2Bobs—with David C. Baker and Blair Enns
Episodes
What Would YOUR Employee Review Look Like?
16 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Would you fire yourself based on the firm's results? Fortunately, David cannot fire you. Unfortunately, David cannot fire you.
Secrets Behind the Killer Proposal
02 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
WARNING: If you only listen to only one episode of 2Bobs it should NOT be this one. In this send up of the ridiculous things people put in their propo...
Six Hidden Benefits of Client Concentration
16 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Every firm will face the possibility of a client concentration challenge, and every client should probably say "yes" to that opportunity in spite of t...
Everything Can Change in One Conversation
02 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Blair identifies six variables that can change the trajectory of the sale conversation with your prospective client.
Languishing
19 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The most-read New York Times story of 2021 was about the dominant emotion many of us felt. Blair and David just hit record for this episode, without a...
Your Job Is the Future—Theirs Is to Keep You Honest in the Present
05 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Blair has David expand on his recent article titled "You're A Dictatorship That Gathers Individual Democracies—Good For You."
Sales Clichés and the Damage Done
15 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Blair tears down seven common sales advice statements that B2B creative firms should actually avoid following in their new business engagements. See ...
Ten Set Pieces
01 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Blair provides some modeling language in a sales context. While using scripts for a sales conversation is not advised, there are some "set piece" phra...
Collecting From Deadbeat Clients
17 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If you ever need to go to war over not being paid, David has some bombs you can lob over your enemy's front lines.
Firing a Client
03 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Blair interviews David on why dropping a client is sometimes necessary and how to best approach letting them go.
Attribution Errors
20 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Where did the new client come from? Who gets credit? Should the new business person be involved in growing existing accounts? How should they, and/or ...
How to Write That Book
06 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
You don't need a degree or license or permission to write a book. David and Blair share the steps they took and what they have learned from the writin...
Should You Write That Book?
22 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If you think you might have a book in you but aren't sure writing and publishing your own book as an entrepreneur is worth the effort, this episode is...
Are You Ready for a Minority Partner?
08 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
David has eight questions he wants agency principals to ask themselves before hiring him to help add a new partner.
Approaching Normal
25 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this follow-up to their July 2020 discussion, "Four Regrets You're About to Have," David interrogates Blair on the extent to which he is a valuable...
Talking About Mental Health
11 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Blair interviews David on his recent article in which he was very open and honest about his struggles with depression and anxiety. LINKS "I Struggl...
Orbiting the Giant Hairball
28 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For the last time—ever—David and Blair discuss client-side marketing departments, their struggle to be entrepreneurial and what we can learn f...
Five Levels of Pricing Success
14 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Blair combines a few of the deeper topics he and David have already covered to provide a larger view of the overall pricing journey he recommends crea...
Your Four Advantages Over an In-House Department
30 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In-house creative departments aren't going anywhere, so David wants agencies to be mindful of the unique value they bring to the projects for which th...
A Ten Year Retrospective on the Manifesto
16 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
David asks Blair some awkward questions to get inside his head about his successful book, The Win Without Pitching Manifesto.
What an Acquirer Will - and Will Not - Care About
02 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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...
You Contain Multitudes
19 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In a nod to the Walt Whitman line, Blair believes successful sales people - as well as agency principals - often need to present themselves as differe...
The Challenges of Growing Too Quickly
05 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As we've seen independent creative marketing and digital firms experience rapid growth over this past year, David offers five factors that principals ...
The Tao of No
21 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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.
What a Normal Person Thinks of Your Creative Firm
07 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Communication Components in Your Sales Toolbox
24 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Blair shares an overview of all the communication tools creative firms should be using throughout the sales process.
Performance Bands
10 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
David and Blair discuss what the four performance bands are, eleven critical factors that keep firms stuck at the lower performance bands, and what fi...
Creative Bullshit Bingo
24 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
David is in a cynical mood and takes turns with Blair sharing clichés they hear their clients use to describe their business.
Is "Agency" Still the Right Word?
10 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Blair stops to think about what "agency" actually means, and if it's the right term to describe firms in the creative services space.
Let's Talk About Money
27 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
David lists eight truths about money that he's identified in his efforts to help entrepreneurs make better business decisions.
The Enemy Within
13 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Blair addresses the internal struggle for margin that happens in many firms between delivery teams and business development teams due to their lack of...
Holding Opposite Perspectives in a Healthy Tension
30 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
David wants entrepreneurs to live with tension in various aspects of their business, using it to their advantage in making important decisions instead...
Slapping Down Your Childlike Glee
16 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Blair offers some ways to help prevent over-excited new business people and principals from giving away the shop and appearing unprofessional.
Myth of "I Just Need More Opportunities to Get in Front of Prospects"
02 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 clos...
Big Clients Vs Small Clients
18 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 procur...
The Great Migration
04 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 es...
