Identify a genuinely useful additional scope or decide that expansion would be premature.
The situation
In this fictional brief, the team cannot connect campaign activity to qualified enquiries. The buyer wants an agreed definition of a qualified enquiry and a usable reporting baseline. Your offer is a 30-day campaign planning and measurement engagement, but you must first establish whether its scope addresses the actual need.
A relevant delivery constraint is that the client must approve claims and creative before launch. Treat that as a fact in the exercise; do not remove it to make the sale easier.
| Your counterpart | a founder who has paid for campaigns without clear reporting |
|---|---|
| Offer under discussion | a 30-day campaign planning and measurement engagement |
| Evidence available | a sample campaign brief showing audience, offer, source and qualification fields |
| Terms to clarify | Keep media spend, agency fees and production costs separate. |
How to approach account expansion
A useful question for this stage: “What is different about that team’s requirements?” Ask it when the conversation creates a reason for it, rather than reciting every question in order.
- Review the current result. Ask permission to explore a related need. Treat the new scope as a fresh discovery process.
- Ground the discussion in the buyer’s work. Ask: “What makes an enquiry worth your sales team’s time?” Listen for a concrete example before making a claim.
- Use evidence relevant to the decision: a sample campaign brief showing audience, offer, source and qualification fields. Explain what it demonstrates and what remains unverified.
- Identify a genuinely useful additional scope or decide that expansion would be premature.
Example exchange
An illustrative exchange. Real conversations will take a different path.
SellerIs there another team or workflow facing a similar problem, or should we focus on improving the current one?
BuyerOur concern is that the team cannot connect campaign activity to qualified enquiries. Also, the client must approve claims and creative before launch.
SellerWhat makes an enquiry worth your sales team’s time?
BuyerThe last agency sent reports but no useful leads.
SellerLet us define a useful enquiry together and agree what evidence would show whether this test is working.
SellerWhat is different about that team’s requirements?
An industry-specific concern
Buyer: “The last agency sent reports but no useful leads.”
Possible response: “Let us define a useful enquiry together and agree what evidence would show whether this test is working.”
Why this response helps: it acknowledges the concern, brings the discussion back to a verifiable requirement and leaves room for a different decision. Adapt the wording to what the buyer actually said.
Run the practice
- Prepare for two minutes. One person takes the seller role and one plays a founder who has paid for campaigns without clear reporting. Read the offer and constraint separately from your preferred answer.
- Have a five-minute conversation focused on explore an additional need only after establishing that the existing work is useful. The buyer should answer consistently with the brief and ask for evidence when a claim is vague.
- Add this challenge: A senior sponsor wants a wider rollout but the current users still have unresolved issues. Make those dependencies explicit.
- Pause for feedback. Quote one useful question and one missed opportunity. Repeat the difficult exchange using a different response.
- Finish by writing the actual agreement. A sensible option, when it fits, is to test one offer for one audience with a written budget cap. A clear decision to pause is also a useful outcome.
What to avoid
| Common mistake | Using customer loyalty as a reason to skip qualification. |
|---|---|
| A stronger direction | Before extending this, we should check the new team’s goals, constraints and decision process. |
| Scope and claim boundary | Do not guarantee leads, revenue or return on ad spend. |
| What to measure in real work | cost per qualified enquiry alongside the qualification rate. Establish a baseline and definition before interpreting a change. |
Your working sheet
Write your own version below. Notes are saved on this browser when local storage is available. Use Download to keep a separate copy; avoid adding confidential information on a shared device.
Example: the team cannot connect campaign activity to qualified enquiries; the client must approve claims and creative before launch.
Example: What is different about that team’s requirements? Industry question: What makes an enquiry worth your sales team’s time?
Example: a sample campaign brief showing audience, offer, source and qualification fields. Do not guarantee leads, revenue or return on ad spend.
Example: Propose a clear next step, such as: test one offer for one audience with a written budget cap. Confirm the owner and date.
Review your work
Tick only what you can support with your answer or practice. This is a reflection checklist, not an automated assessment.
Questions about this resource
Who is this marketing agencies exercise for?
Founders, salespeople and account managers preparing for a conversation about a 30-day campaign planning and measurement engagement. Adapt the brief to your real offer and authority before using it at work.
Can I use the example as a script?
Use the questions as prompts. Listen and respond to the buyer’s actual meaning. The target is to explore an additional need only after establishing that the existing work is useful, not to deliver a memorised speech.
How should I assess the result?
Identify a genuinely useful additional scope or decide that expansion would be premature. Use the three review questions below. The checklist is for reflection; it is not a validated prediction of sales performance.
Fictional training scenario. The dialogue illustrates response choices; it is not a customer testimonial or a record of a real sale. About these resources.