social media and new biz for two years. I then consulted for several marketing and PR agencies as a freelancer for another two years doing strategy, research, and new biz decks. Then, I transition to XenoPsi as a full time employee focused on social media and strategy. I worked on a broad range of accounts throughout my experience, from CPG, to healthcare, to technology. |
| Simone Katz Media Director | seveal years at several agencies: Deutsch - Bank of America, Revlon Colby & Partners (Dentus) - Sharp Active - Playtex, Dean Foods, PFizer Freelance - Daussault Falcon Jet, CAIA, Little Miss Matched |
| Salman Javed, Development Director | Being programmer I have very little interaction with clients previously. I have worked in Danish and Spanish market and did campaigns for clients like ESPN, Canon, Volvo, etc. |
| MichaelAaron Flicker | President | Started XenoPsi when I was 14 years old. No other formal agency/account/client-side experience. Over the past 18 years, have grown the company through multiple phases - from a programming house, to a business consulting firm, to a hybrid organization which currently has Marketing-Advertising as its' main new business mission, with other disciplines in technology business consulting and custom programming still. All experience I have in terms of marketing and advertising has come from the business we've won, the other agencies we've partnered with and the clients we serve. |
| Shaun Samson, Creative Director | Started my career client-side, working as a designer in corporate environments creative marketing materials for sales and in-store experiences. This included working with the external agencies of the company. Moved on to a freelance design role later in my career, where I did international work for advertising and interactive agencies, small businesses, government, and independent artists and musicians. Freelancing let me to a role with XenoPsi as primary artist, lead artist, and then creative director. |
| Jana Vetter, Director of Operations | I have been with XenoPsi since 2008. This is the only ad agency experience I have had however in prior roles I have had to work on business proposals and account management |
| As if you were writing to a prospective client, describe the agency in no more than 3 sentences: | |
| Hawley Tremblay, Account + Business Development Supervisor | XenoPsi is a full service marketing agency, offering strategy and planning, media planning and buying, design, and programming. We create custom programs for our clients based on their business needs. |
| Simone Katz | XenoPsi is a technology driven organization. All we do it backed up by data and analytics. |
| Allison Martin, Director of Social Media | XenoPsi is a dynamic, full-service NYC agency with an emphasis on strategy and consumer insights. The agency has a strong team of Creative, Media, Development, Social, and Strategy experts. XenoPsi is dedicated to building lasting partnerships with clients. |
| Simone Katz Media Director | hard working, conservative, data driven prefers to tie all work to specific analytics |
| Salman Javed, Development Director | In XenoPsi we have uncompromised commitment to quality, which means whatever we will do for your product/brand we will do to the best of our abilities. |
| MichaelAaron Flicker | President | XenoPsi is a team of creative and media-savvy professionals that make big impacts for brands. And big impacts mean anything that helps you be successful - from simple optimizations to your current digital marketing communications to completely new creative campaigns that work across multiple ad mediums. At XenoPsi, your success is our number one priority - let's discuss how we can work together. |
| Shaun Samson, Creative Director | XenoPsi is strategy-led interactive and advertising agency. We work to form lasting partnerships with our clients where we can help them build their brands through carefully directed and implemented strategy, creative, media, and custom programming. |
| Jana Vetter, Director of Operations | XenoPsi provides strategy and insights in furthering our efforts to reach our customer base. The team provides quality value add service in meeting these objectives from ideation through execution |
| The New York Times decides they are going to write an article about your agency. After spending a day at your offices, and then going back to write the piece.... what would the headline be? | |
| Hawley Tremblay, Account + Business Development Supervisor | Not Just Marketing - XenoPsi Delivers Business Solutions |
| Simone Katz | Led by charismatic president, quiet but determined agency comes into its own |
| Allison Martin, Director of Social Media | An Agency Unlike Any Other: XenoPsi's Unique Distributed Team |
| Salman Javed, Development Director | XenoPsi role model for modern agencies |
| MichaelAaron Flicker | President | A few options: - Small Firm with Big Impact Hides in the Financial District - Born from Digital, this agency has brings modern approach to all areas of advertising - An agency that brings serious strategy and creative - Agency creates its own path between huge publicly-owned giants and counter-cultural (Brooklyn hippies) agencies |
