Finding a Business Development Agency Who Makes Grant Management Easier

Grant managers know the drill: you’re negotiating with vendors, balancing budgets on multiple ends, and juggling multiple grants under a strict timeline. This is where your trusted business development agency should come in–to streamline processes, implement better workflows, and take the burden of day-to-day tasks off your plate so you can focus on the big picture. But while any good business development agency sets out to optimize your marketing, sales, service, and operational activities, it’s far too often that your chosen agency doesn’t fill in all the gaps. 

Are you struggling to find an agency that truly meets your needs?

You’re not alone. Maybe you partnered with an agency to make your life easier, and now you’re eating up more time trying to communicate with them. 

Grant managers at hospitals, research institutions, and universities often express difficulty finding an agency that:

• Can address multiple challenges at once - You’re already managing multiple projects and lines of communication, so you don’t want to balance a handful of different specialty agencies that work independently of one another. 
• Provides all their services in-house - You can’t work with an agency that outsources its services, putting your organization’s security at risk and jeopardizing communication, relationship nurturing, availability, and continuity with deliverable handoffs. 
• Works with you on rates - Your partner agency needs to be willing to negotiate rates and pricing for third party services to help meet budget.
• Has experience in healthcare - An agency can’t provide the detailed solutions you need if they don’t understand the unique challenges of your industry such as your funding processes, program life cycles, and regulatory compliance mandates. 

So, how do you find an agency that truly understands your needs, develops efficient solutions for your problems, and effectively makes grant managing easier? 

The first thing to determine when searching for an agency is to decide what services you need and the philosophical approaches you align with. 

Traditional versus business development agencies

Traditional agencies typically provide isolated services, such as marketing strategy, web design, or event management. In contrast, Business development agencies tend to approach projects holistically, providing a range of business-related services that consider the overlaps in your various business activities and needs. 

While a traditional agency can provide quality services in their area of expertise, business development agencies offer many of the same services while also ensuring that your multiple business projects and processes are functioning effectively as a whole. 

If you align with the comprehensive approach of a business development agency, keep in mind that they are not all created equal.

Here’s what grant managers can look for in a business development agency: 

Proof of full-service, in-house skills 

Check your agency’s website for case studies that illustrate how an agency has previously approached projects that might be multifaceted and require a range of expertise.

If you're looking to work with an agency, you can also ask for live demos, a short trial period to get a feel for how they work, or to be put in touch with former clients who can vouch for their services. This approach will give you a look into an agency’s skillset, how their team functions and communicates, and confirm that they are transparent and trustworthy. 

Certifications, accreditations, awards, and badges

Validation from a third party is a strong way of gauging whether a business development agency can meet the needs of your organization. Make sure they have the necessary certifications for the technologies and platforms they will be utilizing for your services. Awards or acknowledgements from trusted industry leaders can give you further confidence in their qualifications. 

If your business development agency will be working with a specific application, such as a website design and development platform, you can check that platform’s partner listings for trusted reviews on the agency.

Experience in your industry

How does the agency you are considering demonstrate proven experience in your industry? This is an important opportunity to set your own criteria. Beyond the industry demographics of the agency’s clientele, you might also consider asking: 

• What size businesses have they worked with?
• Are they used to working with businesses that have a particular organizational structure? 
• Do they frequently attend events in your industry? 

Takes security seriously

Your business development agency should demonstrate that security is a priority on two levels: 

1. By understanding and adhering to your industry’s compliance requirements.
2. By demonstrating strict security standards within their own organization.

When choosing an agency, don’t be afraid to ask what their internal security measures look like–from password protection, to antivirus software, to network security. 

Custom solutions

Managing your budget often means cutting costs on digital subscriptions where you can, and making the most of the software you have available. Your business development agency should make this job easier for you by providing custom solutions across a variety of platforms. Avoid managing multiple agencies with different skillets, and instead look for a one-stop-shop agency with expertise in a variety of applications. 

Automation & AI expertise

Anyone helping with a grant or project, be it a professor, physician, researcher, or intern, is likely overwhelmed with multiple tasks. This makes marketing, sales, and service automation a valuable asset to your team. Make sure your business development agency has in-house expertise with automation.

AI tools can also be a huge help in cutting down on manual tasks, so you might opt for  an agency that understands how hospitals, research institutions, and universities can utilize AI. 

Ready to adapt

Good community engagement and support strategies need to be far from static. A good business development agency will have a growth-oriented mindset and a team that stays up-to-date on new tools and trends. 

Looking for guidance with your next steps?

Finding a trusted agency should help your team reach your grant or project goals, not add to your workload. We’re here to help you through the process.