About Small Spark Theory: a marginal gains approach to new business and marketing
New business is one of those subjects guaranteed to get a reaction from agency owners everywhere. Many will have a nagging feeling they should be doing a bit more, wonder how other agencies manage to land the accounts they covet, have moments of wild inspiration and energy then falter because the day job just, well gets in the way.
Gunpowder's Lucy Mann has worked in agency new business for over 25 years and has witnessed these scenarios, and many more like them, as an outsourced new business telemarketer, a new business recruitment consultant, in house new business developer, in house head of marketing, and new business mentor across multiple disciplines and agency shapes and sizes.
Regardless of size and discipline, many agencies encounter the same new business challenges, and more and more, the solution is not necessarily an ambitious marketing plan, or expensive sales resource, but instead a forensic application of process and a marginal gains approach to performance improvement.
Gunpowder's podcast, Small Spark Theory™ explores the small changes we can make to our sales and marketing process to achieve better new business results. With contributions from a range of experts, each episode will examine a single element of the process in detail, providing manageable tips for improvement.
Find our more about Gunpowder Consulting, please visit gunpowderconsulting.com
Follow us on Twitter @gunpowdertweets and join the conversation at #smallsparktheory
With thanks to Matthew Syed for audio extract permission.
Host - Lucy Mann
Producer - Isabelle Jarvis
EP108: How do clients really buy creative? | Steven Bennett-Day | Ourselves
Over the years on this podcast, we've spent a lot of time discussing how to get better at selling our ideas and services, looking for improvements in everything from positioning and marketing to outreach, presenting and pitching.
But what about our clients? How do they experience the process of buying creative work, of choosing the right team and the right ideas to deliver for their business?
That's the question preoccupying my guest in this episode. After years leading creative at some of the biggest agency networks, Steven Bennett-Day is now co-founder of independent creative studio Ourselves (https://ourselves.work/).
Steven has been interviewing CEOs, founders and marketers to hear, in their own words, what it's like to buy ideas and what really drives their decisions. Together we discuss the themes that have emerged from those conversations and what agencies can learn from his findings.
Listen in for your chance to win a copy of Steven's recommended read: On Connection by Kae Tempest.
3 Aug 2026
EP107: A fresh look at lead gen | John Schumacher & Laura Walker | Kindling
What does good agency lead generation look like in 2026? At a time when we are surrounded by AI tools and bombarded by automated emails promising to deliver high-quality leads at minimal cost, it's a minefield for agencies considering new business outreach, particularly in challenging market conditions.
I have a soft spot for anyone working in lead generation. It's how I started out in this industry over 30 years ago, and whilst so much has changed in that time, one thing remains true: regardless of the advances in technology, successful new business outreach is all about people.
In this episode I talk to two brilliant people: John Schumacher (https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-schumacher-571049b1/) and Laura Walker (https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurawalker9/) at Kindling (https://kindlingleadgen.co.uk/).
Together we explore:
The role of AI vs. human analysis and email craft
How agencies can get the best from their lead generation partners
Why smaller lists beat spray-and-pray targeting
Why people and culture are so important in lead generation
Of course, we'll also be giving away a copy of John's recommended read, Just One Thing, by Dr Michael Mosley.
Also mentioned in this episode:
Kindling (Fickle Flame) by Elbow ft. John Grant
Kindling's branding is by John Whalley (https://www.johnwhalley.co.uk/)
1 Jun 2026
EP106: How to stay profitable | Anna Appleton | Rofinery
Ask most agency owners how profitable their last project was, and you'll get one of two answers: a rough guess, or a long pause.
This kind of data is rarely readily available, and when it is, it's usually buried in a spreadsheet that someone else built, that nobody's updated since for months, with a formula that breaks in the click of a mouse.
And whilst there are a multitude of agency management platforms available, finding one that works for your agency, at your size, and providing ALL of the functionality and data you need in one place is almost impossible.
This is exactly the gap that Anna Appleton set out to close. Anna is co-founder of We Create Digital (https://wecreate.digital/) a small digital agency specialising in design, development, and accessibility, and the driving force behind Rofinery (https://rofinery.com/), an all-in-one agency management platform built by a small agency, for ALL agencies.
In this episode, we talk about:
Why data is one of the most overlooked components of winning and growing new clients
How Rofinery brings together pipeline, proposals, time tracking, resource planning, and profitability in one place
The hidden cost of "profitability leaks" — and why agency leaders are often the worst offenders
Building proposals grounded in real data, not finger-in-the-air estimates
Rofinery's refreshingly straightforward pricing model — and why it's staying that way
Of course there's a brilliant book recommendation: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. Join the conversation on LinkedIn using #smallsparktheory and we'll pick a winner and send you a copy.
Also mentioned in this episode:
Design Business Association In Focus Report
Get in touch with Anna:
Book a demo: rofinery.com (https://rofinery.com/) Email: anna@rofinery.com (mailto:anna@rofinery.com)
Who has been a guest on Small Spark Theory: a marginal gains approach to new business and marketing
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Pete Sayburn
John Gleason
Amar Chohan
Lucy Mann
Jim Hawker
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