Foibles of an Executive Leadership Team
21 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
David thinks firms have too many meetings and offers some solutions, and Blair pushes back.
Transcending Timesheets
07 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
David torches Blair's highfalutin notions of timekeeping and offers four instances when timekeeping can actually be used without polluting your pricin...
How Our Deepest Fears Shape Our Approach to Business
23 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
David articulates five fears that tend to shape management style and impact decisions principals make for their firms.
Objections to Specialization
09 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In part two of their specialization conversation, David and Blair address six arguments they have heard from certain clients who toyed with the idea o...
Do Generalists Really Triumph Over Specialists?
26 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
David and Blair have experienced a backlash against experts, expertise, and specialization thanks to David Epstein's book, and they disagree on whethe...
The Rungs You Can Reach on the Ladder of Lead Generation
12 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Blair and David discuss three tiers of inbound and outbound marketing that firms should be using for new business development.
The Journey From Generalist to Specialist
29 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
David and Blair address a listener request to go over the challenges that principals often go through once they decide to reposition their firm.
How and When to Talk About Your Firm
15 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Blair wonders if he's made an error in his efforts to prevent agencies from going into presentation mode during the sales process.
Four Regrets You're About to Have
01 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Blair predicts when we are through the COVID-19 pandemic and business is approaching normal (whatever that means), agency principals will look back wi...
When to Shut Up and Listen and When to Speak Up
17 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Blair and David, as two white business leaders, try talking about the traumatic and emotional yet very necessary changes happening now to end systemic...
Critical Questions Your New Business Person Should Be Able to Answer
03 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
David is frequently surprised by how many new business people have trouble answering five particular important questions about their jobs and their fi...
The Hate Sandwich You're About to Eat
20 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 fo...
Will You Be My Friend
06 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
David expects to get in trouble discussing Blair's topic about the role of friendship in business—between sales people and prospects, account people...
Changes in the Agency Client Landscape
22 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 pande...
Business As Unusual - Managing in a Pandemic
08 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Blair and David address five common questions they have heard from creative entrepreneurs as they both have been helping firms navigate the economic c...
When Rightsizing Makes Sense...And How to Do It
25 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Given where the economy is currently heading, David offers a framework that can help principals of creative firms make those tough staffing decisions ...
The Power of Options
11 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
David asks Blair to clarify his advice on offering proposal options and anchoring. Is it about more than just scope and price? LINKS Implementing V...
How Digital Firms Are Different
26 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Blair and David record a live episode at the Orpheum Theater in New Orleans for Bureau of Digital's Owner Summit. Thank you to Carl Smith and Lori ...
The Impact of Agile in the Real World
12 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
David does all the heavy lifting for Blair in his recent article so they can finally discuss the overlap between Agile as a management method and pric...
Phase Your Client Engagements
29 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Blair wants firms to get paid to write their proposals, which is the first of his four phases of client engagement. LINKS "Different Pricing Models...
Understanding Account People
15 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
David keeps encountering clients who don't appreciate how their account people actually contribute to their overall business, and Blair totally identi...
What Leverage Do You Have With Client Contracts and MSAs?
01 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Blair and David share their frustrations around some contracts that they have been asked to sign, making it clear why they are not attorneys. This ...
When You Put Someone Else In Charge of Your Firm
18 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
David keeps seeing principals who get someone else to run their firm, which is not a good idea. Then he gets Blair's thoughts on why he thinks it happ...
Productized Vs Customized Services and Monthly Recurring Revenue
04 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
David and Blair lay out some of the reasons why they think, in most cases, agencies pursuing recurring revenue models are making a mistake. Links "...
Which RFPs Should You Respond To?
20 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
David brings up one of Blair's favorite topics: how they keep themselves and their clients from being trapped by requests for proposal. LINKS 2Bob...
A Podcast After-Action Review
06 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Blair and David share what they have learned as they have recorded 2Bobs podcast episodes for almost 4 years - what has worked well, what has been ...
Common Traits of Success
23 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Blair and David consider the hundreds of firms they have each worked with over the years to identify the characteristics of highest performing firms a...
The Only New Business Indicator That Matters
09 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Blair shares some new data (at the time he and David recorded this discussion in January of 2016) that points to the one variable that can predict the...
Taking the Team Seriously
25 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
David wants to know if Blair thinks it's harder for creative firms to find great prospective clients, or great employees, as they unpack how to attrac...
Top Ten New Business Development Myths
11 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Blair is in the spotlight discussing some bad practices driven by assumptions he's seen his clients make over the past couple decades, a few of which ...
Six Staffing Blunders
28 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Blair interviews David about six employee archetypes which can end up being big hiring mistakes for creative firms.
Making Adversarial Assumptions in the Sales Process
14 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Blair has another podcast therapy session about "good clients vs. bad clients," as David tries to help him see procurement people as actual human bein...
Building Your Personal Brand
31 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Blair has an aversion to the topic of personal branding, so David offers examples of why, when, and how the personal brands he's seen principals devel...
