Preview Mode Links will not work in preview mode

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

  1. All Episodes
  2. EP102: The Evolution of Business Development | Nicky Rinks & Rich Banham | Daylight Bureau

EP102: The Evolution of Business Development | Nicky Rinks & Rich Banham | Daylight Bureau

Nov 10, 2025

New business, business development, lead generation, prospecting.

Call it what you will – for agencies, the practice of attracting and winning new clients has evolved.

Technology continues to diversify our services and expand the marketplaces in which we operate. Alongside this, terminology shifts, client expectations rise, and the range of macro issues impacting brands and businesses keeps growing.

Navigating the needs of prospects – then clearly articulating and demonstrating how we meet those needs – has always been fundamental to agency success. Yet, as highlighted in the Design Business Association’s recent In Focus report, “new business” is now seen as the most significant risk facing agencies in both the short and the long term.

So, it feels like perfect timing to welcome two brilliant guests who are working at the frontline of business development, landing significant new clients for some of the most impressive agency talent out there.

In this episode, I’m joined by Nicky Rinks and Rich Banham from Daylight Bureau. Together, we unpack:

  • The ideal conditions for cultivating business development skills

  • How to approach outreach when you have a highly strategic or complex offer

  • Why prospect stakeholder management matters

  • The role of AI and automation vs. human engagement in business development

  • Practical tips for boosting your new business pipeline

 

Of course there is a cracking book recommendation The School of Life: An Emotional Education by Alain de Botton. Join the conversation on LinkedIn using #smallsparktheory and we will pick a winner and send a copy.

 

Also mentioned in this episode:

Design Business Association In Focus Report 2025

Win Without Pitching by Blair Enns

The Personal MBA: A World-Class Business Education in a Single Volume by Josh Kaufman

One Small Spark Monthly Email

Further reading from Daylight Bureau:

The Unseen Variable: Solving the Agency Pipeline Paradox