Connecting Agencies With Brands to Create Unstoppable Relationships
For marketing agencies, finding new business is equally both a science and an art. It involves powerful case studies, clever pitches, but also finding brands that fit with your expertise and culture. That’s where agency search consultants come into play. Commonly only working on the brand side, AAR Partners President Lisa Colantuono has termed her new method “reverse the search” where her company also works on the agency side to help them get on clients’ short lists.
In this episode, Misty sits down with Lisa in the Sweat Studio to discuss the ins and outs of agency growth, how Lisa found herself on her unique career path and advice on finding the right new business. If your agency has been curious about how to get in front of new clients, your questions will likely be answered in this episode of Marketing Sweats.
“We’re a resource to marketers, educating them on part of the agency landscape. That’s the vision. “Reverse the search”. Bring agencies to [clients]. Highlight those that are legitimate, strong and have case studies that are powerful. That’s what I’m trying to do for those marketers. Simple as that.”
Lisa Colantuono
Lisa Colantuono
Lisa Colantuono is the President of AAR Partners, an agency search consultancy servicing marketers since 1980. Often referred to as a “cupid in a suit”, Lisa has been creating successful relationships between brands and agencies for over two decades. She has consulted on agency reviews for a wide variety of brands like Ancestry, Aruba Tourism, American Airlines, Brown-Forman, ClearChoice Dental Centers, Lee Jeans, Subaru, Ben and Jerry’s, Nikon, Thrivent Financial and Panera Bread (just to name a few). Now, Lisa is on a mission to “modernize the matchmaking process” by not only streamlining the search process, but also by doing everything possible to “avoid the pitch” altogether. How? She launched The AAR Agency Growth Program to help marketers find a shortcut to shortlists. Her wisdom has been shared throughout top industry publications including AdAge, Adweek, Forbes, Hubspot, The Huffington Post, and in 2016 she published her first book, “@AARLisa: New Biz in 140 Characters (or Less)”. Most importantly, however, she’s proud to be known as “Aunt Lisa” to her favorite niece and nephew. Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn.