• Sell more time in chunks. Lots of agencies pump buckets of dollars to the bottom line by selling creative concepting and proprietary marketing plans for flat rates of $25k, $50k or more a pop. It's sometimes easier to digest (for a client) than jumping into a full-blown campaign and often leads to bigger things.

• Call our Management Committee the Leadership Team. Why? To more accurately reflect their mission to lead the agency forward. And to put some teeth in it, each quarter require every LT member to answer publicly these questions: 1. What opportunity we're currently ignoring will I personally take charge of? 2. What ongoing problem around here will I fix in the next three months once and for all? 3. What have I done in the past 90 days to ratchet up my individual performance? You may disagree, but we see agency leaders who rise to positions of power and think they don't have to do anything else. Hey - it's all about getting better, all the time. Status quo is unacceptable.
  
  
• Stifle new business chest thumping. During meetings with prospects, limit your gang to just 5 minutes of chatter about how swell your agency is; concentrate instead on understanding and solving - right there, on the spot - their problems. That's why they called you in. Believe me, you'll land more business when you understand it's not about you...and never will be.
  
  
• Freshen up the lobby. Ours is a fun, creative business but you walk into some agencies and it looks like a bad day at the DMV. Show a little style - do something so you look creative, for God's sake. You don't want the place to be mistaken for where your schlumpy brother-in-law the insurance agent works.
  
  
• Stop repeating pitch mistakes. You know the chestnut about insanity: doing the same thing again and again but expecting different results. Next time you come in second on a new business pitch, list 10 things you muffed and tack it on the wall. Then use it as a checklist so you don't repeat the same mistakes next time. Now how tough is that?
  
  
• Get the elevator speech down cold. Make sure everyone knows what your agency actually does and more importantly, why you're different from every other place. If you can't capture your unique competitive advantage in just a few words, how can you expect others to believe you're anything but a commodity?
  
  
• Fix the fixable. We grouse about client capriciousness, inadequate budgets, and other things...all beyond our control. Why not solve what you DO control? Take a deep breath and make a list of all the agency problems and obstacles - inefficient trafficking, a broken employee review process, spotty internal communication, whatever. Hang it up in the conference or lunch room and use it as a running scorecard. Fix them one at a time (and once and for all). When you knock one off put a fat red checkmark in front of it and break out the diet sodas to celebrate.
  
  
• Have guts. This goes with fix the fixable. If you know you need to boot an ineffective, rude or otherwise why-do-we-keep-this-guy? employee, do it. Life is too short and it's foolish to run your business like a half way house unless, of course, that's your real purpose. Truth is, sometimes people evolve into misfits as circumstances change and motivation wanes; decisions must be made, pal.
  
  
• Be not afraid. Don't avoid calling on prospects that are "too big for us," have always been at a cross-town competitor, or are more than a short drive or flight away. Your competition is poaching in your yard - do business in theirs. Think of all the new restaurants you'll eat in!
  
  
• Do the right thing. The most successful CEOs we know rely more on intuition than data. Sure, you need the facts to make a decision but when you're faced with knotty issues in '06, consult an infallible guide: your conscience. Just ask yourself, "What's the right thing to do here?" and listen for an answer from somewhere deep inside. I don't know how this works, but even though the answer you get may seem unpalatable - that's your rational mind and ego talking trying to make it easier for you - your conscience will yield solid good counsel.

You don't have to make colossal leaps in '06, just use what the Japanese call kaizen - a series of small incremental improvements that create lasting successes. Pick a few of the above suggestions and stick to them. Then let us know if your batting average improves.

Unless of course you think Mark Twain was right about paving things.