When you try to diagnose why your agency's new business is lagging, borrow a baseball analogy: Does your agency suffer from an at-bats problem or a batting-average problem?

At-bats refer to the volume of qualified opportunities coming your way. Think of them as the pitches you’re allowed to swing at.

Batting average reflects how many of those pitches you convert into hits, your close rate once you’re at the plate.

Getting more at-bats

A steady flow of leads is ultimately a reputation dividend. That dividend is paid only after you repeat four behaviors over time:

1. Deliver consistently excellent work that finishes on time and on budget for your clients;

2. Market a clear, differentiated point of view where your ideal clients already pay attention;

3. Publish thought leadership drawn from real client experience, not recycled trends;

4. Evolve your services so they stay relevant to emerging client needs.

Tactics vary: cold email sequences, partner webinars, conference booths, a well-produced podcast, paid media, ambassador programs, etc. but the unglamorous constant is discipline. Show up every week, measure outcomes, refine the mix, and your surface area with buyers grows.

Hot markets can camouflage a weak pipeline. For example, WordPress agencies in 2015 and Shopify specialists in 2021 enjoyed inbound tailwinds until the craze cooled. Agencies that reinvested profits into outbound campaigns, channel partnerships, and content marketing kept growing long after the wind died down. Build those channels before you need them.

Improving the batting average

In our experience, it's always better to have more at-bats than a very high batting average with little to no at-bats. However, batting average is still incredibly important because it helps bring down the cost of sales and marketing in the long run. Work to sharpen the following:

• Positioning and packaging – crystal-clear problems solved and outcomes promised

• Pricing logic – tiers, anchors, and payment terms that match buyer psychology

• Call structure – tight agendas, discovery first, proposal last

• Deal team roles – the right voices in the room, each with a purpose

• Scoping discipline – guardrails that protect margin and client trust

• Proof assets – current case studies, ready references, and social proof

• Follow-up cadence – thoughtful artifacts and deadlines that move the ball forward

Treat the sales process like a professional batter working to fix their swing. Record calls, review them with an outside coach, and adjust. Small mechanical fixes like better stories, cleaner decks, and tighter calls compound quickly.

Decide where to focus

Ask two questions:

1. Do you consistently book at least three to five qualified first calls a week?

2. Do roughly one-third of proposals turn into signed work within sixty days?

A shortfall on the first question means you lack at-bats. A shortfall on the second points to a batting-average issue.

Pick the primary constraint and commit ninety days to it, either pipeline generation or conversion optimization, not both at once. Track first meetings, proposals, and wins every week. When the original bottleneck eases, shift your effort to the next one.

Business development is never “finished,” but knowing whether you need more swings or a cleaner swing keeps your energy, time, and budget aimed at the right pitch.