Smart Agency Masterclass with Jason Swenk: Podcast for Digital Marketing Agencies

Do you have what it takes to be a successful agency owner? Are you afraid you've hit the ceiling of your own success? What are the traits and disciplines of successful agency owners? Why your agency might need a fresh perspective. How can agencies survive the economic downturn? 2 disciplines every agency owner needs. Are you built for successful agency ownership? Where are you on the entrepreneurial range? Today I had the great privilege of talking with Gino Wickman, founder of EOS Worldwide and author of Traction. With 30+ years of entrepreneurial experience, Gino has helped 100,000 entrepreneurs build amazing companies with is systems and training. Today, he's talking about vision, partners, and knowing whether you have what it takes to be the kind of entrepreneur you want to be. Why Your Agency Might Need a Fresh Perspective Almost thirty years ago, at the age of 25, Gino ended up replacing a partner and president at his father's business and turned it around in what he outlines as a 4 steps process. Simplify the business. There were 5 subdivisions under the umbrella of the larger company which, over time, Gino spun off so they could get back to the core business. This is why we often talk about being the jack of all trades and the master of none. I preach it all the time, right? Do one thing and do it better than anyone. Win back every client. Gino says that as the family business took off, they got cocky and lost key clients. Listening to those former clients, learning from mistakes, and growing because of it was a huge step in the rebirth of the business. Restructure the organization. At the time, there were 50 people at the company. Gino reorganized them all and got the right people int the right seats. Of course, there were firings and layoffs as he stripped the business down its core, too. But simplifying the org chart made a huge difference in accountability. Sell, sell, sell. The final step Gino took was to pay off the company's mound of debt. What's the best way to do that? He says they sold their asses off and just focused on their core service to not over complicate things. How Can Agencies Survive the Economic Downturn? A business coach once told Gino that every business runs in 10-year cycles. You have two great years, six good years, and two terrible years that could put you out of business. The economy has been good for a long time and we shouldn't be surprised that there's a downturn right now. (Of course "why" is a different story!) But, don't be surprised in 10 years when this happens again. Like me, Gino has run businesses during the dot-bomb, 9/11, and 2008 crash. Economic downturns are cyclical. And while it does suck, it is also an opportunity to get clear and do some 'weeding.' It gives you time to reevaluate your business, get back to your core values, figure out what you're best at, and develop your next 10-year plan. The best advice right now? Get as close to your clients as possible. Give, help, teach. It's in these times when market share is gained. It's been two months. We've had time to settle it. It's time to get back at it. Sure, the pie has got smaller, but you can still get the larger piece while others are being lazy right now. And don't be short-sighted. Don't react to the market with fear of losing everything. Gino encourages every entrepreneur to think in 10-year targets or 10-year goals. There is light at the end of the tunnel but you have to think long term in addition to short term actions. 2 Disciplines Every Agency Owner Needs In Gino's new book, The Entrepreneurial Leap, Gino walks the reader through three parts of what it takes to be a great entrepreneur: Confirm you are an entrepreneur. Glimpse, show the light. Path to greatly increase the odds of success. As well as 8 disciplines we all need in order to be successful. He covered two of those in detail for our listeners: 1. Determine whether you're a partner person. Are you a partner person? Not everyone is cut out to have or be a partner. On the other hand, some people need a partner to help with decision making or that has a complementary skill set. Learning whether you're a partner person will help you succeed. 2. Get feedback from clients early and often. You should know your clients better than they know themselves. The only way your business is going to flourish is if you evolve and change with your niche's needs. You need to be in a position to see what they need before they see what they need. Like Henry Ford said, "If I listened to everything my customers wanted, I would have given them a faster horse." When you know them better than they know themselves you're going to be indispensable. Are You Built for Successful Agency Ownership? Gino says 10-year thinking means knowing where you want to land ten years from now. What's the end goal? Then every decision you make today be thinking out 10 years. Time slows down and you make better decisions and get there faster. As an entrepreneur, you need to know

How is your agency surviving the economic crisis? How can a great agency culture help during a downturn in the economy? As an agency owner, there's nothing more important than knowing your values and surrounding yourself with people who are working toward the same common goal, especially at times like these. In today's episode, we'll cover: Is your agency prepared for the economic crisis? 2 Reasons you should always start with why. 3 Ways to find the right people for your agency team. Today, I had the opportunity to sit down with Mark Emond, founder and president of Demand Spring, a revenue marketing agency. Over the past several years, Demand Spring has grown to nearly 20 employees who work in different parts of the world. Mark is here to discuss why it's important to know your agency's vision and how to create a team that supports your vision. Is Your Agency Prepared for the Economic Crisis? I always like to look at recessions and economic changes as a cleansing. Those that are prepared and are good at what they do will succeed. The rest of the agencies who are just winging it and reacting to the economic changes are the ones who really struggle. There are a few things you can do to make sure you are in a good position. Prepare in advance. It's harder to make the right decisions when you're doing so under pressure or in a panic. Identify which costs you can cut. Try to avoid cutting manpower. Instead, look at your billing and eliminate any recurring spending that is eating away at your margins. Work with your vendors to see what kind of allowances can be made for pausing or extensions. Know your why. When you can tell your clients why your service matters and what you provide, they will have a hard time letting you go. 2 Reason Why You Should Always Start with Why Most of you have heard me talk about knowing your why. Your why is your purpose or reason for doing what you do. It's your driving force that inspires and motivates you. Knowing and understanding your why is key to growing your agency because: It will make the hiring process easier. Think about the last employee you hired. Were they a good fit? If you don't know what your agency stands for, how are you supposed to hire employees that will help you achieve your goals? You'll be able to provide more to your clients. How can your clients understand the value of your services if you don't even understand why you are providing them? When you know your values and the culture you want to create, you will have an easier time providing exceptional customer service at every touchpoint. 3 Ways to Find the Right People for Your Agency Team Let's be honest, building a team you love is hard. It takes a lot of work to find people that support your values, support your team, and are actually good at what they do. But the good news is, there's a large pool of candidates out there right now. Your team can quite literally be the difference between success and failure. So how do you find people right for your agency? Bring in your team to help conduct the interviews. Obviously, the final decision about who you bring on board is yours, but culture-fit is important. When you get the opinions of current employees, you're more likely to find a good fit. Dig deep. Don't ask for references. Just don't. Candidates aren't going to hand over a bad reference. Instead, do a little digging. Mark says he usually jumps onto LinkedIn to reach out to second connections. These people are the ones who will truly know a candidate's strengths and weaknesses and will be able to provide greater insight into whether they will fit into your culture. Hire for attitude and culture (and be creative with your questions). If part of your culture is being resourceful and scrappy, don't ask a candidate if they are "resourceful and scrappy." Of course, they are going to say yes. Instead, ask them questions that will help you determine their likelihood of fitting in. Values and culture can help you stand out from a crowd of "me too" agencies. During an economic downturn, this is more important than ever. Start with why and you'll find you'll have an easier time getting the rest to fall into place. Want to help your e-commerce clients convert increase CRO? Our partner, Justuno, offers an AI solution that captures leads, personalizes messaging, and gathers audience analytics. Justuno is SaaS that features pop-ups and messaging that can be tailored to your client's target audience from paid ads, mobile, desktop, and even former customers who haven't purchased in a while. This helps your agency control ad costs and increase engagement for improved SEO. With more than 20 years in e-commerce, Justuno is trusted by hundreds of agencies and thousands of businesses around the world. And for a limited time, Justuno is offering FREE unlimited agency accounts to Smart Agency Masterclass listeners. Head over to Justuno.com/Jason to get started.

Do you struggle with pricing? Is your agency getting paid what it's really worth? Are you a victim of scope creep but not sure how to put an end to it? The sooner you can recognize the value of your service and begin charging appropriately, the sooner clients will begin paying you what you deserve. In today's episode, we'll cover: How relationships play a role in agency pricing. 3 ways to determine what you are worth. #1 way to eliminate scope creep. Today I sat down with Brian DeMarco, CEO of Draftr Media. If you're a longtime football fan, you might recognize Brian from his time as an NFL offensive lineman. But today, Brian's here to talk business. He's here to talk about a topic many agency owners struggle with — how to start charging what you are worth. How Relationships Play a Role in Agency Pricing We've all been there — that internal battle about how much to charge for your services. Brian says one of the things that helps him feel comfortable charging a specific price is the relationships his agency has built with their clients. Brian says he always likes to ask his clients about their family and their lives and actually get to know them as people. It's not just good manners; it's good business. It seems counterintuitive — you'd think the more you get to know someone, the harder it would be to ask for more money. But the opposite is true. The more you get to know your clients, the more they get to know you. When you build a rapport and gain trust, your clients are more likely to recognize your value instead of questioning your price. 3 Ways to Determine What You Are Worth Great. You've built the relationships and feel comfortable charging for your services. But how much exactly is that? This is a question many agency owners struggle with and nine times out of ten they err on the side of undercharging instead of overcharging. So how do you determine what you are worth? Ask other agencies what they are charging. Yes, it's that simple. Talk to your mentors, your partners, and industry leaders. You can get a good idea about what type of pricing is appropriate just by asking. Know how good you are. Brian says the world will pay you exactly what you think you are worth. So it's extremely important that you know what you are worth. You created an agency because you are good at what you do. Own it. Be confident. Sometimes you just have to throw out a number and see if the client will bite. You'd be surprised how often they do. If you choose this route, you have to do so with confidence. If you question what you are charging, the client most definitely will. #1 Way to Eliminate Scope Creep Ah, scope creep — an agency's worst nightmare. We've all experienced it. The important thing is to recognize scope creep before it happens. The fact of the matter is, most clients don't realize what they are asking for is out of scope. It's up to you to stop it from going too far. How do you do this? Start at the beginning. Be very clear and specific with clients on what you do and what is included for the price. Explain to them when something they are asking for is out of scope even when you decide not to charge for it. The sooner you recognize scope creep and put a stop to it, the less likely it is to get away from you. Scope creep is a slow killer. The more you let it continue to happen, the more it eats into your profit margin. You have to know what you are worth and ask for it. When you start doing that, you'll find yourself in the driver's seat instead of your clients. Are you looking for a simple solution to document your agency's SOP's? If you want to keep your team working smarter and not harder, you need to check out what our partners at Trainual have to offer. Trainual is the top-rated software for keeping teams aligned and accountable from anywhere. Their software makes growing your agency easier than ever by keeping all your "how-to's" and "need-to-know's" in one place. With dozens of customizable templates, Trainual is an affordable way to increase consistency in the way your team works on repeatable processes. For a limited time, Trainual is offering our podcast listeners a free the Smart Agency Masterclass Agency Onboarding Template pre-loaded into your account when you signup.

Are you an e-commerce agency? Would you like to help your e-commerce clients achieve better results including more upsells and cross-sells? Would you like to help your clients leverage the current health and economic situation? It's all about having the right tools that help you work smarter, not harder. In today's episode, we'll cover: How your agency can adapt in today's changing market. Is AI taking over for digital agencies? How agencies use AI for e-commerce clients. On today's podcast, I'm talking with Mat Bingham, Director of Agency Partners at Justuno, a SaaS tool that is helping e-commerce agencies get better and faster results for their clients using artificial intelligence (AI). He's sharing some strategies agencies are using right now to make quick changes for their clients who might be shut down, plus ways you can use AI to increase sales for your clients. How Your Agency Can Adapt in Today's Changing Market In the B2C space, there is a need to communicate differently and update more frequently due to delays or changes in the way they're doing business. With this in mind, a lot of agencies have adapted well to onsite marketing, email marketing, text messaging, and trying different channels to help clients. There's huge potential for digital agencies right now to help clients pivot their business to meet today's needs. What got you to where you are today is not what will get you to the next level. The old set it and forget it tactic will no longer work for growing your agency. Is AI Taking Over for Digital Agencies? In short, no. Mat says there is a common misconception that artificial intelligence (AI) will take over for us humans. Mat says this is just not true. Instead, AI brings personalization at scale. When you want to personalize any of your automated client interactions - email, content, ads, site displays - AI is the way to do it. As an agency, it's not efficient to spend hours building a unique campaign to a unique visitor profile. AI can help you segment your audience to strategically offer a certain cross-sell or upsell. Mat says humans have to set the strategy and messaging, but the machine uses data to help your strategy come to life as well as executes on your strategy. How Agencies Use AI for E-Commerce Clients As a marketer, making decisions based on data is the best way to get results. With AI like Justuno you can create strategies based on data and get results for your clients easier and faster. Their system injects the client's product inventory and SKU's into its AI engine and matches it with customers' purchase history. It basically builds a profile for every visitor that goes to an e-commerce site. It has predetermined algorithm rules, such as: upsell, cross-sell, most viewed, most purchased, previously viewed. Then you, the marketer, tweak those algorithms to determine what is displayed when and where. You do the strategies on what works best on for a specific upsell or cross-sell but use the tool to set up the campaign, then test and tweak it as needed. If you want to add or improve your CRO then on-site experience is the focus. And now there is a technology that allows you to apply CRO tactics to many different channels: paid-ads, email marketing list building, as well as on-site. If you're interested in learning more about Justuno, check out their FREE Conversion Rate Analyzer tool which provides data on email list building, how to lower cart abandonment rates, and how to increase average order value for any specific URL you provide. And as a special offer for Smart Agency Masterclass listeners, when you signup for Justuno you'll receive a free unlimited agency account. Head to Justuno.com/Jason for more information.

Do you find yourself repeatedly teaching the same tasks to your team? Is it a challenge to get everyone on the same page? Processes are an important part of employee onboarding, but they also make sure your team is working smarter, not harder. In today's episode, we'll cover: 2 Reasons to have solid agency processes. How to streamline your agency's processes. When should you focus on agency SOPs? Today I sat down with Chris and Jonathan Ronzio, CEO and CMO of Trainual, a training app that helps business owners establish processes that make their team more effective and productive. Today, they're here to discuss why it's so important to streamline your agency's processes and the best way to make it happen. 2 Reasons to Have Solid Agency Processes Take a minute to think about your team. If you gave each member of your team one simple task, would they all know how to get it done? Now, look a little closer. Would they all do it the same way? Creativity is great, but when it comes to basic, repeatable tasks, it's usually a good idea to have a process in place. Why? Consistency. Your clients expect a certain standard of work. If you have five different team members doing the same task five different ways, your clients are likely to get confused or overwhelmed — not good. Time. Think about how much time you and the rest of your team spend trying to figure out how to do something, how to train someone to do something, and how to respond to a client when there's a question. When you have documented processes in place, it's as simple as rinse, wash, repeat. How to Streamline Your Agency's Processes Processes are important, but you don't want to create a process that is so convoluted your team needs a process to understand the process. When you streamline your processes, not only will your team be more successful (and less frustrated), but you'll also find it easier to be more profitable. Why? Because when you have a process in place, it's easier (and quicker) to chose and onboard your ideal clients. So how do you streamline your agency's processes? Recognize what tasks are a time suck. What tasks is your team spending way too much time on? Is there a way to eliminate these tasks? If not, how can you simplify them so they are easily repeatable? Make sure everyone can do the same tasks the same way. As an owner, you want to know your team is actually providing what you expect of your agency. Shadowing your team and watching how they do things takes time. When you have a solid process in place and train everyone to do things right the first time, both you and your clients will be happier. Hold your team accountable. Your team won't be successful if they don't know what you expect of them. Be clear about your processes, but don't forget to follow up. When Should You Focus on Agency SOPs? You've heard the old saying, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." The best time to focus on your agency's processes is during employee onboarding. Once your employee develops their own routine, it's much harder to get them to change the way they do things. If you don't have a solid onboarding process in place, there's no better time to create one than now. But don't worry, you don't have to whip up one from scratch. Trainual is currently offering a special deal to help you document and organize your agency's processes and procedures. Ready to get started? Head over to Trainual.com/smartagency for a free preloaded offer just for Masterclass listeners. Your agency's processes are a big factor in determining whether your agency fails or succeeds. When you take the time to streamline your processes and make sure everyone is on the same page, your agency will run much more smoothly.

Is your agency tone deaf? I am seeing agencies handle this pandemic and economy crash in one of two ways. They have either stopped selling because they feel it's insensitive or futile. Or, they are tone deaf and not listening to the actual needs of the market. In this episode, I am putting the spotlight on Scott Bell, CEO of Bell Media. Right away, Scott changed his agency's messaging to be empathetic and get the attention of his market. This gives your prospects reassurance that you understand what's going on and hear how their needs, challenges, and concerns are changing right now. In times like these, your agency needs to be flexible and have the ability to move swiftly to make changes in how you're gaining clients. What are your current challenges and struggles in surviving and thriving right now? Music by epidemicsound.com

Are you losing too many leads at the top of your funnel? Do you spend too much time qualifying prospects? Do you not qualify clients? While agency owners often focus on servicing the clients they land, it's important to invest in how you bring these clients in. In today's episode, we discuss: How to wow potential clients, starting with the first call. #1 Way to qualify leads faster. How to nail the follow-up and land more clients. In this episode, I interviewed Terry Jessup, President of Box CMO, a subsidiary of Black Bear Design. Prior to his role as president, Terry was the lead in business development. Over his 15 years in biz dev, he created processes that reduce variation, implemented processes to be more effective, and closed the communication gap between the agency side and the client side to ensure a positive experience. He's on the show to share how he hooks prospects from the very beginning and make sure those clients don't lose interest along the way. How to Wow Potential Clients, Starting with the First Call The first call between your agency and a potential client is extremely important. It sets the first impression and helps you get a better understanding of what the client needs and where you fit in. So how do you wow a lead and make them excited to learn more? Understand the client's needs. It sounds obvious, but understanding a client's needs is one thing many agencies take for granted. Terry says, often, what the client says they need and what they actually need are two different things. Take some time to digest what the prospect is saying and what they really want so you can properly set up the call. Educate the client. Once you know more about a client you can begin telling them what you can provide and how much it will cost. Get them invested. Don't give away all the secrets, but make them feel like they are learning something. This will help establish trust which can help promote a relationship. Build a strategy. Now that you know what the potential client needs and they know what you can provide, take a little time to discuss strategy. What direction do the two of you want to move in? How do you plan to get there? This will help create a solid basis to develop a proposal. #1 Way to Qualify Leads Faster You don't want to spend too much time qualifying a lead. You need to have a process in place to help determine whether your agency and your prospect will be a good fit. A good process will prevent you from wasting your time and the client's time. Terry says he is able to qualify a prospect within the first 3-4 minutes. But how? It comes back to understanding your clients. When you know the basic logistics right off the bat you'll have an easier time figuring out how you may be able to help. Knowing the client's industry, size, and what they are looking for should be your first priority. Pay attention to any clues the client drops about the budget. This alone can tell you right away if there's even a possibility of working together in the future. And most importantly, remember, N.B.A.T. — need, budget, timing, authority. How to Nail Follow-Ups and Land More Clients Nobody likes to put in a bunch of work only to have it all amount to nothing. To make sure your prospect doesn't go silent, it comes down to the follow-up. You have to keep the client engaged. Before you get off your initial call, set a plan moving forward. If your client understands everything in the initial call and you're both on the same page, it's generally a good idea to follow-up within a day or so. I always say you should set the next meeting while in the meeting. The longer you wait, the more distracted they become. Don't be afraid to plant a little seed on the initial call. Tell them how you can help them out or what you can do to make the proposal better. At the end of the follow-up, set a timeline moving forward. You can be the best agency in the world, but if you can't convert leads, there is no work for you to do. Evaluate your onboarding process. Talk to your team and find out what's working and what's not. When you have a process and reduce variation, you're more likely to see those leads turn into actual clients.

How can agencies help clients who are shut down right now during coronavirus? How can agencies pivot to thrive during this downturn economy? This episode is a spotlight on Alyssa Ege, Sail Away Marketing - helping dental practices during the current shutdown. Takeaways on what Alyssa and other thriving agencies are doing right: 1. Use digital to help prospects and clients make a quick pivot. 2. Help prospects and clients find creative ways to stay in business even when their physical doors are closed. How can digital agencies help clients who are shit down eight now during the coronavirus epidemic? 3. Educate prospects and clients on the possibilities. Many of them aren't tech-savvy or understand digital marketing enough to even know what's possible. Help them get educated. Follow the lead by Alyssa at Sail Away Media who'd been doing an amazing job!

Does your agency business model lack predictability? Are you questioning what the future has in store for your agency 10, 15 years down the road? When you set a path for your agency and plan for more consistency, you're more likely to see your agency grow. In today's episode, we'll cover: 3 Tips to allow your vision to grow with your agency. #1 Way to build predictable and stable growth at your agency. When should an agency owner consider their exit plan? Today I sat down with Greg Henry, president and CEO of Push10, a branding and web design agency. Like many of us, Greg fell into the agency world and has worked his way to success. But believe it or not, Greg is already thinking about his exit plan. Find out how Greg has been able to build an agency that works with a predictable business model and how that strategy has allowed him the comfort to look ahead. 3Tips to Allow Your Vision to Grow With Your Agency Take a minute to think about when you first started your agency. Did you think you would be where you are today? Now think about the next 5 years. How about 10? Where do you see yourself? For many agency owners, there's a certain benchmark they have in mind when they create their agency. This number often revolves around revenue or number of employees. Like so many other agencies, Greg always envisioned himself with 10 employees. This nice round number was "manageable." For Greg, anything more just felt like too much. Now, with 17 employees, 25 is the number that gives Greg apprehension. But rather than panic, he knows growth just means another opportunity to learn. There are three key ways you can get to the point where you embrace growth and feel comfortable where you are: Consider bringing on a partner or key leadership team member. For Greg, he says he finally felt comfortable when he brought on a partner. His partner focuses on the client-side and building relationships, while he works on the fun stuff like P&L's, revenue forecast, and HR. Now, the stress of managing such a big agency is not all on him. Make the transition from owner to CEO. In order to see the most growth, you're going to have to let go of some of the control. Build a team of employees who share the same values you do. When you find them, delegate goals (not tasks), and teach them to support your vision. Hire Slow, fire fast: One lesson Greg wishes he'd learned much earlier on was the benefit of letting go of toxic employees before they damage the morale of the rest of the team. As soon as you know an employee is a culture clash and is not teachable or coachable, go with your gut. #1 Way to Build Predictable and Stable Growth to Your Agency Uncertainty can be toxic to an agency. If you don't know how much revenue you are bringing in or how many clients you will have month to month, you're going to have a hard time managing your cash flow. In fact, this is a quick way to end up in the red. The number one way to build predictable and stable growth is to provide a great product. No, it's not about selling. It's not about pricing. It's about showing your prospects and clients what you have to offer is worth it. If your client doesn't have a big budget, you have to do the best with what you have. While you don't want to rely on selling, you do want your clients to know you are there. Send regular emails letting your prospects and clients know what you are doing. Focus on your SEO so people know how to find you. When you rely on the quality of your goods rather than the quality of your selling, you're more likely to retain clients, and consequently, have a more predictable cash flow. When Should an Agency Owner Consider Their Exit Plan? As agency owners, we don't usually start an agency knowing where we will end up. That's something that goes along with falling into this business. But it can help you create a strategy and understand your vision if you take some time to look a few years (or a few decades) ahead. What do you want to happen to your agency? Do you want to sell and make a huge profit? Do you want to merge with another agency and stay on the board? How important is maintaining your vision? Greg says the time to create your exit plan is not 15 years from now when you're ready to retire, it's now. This will allow you enough time to make sure your agency is set up in a way that will support your plan. It all comes back to predictability. If you're scrambling to make your plan happen at the 11th hour, you're probably not going to be happy. Your agency doesn't have to be unpredictable. While there are things you may not be able to control, there is plenty you can do to create structure and control. Consider what your goals are for your agency and surround yourself with a team who wants the same thing. Want to Help Your Team Be More Efficient and Scale Agency Faster? If you want to help your team work smarter and scale your agency faster you need to check out the artificial intelligence software created by our friends at Morphio.

Does your agency serve an industry that has been shut down? Are your clients directly impacted by the economic downturn? Of course, many, many industries are feeling it but none more than travel and hospitality. Should you choose a new niche? Make a quick pivot? Weather the storm? In this episode, we'll cover: Should agencies choose a new niche due to the economic recession? How can you still serve clients impacted by shutdowns? How to manage your agency team during challenging times. On today's special episode, I'm chatting with Ryan Clarke, Partner and VP Business Development at Wallop, a digital agency in Canada serving luxury hotel and travel brands since 2004. Ryan started his career as a management consultant but didn't like what he was selling so moved onto something more creative at Wallop. Here's here to share ways agencies and clients can move forward during the challenging times we're in. Should Agencies Choose a New Niche Due to Economic Recession? Ryan says while many industries are feeling the strain, the travel industry has been the bleeding edge of the recession as a result of this pandemic. Since Wallop has been focused on this space for 13 years, they're in it for the long haul. Fortunately, Wallop has a tangent niche in the real estate space for high-end residential developers. They're finding the real estate space isn't getting hit quite as hard as travel. The biggest thing is to remember that everything is coming back. The hardest-hit industries, like travel and restaurants, are just on pause right now. That's why it's important for agencies to continue to help them during this time by producing content and helping clients make a pivot so they can come back strong. So, should you pick a new niche? Actually, no. If you can hang on and stick with your positioning you'll be better off in the long run. It's key to pivot real quick without abandoning what you've been doing that works. It's perfectly fine to go into new industries even if you have no experience. You can find a tangent industry where your experience lends well. But don't abandon what you've been doing because it will take a really long time to become an expert in a new industry. Stick it out and be patient. How Can Agencies Still Serve Clients Impacted by Shutdowns? The team at Wallop is leading with empathy. Ryan says they're constantly reminding themselves that clients are having a lot of bad days with some bright spots sprinkled in here or there. Their job as the agency is to look for ways to help. For example, the digital strategy team is putting together data and research. They'll aggregate this information of all the hotels and resorts to look for opportunities and track recovery of the industry. On the development side, they're turning around messaging quickly for clients and staying on top of requests as information changes quickly and without warning. What can your agency do to find opportunities and assist these types of clients right now? How to Manage Your Agency Team During Challenging Times It's hard to know just what to tell your agency team during uncertain times like these. Too much information can worry them, too little information can cause anxiety about their jobs and their future. First and foremost, Ryan says Steve Saugestad Principal at Wallop is very zen and has remained calm and steady. This sets the tone for the team and goes a long way in crisis mode. Wallop has also communicated that the agency is in a good financial position to weather the storm; helping the team feel secure. It's also important to be realistic, though, and make sure it's clear the agency will look different on the other side of this. But first and foremost keeping calm and giving a sense of security is key. Is There a Silver Lining to These Challenging Times? One benefit that Wallop, and many other agencies are seeing, is they were able to quickly and easily transition to a remote team. We are digital agencies -- if anyone can do this, it's us! :) In most cases, this has been smooth as the team very easily made the move. There seems to increased camaraderie as people adjust to working from home. Also, due to stay-at-home orders, people get excited to interact with others even if over a web conference. A lot of good work gets done when people are left alone to work in their own space. On the flip side, there are definitely benefits to sharing office space which breeds collaboration and some spontaneity when collective minds work together in the same place. As a result of these current working conditions, Ryan and I agree agencies are learning that finding good talent is not limited to geographic location. I know it's getting redundant but we are all in this together. No matter your location, no matter your industry - everything, everyone, everywhere is impacted. It's not isolated to one city or one state -- it's global and everyone is going through different degrees of the same challenges. Hang on and you'll come out the other side

Have you considered making a move to a fully remote agency? Do you think your agency team could benefit from more creative freedom? As agency owners, we're always looking for ways to grow a successful team and build a successful brand. What if you found out you can do both, just by providing a rockstar culture? In today's episode, we'll cover: How freedom and flexibility increase team productivity. Why agency culture is so important. How your agency can survive the battle of the bands. Today I had the opportunity to sit down with Angel Gonzales, CMO, and co-founder of Snappy Kraken, an automated marketing platform exclusively for financial advisors. Angel's agency consists solely of remote team members and they've created a business model where they don't just survive, they thrive. Angel is on the show to share how and why his agency's virtual office is the key to their success. How Freedom and Flexibility Increases Team Productivity Who doesn't want the option to work from home in their pajamas? Okay, maybe not some of you crazy extroverts. But for many of us in the agency space, one of the main reasons we do what we do is to have a level of freedom and flexibility. At Snappy Kraken, every single person who works for the agency does so remotely. There is no office or main hub. Team members are literally scattered throughout the U.S. So how did Angel know a virtual agency was the right choice for his agency? He says it all comes down to their key values, freedom, and flexibility. Angel says freedom is defined by the number of choices you have. It's simple, the number one way to give your agency more freedom is to provide more choices, such as where they work. Why Agency Culture is So Important If you have a traditional office, you may be wondering how you keep everyone connected. Angel says it's quite simple, and it's a component I stress so much in any agency setting. When you build an agency, you have to focus on culture. Even in a virtual environment, a toxic person is like cancer. Culture is the glue that keeps you all together and allows you to stay focused on the same goals. Angel looks at culture as what you as an agency celebrate, and what you stigmatize. This goes beyond your team. Creating the right culture includes choosing the right clients that support your vision. When you all have a common goal, you'll have no problem staying connected. Bonus tip: If you find yourself doing a lot of communication through emails or other written applications, consider throwing in a few emojis to make sure your tone comes off the way you intended it. How Your Agency Can Beat the Competition Did I forget to mention before starting his agency, Angel was in a band? Because of this, he says you need to approach projects like you're writing a pop song. What does this mean? Basically — leave your ego at the door. Think of it as a "Battle of the Bands": One band is a group of musicians, all trying to get their 15 minutes of fame. They don't work together but instead lead with ego and try to stand out on their own. Another band, however, balances each other out and works to make sure they're making good music together. In the "Battle of the Bands," band number two wins. The lesson: when you stop worrying about being the star and come together as a team, you'll win against your ego-focused competition. Your success as an agency relies on a variety of factors. When you provide choices, create a rockstar culture, and focus on the team, you're bound to find a winning combination. Would You Like to Win More Clients Faster? Our friends at My Web Audit offer a software tool that helps agencies generate leads, save time, and convert more prospects into clients by creating beautiful, actionable, and easy to understand website audits. Get your foot in the door with your ideal clients by starting with an audit first. For a limited time, My Web Audit is offering our listeners a FREE 7-day trial and 50% off any plan for 3 months. Head to MyWebAudit.com/SmartAgency to get started.

Have you found your agency in a place where all you do is execute? Are you looking to change the way you do things and provide more value to your clients? With so many agencies out there, almost anyone can execute. When you put your agency in a position where clients come to you to create a strategy, you're more likely to see more stable growth. In today's episode, we'll cover: How to go from just execution to paid strategy. 2 Ways to choose the right clients to work with. Why you don't always have to declare a niche. Today, I sat down with Kevin Kelly, president and founder of Big Buzz Marketing Group, a full-service, integrative digital agency based out of New York City. Kevin comes to us with a ton of marketing experience (his agency started before Google). Today he talks about how you can position your agency so clients come to you to create their strategy and when it's okay to be a full-service agency. How to Go From Just Execution to Paid Strategy When it comes to digital agencies, there are a million and one agencies perfectly good at doing what their clients ask. Work on my SEO — sure, no problem. Create a website — done. But when you simply execute, clients view you as a commodity. When it comes to separating yourself from the pack and putting your agency in a position to grow, it's a good idea to be able to offer clients a service that makes your agency different. What does this mean? It means looking at why your clients want something, rather than just doing. The ultimate goal is to have clients come to you with a problem you can solve, rather than a project you can do. So how do you make this transition? Don't be afraid to fail. In the beginning, it might be hard to make the leap to focusing more on strategy. The best thing you can do is just try and keep learning. Consider expanding your services. One of the easiest ways for clients to see you as a strategist is if you look ahead to see what they need and offer to do it for them. For example, if your client wants you to build a webpage, consider discussing how you can market that website, even if that's a service you don't usually offer. Look for opportunities to grow. There's always some new technology or tool that can transform what you can provide to your clients. Be on the lookout for ways you can evolve and grow to expand your offerings. 2 Ways to Choose the Right Client to Work With Some clients aren't looking for a strategist. And some clients don't know they are looking for a strategist. So how do you find the clients that will help you grow in this new role? Change the way you approach things. While we'd all like to be the agency of record, the truth is many agencies are jockeying for the exact same position. Many clients work with multiple agencies that handle various aspects of the business. Take a look at what you offer and consider what you can do so your client doesn't need all these agencies. How can you position it so you're the lead agency? Foster your relationships. Kevin says many of his agency clients actually came out of failed pitches. While it may be instinct to lick your wounds and forget about the prospect who turned down your pitch, it's never a bad idea to build on that relationship. Chances are, you put a lot of time into developing that pitch. There is value in reaching back out to see if they're happy with the results or to pitch new ideas. Why You Don't Always Have to Declare a Niche This one may come as a bit of a surprise. You've heard me say so many times, you must declare a niche. But Kevin has found tremendous success as a full-service agency. So what's the secret to his success? It's all about choosing the right clients. If you're a smaller agency, you're not going to be able to compete with the larger agencies who do everything for anyone. So it doesn't make sense to copy their strategies. Know who your target is and what you can provide to them. Big Buzz works with national and regional companies that have between $2 million and $10 million in revenue. They don't take on just any client. They only work with clients they can guarantee success. While it's usually a good idea to pick your niche, if you know your target and implement steps to choose the right clients, you just might be able to pull it off. If you're running an agency, you should always be looking for opportunities to provide value that is unique to your agency. At the end of the day, it's going to be your point of view that sets you apart. When you can get to a point where clients come to you with problems, rather than a checklist, then you're in a position where your clients are more likely to see the value in your services. Want to Help Your Team Be More Efficient and Scale Agency Faster? If you want to help your team work smarter and scale your agency faster you need to check out the artificial intelligence software created by our friends at Morphio. It instantly alerts your team about digital marketing errors before they become problems, s

Are you ready to scale up your agency, but don't know where to start? Are you face-to-face with that metaphorical brick wall, trying to figure out where you will get the funds to allow your agency to continue to grow? As owners, often, our goal is to grow our agency as big as we can. But how do you make sure you scale your agency in a way where you don't fall flat on your face? In today's episode, we'll cover: Why you should always embrace your strengths. #1 Reason agencies need to ask more questions. Are you standing in your agency's way? Today I had the opportunity to sit down with Nathan McKelvey, founder of Army8, a digital growth consulting firm. Nathan is a former pilot and self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur. After growing and selling a few agencies, Nathan now helps other agencies discover the tools they need to effectively scale their agency. Nathan is here to talk about what he has learned along the way. Why You Should Always Embrace Your Strengths Nathan's story is different than many of ours. In the early 2000s, Nathan was the owner of jets.com, a private jet service. After he grew his company to $40 million in annual revenue, he was forced to sell it after the economic collapse in 2009. A year later, Nathan started another company, and again, found immediate success. So what did he do and how can you replicate his success? Reach out to your network. When Nathan started his company, he reached out to his professional and private network, you know, people he flew in his private planes. While we don't all have access to a bunch of people with deep pockets, chances are you have a network you can leverage. Talk to your friends, talk to your co-workers, reach out on LinkedIn. Use existing relationships as a foundation for building your agency. Work to your strengths. Nathan didn't just bring in his background as a pilot, he also brought in a strong knowledge of SEO and SEM. He was able to use these skills to market his company and scale it at a rapid rate. Think of the unique skills you bring to the table and use them to scale up your agency. #1 Reason Agencies Need to Ask More Questions Do you ever stop to ask your clients why they are asking you to do a certain task? Most of the time, when a client is asking you to do something, there's a bigger reason behind the request. Does your client want to have a bigger presence on Facebook? Why? Do they want you to set up a new campaign? What are they hoping to get out of this strategy? When you take the time to ask questions and understand what your client is hoping to get out of the process, rather than simply completing the task, you'll have a better understanding of the approach you should take to help your client meet their goals. Are You Standing in Your Agency's Way? Agencies today have a big advantage that Nathan and I didn't when we started our agencies — technology. Tasks or projects that used to take months to put together, now come together in no time at all. One of the biggest problems more established agencies have when it comes to scaling is getting in their own way. I can't tell you how many times I have heard, "But, that's how I've always done it." The hard truth is, if the competition is coming in and taking advantage of these newer and better tools, you're going to be left behind. There is so much opportunity waiting to be had. Don't be that person who refuses to embrace changing technology. Anyone can scale their agency if they take the time to do it right. And if you hit the brick wall, that doesn't mean you have to turn around, it just means you have to push harder. When you have the clarity of who you are going to serve, how you are going to serve them, and why they should care, then you have the right foundation to be able to scale your agency. Would You Like to Win More Clients Faster? Our friends at My Web Audit have created a software tool that helps agencies generate leads, save time, and convert more prospects into clients by creating beautiful, actionable, and easy to understand website audits. Get your foot in the door with your ideal clients by starting with an audit first. For a limited time, My Web Audit is offering our listeners a FREE 7-day trial and 50% off any plan for 3 months. Head to MyWebAudit.com/SmartAgency to get started."

