What an Acquirer Will - and Will Not - Care About
Most of us haven't sold one firm that we've owned, and those principals who have formerly sold their firm aren't always...ahem...telling the truth.
Jun 02, 2021•28 min•Ep. 113
2Bobs—with David C. Baker and Blair Enns
Conversations on the art of creative entrepreneurship with David C. Baker and Blair Enns
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Episodes
You Contain Multitudes
In a nod to the Walt Whitman line, Blair believes successful sales people - as well as agency principals - often need to present themselves as different personalities in different situations. And David believes sales trainers are actually therapists.
May 19, 2021•29 min•Ep. 112
The Challenges of Growing Too Quickly
As we've seen independent creative marketing and digital firms experience rapid growth over this past year, David offers five factors that principals should consider in order to avoid growing for the wrong reasons and/or mismanaging that growth.
May 05, 2021•29 min•Ep. 111
The Tao of No
Having a problem with either hearing or saying "no" can lead to problems for your business. Blair has 12 statements about the word "no" that can help.
Apr 21, 2021•35 min•Ep. 110
What a Normal Person Thinks of Your Creative Firm
When people from other industries learn about what goes on inside your firm, are they awe-struck in a good or bad way? Blair and David come up with a list of things that are unique to the creative firm biz and how they've seen outsiders react to them.
Apr 07, 2021•29 min•Ep. 109
Communication Components in Your Sales Toolbox
Blair shares an overview of all the communication tools creative firms should be using throughout the sales process.
Mar 24, 2021•35 min•Ep. 108
Performance Bands
David and Blair discuss what the four performance bands are, eleven critical factors that keep firms stuck at the lower performance bands, and what firms can do to move into a higher band.
Mar 10, 2021•36 min•Ep. 107
Creative Bullshit Bingo
David is in a cynical mood and takes turns with Blair sharing clichés they hear their clients use to describe their business.
Feb 24, 2021•23 min•Ep. 106
Is "Agency" Still the Right Word?
Blair stops to think about what "agency" actually means, and if it's the right term to describe firms in the creative services space.
Feb 10, 2021•26 min•Ep. 105
Let's Talk About Money
David lists eight truths about money that he's identified in his efforts to help entrepreneurs make better business decisions.
Jan 27, 2021•32 min•Ep. 104
The Enemy Within
Blair addresses the internal struggle for margin that happens in many firms between delivery teams and business development teams due to their lack of distinction between cost and price.
Jan 13, 2021•29 min•Ep. 103
Holding Opposite Perspectives in a Healthy Tension
David wants entrepreneurs to live with tension in various aspects of their business, using it to their advantage in making important decisions instead of just worrying about resolving the tension itself.
Dec 30, 2020•31 min•Ep. 102
Slapping Down Your Childlike Glee
Blair offers some ways to help prevent over-excited new business people and principals from giving away the shop and appearing unprofessional.
Dec 16, 2020•34 min•Ep. 101
Myth of "I Just Need More Opportunities to Get in Front of Prospects"
David draws a picture for Blair about the implications of this statement he hears almost all of his clients and prospects say about being able to close new business.
Dec 02, 2020•22 min•Ep. 100
Big Clients Vs Small Clients
Blair shares the tradeoffs creative firms have to deal with when pursuing firms of a particular size, and David gets Blair riled up again about procurement.
Nov 18, 2020•36 min•Ep. 99
The Great Migration
As agencies are trading their big city offices for working at home during the pandemic, Blair wants to know if David thinks he should get into real estate.
Nov 04, 2020•29 min•Ep. 98
Foibles of an Executive Leadership Team
David thinks firms have too many meetings and offers some solutions, and Blair pushes back.
Oct 21, 2020•29 min•Ep. 97
Transcending Timesheets
David torches Blair's highfalutin notions of timekeeping and offers four instances when timekeeping can actually be used without polluting your pricing.
Oct 07, 2020•33 min•Ep. 96
How Our Deepest Fears Shape Our Approach to Business
David articulates five fears that tend to shape management style and impact decisions principals make for their firms.
Sep 23, 2020•32 min•Ep. 95
Objections to Specialization
In part two of their specialization conversation, David and Blair address six arguments they have heard from certain clients who toyed with the idea of broader positioning for their firms.
Sep 09, 2020•31 min•Ep. 94
Do Generalists Really Triumph Over Specialists?
David and Blair have experienced a backlash against experts, expertise, and specialization thanks to David Epstein's book, and they disagree on whether or not it's worth reading.
Aug 26, 2020•24 min•Ep. 93
The Rungs You Can Reach on the Ladder of Lead Generation
Blair and David discuss three tiers of inbound and outbound marketing that firms should be using for new business development.
Aug 12, 2020•37 min•Ep. 92
The Journey From Generalist to Specialist
David and Blair address a listener request to go over the challenges that principals often go through once they decide to reposition their firm.
Jul 29, 2020•34 min•Ep. 91
How and When to Talk About Your Firm
Blair wonders if he's made an error in his efforts to prevent agencies from going into presentation mode during the sales process.
Jul 15, 2020•27 min•Ep. 90
Four Regrets You're About to Have
Blair predicts when we are through the COVID-19 pandemic and business is approaching normal (whatever that means), agency principals will look back with some regrets about the things they did not do, rather than the things they did. LINKS "Four Regrets You're About to Have" by Blair Enns "Play the Game of Constraints" by Blair Enns...
Jul 01, 2020•28 min•Ep. 89
When to Shut Up and Listen and When to Speak Up
Blair and David, as two white business leaders, try talking about the traumatic and emotional yet very necessary changes happening now to end systemic racism. As they listen and allow space for the voices of diversity that need to be heard, they also struggle with when to speak up as examples, owning up to their mistakes which will hopefully help lead the way for real change. LINKS "How I'm Trying to Process Things Right Now" by David C. Baker "Speech and Systems" - episode 186 of Exponent podca...
Jun 17, 2020•26 min•Ep. 88
Critical Questions Your New Business Person Should Be Able to Answer
David is frequently surprised by how many new business people have trouble answering five particular important questions about their jobs and their firms.
Jun 03, 2020•34 min•Ep. 87
The Hate Sandwich You're About to Eat
Blair gets David to share a part of his upcoming book about how all client relationships have a cycle of love-hate-love that we have to be prepared for and push through.
May 20, 2020•33 min•Ep. 86
Will You Be My Friend
David expects to get in trouble discussing Blair's topic about the role of friendship in business—between sales people and prospects, account people and clients, and principals and employees.
May 06, 2020•38 min•Ep. 85
Changes in the Agency Client Landscape
David and Blair try to predict the future about what principals of creative firms can expect in their relationships with clients as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact business.
Apr 22, 2020•30 min•Ep. 84
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