AGENCY BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

New business systems built for agencies.

Ideal-client targeting, research, outbound, and qualified opportunities for complex services.

Ideal-client targeting Account research first Insight-led outreach Pitches for senior sellers

Book an agency strategy call → SalesDriver for agencies

✓ Built for creative, digital and performance agencies ✓ Software only or done for you

Agency BD · live demo

DIRECT ANSWER

What is agency business development?

Agency business development is the process of identifying prospective clients, creating relevant reasons to engage, building relationships and moving qualified opportunities toward a pitch or sales conversation. It differs from generic lead generation because agency services are often complex, high-value and difficult to evaluate from a simple form fill.

01 Complex

Buyers need to understand your approach, not just your service list.

02 High-value

A single retainer can be worth more than a hundred small deals.

03 Hard to judge from a form fill

Trust is built through relevance and conversation, not a contact form.

THE AGENCY PIPELINE PROBLEM

End the feast-or-famine new-business cycle.

When delivery gets busy, new business stops. Three months later the pipeline is empty. A system that keeps running in the background breaks the cycle.

✓ Runs while you deliver. Outbound and follow-up continue during your busiest client months.

✓ Fewer, better pitches. Only qualified opportunities reach your founders and directors.

✓ Predictable new business. A steady flow of conversations instead of referral luck.

New-business pipeline over 12 months Ad-hoc BD With a BD system

Illustrative pattern, not client data.

HOW IT WORKS · THE AGENCY PLAYBOOK

Build the workflow around the buyer.

STEP 01

Define the kind of client worth winning Build the target account profile around category, size, marketing need, buying structure and the kinds of engagements the agency can win profitably. Category DTC and consumer brands Size $20-100M revenue Marketing need Paid growth + creative Buying structure CMO with Head of Growth Engagement Retainer, $15k+/month Example: A sample ideal-client profile our team builds in week one. Every account and every message is measured against it.

STEP 02

Research the account before outreach Use company and contact intelligence to understand the likely buyer, context and reason the agency should be relevant. Example: New CMO hired, ad spend rising, visited your case studies twice.

STEP 03

Sell expertise, not a commodity Structure outreach around the client's business problem and the agency's point of view rather than a generic request for a meeting. Example: “3 changes that cut CAC 31% for a brand like yours.”

STEP 04

Create a repeatable follow-up system Keep agency new business moving even when delivery work becomes busy. Example: Sequences, replies and nurture keep running during your busiest launch month.

STEP 05

Hand qualified opportunities to senior sellers Protect executive time by moving stronger opportunities toward the people best positioned to close them. Example: Your founder only sees pitches with budget, need and timing confirmed.

SELL EXPERTISE, NOT A COMMODITY

Same prospect. Two very different first emails.

✕ Generic agency outreach Deleted

Subject: Quick question Hi Dana, we're a full-service digital agency offering SEO, paid media, branding and web design. We've worked with lots of great brands. Do you have 15 minutes this week for a quick call?

About you, not them No reason to reply now Sounds like every agency

✓ Insight-led outreach, written by SalesDriver Replied

Subject: A point of view on your paid social Hi Dana, Northwind is shipping new creative every week and hiring a Head of Growth, which usually means CAC is climbing. We cut CAC 31% for a DTC apparel brand in a similar spot. Happy to share the 3 changes that did it in a 20-minute teardown.

Based on real research Specific result Clear point of view Easy next step

TWO WAYS TO WORK WITH US

Run it yourself, or let us run it for you.

SOFTWARE ONLY Your team runs BD on SalesDriver Use the full platform to find, research, reach and track ideal clients yourself. From $299 /mo · Growth plan ✓ B2B data and account research ✓ Email + LinkedIn outreach ✓ Website visitor identification ✓ SD CRM and pipeline ✓ CORA, the AI agent, on every tool See agency plans →

DONE FOR YOU We run your agency new business A SalesDriver team runs the playbook above and hands qualified pitches to your senior sellers. Managed plan, billed per booked appointment ✓ Everything in software only ✓ Ideal-client strategy and research ✓ Insight-led copy, approved by you ✓ Follow-up and qualification ✓ Pitches booked for your founders Book an agency strategy call →

RELATED CAPABILITIES

Keep the next step connected.

SalesDriver for agencies The platform, set up for agency growth. › Managed outbound The full outbound system, run for you. › Appointment setting Qualified meetings on your calendar. › Sales intelligence Signals that show who is ready to buy. ›

Commonly Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about plans, credits, and how SalesDriver works.

Why is agency business development different from generic lead generation? +

Agency services are complex, high-value and hard to evaluate from a form fill. Agency BD focuses on the right clients, researches each account and opens with a relevant point of view, so the conversation is about the buyer’s problem rather than a list of services.

Can SalesDriver run agency outbound for us? +

Yes. On the Managed plan a SalesDriver team defines your ideal clients, researches accounts, writes and runs insight-led outreach, follows up and hands qualified pitches to your senior sellers.

Can an agency use only the software? +

Yes. Many agencies run business development themselves on SalesDriver, using the data, research, outreach, visitor identification and CRM tools. Plans for agencies start at $299 per month.

Who writes the outreach? +

On the done-for-you plan, our team writes it based on your case studies and point of view, and you approve every sequence before it sends.

Will this work for small agencies? +

Yes. Smaller agencies often benefit most, because new business usually stops when the founder is busy delivering. The system keeps running in the background.

Can we target specific industries or brands? +

Yes. You choose the categories, company sizes and buyer roles. You can also exclude current clients and competitors of your clients.

OPERATIONAL

Do I pay extra for any tools? +

No. Every tool built by SalesDriver is included in your plan.

Can I change plans anytime? +

Yes. Upgrade or downgrade instantly. Your access adjusts right away.

Do credits roll over each month? +

Plan credits reset monthly. Purchased packs roll over.

Do bundled third-party tools use credits? +

No. Credits apply only to SalesDriver-built tools. Third-party tools included in your plan do not consume credits.

STRATEGY & ROI

How is SalesDriver different from Apollo/ZoomInfo? +

Apollo and ZoomInfo are great for discovery, but SalesDriver is built for execution: bundled for outbound, unified credits, deep CRM integration, community, and $99-499 for the full stack vs. paying for 4+ separate subscriptions.

Can SalesDriver replace my current stack? +

Yes. Prospect data maps to MTN Data + ExactMails; email delivery maps to SalesDriver's sending stack + MTN Verify; and your CRM maps to SalesDriver CRM. Most teams replicate their stack in 48 hours and often cut tool spend by around $1,800/year.

Which tier should I start with? +

Free (250 credits/mo) for proof-of-concepts. Starter ($99) for solo founders. Growth ($299) for teams of 5-20. Pro ($499) for agencies and RevOps. Managed (see our pricing page) for done-for-you campaigns.

Still have questions? Our support team is here to help you scale your outbound sales. Review Support Docs Contact Support →

See how this fits your sales process.

Start with the SalesDriver platform at $99/month or talk with us about managed execution.

View pricing → Book a strategy call