Have current events left you in a panic, uncertain where your agency will end up? Are you looking for a way to make sure your agency stands out from the crowd? It's hard to plan for the next economic recession. At times where things seem like they're all up in the air, it's important to know what to do to make sure you survive. In today's episode, we'll cover: 2 Tips to help your agency survive during uncertain times. How can your agency grow despite an economic downturn? 2 Ways to position your agency as an authority. Today I had an awesome chat with Mike Gadsby, co-founder and chief innovation officer at O3 World, a digital product agency. With over 15 years of experience at O3 World, Mike and his teammates have survived a few economic recessions. Now, with the state of affairs as it is, Mike talks about how you can make sure your agency survives a turbulent economy, and perhaps, even thrives. 2 Tips To Help Your Agency Survive Uncertain Times. As an agency owner, Mike has been through several changes in the economy. Having survived 9/11 and 2008, Mike's confident his agency can weather practically any storm. But he didn't get to this mindset overnight. It's been a process that has brought Mike to a point where he's comfortable with where he's at. In fact, during the early years, there were a lot of times where Mike will tell you, his agency fell flat on their face. So what has Mike learned along the way? Evolve, evolve, evolve. The market may be changing, but that doesn't have to mean you are out of a job. Figure out what challenges people are having and what your agency can do to fix those problems. How can your agency change or pivot to meet the changing market? Take a look at how you approach accounts. When the market is down, some clients may have a hard time signing up with a new agency. And those who do probably won't have a lot of capital to invest. Instead of trying to chase down a bunch of new accounts, look at the ones you already have. Think of creative ways to grow these accounts. If you're successful, you'll create partnerships, not projects. How Can Your Agency Grow Despite an Economic Downturn? I like to say when people are freaking out, that's your opportunity. The market has been strong for a long time now. Those agencies who were struggling during a good economy are going to have a really hard time in a bad economy. Now is a good time to focus on influence and authority. There's a good chance there will be fewer clients willing to invest in new services, so it's more important than ever that you establish your agency as the go-to source. There are a couple of ways to do this: Work from a strategic point of view. Have the changing events increased demand in an area where there wasn't so much before? Anticipate what clients need and be ready to provide it. Play the long game. Choose clients who have the right mentality and are going to want to work with you, not against you. These are the ones who are going to see the value in your services and stick around. 2 Ways to Position Your Agency as an Authority This one's important. When the competition is fierce and everyone is fighting for attention, clients want an agency that is an authority in the field. So how do you make sure your agency is that authority? Figure out how you're reinvesting in your agency. Those who are simply executing are the agencies that are most at risk. You have to constantly reinvest in your agency and make sure you have the resources that make you stand out. This means spending a little extra money on things that give you the competitive advantage. Embrace change and keep adapting. Change isn't always a bad thing. In fact, often it can make you take a closer look at how you are doing things and force you to implement more effective strategies. Be patient. Be optimistic. And don't obsess over the news. An economic downturn can be a stressful situation. But it can also be an opportunity. Now's the time to be creative, be efficient, and focus on how you can provide value to your clients. Want to Help Your Team Be More Efficient and Scale Agency Faster? If you want to help your team work smarter and scale your agency faster you need to check out the artificial intelligence software created by our friends at Morphio. It instantly alerts your team about digital marketing errors before they become problems, saving a huge amount of time. Their AI manages and analyzes data, so you can focus on growing your agency. For a limited time, Morphio is offering Smart Agency podcast listeners a special deal to get you started. Sign up at Morphio.ai/Swenk and get 50 accounts for only $39 per month. That's a savings of over $500/month."

How can your agency stop charging for hours and switch to value-based pricing? Have you ever thought about naming your services or productizing? Branding is important and it can be what sets you apart in a world full of "me too" agencies. In today's episode, we'll cover: Why naming is so important to your agency's brand. How to match your agency's name with your agency's brand. How to get agency clients more involved. Today I sat down with Jeremy Miller, founder of Sticky Branding. Jeremy describes himself as an author, a speaker, and of course, an agency owner. While he never intended to enter the agency space, after completing a few branding projects for the family business, he quickly discovered he had found his niche. Jeremy talks about why names are so important to branding and how you can make your agency stand apart from the rest. Why Naming is So Important to Your Agency's Brand If you're like most agency owners, this one probably seems like a no-brainer. I can hear the chorus now, "Of course I know how important naming is. Do you know how much blood, sweat, and tears went into choosing my agency's name?" But when we talk about names, we're not just talking about what you name your agency, we're talking about the names of each individual service you provide. Wait— what? Yes, the products you offer, the services you sell, they all need a name. Take my training program, for example. It's not just, "Here, come join my program. It's the best." What I offer is the agency playbook. The name of the program gives my clients an idea of what to expect as well as its value to them. The word "playbook" indicates a step-by-step guide to achieve your goals. See the difference? If you simply charge by the hour, rather than naming your service, what incentive do clients have to choose you over another cookie-cutter agency? When you create a brand you can begin to provide value-based services. How to Match Your Agency's Name with Your Agency's Brand It doesn't matter how great your name is or how many click-throughs you get if you have a subpar product. As Jeremy puts it, you can't just put lipstick on a pig. You want your name to align with what you are actually offering. This means you have to think about two things: Strategy: What you want to provide, how you are going to do it, and what sets you apart. Execution: Once you choose a niche and create a strategy, actually follow through and provide services that align with your brand. Odds are, you won't be able to name your services from the outset. You have to have a solid understanding of what your product is and why your clients need it before you can create a brand people will trust. But don't wait too long. Jeremy says, one of the biggest mistakes agencies make when it comes to branding is failing to name their services, or just as bad, failing to name their clients' services. How to Get Agency Clients More Involved Jeremy believes many agencies need to get their clients to do more work. What does this mean? Your agency should not resemble an episode of Mad Men. In other words, while you are providing a service for your client, you shouldn't be doing all the work. Think about where you can get your clients more involved. Does your client provide a service in need of serious branding? Challenge your client to tackle the problem. Create a process where they strategize branding and be there as an advisor. Instead of putting 100 hours of work into a project, you'll get away with far less. When you utilize your clients' team, you're able to take advantage of all your resources instead of increasing your headcount. Great brands are built on substance. But when you have solid branding, that's when you'll stand out from the rest. Remember, when you can get to a place where you are choosing who you want to work with because clients request you by name, that's when you're going to thrive. Would You Like to Win More Clients Faster? Our friends at My Web Audit offer a software tool that helps agencies generate leads, save time, and convert more prospects into clients by creating beautiful, actionable, and easy to understand website audits. Get your foot in the door with your ideal clients by starting with an audit first. For a limited time, My Web Audit is offering our listeners a FREE 7-day trial and 50% off any plan for 3 months. Head to MyWebAudit.com/SmartAgency to get started.

Is your agency wasting time and money on making mistakes? Are you trying to make sense of why your profit margins are so low? If so, it's time to take a hard look at how much money actually goes to covering the cost of internal errors. Because for many agencies, this number is just too high. In today's episode, we'll cover: Is your agency losing money on these common errors? What are tiny mistakes actually costing your agency? 3 reasons why it might be time to embrace AI. Today, I sat down with Eric Vardon, CEO of Morphio. This is Eric's second time on the podcast, and this time he's talking about how artificial intelligence (AI) can reduce the number of costly mistakes your agency makes. Recently, Eric's agency conducted a survey to find out just how much agencies are, quite frankly, throwing away. Eric is here to discuss the results and talk about how Morphio can help. Is Your Agency Losing Money on These Common Errors? We've all been there — that bulk email with a glaring typo we notice moments after we hit send. Or, maybe you completely forgot to shut off a campaign and let it run for days (or weeks) longer than it should have. Mistakes happen. Unfortunately, as an agency, these mistakes can be costly. Eric and his team recently conducted a survey of a variety of agencies. The premise was simple — what type of mistakes has your agency made and how much have these mistakes cost you? Do any of these sound familiar? 60% of agencies said they make at least six digital marketing mistakes per week; One-third of these agencies say just one mistake can cost them between $1,000 and $5,000; 31% of agencies have inadvertently offended a client; and 30% of agencies have published a dead, broken, or incorrect link. What Are Tiny Mistakes Actually Costing Your Agency? Ask any agency owner, and they're sure to tell you, "these mistakes don't happen at our agency." But if they were to take a closer look, they'd probably be shocked to see just how much profit is lost on revising and fixing mistakes. These same agency owners are also likely trying to figure out why their margins are so low. As Eric points out, these mistakes don't just cost you money upfront. They can cost your reputation, major accounts, and even your business. As humans, we make mistakes. So the more you can automate and have an AI take care of certain issues, the less you have to worry about mistakes like these happening. 3 Reasons Why it Might Be Time to Embrace AI If you're still hesitant to use AI, it's time to be okay with being uncomfortable. AI is here, and it likely won't be going anywhere for a very long time. Machine learning has the capability to take data, crunch it, and make decisions faster. So what does this mean for your agency? Better client relationships. Typos, broken links, these mistakes can be costly. Instead, you can use AI to run a quality check for you. Increased employee morale. Why do mistakes happen at such a high frequency? Often, employees are juggling too many things or moving too swiftly to catch errors. If you can get a machine to ease your team's load a little bit, they'll likely be thankful for the breathing room. It can save your business. You can only make so many mistakes before they completely destroy your agency. Do a careful audit of your expenses and analyze just how much you are spending in this area. Occasional mistakes are bound to happen. Humans are not infallible. But when these mistakes happen on a regular basis, your clients will lose faith in your capabilities. When you take the time to identify mistakes and implement tools to streamline your processes, you're more likely to find success. For a limited time, Morphio is offering Smart Agency podcast listeners a special deal to get you started. Sign up at Morphio.ai/Swenk and get 50 accounts for only $39 per month. That's a savings of over $500/month.

