Here we are, just about 5 years since our last major website update. We continue our motivation and efforts to remain Number One in the field of advertising agency search and agency new business development. We staked our claims for those verticals, first in  late 1994 with Sales Marketing Institute, Ltd. and then in 1997 with AgencyFinder.com. Unless someone is prepared to challenge us, I don’t think there is anyone out there with our deep and combined experience in what it takes to mount and manage an in-house agency new business program and then on the other side of the fence successfully manage a complete start-to-finish ad agency (marketing firm) client search.

On that topic, there is one distinction of which we are extremely proud. Our business model has never been challenged to be double-dipping, unethical or in any way represent a conflict of interest. Our full array of services are funded by registered marketing firm annual fees and never, I say NEVER do we request or accept payment from those who search. For the more traditional agency search consultants who are compensated by searchers (clients/advertisers), as such, participating agencies should never be asked to pay them any fees – for any reason at any time for anything. Before any client/advertiser engages any agency search consulting service, do investigate to be certain they do not engage in any form of “double-dipping.” It’s almost illegal.

Whether you’re a Blue Chip client or a full-service integrated marketing firm (by any definition), you can trust our services to always be in your best interest.

Welcome V6.0 AgencyFinder.com!

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A heart-felt nod and acknowledgement to the hundreds of staff, consultants, agencies, advertisers and close friends who contributed in so many ways to our new site. Time after time, thanks for critiquing my thoughts and concepts. Time after time, thanks for sharing your concepts and ideas. I hope each of you is able to find and admire your unique contributions to this new extravaganza. Explore the Site Map to see what I mean …

My most sincere thanks – Chuck Meyst

Years ago, as Publisher of Richmond LifeStyle Magazine, when we launched our inaugural issue my editor’s introduction mentioned something about birthing a magazine was like birthing a baby.  Well, I just checked and “Gone With The Wind’s” maid Prissy actually claimed the opposite and said “I don’t know nothin’ ’bout birthing babies, Miss Scarlett!

There are distinct differences between babies and magazines, yet I can now attest to the fact that birthing this long-awaited new website was like birthing that new magazine … here the gestation period seemed to go on forever! But hallelujah, it’s “LIVE!” Please navigate to your heart’s content; discover fresh material, and if you find something broken that we missed, please let me know. Your comments are certainly welcome, but please, don’t call my baby ugly!

As I swarmed over our 2006-vintage website (we stretched that out, didn’t we!), I was repeatedly reminded just how many clients and agencies we introduced in that time. Thousands! Congratulations to each and every registered agency – that received, studied, telephoned, visited and pitched to win! I can’t name names here, but many of you will know I’m talking about YOUR agency. I’m talking about more than a few Fortune 100 companies; a bunch more Fortune 500 companies, but the majority don’t make the Fortune top lists. Most lack general public brand recognition; they’re one-notch below the visibility of the majors, yet to each of them, having a great and responsive agency partner is the difference between business life and business death.

My ambition and instruction to the AgencyFinder staff is to have “our” people talking with “your” people often. We’re your agent in the strictest sense, so we care what’s happening in your world. So we make a lot of phone calls. In doing that (for 14 years), we often run into the “New, New Business Manager” at a long-registered agency. During that encounter, we experience their natural reaction to what probably sounds like the infamous “bait & switch” sales pitch – Hi, we’re calling to update your information here at AgencyFinder …. After some degree of mutual animosity, we mention a client they won in one of our reviews and the newcomer remarks “Oh, that’s where they came from!!!” That’s the breakthrough that changes everything in our relationship. That may well be the case at your shop.

I hope you like what we’ve done. I hope clients like it and are drawn to the Registration page like a moth to a flame!