The New New Business: Erin Regan and The Art of Selling
Erin Regan is a seasoned agency leader who drives Full Contact’s strategic vision forward by unlocking new avenues for growth through client acquisition, new capabilities, and operational efficiencies.
LBB> What was your first sale or new business win? (Was it a big or small job? How difficult or scary was it? What do you remember about how you felt? What lessons did you learn?)
Erin> Honestly, I can’t recall my first new business win, but I can tell you about one of my favourites. It was the summer of 2016. We had received multiple opportunities to pitch Super Bowl ideas for a major car company.
Although living in Boston, I spent most of the summer living out of a hotel near my firm’s NYC office developing ideas with a few incredibly talented creatives with deep automotive expertise. Everything had to be presented in video format. It had to be ownable, unique, and never done before. It was the Super Bowl, and only one idea could win.
We flew to Detroit multiple times that summer to pitch ideas across the brands. We test drove vehicles. We were granted what seemed like Pentagon-level clearance to engine details and innovation pipelines. I worked late nights, weekends, and holidays. And although we created work we were extremely proud of, most of the ideas were dismissed with the mere sideways shake of a head.
But, finally, one idea got THE NOD. Although not as relevant for that year’s big game, the CMO acknowledged it could be right for the launch of a new product happening sometime in the next three years. I didn’t just want to make this work; I needed to make this work. After all the blood, sweat, and sacrifice, it had to be worth it.
You better believe I checked in with the clients every few weeks for two years—mentioning relevant new work coming out of our agency, commenting on new products they were launching, calling out misfires by their competitors, and relaying our continued desire to partner and bring our idea to life.
And finally, we did. Our labour of love debuted in the Super Bowl of 2018. It was celebrated amongst brand lovers and viewers alike, and ultimately went on to win a Cannes Lion in film.
Worth it.
LBB> What was the best piece of advice you got early on?
Erin> When I became the head of new business at a major holding company, the global CEO of my agency at the time, a female leader I looked up to and worked with for more than a decade, told me that when we’re in the new-business pitch room, I was the boss. I set the tone. I call the shots. That small acknowledgement by her was all the instruction I needed to own my new role.
Going forward, no matter if it was the global CEO of our network or a proof-reader, I had a vision for how the pitch would go that day, that week, that month, and I shared my expectations accordingly.
LBB> And the worst?
Erin> When I was in my late 20s, I was working primarily on CPG accounts and was hungry to get more diversified experience across categories and try my hand in new business. A senior leader at the time told me that was an amazing ambition, and I could continue on this trajectory as long as I didn’t want to have a couple of kids down the road. This industry does not lend itself to being a mother.
Well, I did have a couple of kids down the road, but I didn’t lose sight of my ambitions for myself and my career. And I’m grateful for that “advice,” because I’m more conscious and purposeful about the tone I set for my team now as an executive leader in our organisation.
LBB> How has the business of ‘selling’ in the creative industry changed since you started?
Erin> The art of selling has transitioned from two hours in the pitch room to an always-on growth mentality. If you want to be an agency executive today, a new-business mindset is a must. Huge AOR contracts are not what they once were, the agency landscape has never been more proliferated, and the new normal is project land and expansion.
If you don’t have a groundswell of leaders helping drive growth, beyond the new business lead, then it’s going to be a hard road to grow at speed and scale.
LBB> Can anyone be taught to sell or do new business or do you think it suits a certain kind of personality?
Erin> I don’t think it’s for everyone, but I do think people are better at selling than they think. There’s a misperception out there that being a great new-business person requires the ability to walk into a room, wine, dine, and ask someone for money.
We do plenty of sales training—creating one-sheeters, rehearsing pitches—but at the end of the day, it’s about teaching our people to listen. If you listen to someone talk about their challenges—business, brand, or cultural—it’s not about selling our agency but about proposing the proactive creative solutions where marketing could make an impact. And ultimately, It’s much easier to discuss the dollars and cents of a contract when you’ve already demonstrated the value you can bring to their organisation.
LBB> What are your thoughts about the process of pitching that the industry largely runs on?
Erin> If a brand is going to move its $200 million dollar media business to a new agency, I understand the need for a certain chemistry-development period to ensure the agency is the right partner. But for a $50K project, the pitch isn’t worth the squeeze. I think there’s a time and a place for pitches, but the scope and scale of the pitch assignment should adjust accordingly based on the long-term opportunity.
I prefer a try-before-you-buy assignment. A small non-competitive paid engagement is a great way to test a new relationship without committing to a year-long contract.
We’ve had many clients start by giving us a small $100K project. Seeing the success of that one interaction, they gave us another, and another, and all of a sudden, it’s a $3M piece of business, and we’re their lead agency a year later. I don’t think any agency is great at everything, and even great agencies aren’t a great fit for every brand, so doing a paid project engagement can be a great way to see if the chemistry is there and the work the agency produces is right for the short and long-term vision of their brand.
LBB> How do you go about tailoring your selling approach according to the kind of person or business you’re approaching?
Erin> Every agency has its elevator pitch, narrative, case studies that are “in the can” for when the next opportunity knocks. I believe a new-business arsenal is imperative to move quickly. But, I don’t believe you ever have anything ready to hit send when a new client approaches.
