How to approach new clients, with help from creative trio; Holiday, SOMETHING ELSE and Combination

In some companies, new business is an entire role – an entire salary or more dedicated to the endeavour. For many creative businesses and individuals, however, the practice is entirely an extra job, where they’re found balancing the pursuit of new work alongside the work they’re already doing. It’s a troublesome task and often one that can be draining and hard to find the time for. That being said, it’s got to be done, and the results of sticking with it can be quite extraordinary. We’ve chatted with a trio of creative practices to learn more about how they manage the topic at hand, asking how they approach new clients, the etiquette of cold-calling and how to handle the dreaded conversation of budgets. In our lineup, we have Lisbon, Toronto and LA-based studio Holiday, Chicago-based agency SOMETHING ELSE and London-based practice Combination. Together, the three creative outlets have decades of industry expertise between them. For some, new clients can arrive at their doorstep, having travelled by word-of-mouth, as is commonly the case for Combination’s Founder & Creative Director Craig Jackson. “Before I respond, I might go and do a little digging if I haven’t heard of the brand or person,” Jackson tells us, discussing how he’d typically reply when first approached. “But if it has come from a trusted source, I might reach out to the referral just to double-check,” he continues, finding out what the individual or brand is about before arranging to discuss further. “I would then arrange a call to get to know them to see if it’s something I’d like to be part of.”