| Shaun Samson, Creative Director | Local/International agency creates innovative creative & technical work. |
| Jana Vetter, Director of Operations | Bigger than the office space reveals - we are a distributed team working collaboratively together and using technology videoconferencing, skype calls to work effectively together. |
| Now bring the agency to life. You have certainly been through this exercise, however applying it to your agency agency can be quite revealing in understanding more about your "DNA". If the agency were a car, what kind would it be? What color? Why? | |
| Hawley Tremblay, Account + Business Development Supervisor | XenoPsi would be a mid-range car, something reliable and not too flashy. It would be speedy and nimble. |
| Simone Katz | Black toyota Corolla - dependable for the long haul no flashy going to be around for a while |
| Allison Martin, Director of Social Media | I am not a big car person...but I would think we would be: something foreign (as a nod to our distributed team) from a reputable company known for its quality (because of our promise of quality), but still affordable, it might not be the main line car that the parent company is known for, but instead one if the lesser known (given our position in the market). Probably not a SUV more of a mid-sized or compact (given our agency size) and could be something unique looking/eye catching (as a nod to our strong design team) but in a normal color like blue or silver. Maybe something from Hyundai, Toyota, Kia or Fiat? |
| Simone Katz Media Director | Toyota Corolla - black dependable reliable going to be there for the long haul |
| Salman Javed, Development Director | BMW, black. It looks great there is a lot of personality, it is available in all the colors/sizes. And if you do not like few things there an option of personalization. We can relate all these things with XenoPsi, when you start working with us you are guaranteed best possible solutions. With our ability to adapt/learn we can cater any personalization from client. |
| MichaelAaron Flicker | President | Tesla Model S. Blue. We're sleek, modern and when you see us doing our thing (65 on the highway / managing client work), you feel a little bit of envy. We're past the phase of being just the shiny new thing on the block, but not everyone believes we're the best thing yet or that we might be here forever. Those that don't really know us - think we are all about the technology (ie huge flat panel display in middle of car / being a digital agency first looms over our heads internally and externally). But once you get past all the technology - you start to get to the really exciting stuff of what we're about. Like being good for the environment (great team players), seeing huge cost savings over gas (more cost efficient than the big agencies), and you can still have a lot of fun while feeling good about your decision to be in a sports car (premier marketing/advertising/strategy/thinking). Sports car because we're agile, fast, able to take curves well. |
| Shaun Samson, Creative Director | It would be a new, upper mid tier sedan. Something along the lines of dark grey Acura ILX. This is fitting in that the agency is always moving into new territory (new car), it's neither cramped or bulky (sedan), the work is premium without smacking of "big agency" (Acura vs Mercedies). |
| Jana Vetter, Director of Operations | Blue convertible - I think of convertibles as being fun cars. The convertible top reflects how we are able to quickly adapt to changing weather conditions |
| What agencies do you most admire? Why? | |
| Hawley Tremblay, Account + Business Development Supervisor | 451 Marketing for their growth in the Boston area (similar to XP in many ways) Many of the bigger agencies (Ogilvy, Y&R, Wieden + Kennedy, etc. for their client list and strategy Interbrand for their branding expertise |
| Simone Katz | i dont really know if other agencies anymore - |
| Allison Martin, Director of Social Media | These are not all marketing agencies but all have solid experience that they used to grow their agencies. They are always speaking at conferences or being quoted in industry articles. R/GA Blue State Digital 306i Rokkan Cohn & Wolf |
| Simone Katz Media Director | I'm not really in the loop on other agencies, but I admire agencies that can push the boundries in media and creative |
| Salman Javed, Development Director | Blue Interactive Agency, I used to follow them for analytics which was a long time ago. |
| MichaelAaron Flicker | President | AKQA - I don't know much about them - but they have a great, inspired-based approach to their external communications Rokkan - I love their born in digital speak. They share a lot of similarities with how we started. Code and Theory - they do the tech/programming side of where we're from right. |
| Shaun Samson, Creative Director | CP+B, Rethink, DDB for a combination of really innovative work and putting the ideas first. |
| Jana Vetter, Director of Operations | Rokkan - similar company size that has positioned and communicated well their offerings |
| List the top few agencies that you do/will compete against most often. | |