To me, it starts with understanding the challenge the brand is facing. And it’s not always as clear as it may seem. I’ve had clients tell me their challenge is lead generation, but when we dig into their existing plans, we realise they’re getting plenty of leads. It’s their site that isn’t user friendly so people go there, can’t navigate, and bounce. So, once we’ve unlocked the marketing challenge, we can get to work showing the blueprint for how creativity can make an immediate impact and tailor what we build and share accordingly.
LBB> New business and sales can often mean hearing ‘no’ a lot and quite a bit of rejection - how do you keep motivated?
Erin> Honestly, after over a decade of being solely focused on new business and growth, I’ve heard “no” more than I care to share. I always say I never cry at the losses, but I do get misty after months of hard work and a well-deserved victory. To me, the most important part of a rejection is being dogged about receiving clear and concise feedback.
This may sound like table stakes, but you wouldn't believe how many times we’ve lost a pitch only to hear, “It was down to you and one other agency, and we picked the other. But the decision was almost impossible.” Ok. But, you did pick the other agency. If we invest time, money, and resources to participate, then we deserve actionable feedback so that we can get better and not fall into certain traps in future pitches.
LBB> The advertising and marketing industry often blurs the line between personal and professional friendships and relationships… does this make selling easier or more difficult and delicate?
Erin> We are lucky enough to work in an industry where we can dress casually and discuss in earnest emerging TikTok dance trends. Some of my closest adult friends have been clients and I think have made for some of my best professional relationships. Client relationships that are built on a foundation of trust and hard work—well, that goes a long way.
When I was becoming a partner at Full Contact, a previous boss, mentor, and client called and asked me if we could tackle a new assignment from the brand she represented. I answered honestly, and it’s been some of the most incredible work that’s come out of our agency and equally driven incredible impact for the client.
On the flip side, if she had asked me about something I didn’t feel as confident about, I would have been honest and recommended someone else because I would never want to let her down and not deliver. Ultimately, being a good partner—professionally and personally—is demonstrated in the integrity you bring to each interaction.
LBB> In your view, what's the key to closing a deal?
Erin> A deal is never done until the SOW is signed and an onboarding has begun. And even then, the pressure to show immediate impact and value is high. And so often we’ve been very close to crossing the finish line when out of nowhere the negotiation starts.
My advice is to try to over deliver a seamless onboarding and transition because that will set you and the client up for success. But three feet from the finish line, do not devalue your agency and the service you provide.
LBB> How important is cultural understanding when it comes to selling internationally? (And if you have particular experience on this front, what advice do you have?)
Erin> I worked on a global CPG brand early in my career at a holding company. My first project was to lead the evolution of what was a very successful, Effie-award-winning campaign in the U.S. on the international stage.
Insert the tons of research we did in each of our key markets—APAC, LATAM, and EMEA—like focus groups, quant, and relying on our network agency partners in those markets. Translation services are important but often don't take into consideration the creative nuances of an idea and how that needs to be adjusted if the meaning isn’t the same in another language.
The audience didn’t know this well-known American brand, the challenge to drive sales was completely different, and the articulation of our idea evolved far more than we initially planned and nuanced for each unique market, not translated into another language.
LBB> How is technology and new platforms (from platforms like Salesforce and Hubspot to video calls to social media) changing sales and new business?
Erin> A CRM system is great for tracking leads, conversations, and engagements. If you have a leadership team of 25 people all out chasing new business, you want to look organised and aligned. I also think larger-scale updates such as agency newsletters are a great way to stay in touch with key prospects. They can be incredibly helpful for organising, documenting and deploying communications.
I personally still love an in-person meeting. And I do a lot of my preliminary new-business meetings over coffee or lunch or drinks. But video conferencing has allowed me and my partners to have more conversations more often. A busy CMO can take months to pin down in person, and one scheduling blip can send you to the back of the line for another few months. Offer a 30-minute zoom with a clear agenda, and you’re far more likely not to get bumped.
LBB> There’s a lot of training for a lot of parts of the industry, but what’s your thoughts about the training and skills development when it comes to selling and new business?
Erin> Early in my marketing career, I was at a networking event and ended up in an impassioned conversation with the CMO of a fortune 100 company about what direction my career should take next. At the time, I was a brand manager at a start-up. He told me, “You should work for an agency. It’s an MBA and PhD in marketing all rolled into one.”
I tell that story because, like a lot of learning the ropes of advertising, I think the best new- business training is to work on a new-business pitch, be in prospecting conversations, position yourself near growth-oriented leaders, make some mistakes and learn from them, dust yourself off and begin again. I had incredible mentors and leaders early in my career, so I did everything I could to be in the room, seek out their advice, and learn from their actions.
For leaders in your organisation who are less comfortable, let them practice the pitch, but send a seasoned leader with them for initial conversations until they get more comfortable.
LBB> What’s your advice for anyone who’s not necessarily come up as a salesperson who’s now expected to sell or win new business as part of their role?
Erin> Treat every interaction with care. Keep in touch. Go out for that coffee you’ve been meaning to have. Do favours without expectation. And ultimately, listen and provide value. Even if that’s to make an introduction to someone else or another agency.
