How To Win Big Clients As A Small Agency: Insider Tips

If you’re a small agency dreaming of landing a big-name client like Coca-Cola or ESPN, you might think the odds are stacked against you.

But according to marketing powerhouse Carol Cruise, former CMO of ESPN and VP of Digital at Coca-Cola, it’s not only possible, it’s preferred. 

In a conversation with Ross Gray, founder of Cloud Campaign, Carol shared how and why she repeatedly chose to work with small agencies during her career at some of the world’s most iconic brands. Click here to check out the full recorded interview.

These are the most powerful takeaways that every agency owner should hear.

Big Brands Love Small Agencies for the Right Reasons

Forget size. Big brands care about results.

“I don’t care about the agency size. I care about the quality of work,” Carol said.

In her experience, small agencies are:

• More innovative and scrappy
• Less bogged down by hierarchy and process
• More willing to take calculated risks
• Often significantly more cost-effective

When leading digital transformation initiatives, Carol found that smaller agencies were often the ones driving the most cutting-edge work. This is especially true in areas like mobile, social, and emerging tech.

Want to Get Noticed? Show Up and Stand Out

Carol met many of her favorite agency partners at conferences, especially ones like the iMedia Brand Summit, where tech vendors, marketers, and agencies came together.

Her advice:

• Do your research ahead of time. Know who will be there and what they care about.
• Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself. Big brand folks expect to be pitched.
• But whatever you do... don’t pitch in the bathroom. (Yes, that happened.)

The Pitch That Works (and the One That Doesn’t)

If you get five minutes with someone at a conference or a 30-minute pitch meeting, don’t waste it on generic intros.

Carol’s golden rule:

“Flip your deck. Start with the awesome work you’ve done - then I’ll care about who you are.”

✅ Tailor your message to their business goals
✅ Ask smart questions like “What’s your biggest marketing challenge right now?”
❌ Skip the long agency story and logo slide until you’ve earned the attention

Breaking Through the Procurement Wall

Yes, it’s slow. Yes, it can be frustrating. But getting through procurement is doable if you have a champion.

Carol’s biggest tip:

• Your internal contact is doing sales on your behalf within the company
• Ask what they need to push things forward: decks, examples, case studies, legal docs
• Be ready for indemnification requirements—don’t get caught off guard by paperwork

If you’re hitting roadblocks, consider subcontracting through an existing vendor or larger agency that already has a relationship with the brand.

Final Thoughts: You Have a Shot If You Show Your Value Fast

Carol summed it up perfectly:

“If you do really wonderful work and you can show how you deliver business value, and how you provide something unique or different quickly and succinctly upfront—that’s all you have to do.”

Big brands need fresh thinking. They crave new perspectives. And they want agile partners who can help them move faster.

So stop wondering if you’re too small. You’re not.

The only question is: Are you showing the right people the right value at the right time?