How CMO’s Should Choose An Agency From The Woman Who Won Gucci, Tiffany & RedBull

Most agencies know how to pitch. Far fewer know how to win the right work, keep the right clients and build something people want to be a part of. I sat down with Virginia Hyland, who previously led Havas Media Group and is now co-founder of Squad M&A, to talk about what really makes an agency valuable. Virginia has worked with huge brands - we’re talking Red Bull, Gucci, Tiffany, Rimmel, Bumble and Tourism Fiji, and has sat on almost every side of the agency world from founder, CEO, pitch leader, acquisition advisor AND buyer. I wanted to sit down and chat with Virginia about what indie agencies can do better than the big networks, why chemistry matters before any pitch, what marketers should look for when choosing an agency, and how founders can start building a business that’s worth buying years before they plan to sell. Key moments: 0:00 - How Virginia built an agency before social media changed everything 3:49 - Why indie agencies can beat the big networks 11:49 - How a 15-person team won against global agencies. 15:19 - The client win that led to helicopters and Tiffany jewellery 18:09 - How to tell if a pitch is actually worth your time 23:10 - The best way to get into someone’s boardroom 28:18 - The mistake most agencies make in pitches 31:57 - How to let your team lead a pitch without taking over 34:00 - How Havas stood out against more than 100 agencies 35:42 - What Virginia learned from losing Red Bull the first time 39:20 - What to watch for when your agency gets sold 41:44 - What changes when you go from indie founder to HoldCo CEO 45:54 - Why founders should prepare for sale years before they exit 51:11 - How AI could change the agency model 54:29 - What makes an agency worth buying If you want to connect with Virginia you can find her on Linkedin here, or visit Squad M&A www.squadma.com Organic social media is still one of the easiest ways to build trust with your audience. So if you're ready to create a community around your brand, head over to IG @tfm.digital and DM us the word ORGANIC to grab our ultimate social media organic guide. Want to know exactly which channels will you give REAL return on your paid ads? We've created a full playbook that that covers that plus how to get people buying your products online. If you want a copy, head over to IG @tfm.digital and DM us PLAYBOOK.If you want the TLDR of what you should actually care about, you're in the right place.  Hit follow because you're not gonna wanna miss these episodes. See the behind the scenes over at @tfm.pod - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tfm.pod/⁠  Follow the TFM team over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tfm.digital/⁠ and ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@tfm.digital⁠  And ⁠https://www.instagram.com/taylorfielding/⁠ and ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mathewfielding/⁠