| Hawley Tremblay, Account + Business Development Supervisor | Digitas Blue Fountain Media iStrategy Labs Rokkan |
| Simone Katz | ? |
| Allison Martin, Director of Social Media | The closest to our agency services would be R/GA or Blue State Digital |
| Simone Katz Media Director | not applicable to me |
| Salman Javed, Development Director | I would like to compete top 10 agencies because I don't think they can do something which we can not. |
| MichaelAaron Flicker | President | Digitas Health Sacchi and Sacchi McCANN Lots of smaller boutique agencys |
| Shaun Samson, Creative Director | I can't comment on competitive profile. |
| Jana Vetter, Director of Operations | do not have good insight into this |
| In the eyes of clients, what do you provide of value, that none of your competitors do? | |
| Hawley Tremblay, Account + Business Development Supervisor | Our attention to solving business needs, our careful/selective choosing of business, agility and thoroughness in problem solving as all departments are in-house, intimate knowledge of our clients' categories |
| Simone Katz | transparency, honesty, dedicated to getting the right answer |
| Allison Martin, Director of Social Media | Our partnership with our clients is unique. Additionally, I think not too many shops are truly full service at scale / all equally strong in-house including Creative, Development, Media, Strategy, and Social. |
| Simone Katz Media Director | not applicable to me |
| Salman Javed, Development Director | We are very lucky to have people who care about getting the work done correctly. We have started over projects at 80% when we felt we have taken wrong approach and we will not able to deliver what we promised. Other agencies that I have worked with will deliver half cooked product to client and let them deal with issues. |
| MichaelAaron Flicker | President | - Understanding their business better than almost any other agency that has ever worked on their business. - XenoPsi tries harder to do the right thing. |
| Shaun Samson, Creative Director | Genuine strategic partnership. |
| Jana Vetter, Director of Operations | do not have good insight into this |
| In the eyes of clients, what do your competitors provide of value, that you do not? | |
| Hawley Tremblay, Account + Business Development Supervisor | I am not sure - but I would guess that as we are smaller, sometimes unexpected issues can take longer to resolve due to limited availability of upper management (less people to work through a problem) |
| Allison Martin, Director of Social Media | I think there are definitely big idea agencies that have strong case studies or awards on specific one-off programs that get them recognition. I also think we have our most senior people involved in everything where as a larger agency likely has a dedicated media person for each brand so that there isn't any bandwith issues. |
| Simone Katz Media Director | not applicable to me |
| Salman Javed, Development Director | I would not know. |
| MichaelAaron Flicker | President | They're usually bigger, so more resources/negotiating power. If we are both new to a field - they often say they have partners or other to make it less of a risk. |
| Shaun Samson, Creative Director | I can't comment on competitive profile. |
| Jana Vetter, Director of Operations | do not have good insight into this |
| Which agencies do you find the toughest to pitch against? Why? | |
| Hawley Tremblay, Account + Business Development Supervisor | I have not been part of any pitches here at XenoPsi |
| Allison Martin, Director of Social Media | I haven't pitched anything for XenoPsi. Generally though I find sometimes clients will throw a smaller company into the mix even though they know they're leaning toward a larger agency. |
| Simone Katz Media Director | not applicable to me |
| Salman Javed, Development Director | I do not work on this type of project. |
| MichaelAaron Flicker | President | We have not pitched against many recently. |
| Shaun Samson, Creative Director | I have not been involved in any pitches. |
| Jana Vetter, Director of Operations | do not have good insight into this |
| Are there any negative perceptions that prospects might have about the agency that could hold you back in new business? | |
| Hawley Tremblay, Account + Business Development Supervisor | Potentially unclear about our expertise due to a website that lacks focus Being small sometimes means that prospects assume we don't have in-house capabilities |
| Allison Martin, Director of Social Media | Our new location, updates to the website, rebranding efforts etc. have resolved a lot of potential perception issues. I think people still struggle with our name and there is not any immediate recognition e.g. "I've heard of them." |
| Simone Katz Media Director | not applicable to me |
| Salman Javed, Development Director | No I don't think so. |
| MichaelAaron Flicker | President | Being primarily a digital company has it's pros and cons. Being small and boutique always has the concern that you can't handle larger new assignments (or at minimum there is spin up time and effort). |
| Shaun Samson, Creative Director | Not that I know of. |
