Selling Stories: How Veronica Lombardo Is Shaping the Future of Sales

Amanda Drum, VP, Press Kitchen> Veronica, this year marks 10 years as an independent rep and five years as co-founder of the Alliance of Independent Reps (AIR). When you first launched your own business, what pain points in sales within the production and advertising industry stood out to you?

​Veronica Lombardo, owner, VLM> My story is a little different. I only became a rep 10 years ago, and it feels like very few new reps have started since, which reflects changes in the industry.

When I entered, I wasn’t familiar with buyers like agency producers or the first wave of in-house contacts. Having access to a database with that information was critical. Agency Source didn’t exist in the US then, so my daily routine was combing through LinkedIn, reaching out, and hoping for replies. Then came the bigger struggle of tracking down email addresses. Other systems existed, but their core offerings were different, and the process remained a cumbersome treasure hunt.

​Agency Source completely changed my life. It’s accessible, responsive, and flexible—you can even request updates or new information. Technology may be king, but those of us who lived through the analog-to-digital transition still value human connection. That’s where Agency Source stands out: it’s teamwork. It makes me feel like a valued customer.

​Ross MacRae, founder, Agency Source> Bikini Lists has been around since the late ‘90s, but it was when we launched Agency Source USA that things really took off in the US AIR was instrumental in helping us develop the platform. It was a true two-way street: the AIR reps told us what they needed and gave us valuable feedback.

Veronica> I didn’t realise we were early adopters in the US, but that’s worth noting. When I was president of AIR—an organisation formed to unite, support, and elevate independent representatives—partnerships were critical. Partnerships build credibility when no one knows you yet. AIR member reps helped Agency Source shape something truly useful for the user—crafted directly in response to our pain points. That’s what sets Agency Source apart.

Amanda> Creatives in production and advertising don’t always know the ins and outs of sales—or how to best make connections. What “sales education” do you find yourself repeating most often?

Ross> For many in the industry, “sales” is sometimes seen as something to be avoided at all costs. Some reps, production companies and agencies think the work alone is enough. They believe that having their reels online should make the phone ring. But it doesn’t. Counterintuitively, for those working in advertising, many don’t market their own services very effectively, and that DOES come at a cost.

You have to take rejection, keep trying, and carve out time each week to do regular outreach. Otherwise, you risk either not getting enough work or only taking on projects that don’t really give you the margins you want. We are always reminding clients of best practices, even if they seem obvious. The people who commit to doing good outreach consistently are the ones who succeed.

Veronica> I agree. The word “sales” is misleading—we don’t push things onto people. Buyers want solutions that bring their ideas to life within the realities of production. They want partners who can help them find efficiencies, especially smaller agencies or brands that need to move quickly.

As reps, our job is to read the brief, ask the right questions, understand the true need, and then provide answers. “Selling something” that clients never asked for hasn’t worked for at least the past 10 years. Instead, I pride myself on my network, which spans 20+ years in advertising, plus many years living in the (once) Entertainment capital of the world: Los Angeles. People who know me know that I likely have a first or second connection to who or what they are seeking—and those who know this are my repeat buyers. I may offer solutions that don’t directly benefit me, but I’ve planted a seed and built trust for the long term. I don’t steer people wrong.

Ross> We define sales as helping people make decisions that benefit them—even if that means not working with us.

Veronica> Exactly. In the rep world, “selling” should really mean offering solutions. At the end of the day, I’m a brand: VLM. When producers, ECDs, or brand managers face challenges, I want them to think of me.

Ross> That’s the key: educating instead of selling. My team is trained to educate clients about our service rather than just sell the website. Education creates awareness, which builds relationships.

Veronica> And branding yourself so people think of you during their busy day is essential.
Amanda> How are rapid market shifts reshaping the ecosystem? How have production sales priorities evolved, and why is reliable data so important?

Veronica> The landscape has changed because everyone does everything now. Clients now include brands, media companies, and PR firms, not just agencies. Representation has also evolved: production companies now often have creative or strategy arms, or even post divisions. Reps, in turn, have taken on roles like new business development, which used to be agency-only.

For brands, while the people often stay the same, their contact details change as they move companies. Without a tool like Agency Source, it’s difficult to track them down. With it, finding and reconnecting is far easier and faster—it beats competition to the punch.

Reps also face constant shifts as companies expand or contract. IPG is about to merge, Omnicom has restructured, and suddenly, all your West Coast producers may now be based in the Midwest. The concept of “territory” has basically disappeared.

Ross> Today, with remote work, reps can’t rely on seeing 10 people in one office anymore. That’s where the old notion of “territories” came from, but now geography and boundaries are fluid.

Amanda> Veronica, how do one-stop-shop services like Agency Source transform your approach to marketing?

Veronica> Honestly, it has completely streamlined my process. I’d say my system is about 50% reliant on Agency Source. The other half is split between maintaining my own database (25%) and cross-referencing LinkedIn (25%). But the reality is that LinkedIn is often out of date—especially when someone leaves a job or is laid off and hasn’t updated their profile yet. Younger professionals in particular may not prioritise keeping LinkedIn current, so relying solely on that isn’t sustainable.

That’s where Agency Source is invaluable. It’s constantly updated, not only by the company itself but also by its community of users—reps, production companies, agencies, even directors—who feed back corrections and updates. It’s more than just a service I pay for; it feels like a not-so-secret weapon. There’s this sense of cross-pollination and collaboration between the platform and its users, which makes it incredibly powerful.

The result is efficiency, fluidity, and increasing the power of my network. And ultimately, it fuels clients' new business success stories, because I know I can trust the information I’m working with.

Amanda> Many agency professionals are now moving brand-side. Do you approach them differently?

Veronica> My approach doesn’t change whether someone is at an agency or on the brand side. The job is the same: listen closely to what the client is looking for, and make sure we’re bringing that to the table.

For me, it’s never about “selling.” It’s not about me, and I’m not pushing something on them—I’m sharing information and asking questions about what they need. I work to be a trusted resource, whether or not it benefits me directly.

For brand-side work, however, research is especially key. For these clients, Agency Source actually lists brand marketing teams—a very hard thing to find on the web. Scrolling news websites and LinkedIn can only get you so far (and takes way longer, besides), where with Agency Source, I can find who I’m looking for—and where they work now—with a few clicks.

For more information, visit Agency Source here: www.agencysource.tv/lbb