This week we hosted the EVCOM members only New Business Survey and Roundtable, where new business experts jfdi and strategic insights agency Opinium presented the findings of their new business survey and discussed them in a virtual roundtable discussion with our members. James Nicandrou (Opinium) began the session with a presentation of the key data and what it can tell us about the way new business is operating in the UK.
Camilla Honey (jfdi) then hosted the roundtable portion of the session. She posed questions which the group discussed, and the group shared their own questions around the insights shown in the survey.
In certain sectors, the last year has created new possibilities, especially for people who are able to provide live streaming and broadcast services. The results of the survey showed an increase in partnerships, and the group confirmed that strategic partnerships have been hugely helpful for opening new doors. Collaboration, therefore, seems to be something that creates real possibility in business.
The group discussed post-pitch conversations and feedback. People agreed that clients need to understand that time, resources and money go into preparing for pitches, and as a result, clients have a duty to give feedback. Camilla recommended explicitly telling a client, at the beginning of the pitching process, that will be expect feedback at the end, regardless of how successful or not the pitch is.
The group also discussed the specific difficulties that the Covid-19 restrictions have created for new business. They talked about the difficulty of reading a room and building relationships over zoom, as well as the struggle that comes with not having colleagues to speak to about unsuccessful pitches.
This session is not available on demand, however if you missed the session and would like us to organise another one, please do reach out to Amelia on amelia.brown@evcom.org.uk to express your interest.