How to sell to Heads of Marketing at Agencies companies in United Kingdom
Heads of Marketing at agencies are primarily measured on client retention rates. They respond positively to outreach that demonstrates a clear understanding of their unique challenges, such as fluctuating client demands and the need for innovative campaign strategies. Acknowledging their specific pain points and presenting tailored solutions can significantly increase your chances of engagement.
Written and maintained by the SoloRiff team, who build outbound software and run outbound with it. The figures below are our own: we measured 558 agencies company domains over public DNS on 2026-09-03. Last updated 2026-09-03.
What actually hurts
- high client turnover
- inconsistent campaign performance
- difficulty in measuring ROI
- managing diverse client expectations
The playbook
- 01
Identify agencies with recent client wins
Use LinkedIn to filter for agencies that have announced new client acquisitions in the last month. This indicates they are likely in a growth phase and may be looking for additional support. Focus your outreach on these agencies to align your solution with their current success.
- 02
Highlight challenges of managing diverse client expectations
Craft your message to address the specific challenge of balancing multiple client needs and expectations. Use insights from recent industry reports or case studies to illustrate common pitfalls and how your offering can help streamline their processes.
- 03
Reference recent industry trends impacting agencies
In your email, mention recent trends affecting the agency landscape, such as increased competition or digital transformation. This shows that you are not only aware of their environment but also prepared to discuss how your expertise can help them navigate these challenges.
- 04
Propose a specific time for a call
Instead of a vague request for a call, suggest a specific date and time for a brief discussion. For example, propose a 15-minute call on Thursday at 2 PM. This creates a sense of urgency and makes it easier for them to respond positively.
- 05
Follow up with a relevant resource
If you don’t receive a response, send a follow-up email with a relevant resource, such as an article or white paper that addresses their pain points. This adds value to your outreach and demonstrates your commitment to helping them succeed.
Can agencies companies even receive your mail?
We measured the DNS of 558 agencies companies, sampled evenly across company sizes, to see how many authenticate their own email. It matters in both directions: a domain that does not authenticate is a domain whose team is used to mail going missing — and if your own domain is in the gap, yours is the mail going missing.
Publishes a DMARC policy of quarantine or reject — the domain actually asks receivers to act on failures.
The gap is the finding: 16.8% of 1–10-person companies against 55.4% of the largest — 39 points apart. Small companies are where the unauthenticated domains are, and small companies are who most cold outreach is aimed at.
Where does your domain sit?
Same three lookups, run live against your domain. Nothing is stored and nothing is emailed to you.
How this was measured
Company domains were sampled within employee-count bands, then queried over public DNS for SPF (TXT at the apex), DMARC (TXT at _dmarc.) and MX. One domain per company, deduplicated. Anyone can reproduce any single row of this with dig.
DKIM is deliberately absent. A DKIM key lives under a selector that cannot be enumerated from outside the domain, so a company with flawless DKIM under a name we did not guess would be counted as having none. That would measure our guess list, not the industry.
Domains with no MX record are excluded rather than counted as failures — parked and redirect-only domains would otherwise drag every figure down and make the result an artefact of the sample.
Sampled within bands, so this describes the population of companies, not of employees: a 10-person company counts once, as does a 10,000-person one. Each band is at least 60 domains; bands below that are not published. Figures are percentages of the sample, not of the whole industry, and we publish no company names — only counts.
Measured 2026-09-03. Re-measured monthly.
The full census across every industry — sortable, with sample sizes, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.
Subject lines that fit
- Navigating client expectations
- Strategies for client retention
- Enhancing campaign performance
Questions
- Why do heads of marketing at agencies ignore outreach from vendors?
- Heads of Marketing often ignore vendor outreach because they are inundated with offers that lack relevance to their specific challenges. If the outreach does not clearly align with their immediate needs or demonstrate a deep understanding of their industry, it is likely to be overlooked.
- What factors influence a marketing agency's decision-making process?
- Decision-making in marketing agencies is influenced by client demands, budget constraints, and the need for innovative solutions. Heads of Marketing often prioritize strategies that can deliver measurable results quickly, making it essential for vendors to present clear, data-backed proposals.
- How can I stand out in my outreach to marketing agencies?
- To stand out, tailor your outreach to reflect a clear understanding of the agency's unique challenges and current projects. Use specific examples of how your solution has helped similar agencies overcome obstacles, and avoid generic pitches that could apply to any agency.
- What common objections do heads of marketing have when considering new vendors?
- Common objections include concerns about budget impact, the time required for onboarding, and the effectiveness of the proposed solution. Addressing these objections upfront in your outreach can help alleviate their concerns and encourage a more open dialogue.
Or have it run itself
SoloRiff does every step above on its own — finds the companies, finds the people, writes each of them individually, and handles the replies. Drop your URL and watch it work before you sign up for anything.
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