"Most agencies are invisible and it’s their fault. If your positioning is broken, your website forgettable, and your marketing says nothing, you’re out before the game starts. The shortlist isn’t random—it’s earned. If you can’t clearly explain who you help and why you’re different, buyers won’t take the time to figure it out. If you can’t tell a compelling story, stand for something, or look credible online, you won’t even make the list." - Stephen Boehler In this episode of Revenue Boost: A Marketing Podcast, Your Agency Growth Strategy Is Broken: How to Pivot Now to Stand Out and Get Shortlisted, host Kerry Curran sits down with Stephen Boehler, Partner at Mercer Island Group and trusted agency growth advisor. Stephen delivers a blunt reality check for agencies struggling to get shortlisted, stand out, or win more pitches. The biggest problem? A broken strategy—and failure to show up like a brand. If your agency can’t articulate its value, differentiate in-market, or make a credible impression online, you’re not just behind—you’re invisible. We dig into: The 3-part growth flywheel: Be ready, be memorable, be findable Why most agencies lose before the pitch process even begins The shift from reactive pitching to proactive visibility and relevance What today’s clients actually look for when shortlisting agency partners Why clarity, consistency, and conviction in your story are your competitive edge If you're leading new business, driving growth, or rethinking your agency's positioning—this episode is your wake-up call.
Your Agency Growth Strategy Is Broken: How to Pivot Now to Stand Out and Get Shortlisted
Most agencies are invisible—and it’s your fault. If your positioning is broken, your website forgettable, and your marketing says nothing, you’re out before the game starts. The shortlist isn’t random. It’s earned. That’s a quote from Steve Boehler and a sneak peek at today’s episode. Hi there, I’m Kerry Curran, B2B Revenue Growth Executive Advisor, industry analyst, and host of Revenue Boost: A Marketing Podcast.
Every episode, I sit down with top experts to bring you actionable strategies that drive real results. If you’re serious about business growth, hit subscribe and stay ahead of your competition today.
In Your Agency Growth Strategy Is Broken: How to Pivot Now to Stand Out and Get Shortlisted, I sit down with Steve Boehler, partner at Mercer Island Group. We unpack why so many agencies are struggling to grow and what to do about it. From pitch readiness and positioning clarity to building real visibility with buyers, this episode is packed with insights agency leaders need now. Be sure to stay tuned to the end, where Steve shares one of the critical shifts every agency must make to win more business in 2025 and beyond. Let’s go.
Kerry Curran, RBMA (00:00.81)
So welcome, Stephen. Please introduce yourself and share your background and expertise.
Stephen Boehler (00:06.429)
Hi Kerry, thrilled to be here. My name is Steve Boehler, and I’m one of the partners at Mercer Island Group, a marketing management consulting firm. We help marketers and their agencies succeed. On the client side, we advise on workflows, structures, agency management, briefing, creative evaluation, and media planning. Because of that work, we also run a lot of agency reviews—we’re probably in the top five by U.S. market share.
Over time, we noticed too many good agencies were losing pitches they shouldn’t. So about 10–15 years ago, we began coaching agencies (not the ones in our reviews) on positioning, marketing, reputation building, pitch strategy, and business development. It ties back to my own career—I spent a decade in brand management at Procter & Gamble, working on brands like Jif, Duncan Hines, Pringles, and Tide. When I started the consultancy, I missed the agency world, and this brought everything full circle.
Kerry Curran, RBMA (01:54.582)
Excellent. I’m excited for our conversation today. We’ve led parallel paths—P&G was one of my first clients in search marketing, and I spent years in agency business development. So we’ve been seeing opposite ends of the business. Let’s dive in. You coach a lot of agencies. What common challenges do they bring to you?
Stephen Boehler (02:33.951)
At the simplest level, agencies want more at-bats, and they want to win more of them. But underneath, most have foundational issues holding them back. Agencies rarely treat themselves like brands. They’re the shoemaker’s children—great at marketing for clients, poor at doing it for themselves. If they applied the same rigor internally, they’d be far more prosperous.
Kerry Curran, RBMA (03:42.904)
So when brands hire you to build a shortlist, do they already know who they want to invite?
Stephen Boehler (04:09.564)
Marketers have very low unaided awareness of agency brands. Unless they’ve worked at an agency before, they can usually name only a few. Beyond the top 5–10 global CMOs, most marketers simply aren’t thinking about agencies. That means if you’re waiting for an inbound invite, you’re starting from a hole. Big agencies have scale advantage—they touch more people and produce more work, so they’re recognized. But even they don’t get the volume or quality of at-bats they’d like.