| Jana Vetter, Director of Operations | do not have good insight into this |
| On a scale of 1-10, how well do your presentations back up the agency’s recommendation with an irrefutable logic trail? In other words, how well do you typically build a strong argument for the agency’s recommendation? (10 = we are always strong in this area) | |
| Hawley Tremblay, Account + Business Development Supervisor | 9 |
| Allison Martin, Director of Social Media | 9 |
| MichaelAaron Flicker | President | 9 |
| Shaun Samson, Creative Director | 9 |
| Jana Vetter, Director of Operations | 7 |
| On a scale of 1-10, how well do you build your presentations around a new and unexpected strategic consumer insight vs. a predictable consumer insight? In other words, how well do you always have something brand new to share about the client's target audience? (10 = we are always strong in this area) | |
| Hawley Tremblay, Account + Business Development Supervisor | 5 |
| Allison Martin, Director of Social Media | 8 |
| MichaelAaron Flicker | President | 8 |
| Shaun Samson, Creative Director | 7 |
| Jana Vetter, Director of Operations | 7 |
| On a scale of 1-10, how well do you build your presentations around a new and unexpected creative/concept/program/tactical idea? (10 = we are always strong in this area) | |
| Hawley Tremblay, Account + Business Development Supervisor | 3 |
| Allison Martin, Director of Social Media | 7 |
| MichaelAaron Flicker | President | 7 |
| Shaun Samson, Creative Director | 7 |
| Jana Vetter, Director of Operations | 7 |
| On a scale of 1-10, how well do you demonstrate the business impact of your recommendations? (10 = we are always strong in this area) | |
| Hawley Tremblay, Account + Business Development Supervisor | 5 |
| Allison Martin, Director of Social Media | 8 |
| MichaelAaron Flicker | President | 5 |
| Shaun Samson, Creative Director | 8 |
| Jana Vetter, Director of Operations | 7 |
| Overall (and as you consider the questions above), what do you believe most holds back the effectiveness of your client and new business presentations? | |
| Hawley Tremblay, Account + Business Development Supervisor | For questions three and four, I think sometimes our weakness is the result of conservative clients. We are also working to improve our access to data for better research and insights. This will help us be more effective. |
| Allison Martin, Director of Social Media | Speaking specifically to the pharma new biz research I've worked on for XenoPsi above. I think we could be more creative for some instances. |
| Simone Katz Media Director | not applicable to me |
| Salman Javed, Development Director | I help sometimes in research but generally I do not work on this type of projects. |
| MichaelAaron Flicker | President | Our client work is very strong which is how we've continued to grow. Our new business work would not get these same scores. We have dedicated very little time to business development - but this is the start to change that. |
| Shaun Samson, Creative Director | I think the lack of larger team involvement on (the few) new business presentations are a negative. |
| Jana Vetter, Director of Operations | I think we make very strong decks however gave a 7 in this due to our not currently making pitch decks versus client presentations. |
| If you’re able to answer, what has been most effective at bringing business in the door to date? | |
| Hawley Tremblay, Account + Business Development Supervisor | MichaelAaron as a leader and personality - it is his personal relationships that have brought business |
| Allison Martin, Director of Social Media | MichaelAaron's relationships with clients. |
| Simone Katz Media Director | not applicable to me |
| MichaelAaron Flicker | President | the great work we've done for others drives organic growth with our current clients and has former clients bringing us back as they move to new positions. |
| Shaun Samson, Creative Director | Up to now, the President of the agency has been the most effective new business driver. |
| Jana Vetter, Director of Operations | Word of mouth has brought us business |
| Bottom line, what do you think the agency most has to do to improve at new business? | |
| Hawley Tremblay, Account + Business Development Supervisor | I am not sure - potentially free up MichaelAaron's schedule more to give him more time to prospect and pitch. |
| Allison Martin, Director of Social Media | Solidifying who we are and what we offer in a compelling way. |
| Simone Katz Media Director | not sure |
| Salman Javed, Development Director | I think we do not have a proper business development department, we need to set it up and then look for new business, which I believe would be easy because of the great work we have been producing every year. |
| MichaelAaron Flicker | President | create an effective positioning, dedicate resources (time and talent) to tracking down new opportunities and getting us in front of the right people to hear what we have to say. |
| Shaun Samson, Creative Director | Creating a team with new business goals and actively participate in pitches. |
| Jana Vetter, Director of Operations | Pitch for new business and get MichaelAaron out selling new business |