We are in uncertain times right now and so many agencies are facing challenges as a result of the global coronavirus crisis. Agencies are struggling with everything from cash flow and clients canceling to laying off employees. The silver lining is that no matter where your geographic location, we're all in this together. We are all up against the same issues. That's why I brought on a panel agency owners just like you to ask their questions and get real-time answers. In this episode, we'll cover: How can you serve agency clients whose businesses are on temporary shut down due to the stay-at-home order? How can you find short term opportunities while also focusing on longterm growth for your agency? What to do if clients ask to cancel or pause their contract. Is it OK to go after outbound sales during this time? What are ways to provide goodwill right now without devaluing your agency's services when things turnaround? How to find opportunities while so many businesses are cutting back and experiencing hardship. Is it wrong to prepare clients for a return to normalcy when we have no idea how long that will take? Should you pivot your agency's marketing if you're targeting people who are now forced to be at home? Should you layoff your team or dip into a line of credit in order to make payroll awhile longer? What should agencies not be doing right now? Should you be running Google ad campaigns right now for your agency's services? How do you respond to clients who want to pull back their marketing during the crisis? Related: https://jasonswenk.com/thrive-economic-recession/ ‎

Are you struggling to get your foot in the door with the right clients? Do you have plenty of leads, but just can't convert? Web audits can help you close more new business deals faster and convert prospects easier than ever. In today's episode, we'll cover: Why you should always lead with value. How web audits can help your agency increase conversion rates. What your agency can do to improve on converting leads. Today I sat down with Clifford Almeida, owner of Hire a Wiz, the digital agency he started 8 years ago. After years of perfecting web audits as their foot-in-the-door strategy, Cliff soon developed a Saas tool for agencies called My Web Audit. Clifford has found a wait to optimize this process to help agency owners grow their agency and convert more leads. In this episode, Clifford shares how audits helped his agency increase its closing rate nearly 40%. Why You Should Always Lead with Value If you have listened to the podcast, you've heard me say it before — the number one way to close more deals is to lead with value. When you lead with value, clients are more likely to trust what you have to say and see you as an authority. So how do you do this? Clifford says you need to show prospects how you can fix their problem. Anyone can talk all day long about how they will increase sales or convert more leads. But when you show a potential client how specific actions will affect their metrics, they'll have a better time visualizing the value of your services. How Audits Can Help Your Agency Increase Conversion Rates Early on, Cliff discovered a way to convert more prospects into clients. Instead of selling his core service right away, he presented a web audit with indicators showing the prospect areas of improvement on their site. By pointing out what can be done better and the potential results of making improvements, their prospects became more inclined to work with Cliff's agency. When you provide upfront value at a low cost, you can establish authority, gain trust, and convert more prospects into clients. The key to a good audit is to make sure you focus on the client. Most audits are built for the agency, with little regard for the client experience. When you do an audit, you want to make sure you keep it short and sweet and address the client's specific pain points. You should be able to present your findings in about 30 minutes. There are a few ways to make sure the audit will be effective: Start with generosity. Don't worry, you're not going to be giving away agency secrets. Provide information, but make sure that information is valuable. Show the client how your agency can solve their problem. What Your Agency Can Do To Improve on Converting Leads. Clifford says in the year 2020, there is no shortage of leads. Where the big problem comes is converting those leads into clients. So where do most agencies fail? They pitch to anyone and everyone. You can attract prospects all day long, but unless you can present yourself as an expert or authority, there's nothing to stop a prospect from going somewhere else. They lead with selling. Remember, the number one way to convert more leads is to lead with value. Provide examples, discuss specifics, and educate the client. It's important to talk to prospects in a way they will understand. Most of the time you will be talking to marketing directors who are trying to show CEO's, Presidents, or Owners the value in their services. Make sure you present your audit in a way that matters to them and makes them look good. Are you using audits to evaluate leads for your agency? If not, now's a good time to start. Clifford is offering a special deal just for Smart Agency Masterclass listeners. Check out My Web Audit for a FREE 7-day trial and 50% off any plan for 3 months.

Do you have the right systems but still struggle to grow? Do you look at the big agencies and wonder how they got to 7- or 8-figures? It's all about having the ability to work with the right clients who can afford to pay what you're worth. In today's episode, we'll cover: How to turn more prospects into clients. 2 Key factors to establish effective pricing. How to get to the point where your agency can pick and choose. Today I sat down with Eric Vardon, co-founder, and president of Arcane, a Canadian-based digital marketing agency. Eric started his agency in 2011 with a keen focus on analytics and a clear understanding of his business. He's on the show today to talk about how you can get your agency to a point where you're able to pick and choose which clients you want to work with. How to Turn More Prospects Into Clients As a digital marketing agency, it's your job to get clients to see the value of your services. Clients aren't eager to hand over money for a strategy that might work. This is why so many agencies have difficulty finding success — they don't know how to convince clients to take the risk. So how do you get a client to see the value in what your agency offers? Make the pitch less subjective. Show potential clients actual figures to show you've run the numbers and care about their bottom line. Arcane does their homework and researches the client. Within the first couple of meetings with a potential client, Eric's team is able to understand the business' revenue goals and profitability. Using this information, they build a spreadsheet and proposal outlining the specific metrics needed to achieve results. When your client can actually see the numbers and ROI, they are more likely to take the leap. 2 Key Factors to Establish Effective Pricing Pricing is a big part of your agency's growth and success. Set the price too high and you'll have difficulty finding clients. Set it too low and the good clients won't take you seriously. At the end of the day, your goal is to be profitable. How much do you need to charge in order to achieve this goal? Track and monitor everything. Remember those spreadsheets? Eric says there isn't a process or analytic where they don't have some sort of spreadsheet. Take a close look at your transactions. What are your hourly rates? What are your account costs? And what are your expenses? Look at the big picture. Sometimes you have to look at what you are going to get out of a client in the long run and determine the lifetime value of this client. You may need to do additional work upfront because you know you'll make the margin back over time. How Your Agency Can Pick and Choose Clients In the beginning, most agencies are stuck working with any and every client. However, eventually, we all want to get to the point where we can be more selective about which clients we do and don't want to work with. One of the best ways to do this is to bring on solid leadership and surround them with a good team. While Eric is the co-founder and president of Arcane, he brought on a CEO and a COO to focus on the day-to-day tasks. His COO comes from the public accounting industry and has been a critical part of developing the agency's financial strategy. The agency's CEO is a former HR professional. She knows the human side and is able to use her experience to work with clients and foster a successful team. Together, they create the perfect balance. Arcane's rapid success comes down to partnership, clarity, and accountability. Eric and his team frequently come together to discuss what they want, what makes them happy, and where they want to go. It's about understanding your agency's vision and communicating it to the team. Sometimes it's the simple things that bring the most success. When you understand what it takes to make your agency profitable and create a plan to get there, the rest is yours to pick and choose.

Are you struggling with spending too much time working in your agency, instead of on your agency? Do you spend a whole lot of time dealing with the stuff you hate and not enough time on the things you love? Agency owners have a tendency to dive right in and engross themselves completely in their work. But when you create a more autonomous agency you will find more freedom in your role. In today's episode, we discuss: How to move past the desperation stage. #1 Way to separate your agency from everyone else. How your agency can benefit from leading with strategy. What happens when you dominate your niche. Today I sat down for a fun episode with Max Borges, owner of Max Borges Agency. Over 18 years, Max found the more he worked, the busier he got. He quickly realized his current agency model wasn't sustainable and he had to make a change. He's on the show to share the four phases of creating an autonomous agency. How to Move Past the Desperation Stage Phase 1 - Anything for Money We've all experienced what Max calls stage one of his path to create an autonomous agency — AFM "anything for money." This is the stage where most agency owners start out and accept any and all projects... because they don't know what they like, what they don't like, what they're best at, and what they suck at. At this point, your agency hasn't yet discovered its niche and may or may not have a few employees. The work in this stage is hard but it is something you have to go through to get to phase two. In phase one, you need to spend time exploring what you are good at. Don't spend all your time trying to be good at things you don't like or you're just naturally bad at. You don't need to be good at everything, but you do need to find something you are better at than anyone else. #1 Way to Separate Your Agency from Everyone Else Phase 2 - Revelation Next up is the revelation phase. This is where agencies begin to discover and develop their path. During phase two, you've finally realized what you are good at and can start spending more time on things you love while leaving things you don't love to someone else. (Related: How to Stop Doings Things You Suck At) I've said it before, and I'll say it again; the best way to separate yourself from everyone else is to find your niche. When you get to phase two, you know what you like, what you're good at, and what your team is good at. Remember, you're running an agency. This means your vision is important, but you're not the one doing the heavy lifting day in and day out. Your team should be good at what they do and be able to do it without you. Surround yourself with people who share your values and ideas and focus on what they're good at. How Your Agency Can Benefit By Leading with Strategy Phase 3 - Strategic Drivers Once you know what you are good at and have your niche, you still need to develop a strategy to make you the go-to agency in your niche. Unless you have some really obscure, specific niche, you're going to have competition and need to set your agency apart. You have to provide a unique service or have a process that differentiates you from other agencies. This may just mean realigning or narrowing your niche's focus. For Max, his agency focuses on media relations for consumer technology companies. While other agencies focus on consumer tech, most of them don't spend enough time on media relations. This is Max's strategic advantage. What Happens When You Dominate Your Niche Phase 4 - Niche Dominance At this stage in the game, you are the accepted leader in your niche. You may find your competition dwindles as other agencies discover you're the best. Getting to stage four is a lot of work, but once you do, you'll find your agency is a lot more autonomous than when you first began. It's not impossible to focus on what you love and actually enjoy your work. When you create your agency with intention and work diligently through the phases, you'll find success comes easier. Looking for a Payroll and HR Solution for your Agency? Payroll and benefits are hard. Especially when you're a small business. Gusto is making payroll, benefits and HR easy for small businesses. You no longer have to be a big company to get great technology, great benefits and great service to take care of your team. For a limited time, Gusto is offering a deal to Smart Agency Masterclass listeners. Check out Gusto.com/agency for 3-months FREE once you run your first payroll with them.

Are you struggling to get your team more engaged with their work? Do you find yourself doing work your employees should feel empowered to do? Employee engagement is an often misunderstood and undervalued part of running an agency. But it can make all the difference in your agency's success. In today's episode, we'll cover: Why agency employee engagement is so important. 3 Things to do to raise agency employee engagement. Why and how you can implement servant leadership. Today I had the chance to chat with Christopher Creel, author of the new book, Adaptive. The book looks at the traditional workplace hierarchy, and questions, "What would happen if we flipped it all on its head?" Christopher uses chatbots for much of his processes, but many of the strategies we discuss can be implemented into everything you do. Read on to find out what Christopher says is the key to increasing employee engagement. Why Agency Employee Engagement Is So Important Employee engagement is something many leaders take for granted. But it's something agency owners should pay more attention to. Christopher reviewed employee engagement across the board. The results showed that four out of ten employees are disengaged from the organization they work in. Why is this important? It's because there is a direct correlation between employee engagement and strategy. When an employee is engaged and feels individually invested in the success of the company, they are more likely to be on board with your strategy and not only share the same goals as you do but also work to help you create strategies to meet those goals. When you have an engaged team, you automatically have a step up on the competition. 3 Things to do to Raise Agency Employee Engagement So how do you increase employee engagement? We all talk about creating a "team," but the numbers show, a manager's actions don't always represent what they say they want. You have to make an active effort to make your employees feel engaged: Have a clearly defined strategy. Most employees disengage when they don't see themselves as a part of the agency's story. Create a clear strategy and share that strategy with your team. If they don't know what the action plan is, they can't be engaged. Focus on culture. Most companies say they prioritize culture, but as Christopher points out, often this is nothing more than putting the company's mission statement on a mouse pad. Culture is what you believe and how you act; and what you put into practice as your agency's values. Create a culture of empowerment. So many managers have the mindset "this is my turf and I'm not going to let go of it." That's not going to empower anyone. You don't want your employees coming to you with every little task to get your insight. Empowerment is "Hey, here's our strategy. I know you have the tools to help us get there. Do what it takes." It's not delegating, it's trusting your employees. Why and How You Can Implement Servant Leadership What is the servant leadership model? Most companies work on the power leadership model, where there is one boss who tells the rest of the team what to do. The model is flipped upside down with servant leadership. The leadership puts the employees first and is there to support them and do what it takes to find success as a team. How do you get there? 360 Feedback. Your team is not only capable of contributing to your success as an agency, but they can also provide valuable feedback. As a manager, it can be easy to disconnect and not see the whole picture. When you ask your team to provide confidential, anonymous feedback, you're likely to get a better insight regarding your team's strengths and weaknesses. Actually do something. Christopher says you actually have to "give a damn." If you take in the feedback and then ignore what your team has to say, you're less likely to empower your team and more likely to push them one step closer to the door. As much as we'd all like to believe we are superheroes that can do it all, the truth is, most of us would be nothing without our team. When your employees are engaged in their work, not only will they be happier, but your agency as a whole will likely find it easier to achieve success. Want Help Pitching and Winning More New Business? Imagine a partner who helps you streamline Google Ads, Facebook, and Bing workflows, recommends genius optimizations across platforms, and then brags about the results to your clients for you. What if that partner could also help you grow your agency by making it easier to pitch and take on more clients? In a nutshell, that's what Wordstream will do for your agency. And in support of the podcast, Wordstream is offering Smart Agency Masterclass listeners a FREE 14-day trial and complimentary sales-tool add-on. Just check out Wordstream.com/smartagency for more information.