The truth is, most agencies don’t understand the buyer journey for their own services. We’ve studied it closely to help them see what’s happening behind the scenes, so they can adjust their marketing to get noticed and get shortlisted.
Kerry Curran, RBMA (06:41.102)
Exactly. I work with agencies that grew by referrals but struggle to articulate ICP, positioning, or differentiation. Most can’t clearly answer how they’re different. What does your research show about the buyer journey?
Stephen Boehler (07:26.28)
Most of a marketer’s life has nothing to do with selecting agencies—maybe 97% of the time. Agencies are like gutter cleaners calling right after you’ve had your gutters cleaned. Unless it’s a live problem, marketers don’t engage.
Marketers are focused on their jobs, their brands, their industries, and their careers. Agencies that create content that helps marketers succeed at those things—industry insights, practical tools, promotion-worthy wins—are more likely to get noticed. If you’re helpful enough times, when the need arises, you’ll be on the shortlist.
And remember: it’s not about you. Bruce Springsteen’s producer Jimmy Iovine once wanted to quit because Bruce rejected every drum track. Bruce’s manager told him: “It’s not about you—it’s about helping him succeed.” That’s the lesson. Agencies shouting “look at us” miss the point. Marketers care about their business, their jobs, their promotions. If you show you can help with that, you’ll get attention.
Kerry Curran, RBMA (13:08.76)
That’s perfect. Agencies need to adopt more customer-centric B2B strategies—content about outcomes, not features. How do you recommend they stand out and build a point of view?
Stephen Boehler (14:20.252)
We see three critical steps:
Kerry Curran, RBMA (19:48.194)
That ties into cornerstone content, like Edelman’s Trust Barometer. Can you share that example?
Stephen Boehler (20:06.97)
Yes. Edelman nailed their positioning: PR is about earning trust. They bring it to life with the annual Edelman Trust Barometer, a massive global study. It’s cornerstone content that earns attention, then gets sliced into cobblestones—webinars, presentations, blogs, LinkedIn posts, and podcasts. They’re not shouting about Edelman; they’re providing value. That’s why they get unmatched inbound.
Kerry Curran, RBMA (23:20.278)
I love that. We used a similar strategy with annual research reports that fueled keynotes, press, and sales conversations. Most agencies don’t think that way. Let’s talk about holding companies versus independents. What do you see brands considering?
Stephen Boehler (24:10.598)
Holdcos are distracted by internal issues that don’t help clients. Independents aren’t. That creates opportunities. Indies thrive in mid-market accounts where holdcos don’t focus. Enterprise-scale scopes still favor holdcos, but independents can win creative assignments, digital projects, and mid-market AORs. With ex-holdco talent moving to independents, they’re more capable than ever.
Kerry Curran, RBMA (28:02.19)
And pricing often becomes a race to the bottom. Do clients still choose based on lowest fees?
Stephen Boehler (28:36.272)
In our reviews, we structure choices around best partnership, then make the money work. But at enterprise scale, non-transparent practices like principal buying complicate things. Holdcos sometimes offer zero-fee media services, subsidized by hidden margins. Clients think they’re saving, but they may be sacrificing transparency and effectiveness. That’s dangerous long-term, though tempting short-term.
Kerry Curran, RBMA (34:55.134)
Yes. And lowballing fees often means under-staffing, leading to unhappy clients two years later. Final question: for agencies that want more at-bats, what’s the biggest opportunity?
Stephen Boehler (35:07.708)
Act like a brand. Position clearly. Build a prospect-friendly website. Create helpful content. Pick a few marketing channels and show up consistently—weekly blogs, regular podcasts, meaningful conferences. Don’t dabble. Frequency builds awareness. Anchor everything to your positioning, like Edelman did with trust. That’s how you create a flywheel that drives inbound.
Kerry Curran, RBMA (37:13.976)
Perfect. How can people get in touch with you?
Stephen Boehler (37:17.834)
Our website is migroup.com. You can email me directly at steveb@migroup.com.
Kerry Curran, RBMA (37:34.894)
Excellent. Thank you, Steve. I could’ve talked to you all day on these topics.
Stephen Boehler (37:46.146)
Delighted to join you. You asked great questions, which made it easy.
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