The New New Business: Mariel Cunningham on Problem Solving, Not Box Ticking

As head of new business, Mariel Cunningham is responsible for driving business growth for Global Creative Agency, Wongdoody. She has worked in business development roles for over twelve years spanning Europe, APAC, and North America. Across her career, she has led teams to win a number of high-profile pitches including Microsoft, Porsche, Electrolux, Intel, Ben & Jerry’s, and Amazon.

Mariel brings her entrepreneurial spirit as a multiple business owner to drive ambition and excellence across new business efforts, thought leadership, and marketing within Wongdoody.

As a self-confessed 'orchestrator of chaos to get results', there is never a dull moment when working with Mariel for the clients and pitch teams alike.

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?)

Mariel> Twelve years ago, in my first agency role, I won a large experiential campaign for Budweiser. I was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed with everything to gain and nothing to lose. It was the biggest campaign the agency had ever won. I loved the thrill of building relationships and beating out the competition. From that point, I was hooked on new business development.

LBB> What was the best piece of advice you got early on? 

Mariel> To listen more than you speak. My best meetings have been when I have barely spoken at all and just asked the right questions so I could understand the 'why?' behind their goals. 

LBB> And the worst?

Mariel> That “deals are made in bars not boardrooms”. As a woman in an often male-dominated industry, I had to learn to navigate many different characters. Hitting a sales quota is never worth compromising your safety or comfort levels. 

LBB> How has the business of ‘selling’ in the creative industry changed since you started?

Mariel> I laugh thinking back to lugging around a large A2 leather case containing a portfolio of work, flicking from page to page in meetings then dashing across the city to my next appointment. 

Now, selling is consultative. We know a lot more about our prospects before we meet with them and likely, they know about us. They’re not just looking to be wowed by past work but expect us to have a deep understanding of their brand and pain points. Our job is to solve problems, not tick boxes.

Since the pandemic, we have had to learn how to form relationships in a virtual first world. We can no longer rely on pitch theatre to impress. Understanding how to master relationships over Zoom is the new superpower. 

LBB> Can anyone be taught to sell or do new business or do you think it suits a certain kind of personality?

Mariel> Some of the best salespeople I’ve encountered aren’t salespeople at all - they’re talented strategists, creatives, and client partners. But that’s the beauty of it: people don’t want to be sold to but they do want to work with the smartest minds in the industry.

I do think it takes a certain kind of person to do a new business role. It requires great instincts and the ability to read between the lines. There needs to be a level of tenacity to do things differently and be brave. Most of all, you need to be empathetic to the prospect and the pitch team alike and that part can’t be taught.

LBB> What are your thoughts about the process of pitching that the industry largely runs on? 

Mariel> Transparency, transparency, transparency! The more direct and honest an RFP process is, the better. It’s only fair to share budgets and who else has been invited to pitch. There have been a few occasions when a client has rushed the RFP process to meet internal deadlines and it has always backfired. Unrealistic timelines put the agency under unnecessary stress where they can’t do their best work which won’t benefit the client.

Sometimes it's helpful to throw out the rule book. We recently won a client from the chemistry meeting alone. They had planned to do a paid creative pitch with their shortlisted agencies, but when they knew we were the right partner they didn’t think it was fair to us or the other agencies to go through with that process just because they felt obliged. They were able to redirect their time and money into the campaign itself. Of course, it was good news to us but the other agencies appreciated not having their time wasted either.

LBB> How do you go about tailoring your selling approach according to the kind of person or business you’re approaching?

Mariel> As a global creative agency backed by next-gen tech, we are agnostic in our solutions. It boils down to understanding their goals and their motivators to reach them both as a business and from a stakeholder level.

LBB> New business and sales can often mean hearing ‘no’ a lot and quite a bit of rejection - how do you keep motivated?

Mariel> This part of the job doesn’t get spoken about enough. When everyone else goes back to delivering client work, new business people are the only ones whose sole job is to win business. If you’re not grounded or prepared, it can knock you off balance. Part of my role is to inspire and motivate everyone about the future of the company and what’s coming down the pike. No one takes losing a pitch harder than me but the quicker I dust myself off and plaster a smile on my face the faster we can move on to the next opportunity.

It does help to be surrounded by an amazing team knowing that you left everything on the table. Nothing brings a team closer together than preparing for a pitch. Every loss is a lesson.

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?

Mariel> I think in the past it made it easier. You could wine and dine clients at events and receive a brief on your desk the next day. It felt better to go with the devil you know. These days that isn’t good enough. Chemistry is important but clients aren’t looking for friends. They’re looking for partners who will bring the best solutions and challenge them if there is a better way of doing things.

Since the pandemic, clients and agencies aren’t socializing like they used to so the lines don’t feel blurred at all, and perhaps that’s a good thing.

LBB> In your view, what’s the key to closing a deal?

Mariel> Provide highly tailored solutions, leverage the element of surprise, and collaborate with the client throughout the pitch process. 

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?)

Mariel> Wongdoody is a global creative agency owned by Infosys, so I’d say cultural understanding is incredibly important. Whether it's working with colleagues in India or delivering work in Germany it’s important to understand cultural and market nuances. 

LBB> How is technology and new platforms (from platforms like Salesforce and Hubspot to video calls to social media) changing sales and new business?

Mariel> Technology platforms aid the selling process in terms of automating content and documenting valuable engagements, and social media has become like a digital business card to showcase an agency. The access to prospect data tailors our outreach and suggested solutions. All of this helps get the initial meeting but it won’t help you win an RFP. Platforms will never replace the human experience of selling.

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? 

Mariel> There are obviously a lot of great resources out there on how to be a better storyteller or presenter which are valuable, but I think it’s imperative that a new business person has a strong understanding of market trends and emerging technologies. 

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?

Mariel> Align yourself with the best storytellers in the business so you can learn from them and be authentic in how you show up in the process. New business is a group effort and the weight of success shouldn’t be carried on one person’s shoulders so remember to have fun.