Are you struggling to let go of some of the control and bring on new team members? Or, when you bring in new talent do you discover they have no idea what to do? A lot of your agency and team's success comes down to process. If you don't have an established process or documented SOPs, your team doesn't have a map to follow. In today's episode, we'll cover: Does your agency have long-term sustainability? Why and how to document processes for agency team success. 2 secrets to finding great agency talent. Today I sat down with Damon Burton, founder of SEO National. Damon started his agency 12 years ago when SEO was just becoming a thing. Now, Damon says he has retained many of his original clients and has learned how to build a team he trusts. Damon is on the show to share tips on how you can do the same. Does Your Agency Have Long-Term Sustainability? We're in the midst of the, "I want it now" era. People are easily distracted, quickly moving from one thing to another. With social media, it's swipe left, swipe right, like this, and move on. In this fast-paced world, a lot of people are clambering to get attention. And a few do. But often, those that grab ahold of today's current shiny thing find themselves wondering why they are not seeing any long-term success. Damon says he has a lot of the same clients he had when he first started his agency, and he attributes a lot of this stability to consistency. While SEO sees some changes here and there, overall, it's the same basic principle. As an agency owner, you have to be careful about jumping onto trends or buying into the "next big thing." Stick to your values and principles, and you're more likely to find long-term success. Why and How to Document Agency Processes One of the most important things you can to do help your agency grow is to develop a process for everything and stick to it. Processes help reduce variation and are a huge asset when you bring on new employees. Look, without SOPs you're SOL. :) Damon says many agencies fear bringing on new employees because they feel new people will mess everything up. But if you have bad employees, it all comes back to you. If you have hired competent team members and they are failing, it's because you don't have processes, or you haven't found an appropriate way to document your processes. There are many ways to document your process. The most important thing is to get it done. Damon spent two hours every other day for a year, writing down his processes. My system for documenting processes was recording videos and screencasts of tasks I wanted to delegate. To avoid spending hours documenting your processes or spending a bunch of money to have someone write up two years worth of work, document as you go. 2 Secrets to Finding New Talent Delegating is a great way to free up time to allow you to focus on more important tasks. But it's all about having processes in place and hiring competent team members. So how do you find the right people for your team? Find people who are really good at one thing. We all dream of finding the perfect employee who is good at everything. But ultimately, this isn't the best thing for you or your employee. Find people who are not only good at what they do but like what they do. Be creative. Damon says he likes to hide Easter eggs in his job posting to have applicants prove they actually read the whole job description. This helps him narrow the field down to people who pay attention and can follow directions. You don't have to put Easter eggs in your job descriptions, but try a non-conventional approach to finding, qualifying, and interviewing new talent. Developing a process and learning how to delegate are two of the most important things you can do as an agency owner. Remember, you don't have to do it all, you just need to be able to hire the right people. Looking for a Payroll and HR Solution for your Agency? Payroll and benefits are hard. Especially when you're a small business. Gusto is making payroll, benefits and HR easy for small businesses. You no longer have to be a big company to get great technology, great benefits and great service to take care of your team.

Have you considered creating a podcast, but don't know where to start? Are you looking for a new way to get clients engaged without coming off "salesy"? Podcasts are a great way to connect with more prospective clients. As an added bonus, they are one of the easiest ways you can generate leads for your agency. In today's episode, we discuss: 3 Reasons why podcasts work to connect you with more clients. Why your agency should consider a podcast. 3 Ways to make your voice shine through. Today, I sat down with Mark Lipsky, founder of The Radio Agency. The Radio Agency is a radio-only digital marketing agency. They focus on radio — nothing more, nothing less. Over the past 26 years, Mark has discovered what makes radio great and what makes it stand out from the rest. Mark shares with us what he learned and why you should consider incorporating podcasts into your marketing approach. 3 Reasons Why Podcasts Work You may think, "I don't need to start a podcast, my blog is doing just fine." And that may be the case. But podcasts open up new possibilities that may not currently exist for your agency. Podcasts are portable. Consumers can listen to your podcast whenever, wherever. But more importantly: There's something for everyone: Unlike traditional radio, even those with weird obscure tastes will find something they like. Have a super niche agency? There's a good chance your client is looking for your podcast. The ability to multitask: As humans, we rarely like to sit still anymore. With podcasts, you can listen to a show in the car, while you run, or while you're sitting at your desk at work. You don't have to schedule your time: Listeners aren't required to tune-in at a specific time. All they have to do is download past shows and binge them during free time. Why Your Agency Should Consider a Podcast But isn't a podcast a lot of work? Not at all. There are so many apps where you can create one in just a few minutes on your own. Of course, there are options to make them more technical and expand your reach, but there's nothing complicated about creating a podcast. But why should you invest your time in a podcast? They're easy. Seriously, it's so much easier than you think. If I can do it, anyone can :) They're personable. Even the best writers have difficulty getting their true voice and intent to come through. With a podcast, listeners can hear tone, laughs, and inflections, increasing connection with the audience. Audiences are paying attention. Look at your metrics. How often does someone read the entire blog post? Watch the entire video? Most often, listeners finish most, if not all of the podcast. Because they are so portable and so engaging. 3 Ways to Make Your Voice Shine Through Just like anything else, the goal is to stand out. With thousands of podcasts covering a variety of subjects, it's just as easy to be a "me too," podcast as it is a "me too," agency. Voice is what will make you stand out. How do you do this? Be genuine. Don't try to create a character. Even if your listeners don't catch onto your act, you'll have a hard time sustaining the character long-term. Let your personality shine through. Be you. Don't hide your personality. Listeners love authenticity and want to hear what drives you. Create content designed to help. Never create a podcast with the intent to sell something. Customers can see through this. Give your listeners something of value. If they like your message and enjoy listening to you, you won't have to try to sell — they'll want to work with you. In marketing, it's important to embrace all forms of media. Podcasts are a great way to share your message, show your voice, and connect with your audience. Want Help Pitching and Winning More New Business? Imagine a partner who helps you streamline Google Ads, Facebook, and Bing workflows, recommends genius optimizations across platforms, and then brags about the results to your clients for you. What if that partner could also help you grow your agency by making it easier to pitch and take on more clients? In a nutshell, that's what Wordstream will do for your agency. And in support of the podcast, Wordstream is offering Smart Agency Masterclass listeners a FREE 14-day trial and complimentary sales-tool add-on. Just check out Wordstream.com/smartagency for more information.

Can you grow your agency during a recession? What should you do to make sure your agency survives a downturn in the economy? How can you flip current conditions to benefit your business? In this video, I'll talk about how you can grow your agency during a threatening economic market. I'm already hearing from agencies saying clients are backing down their spending, some are losing deals in the pipeline... it's partially a result of global panic over the coronavirus outbreak. Now, when I owned my agency for 12 years, we went through many economic threats during the Dot-Bomb Era, September 11, and the 2008 market crash... and we were able to survive, even grow at those times. So here we are again at the threshold of a downturn in the economy. How can your agency not only survive but grow in a recession? In my mastermind group, we did a lot of talking about this exact topic and what these 7-figure agency owners are doing about it. These successful agencies are finding opportunity in the face of challenge... For example, do your clients do a lot of trade shows or conferences? Those events are getting canceled, so show them how to spend more on digital marketing. Think outside the box! What you need to do is get more creative and opportunistic. Spend more when people pull back on spending because your cost per acquisition is going to go down. Don't be afraid to spend when everyone else is afraid because that's when you're going to get the biggest bang for your buck. Bottom line -- don't participate in the recession unless it's to take advantage of it! Where are your opportunities during this health threat and economic recession? Comment below and tell me how you can get creative. Also, if you want accurate and reliable information (without the hype of the new media :) check out: World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/ US Center for Disease Control: https://www.cdc.gov/ SUBSCRIBE NOW to follow my entrepreneurial journey. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDvZHFVeqEMq58q6tMoyMK-ufpp0ysoVP ======================================================= Thanks for watching. I hope you keep up with the daily videos I post on my channel. Make sure you subscribe and share your learnings with others. Your comments are why I do this, so please take a second and say hello. JASON SWENK IS AN AGENCY ADVISOR THAT GUIDES MARKETING AGENCIES THROUGH A PROVEN FRAMEWORK FOR GROWING THEIR AGENCY FASTER & EASIER. Fresh out of college Jason was off to work for Arthur Anderson, one of the big 5 consulting firms. He quickly realized that he could never work for anyone other than himself. He decided to change direction, launch a digital agency that quickly grew to a multi-million dollar operation working with brands such as AT&T, Hitachi, and Lotus Cars. After 12 years of steady growth, the agency caught the attention of bigger agencies and Jason sold it in 2012. Now, Jason leads http://JasonSwenk.com, a unique media company & consultancy helping marketing agencies grow & scale their agencies faster by applying the framework that he used to grow, scale and eventually sell his agency. Jason has helped over 10,000 agencies in 23 countries meet or exceed their business goals. Jason currently hosts two shows that are available for download… The Smart Agency Master Class Podcast, dedicated to providing tactics and strategies to agency owners and decision-makers that cut through the BS, focus on exactly what works and what doesn't; and SwenkToday a daily VLOG that documents the entrepreneur journey of building another multimillion-dollar business, where he shares the latest strategies and answers the most burning questions entrepreneurs have. SCHEDULE #SwenkToday Q&A from my digital agency audience Ask me A Question http://jasonswenk.com/askswenk Podcast Monday & Wednesday: (Digital Agency Interviews) https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/smart-agency-masterclass-marketing/id870206013?mt=2&ls=1 or http://smartagencymasterclass.com Follow me here: Website: http://jasonswenk.com Podcast: http://smartagencymasterclass.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jasonswenk Twitter: https://twitter.com/jswenk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jswenk Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonswenk Medium: https://medium.com/@jswenk/ Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jasonswenk Music by epidemicsound.com

Do you struggle to get agency clients to see the value of your agency's work? Does your pricing structure feel like it's completely out of whack? Not sure if your agency is competitively priced? Pricing and process are two areas where clients and agencies often have trouble finding common ground, but it can make all the difference when it comes to your agency's success. In today's episode we'll cover: Do you know your agency's value? How including the client in the process builds trust. #1 Reason you need to lead with strategy. Today I had the opportunity to chat with Tammy Dahlin, owner of digital marketing agency Element 212, based out of Indiana. Though she has a degree in marketing, like so many of us, Tammy somewhat fell into starting her own agency. As such, she found herself undervaluing her agency's services and struggling to find a balance between the amount of work she puts in and client expectations. When she figured out she needed to implement a process and invite clients into the process, she discovered her place as a strategic agency. Find out what Tammy learned along the way. Do You Know Your Agency's Value? Anyone who has been in the agency realm (or any business, for that matter), understands the complexities of pricing. You don't want to price yourself too high where you're not attracting any clients, but you don't want to go so low they don't take you seriously. When Tammy first started her agency, she quickly realized just how much she was undervaluing her work. She says she charged about $600 for her first project where other firms were charging upwards of $15,000. Between working too much and charging too little, Tammy and her team slowly became resentful of the process. In the beginning, it's hard to accurately balance the client's perception of what they are getting with what they are willing to pay. So Tammy made a change. She upped her prices to be more in line with the work she was actually putting in. But she was still getting pushback. Now the clients thought her rates were too expensive. How Bringing a Client into the Process Can Build Trust Naturally, Tammy knew the value of the work her team was providing. Unfortunately, her clients weren't able to see all the research that was going into each project. But then it clicked. Tammy's team was already doing market research with the client and their customers, a process she calls "brand insight." She decided to bring the client into it that process and most importantly, charge for it. This had a dramatic effect on Element 212's growth. Clients were now able to see what was going on behind the scenes and appreciate the process. By giving the clients an "inside look," Tammy and her team could establish trust and get their clients more involved. #1 Reason You Need to Lead With Strategy Everyone can execute, it's the strategy that sets you apart. When you lead with strategy, your client will view you as the authority. When you don't lead with strategy, they will view you as a commodity. Early on, Tammy decided to market her agency as a strategic agency. Now she has developed a system where she has biannual meetings with her team and her clients to talk strategy. If they want to implement the strategy — great. If not, she gives them tips to make sure they all stay on the same page. Element 212 is an agency that focuses on strategy at its core. By being transparent about the process with her clients and bringing them into this process, Tammy has finally found a balance between customer expectations and the value of her agency's work. Pricing and strategy are two of the most complex and difficult parts of running an agency. But it's so important to get a handle on these areas from the start. When you do, you'll find everything else comes so much easier. Looking for a Payroll and HR Solution for your Agency? Payroll and benefits are hard. Especially when you're a small business. Gusto is making payroll, benefits and HR easy for small businesses. You no longer have to be a big company to get great technology, great benefits and great service to take care of your team. For a limited time, Gusto is offering a deal to Smart Agency Masterclass listeners. Check out Gusto.com/agency for 3-months FREE once you run your first payroll with them.

