• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, November 13, 2012

According to a new survey by RSW/US, about 8 in 10 agencies believe that the number of opportunities for new business are about the same as last year (34.4%) or have increased (44.8%). But, more than 8 in 10 say that obtaining new business is either as hard or harder than it was last year.

Agencies that say they are having a tougher time finding new business because they believe there are fewer opportunities out there, or not looking hard enough, or aren't open to starting a relationship with a small piece of a client's pie with the hopes of growing it into something larger.

The most effective tools for generating new business, according to agencies, are referrals (59%), networking (57.4%), and business from existing clients (57.4%). As marketing ranks thin, there are fewer people moving from one company to the next - thus limiting referral and networking opportunities.

Agencies are significantly more likely to believe that the number of new business opportunities is increasing relative to last year, than remaining the same or declining.

Marketers are getting more and more sophisticated, says the report, and need firms to help them strategically find their way into the digital and social space, and integrate these new platforms.

Digital and social continue to drive new business opportunities for Agencies, with 76% and 53% of Agencies, respectively, stating that they are seeing these two areas as the biggest drivers of business relative to other marketing/media platforms.

The report includes responses to questions from Adweek about the changing nature of how Marketers are reviewing agencies. Nearly 1/2 of all Marketers say that creative is always part of the pitch process. Operational considerations are growing in importance when reviewing Agencies (according to Marketers) 73% say it is "growing in importance".

And, from the “marketers” viewpoint, the report includes to the response to the question “... how do you most often learn about new (to you) agencies... ?

For additional information about the study and more responses, please visit RSW/US here.