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Small Spark Theory: a marginal gains approach to new business and marketing

New business is one of those subjects guaranteed to get a reaction from agency owners everywhere. Many will have a nagging feeling they should be doing a bit more, wonder how other agencies manage to land the accounts they covet, have moments of wild inspiration and energy then falter because the day job just, well gets in the way.
Gunpowder’s Lucy Mann has worked in agency new business for over 25 years and has witnessed these scenarios, and many more like them, as an outsourced new business telemarketer, a new business recruitment consultant, in house new business developer, in house head of marketing, and new business mentor across multiple disciplines and agency shapes and sizes.
Regardless of size and discipline, many agencies encounter the same new business challenges, and more and more, the solution is not necessarily an ambitious marketing plan, or expensive sales resource, but instead a forensic application of process and a marginal gains approach to performance improvement.
Gunpowder’s podcast, Small Spark Theory® explores the small changes we can make to our sales and marketing process to achieve better new business results. With contributions from a range of experts, each episode will examine a single element of the process in detail, providing manageable tips for improvement.

Find our more about Gunpowder Consulting, please visit gunpowderconsulting.com
Follow us on Twitter @gunpowdertweets and join the conversation #smallsparktheory
Music from Jukedeck - create your own at http://jukedeck.com.
Host - Lucy Mann
Producer - Isabelle Jarvis

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  2. EP100: UK Design Agency Positioning Audit | Emily Penny | BeColourful

EP100: UK Design Agency Positioning Audit | Emily Penny | BeColourful

Aug 31, 2025

Welcome to the 100th episode of Small Spark Theory!

You may have spotted that earlier this summer, Emily Penny and Joel Stein released the Fully Saturated  UK Design Agency Positioning Audit. Packed full of insights, analysis and examples of agencies that really manage to cut through the noise, it’s the first audit of its kind.

In this episode, Emily joins me to take us through her methodology in compiling the report, discuss the attributes of some of the best positioned agencies and share the key takeaways for leaders of agencies (of any discipline). 

You can download a summary of the report or sign up for Emily and Joel’s September 16th Online Masterclass and the full report here. Emily and Joel have kindly offered a hefty discount to Small Spark Theory listeners (and subscribers to my newsletter). Just use SMALLSPARK at the checkout.

And of course we will be giving away a copy of Emily’s recommended read: Integrity Etc.: Turn uninspiring company values into future-shaping strategy by Dave Greasley and Rob Alderson - listen in to find out how to win. 

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of our guests and listeners over the last 100 episodes (over almost nine years). Let’s keep learning together and landing the small and the big wins!

This episode is supported by Zack Southall Fitness.