Do you feel like no matter how smart you are about money, you just can't get a good handle on agency cash flow? Are you looking for a way to make sure your agency is prepared for times when there's a downturn in the economy? Cash flow can be a big problem, and it's one that few have a real grasp of. But when you understand the principles of a smart cash flow plan, you'll be ahead of the game. In today's episode, we cover: 3 Ways to find success as an agency. What does good agency cash flow really look like? How to control your agency's cash flow. Today I had the pleasure of talking with Steve Buck, co-founder, and president of Black Tie Digital Marketing. Steve's one of the rare ones who actually sought out a role in the agency space. After working for a big company in Rhode Island, Steve and his partner had a crazy idea — "Wouldn't it be fun to do this on our own?" In 2011, Steve and his partner started Black Tie and have learned a lot of lessons along the way. He's on the show to share insight on agency cash flow management. 3 Ways to Find Success as an Agency There are so many things to learn when you first start an agency. How do you get clients? What do you charge? And most importantly, how do you make a mark? Steve says he's learned a lot along the way, but much of his success comes down to a few basic principles: Balance. Balance can be hard to find, but it's one of the most important things as a business owner. Steve says he was lucky that he and his partner had personalities that balanced each other out. This helped them make smart decisions along the way. Luck. Let's be honest — much of business comes down to pure luck. But… Perseverance can make the difference. You're more likely to be in those lucky situations the more you persevere. If you put yourself in enough places, enough times, eventually you'll find yourself in the right place at the right time. What Does Good Cash Flow Really Look Like? Ask anyone in the industry how much money you should have in reserves and you'll get a WIDE range of answers. Steve says he's always been told 12 months is a good mark to strive for. Personally, I feel the number is closer to three months. Anything more than that and you're not investing enough back into your agency. Reserves are important and one of the basics in finding success as an agency. These reserves will make all the difference when the financial market undoubtedly goes south. Those that have reserves will survive (and thrive), while those that don't have cash reserves will make great employees when you're looking to hire. How to Control Your Agency's Cash Flow Cash flow is so important. But why is it so hard? A lot of it comes down to basic management styles and human psychology. How can you avoid cash flow pitfalls? Be aware of the "people pleaser" tendency. We all want to impress new clients and make them stick around long term. But this mentality often causes financial hardship. Why? Because when we try too hard to please new clients, we often give away too much for free. Over delivery is a common problem - remember balance. It's important. Understand the scope of the project. Just because you think you understand what your client is asking for, it doesn't mean you actually do. Get a clear understanding of what the client wants and how much work it will take. Don't undersell yourself and don't over-deliver. Reduce or eliminate scope creep. Track what you spend. Freebies and gimmes are okay, every once in a while. But it's important to track everything, even things you are giving away. Down the road when the client asks for another freebie, you'll have a record of how much you have already given them. Pay yourself. You'll never have an accurate valuation of your agency if you are paying yourself less than what you would pay someone to do the work that you are doing. Cash flow is one of the most important, if not THE most important part of running a successful agency. It doesn't matter how good you are at everything else if you can't manage your money. Be smart, think ahead, and make sure you have a plan for when things get hard. Want Help Pitching and Winning More New Business? Imagine a partner who helps you streamline Google Ads, Facebook, and Bing workflows, recommends genius optimizations across platforms, and then brags about the results to your clients for you. What if that partner could also help you grow your agency by making it easier to pitch and take on more clients? In a nutshell, that's what Wordstream will do for your agency. And in support of the podcast, Wordstream is offering Smart Agency Masterclass listeners a FREE 14-day trial and complimentary sales-tool add-on. Just check out Wordstream.com/smartagency for more information.

Ever feel like you're not connecting with the right clients? Afraid your agency doesn't stand apart from the others? Times are changing in the agency space, and those who adapt will be the ones who succeed. But how do you develop a growth strategy to do it the right way? Look at things through the lens of your ideal clients. In today's episode, we cover: How to set yourself apart from other agencies. 2 Things you can achieve when you lead with strategy. Why you always need to keep your ear to the ground. Today I had the chance to talk to Damien Cabral, co-founder of Tribal Vision. Damien started his agency about 9 years ago when he became frustrated with the current agency model and thought he could find a new approach. Damien and his partner flipped the switch and looked at an agency's job through the client's eyes. Find out what they learned and how this strategy has helped them find success. How to Set Yourself Apart From Other Agencies It's a great time to be in marketing! The market is hot, clients are hungry, and the value of agency services cannot be understated. The industry is flooded with "me too," agencies who want to be full-service and do everything for everyone. Those agencies are looking to get a piece of the pie, with nothing that really makes them stand out from the crowd. If you're a new agency owner or even one who has been around for a while, the battle to stand out from the crowd is stronger than ever. So what's the secret? For Damien, it was all about looking at things from the client's point of view. Damien's agency focuses solely on marketing. Everything else, they outsource to freelancers. What this means is there is no incentive to try to upsell a bigger website or get them to sign a deal that is not in the client's best interest — it's all about the client. Damien says by recognizing potential clients' pain points, Tribal Vision is able to be flexible with what the client needs. 2 Things You Can Achieve When You Lead With Strategy When it comes down to running an agency, those who find success have a solid strategy. Anyone can execute any day of the week, it's how you get there that makes you valuable. Damien says there are two reasons he leads with strategy: Clear communication with the client: You want to be upfront with your client. Strategy allows you to tell your client what you're going to do, what they need to do, and what it's going to cost. Better understanding of the client's business: How much do you really know about your client's business? How much do you know about their customers? When you develop a strategy before you get started, it allows you to analyze the competition, understand the most effective channels, and set appropriate goals. Why You Always Need to Keep Your Ear to the Ground As an agency owner, you should always be listening — keep your ear to the ground. Talk to your clients, talk to their customers, talk to your employees. And always pay attention to the market. You need to adapt. Take feedback. Be proactive. Listen to what the market is telling you. Sure, your idea may be great, but if the market doesn't support it, you're destined to fail. Don't fall too in love with your own ideas. Check-in with your employees. Talk to the people who are actually working with the clients. Do performance reviews, have regular check-ins and provide or be a mentor. Despite what you're led to believe — your team is not simply here to make money, they want to contribute. When you take the time to show people they matter, you value their opinions, and you care, you automatically stand out from the rest. In the words of Gary Vaynerchuck, "As we go more Jetsons, the people that act like the Flintstones are going to win."

Does your agency struggle with an identity crisis? Do you find it challenging to stay up-to-date with current trends? We're in a space that is constantly changing and agencies who adapt and use the tools around them are the ones who survive. In today's episode, we discuss: #1 Benefit of adapting to the market. How your agency can stay up-to-date with market trends. Finding the right tools to help your agency be more efficient. Today I sat down with John Wolffe, owner of Jennco, a digital ad agency out of Pennsylvania. John has worn a lot of hats throughout his career, and like many of us fell into agency ownership. Though he initially started out as a consultant, he somehow found himself doing work in a field he knew nothing about — pay per click. John leveraged this new skill and launched a successful digital agency. Take a listen to find out what John learned and how he was able to find success by learning to adapt. #1 Benefit of Adapting to the Market We all start our agency with a certain vision in mind — where we see ourselves in the future. This is important and what I like to refer to as your True North — what guides you. But while it's important to have a direction, it's also important to be flexible. Adapting to the market will allow your agency to grow and help you find new opportunities. The agency space is constantly changing. John recalled a story where he was at a conference and a speaker referred to a technology "Way back in 2017." Even now, 2017 doesn't seem too far away, but in the agency space, it can make all the difference. It's important to keep up with technology, pay attention to trends, and reinvent yourself if the circumstances call for it. For John, this took him into a realm he never thought he'd end up — PPC. How Your Agency Can Stay Up-to-date with Market Trends It's easy to say you need to be able to adapt and stay current with market trends, but how do you actually do it? John says a few things have helped him along the way: Laser focus. You have to stay focused. Keep your ear to the ground. Pay attention and learn. If you're not paying attention, you're going to get left behind. Go to conferences. How many conference invitations do you get every year? How many times do you actually go? Conferences are not only a great networking opportunity, but they are also a great way to stay up-to-date with what is going on in marketing trends, software, and technology. Finding the Right Tools to Help Your Agency be More Efficient When you run an agency, the best way to grow is finding ways to be efficient. The key is to find the right tools that work for you. John says the one tool that has worked really well for him is WordStream. There are two key functions John has really gotten a lot out of: The 20-minute work week. The 20-minute work week is a function within WordStream which analyzes all the big tasks at your agency and hones in on the areas you need to focus on. Rather than spending hours mulling over data and strategies, WordStream does the majority of the work and sends you a report with actionable items you can easily digest in 20 minutes. Keywords: Keywords are everything. But do you know which keywords are most effective? You can spend all day (or all month) tinkering with keywords and then leave out the most important one. WordStream scours through the data and makes sure you're covered on all bases. It's important to leverage the technology that exists around you. John found that with WordStream, he could scale his agency and drive growth for his clients. A win-win! The agency space is one of those worlds where if you're not always on your feet, you will get left behind. But when you focus in, stay up-to-day, and use the tools around you, you're only setting yourself up for success.

Would you like your agency to be more profitable? Are you setting goals you just can't seem to achieve? Goal setting is an important part of becoming a successful agency. But if you are not creating the right goals and don't have the right tools, you're never going to get there. In today's episode, we discuss: How to set achievable goals for your agency. 3 Ways to build a team to help achieve your goals. Why solid leadership is critical to your agency's success. Today I got to chat with Monica Louie, a Facebook and Instagram strategist who left the corporate world to have more flexibility and spend more time with her family. Since leaving her 9 to 5 job, Monica has blasted through some of the goals she set when she first began and developed a successful three-part business. Find out how Monica paid off over $120,000 of debt in just two years using clear goals and a lot of creativity. How to Set Achievable Goals for Your Agency We've talked about it several times, just how important it is to have a goal. Without a goal, it's hard to find your north star. But the type of goal you set is important. As are the tools you use to achieve it. So how can you make sure you don't fall short? Be specific about your goal. For Monica, her goal was to pay off all of her debt, including her mortgage, in 8 years. You need to have a specific goal and you need to have a timeline. If Monica had just said "I want to pay off my debt soon," she probably wouldn't have met that goal because there was no specific timeline to hold her accountable. Create a strategy. How are you going to get there? Monica and her husband had a garage sale and worked a lot of overtime to achieve paying off their debt. When you make a goal at your agency, it's important to have a strategy in mind to help you get there. It's okay to improvise and change things along the way, but you need to give yourself a plan and tools to make it to your goal. What are you willing to sacrifice? In Monica's situation, they sold her husband's car and motorcycle and did a lot of scrimping. For you, sacrifice might mean cutting a service that's putting a financial strain on your budget or finding extra funds. If you have a goal and the motivation to achieve it, you will find the means. 3 Ways to Build a Team to Help Achieve Your Goals It's futile to set a goal if you don't have a team that shares your vision. Your team will be one of the biggest components of your success. But the hiring process isn't always fun, nor is it easy. And job boards don't usually pan out. So what do you do? Connect with like-minded people: A lot of Monica's first team members came from the personal finance world, a world she was comfortable with and had experience with. Look to people in your field who might be good for your team. Reach out to your connections: There's a good chance you already know someone who would make a good team member, or you know someone who knows someone. Reach out to your connections and tell them you're hiring. For Monica, this meant telling her email list she had a few positions to fill. Know your focus. Again it's all about your vision. If you don't have a clear vision, your team won't either. Communicate your vision and find people who have the same values you do in order to help you reach that vision. Why Solid Leadership is Critical to Your Agency's Success Great teams come from great leadership. We've all had that one boss that made going to work a miserable experience. Great leaders have teams who support them and want to work for them. What does this look like? Invest in personal leadership skills. Some people are born a leader. Some are not. Take the time to invest in your leadership skills. Take classes, get feedback, and work on being a better leader. Listen. Listen. Listen. The number one thing your team wants you to do is to listen to them. Listen to what they want, what they need, and give them the tools to do their job well. When you provide the resources and support they need, they're less likely to go somewhere else. They say anything is possible if you set your mind to it. Make a goal, build a team, and take action to get where you want to go. Looking for a Payroll and HR Solution for your Agency? Payroll and benefits are hard. Especially when you're a small business. Gusto is making payroll, benefits and HR easy for small businesses. You no longer have to be a big company to get great technology, great benefits and great service to take care of your team. For a limited time, Gusto is offering a deal to Smart Agency Master Class listeners. Check out Gusto.com/agency for 3-months FREE once you run your first payroll with them.

