About US
Experienced People Asking Smart Questions.
We love to do the thing our clients hate doing most and do it better than they ever imagined possible.
Our role as a new business agency is to unearth opportunities for our clients within the companies they want to work with and get them in front of the decision maker for their service .
The Manifest new business team are rightly recognised as the crème de la crème of agency new business lead generation and will tell your story with passion, eloquence and conviction
Our techniques are channel agnostic, disruptive and engaging. Our results astounding.
Our clients expect, and our team deliver, 100%. We are so confident in our abilities that we guarantee the results we tell you to expect.
Experienced
The average tenure of an account director at Manifest is five years and several have been here more than ten. Our staff turnover rate is just 10%
Knowledgeable
A pre-requisite for a job at Manifest is a background in either an agency or marketing department. 90% of our staff have more than 10 years such experience.
Persuasive
The power of persuasion. The dark art of making another see things your way through the use of language. Our average conversion rate is 25%.
Passionate
You are passionate about your agency; we get it and you can be sure we will be as passionate as you are. Your brand is 100% safe in our hands.
Our focus
Delivering Targeted Opportunities.
We specialise in helping companies within the creative and marketing services industry win more clients by creating new business opportunities for them with the decision makers for their service within the companies they want to work with.
Only those companies and brands we have identified as being a good fit for your business and that you have agreed for us to target will be approached on your behalf. Why would you spend money with an agency if you don't know exactly who they are speaking to on your behalf?
The channels we use fall into three categories: Broadcast, Listening and Narrowcast.
Broadcast
Your PR, SEO, AdWords and social marketing, together with your reputation and networking, will drive prospects to your website. We would suggest using software to identify your anonymous website traffic. You may also want to undertake email campaigns to further drive inbound web traffic and we can help here with provision of data.
Listening
Our tech stack includes ALF Insight, Crunchbase as well as various LinkedIn plugins which when combined enable us to predict where there is likely to be a greater need for your service. Using this intelligence, we will tailor niche messages to each prospective new client to make every approach sound like the only one that matters to your agency.
Narrowcast
What is the best and most appropriate channel to use to get your proposition and the niche message we have developed noticed by the prospect we are approaching? Some companies and marketing teams are best approached by email, others are more likely to warm to a personal telephone call and others a well written letter or social approach.
Our Team
Dedicated To Fulfilling Our Promises
Adam Whittaker
Adam has over 30 years agency new business experience and was new business director at Communicator and Bowes Darby.
One surprising thing about me is … I have played at Glastonbury.
Sam Reardon Smith
One surprising thing about me is … I was an extra in Barry Lyndon by Kubrick.
Tony Cross
One surprising thing about me is … I’m not as cross as my name suggests.
Lucy Barcoo
David
One surprising thing about me is … I can be seen in the film In Bed With Madonna.
John
One surprising thing about me is … I was a jockey.
Scott
One surprising thing about me is … I was once driven round a grand prix track at 140mph in a Ferrari by James Hunt.
John
One surprising thing about me is … I can sing Johnny Cash songs in perfect pitch.
Sylvia
Simon
One surprising thing about me is … I have seen Coldplay seven times.
Peter
One surprising thing about me is … I have seen Motorhead three times.
Jen
One surprising thing about me is … I have had several dogs win Best of Breed at Crufts.
case studies
Here are a selection of recent new business wins our clients have had through Manifest
Won within one month of starting working with Manifest.
Their third win in twelve months, total value of fees a mid six figure sum.
The agency had only been with Manifest for four months when they landed this client.
This came from their first meeting set by Manifest, after two years and no wins with a competitor.
Zurich was their second win and they went on to win one more in their first year with us.
They went on to win another two within the first year of the programme.
#Platform88 was a huge success and generated enormous publicity off line as well as on.
The agency were delighted as this win took them into new territory which can be tricky.
A retained client with an annual budget of a the high five figure sum.
This win had them up against two ‘name’ London agencies.
The profit paid our fees for the next three years.
This win was their third in the first year of working with Manifest.
This win was one of half a dozen in year one alone.
We arranged for them to meet ten over a three week period and they duly converted one.
This win was valued in six figures and granted creative freedom to boot!
It took a year, but it worth the effort to get onto this PR roster.
This win was the first of three over a twelve month period.
Won within three weeks of first meeting, with no pitch.
This win was the second of three over a twelve month period.
One year later they came back to us after winning their biggest client via our work.
This win was after six months of working with Manifest.
An initial five figure project fee with more promised.
We have arranged for them to meet more than 100 brand managers and they have won more than £1m in new fees.
Who knew that a plane manufacturer might need one? Manifest, that’s who!
hot off the press
News and Thought Pieces
Effect of Covid-19 on Agency New Business
So what is the effect of Covid-19 on agency new business? In the short term it may appear to be quite substantial, but we’re at the coalface and are hearing a few things we feel we should share. The Manifest team are of course all working from home as are the prospects they are contacting.[…]
The Agency New Business Strategy
The agency new business strategy is essential to get right from the start. Who is the best person to approach first within a prospect company? CEO? MD? Marketing Director? Comms Director? Marketing Manager? Now, you may THINK you know the answer to this one. Most agency heads are of the opinion that it is best[…]
Rate Card Snap
I was talking with the head of one of our branding and design consultancy clients the other day and he was telling me of one of the issues he is increasingly facing with his rate card. Buyers are starting to view the services he provides (possibly due to the agency proposition but that’s a different[…]
The Agency Client Relationship
The agency client relationship typically lasts about eighteen months, that’s from initial romancing through to the inevitable breakup. The stages and approximate lengths of time are shown on the graphic wheel below. From an agency new business person’s perspective it is essential to understand these phases and the opportunities (or lack of them) that they[…]
Stalling Agency Growth and Agency New Business
The Problem Stalling agency growth and agency new business is an issue many of us encounter and can, if you are scaling for sale, become a very real concern and cause of much hand wringing. “Why is it …” we were asked the other day by a new client “that so many agencies of our[…]
Building Trust for Business Development
Building trust for business development is essential since a lack of trust can prevent you from warming up your leads. A potentially fatal consequence that will likely lead to a deterioration of the business relationship, hindering it from progressing positively which is why building trust is so important for agency new business. Fortunately, there are[…]
The Secret to Winning New Business
The Secret to Winning New Business? Most agencies focus on the pitch, the show, the capabilities presentation. This is putting the spotlight on the wrong place. By then, most of the really important decisions have probably been made. The really good agencies win early: the pitch merely confirms a decision. There are only four obstacles[…]
Perfect Telephone Sales Pitch
The perfect telephone sales pitch and jazz have an awful lot in common. In jazz the skilled performer will interpret a tune in very individual ways, never playing the same composition exactly the same way twice. Depending upon the performer’s mood and personal experience, interactions with fellow musicians, or even members of the audience, a[…]
How To Win More Pitches
Want to know how to win more pitches? be the ONLY agency pitching! Here we are again on the brink of another autumn of reviews, pitches, RFI’s and tenders. So, what can you do to gain an advantage in what is a VERY competitive marketplace? Well, for one thing, you could try selling your agency[…]
Kalarhythms and Interpersonal Style
Kalarhythms and Interpersonal Style were the focus of a website we came across the other day and we thought you might find it interesting. It takes us back to our “Spark and Torch” training!! It explores how different personality types need to be sold to in different ways. Agency heads often ask me “what should[…]