Can We Learn Anything From the Consulting Firms?
17 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Blair and David explore the differences they see between consultants and agencies in an effort to understand how the landscape is changing and what cr...
Be the Client You Want to See in the World
03 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
David admits to making a mistake, as Blair finishes his discussion from a couple episodes back on the eighth pricing model, which he claims "is the hi...
Size Matters
19 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
David and Blair address the obsession that many principals have with the size of firms, and the advantages of being either big or small.
Different Pricing Models
05 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Blair is struck by how creative businesses have trouble applying their creativity to their revenue models, so he and David discuss some of the best wa...
Greatness Requires Discomfort
22 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
David and Blair each share their own perspectives on how chasing comfort has kept them and their clients making the right decisions in both management...
Selling to Clients With In-house Resources
08 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Blair wants creative firms to quit viewing in-house resources as the enemy and demonstrates how the arrangements between the two can be mutually benef...
Things Principals Should Do More Of
24 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
David and Blair each share a list of things that they wish agency principals would do more of to take their firms to the next level of success. Lin...
There Are NOT Seven Reasons Why Clients Hire You
10 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Blair and David work on clarifying things by coming up with only six reasons why businesses hire creative firms.
Where Do Ideas Come From?
27 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Blair and David share the places they find good ideas that they turn into content, the best of which end up being incorporated into their services. ...
It's a Small World After All
13 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
David finds Blair's thoughts fascinating on how far agencies should service or pursue clients geographically, and whether or not the location of a fir...
Why Account People Should Close New Business
27 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
David gives Blair four practical reasons for sales people to hand off new business to the account person before the deal is closed instead of after.
A Beginner's Guide to Negotiating
13 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
David gets into Blair's head to get his 10 basic negotiating tips that he has worked with clients on over the years. LINKS "10 Negotiating Tips" (w...
Seven Positioning Mistakes to Avoid
30 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
After having discussed positioning in multiple previous episodes, David puts together in this one episode the seven most common mistakes firms make wh...
Debriefing After a New Business Call
16 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
David asks Blair about using "after action reviews" following sales calls, and the two key questions that should be asked as a part of that debriefing...
Shoot - Now What Do We Do?
02 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Blair asks David to make some predictions about the new year, and then they discuss some ways that businesses can prepare for and react to (God forbid...
Selling in One Lesson
19 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Blair describes to David how he was able to distill his Win Without Pitching approach into a simple formula: P=db/D Power = desirability / Desire L...
The Risk Episode
05 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
After touching on the topic of risk in many other episodes of this podcast, David and Blair finally take a full episode to discuss at length the role ...
Open Book Management
21 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Blair gets David to admit that he was kind of wrong about open book management being just a fad when he originally wrote about it almost two decades a...
Alternative Forms of Reassurance
07 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Blair and David analyze and then look beyond the requests for reassurance potential clients make during the late stage of a sale to address their unde...
Seven Strategies to Grow Accounts
24 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
David disagrees with Blair (sort of) on his model for growing existing accounts in the post-AOR era, and then offers his list of 6 ideas on the topic....
The Best Ways to Disrespect Account People
10 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Blair remembers what it was like when he was an account person himself, and David shares five ways firms can treat their account people better. LIN...
The Seven Masteries of the Rainmaker
26 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Blair offers seven mindsets that any seller of expertise needs to master so that they can behave like the expert in the sales cycle. Links "The Jed...
If I Were Starting Over
12 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
LINKS "The Great Convergence Is Upon Us" by Blair Enns "CRM: The Train Coming At You" by Blair Enns AltGroup.net website "Eight Gauges on Your Agency ...
The X-Factor
29 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Blair gives David some homework to identify patterns in the principals of creative practices who are successful and have that "je ne sais quoi." LI...
Starting...Existing...Thriving
15 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Blair interviews David on what each of the three levels of success in running a creative firm looks like. Links 2Bobs Episode 39 - "Replacing Pres...
Replacing Presentations With Conversations
01 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
David re-reads the 2nd chapter of Blair's first book, leading to a discussion about how sales people have to choose between either presenting to clien...
Reviewing the "Surveillance Footage"
18 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
There are seven patterns that almost all principals are guilty of. When David and Blair point them out, it leads their clients to say, "you must have ...
Hacking Heuristics
04 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Blair leads a discussion on how clients tend to take mental shortcuts in making business decisions, and how we can nudge clients without manipulati...
Collaborating with Competitors
20 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
David and Blair compare each other's competitiveness, and then offer some specific ways principals can actually collaborate with their competitors as ...
Four Segments of New Business
06 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Blair and David come up with descriptive words that help clarify each of the four parts of what David calls the "pantheon" for new business: positioni...
Using Assessment Instruments in Your Firm
16 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
David and Blair explore the big topic of personality assessment tools that can help firms "get the right people on the bus." Not Your Typical Personal...