Work back from your number.
Pick a new business target. Decide where the money will come from. Then work back through your own numbers to see how many people you need to talk to. Start with a number. You can always change it.
- 1. Your numberNew business you want to win
- 2. RoutesWhere it could come from
- 3. SplitHow much from each route
- 4. ProjectsHow many, and how big
- 5. Your ratesHow often each stage moves on
- 6. What it takesThe work behind the number
Your number
How much brand new business do you want to win in the next 12 months? New clients only here, not growth from the clients you already have.
Where will it come from?
Pick every route you think could bring in new clients. Add your own if it isn't here.
Got another route? Add it here, or pick one of these:
Split the number
How much of your target do you expect from each route? It's a best guess. Move it around until it feels right.
How many projects?
For each route, is the money one big client or a few smaller ones? Set how many projects you'd need to win and what each is worth.
Your own numbers
Use how your agency really does, not how you'd like it to do. If you don't know yet, start with these and check them against the last year.
Where does each route start?
Some routes skip the early stages. A tender portal or a pitch consultant hands you an opportunity, so there's no one to reach out to or meet first. The stages a route skips come out of your totals.
How often each stage moves on
A stage a route skips doesn't use its rate. Meetings that are part of a pitch (like chemistry meetings) are part of the pitch, so don't count them as a stage.
What it takes
Here's the work behind your number, worked back from the wins. The weekly figures assume you spread it evenly over 46 working weeks. In real life, early months need to be busier, because deals take time to land.
Send this PDF to yourself.
Get a two-page PDF of this plan in your inbox: the work it takes, route by route, with your own numbers. Change the plan first if you want, it sends what's on screen.
Want a second pair of eyes on it?
Book 30 minutes. Bring this plan and we'll look at which number is hardest to hit, and what to do about it first.