Referrals as the only channel
In a SparkToro survey of 612 agencies, referrals were the most important source of new business for two thirds, while active sales played hardly any role.
Most consultancies and agencies live on referrals – until the pipeline runs dry. We deliver your target market with decision-makers and the triggers that make outreach relevant: new management, succession, rebranding or expansion.
The challenge
In a SparkToro survey of 612 agencies, referrals were the most important source of new business for two thirds, while active sales played hardly any role.
Projects come first. Prospecting happens when utilisation drops – and by then it's too late, because mandates need lead time.
According to a 2026 survey by the Fachgruppe Werbung Wien, a third of agencies invest 50 to 100 hours per pitch, and another third even more – often without a fee and without feedback.
According to the GWA Spring Monitor 2026, only around half of agencies' annual revenue was secured at the beginning of March. A predictable pipeline is the best safeguard.
Your market
Typical target customers
Decision-makers and stakeholders
Not in any filter
These are exactly the attributes we check for every company individually – on websites, in job ads and in registers.
Signal radar
Click a point on the radar to see what we detect, why it points to a need and how your sales team can open the conversation.
Change in marketing leadership or the CMO position.
Why it matters: New leaders review their agencies and service providers in the first few months.
“Congratulations on your new role – which projects would you like to get off the ground in the first few months?”
Why now
According to KfW, around 109,000 mid-sized companies a year are aiming for a succession until the end of 2029. A large market for succession, M&A and strategy consulting.
According to the GWA, 61% of agencies see AI expertise as the fastest-growing customer requirement. If you can deliver here, you need the customers who are rethinking right now.
According to the BDU, customers are obtaining more quotes and deciding more slowly. If you reach out early with a relevant trigger, you're in the running before the tender comes out.
What matters
And so it should. Signals don't replace relationships, they provide the trigger: you see who currently has new management, a succession or a rebranding – and can use your network in a targeted way.
Outreach with a specific trigger doesn't come across as cold outreach, but as attentiveness. Whether you call, send an invitation or share content is up to you.
That's why we don't deliver volume, but your market in the order in which a conversation is worthwhile – the companies with the strongest trigger first.
For every contact, we supply the source and verification status. A specific, factual trigger – which is exactly what signals are – is the basis for relevant and permissible outreach in B2B. How you set up your outreach from a legal perspective is something you should agree with your legal advisers.
Describe your ideal customer – the free Market Check gives you your market size and 25 example companies.