The Biz Dev 100: Lucy Morris, head of business development, TMW Unlimited

Name: Lucy Morris

Job title: head of business development

Agency: TMW Unlimited

What were your highlights of last year?

It’s been the year where we’ve really engaged the whole agency behind the new business drive. And it’s worked. We’ve had our best year yet for opportunities and wins, culminating in three major pitch wins in just one week in July. A fitting outcome to all our collective hard work.

What has been your most memorable win - and why?

We won a global pitch for a well known FMCG brand last year which was really memorable as we were invited to pitch off the back of an innovative prospecting strategy that we’d just introduced. They’re now a major client of the agency and we’ve since developed five global campaigns for them.

How would you describe your approach to business development?

A rigorous, well-researched and strategic approach to prospecting. When responding to briefs, a focus from the outset on what success looks like and how we can beat the competition.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Be forensic about the brief and refer back to it constantly.

What would be your number one tip to anyone starting in business development?

Get out of your seat and talk to people across the agency every day. It’s the fastest way to become an expert on your agency. And forging strong relationships with your colleagues is essential for when you’ll be asking them to drop everything and help you with a last minute RFI.

What is your new business soundtrack?

Neneh Cherry’s Buffalo Stance or something similarly upbeat to keep things in perspective when the pressure is on.

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