Have you thought about offering content creation as a service but not sure where to start or how to charge? Content is a huge part of almost everything we do for our clients, but often times its the client themselves that hold up projects by not providing good (or timely) content. When you take control of content creation, your agency can help you be more successful in achieving the clients' goals. It may seem daunting to add content creation as a service, but it can also be very rewarding in the long run. In today's episode, we discuss: #1 benefit of offering content creation as a service. How to charge for content. What type of content are agencies creating? Today I had the opportunity to sit down with my good friends at Verblio, Steve Pockross, CEO, and Paul Zalewski, Vice President of Marketing. Paul and Steve know a lot about content. After all, they run a content agency sourced with over 3,000 copywriters. Recently, Verblio sent out a survey to thousands of agencies to get a better idea of what agencies think about content creation, how they use it, and best practices surrounding content creation. Their findings may come as a surprise, but learning from them can help grow your agency and get better results for your clients. #1 Benefit of Creating Content Steve and Paul say that as agencies, we should not expect clients to have the ability to create their own content. Yes, they might be the expert in their industry but they are not always successful at writing about it. According to Verblio's survey, of the agencies who felt their content was successful less than 20% of them curated content from the client. What does that mean? Well, it means that although the client is the industry expert they suck at writing about it! :) Let's be honest, clients are busy and writing is hard. So even though they mean well, they put writing on the backburner because it's a difficult, time-consuming task. The solution is for you, as an agency, is to take control over the content creation. By either writing in-house or outsourcing it, you can speed up your project cycle by half. For example, in most cases, a website build that would normally take 6 months, can be completed in 3-4 months when the agency is not waiting on the client to write and handover content. How to Charge for Content Creation Service Okay. You've decided you're going to start offering content — good! But how much do you charge? Well, according to to Verblio's survey 87% of agencies who felt they have a solid content creation service include the cost for it in their monthly retainer. And the vast majority of those agencies felt as though content was a major profit center for them. This is a key point because, as an agency, it might be easy to think content creation is an area where you can be competitive and price yourself lower than the competition. But when you spend the time and dollars it takes to do a great job you can make money on it. So, why race to the bottom? Verblio's survey indicated that the average agency is marking up content 200%. Why walk away from that kind of margin but undercutting yourself on pricing? There are 3 general options when it comes to charging for content: Build it into your retainer. I find this approach usually works the best. Figure out how much you are going to charge for content and make it part of your retainer agreement. Charge content as a separate line item. Here, you make content a monthly charge but are transparent about the fee. Charge a la carte. Charge on a per-piece basis. The downside is, this has a tendency of making content look like an extra instead of a necessity. Typically, when you make content a part of your service offering and show the benefits of incorporating it, your client will be will see the value. What Type of Content Are Agencies Creating? When you offer content creation, you give your clients an unfair advantage by using content to set them apart. It gets you a seat at the table with clients you wouldn't otherwise be seated at the table with. If you use a resource like Verblio it allows you to white label a service to scale your agency because you are relieving a pain point for your clients (and yourself). Consistency is key - stick with it and give it time. What type of content should you offer? The overwhelming majority of those surveyed said blog posts. So get over the idea that blogging is "So 2006." Blogging helps drive SEO and it still the #1 thing agencies are recommending in content strategies. Out of blog ideas? Do an audit of existing blog posts. Look for opportunities for a mashup or a refresh of older, outdated posts. Your clients have great ideas for content -- sit down with the Head of Products or the Head of Customer Service. Those are the people with content ideas -- they know the FAQ's. Want to provide input about what works and what doesn't? Got a minute to take Verblio's survey? Want to try Verblio for yourself?

Are you looking for a new, creative way to generate leads? Have you thought about offering a course, but don't know where to start? An online course is a great way to attract new clients and create some extra revenue. In today's episode, we cover: How an online course can help your agency grow. 3 Ways to keep your course from becoming a distraction. How to create a unique course different from everything else. Today I had the opportunity to talk to Chase Chappell, the owner of Chase Chappell Marketing. He began his career developing his own Facebook influencer page and quickly discovered he could do social media for other agencies. After going door-to-door to find leads, he leveraged the power of social media. After finding success Chase realized he could help more people by teaching his own processes in an online course. Find out how developing a course can attract more clients and help grow your agency. How an Online Course Can Help Your Agency Grow Creating an online course is a lot of work. So why spend your time developing a new course when you can put your time and focus on other projects? What will you really get out of it? For Chase, the benefits were bigger than he initially realized. Referrals. When Chase started his online course, he immediately discovered the course was generating a lot of referrals. When you provide value and have a genuine interest in helping others, they're likely to refer your agency to others. Conversions. Chase started his course to teach agencies his process. But the agencies that took his course came back to him just a few months later asking him to do the work instead. Authenticity. Ads will only get you so far. When a client sees your ads and sees you have a course to back up what you are doing, you're more likely to develop trust. 3 Ways to Keep Your Course from Becoming a Distraction Not every agency has what it takes to support a course. If that was the case everyone would create a course to attract new clients. When you choose to develop a course you want to make sure you have the resources to support it. The last thing you want to do is put all your focus on the course and neglect the agency. Evaluate your team. When Chase developed his course, he already had an outside agency onboard to manage client relations. Because he knew he had a team that could focus on the agency work, he was able to devote some of his focus to the course. Watch your client load. If you're going to focus your attention on developing a course, it's probably not a good idea to bring on a bunch of new clients at the same time. Make sure you don't overextend your agency — work on growing one piece of business at a time. Have a process in place. Chase's course focuses on processes his agency uses every day as part of the agency's training program. When you develop a course around existing processes and procedures, it will be easier to put together and less likely to distract you from your agency work. How to Create a Unique Course Different from Everything Else If you're on Facebook, you know how saturated the digital course market is. It seems like everybody wants to teach you something about something. In many cases, these courses are simply marketing ploys or click-bait to get a prospect to sign-on with an agency. Online courses are a dime a dozen and most quickly fade into obscurity. So can you make sure your course stands out and continues to attract new clients? Know your target audience. The reason so many courses (and agencies) fail is because they don't know their target audience. If you create a course for everyone, you're going to have a hard time attracting the right clients. Know your audience and market your course directly to them. Provide value: The number one way to stand out is finding a gap or need in the market. Be unique. If you just regurgitate what everyone else is saying, potential clients have no incentive to stick around. Chase's course shares the same strategies his agency uses on a day to day basis. This proprietary process has proven success stories to back it up. An online course is a great way to attract new clients and increase authority. But it's not for everyone. Do your research, evaluate your resources, and make sure you're prepared before you take the jump. Looking for a Payroll and HR Solution for your Agency? Payroll and benefits are hard. Especially when you're a small business. Gusto is making payroll, benefits and HR easy for small businesses. You no longer have to be a big company to get great technology, great benefits and great service to take care of your team. For a limited time, Gusto is offering a deal to Smart Agency Master Class listeners. Check out Gusto.com/agency for 3-months FREE once you run your first payroll with them.

Are you often doing the same tasks over and over? Are you looking for a way to work smarter and be more efficient? Are you using automation to retain agency clients? Automation can eliminate some of the tedious tasks and help you focus on the things that really matter — your clients. In today's episode, we'll cover: 3 Reasons why you need to start automating now. 3 Areas where it just makes sense to automate. How your agency can get the most out of automation. Today I talked to Joe Shelerud, the co-founder and CEO of Ad Advance. Joe's agency works primarily with medium to large size Amazon shops, helping them use PPC to grow their sales and build a long term profitable business. After starting his agency, Joe quickly realized just how much automation could save time and eliminate some of the grunt work. Find out what areas Joe's team automates and how doing so has changed their agency for the better. 3 Reasons Why You Need to Start Automating — NOW Have you automated the simple processes in your agency yet? If the answer is no, why not? Joe says automation has changed the way his agency does business and has led to greater client satisfaction. He says if there are tasks you are doing over and over again, every single day, you need to automate them. What can automation do for your agency? Save time. Think about how much time you spend on the little stuff. Stuff like paperwork and scheduling. How much time could you save if these processes were automated? Eliminate human error. How many times have you forgotten to send a follow-up email? Who hasn't attached the wrong document or misspelled a client name? Errors happen, but they can be costly. By automating the simple things, you streamline the process and reduce the chance of error in other areas. Increase client interaction. Every minute you spend on the little things is one less minute you have to focus on the things your agency does well. Why would you want to do the small stuff when you can be making your client happy? 3 Areas Where it Just Makes Sense to Automate You don't want to automate everything. Not only does it put you out of a job, but it takes out the human element. That personal touch is often what sets your agency apart. But there are many areas most agencies can automate right now. Onboarding. The onboarding process can become pretty redundant. Inputting information, sending welcome emails, generating projects. These are all things a computer can take care of. Emails. You can't automate all emails, but you can automate a lot. Do you email reminders to your clients? Do you have monthly newsletters or information that needs to be sent to everyone? There are many programs that can generate and schedule emails so you're not creating one from scratch every time. Tracking requests. Joe says any time your client asks for something, your agency has failed. When you automate the request process, you can easily track requests and make the necessary changes so future clients won't have to make the same request. How Your Agency Can Get the Most Out of Automation When it comes down to it, you're not automating processes just to automate. Automation saves time. But this doesn't mean your team gets to go home early. This means you are able to spend more time on the areas that add value to your clients. Look at where you are wasting time and make a change. Then, use that time to really increase client satisfaction and focus on what sets your agency apart. Automation can be a big time saver. When you have more time to focus on your clients, you have a better chance of pleasing and retaining those clients. Think of it this way, is it easier to find new clients or just keep the old ones happy? Are You Looking for Outsourced Copywriting for Your Agency or Clients? Verblio is a content creation solution designed specifically for agencies. Their writers can help with everything from blog posts to ebooks to video scripts and more. Forget the hassle of finding and hiring your own writers. Verblio has a pool of more than 3,000 highly vetted writers who produce custom, SEO-rich content. You set the criteria for style and tone and they match you with writers that have expertise in your specific subject matter. Verblio's platform is designed specifically for agencies -- and for a limited time, they are offering my audience 50% off your first month of content. My team is using Verblio and loving it, so make sure you check them out.

Trying to decide whether your agency really needs to declare a niche? Can a generalist approach equate to more clients? In the marketing agency space, it's all about standing out from the crowd. Whether you can find success as a generalist may depend more on your process than your expertise. In this episode, we'll cover: #1 Thing to remember whether you're a generalist agency or declare a niche. 3 Ways to stand out as a generalist. 3 Reasons you're better off choosing a niche. Today I had the opportunity to talk to Ted Birkhahn, president and part-owner of Hot Paper Lantern. Hot Paper Lantern is an integrative marketing communication agency that focuses on analytics, redefining how clients are targeting their audiences, and improve experiences. With over 19 years in the agency, Ted was able to take an existing customer base and turn it into a successful generalist agency. Find out whether it's really possible to find success as an agency without choosing a niche. #1 Thing to Remember Whether You're a Generalist or a Niche Agency If you have been in the agency world for any period of time, you know there's one thing that holds true — nothing lasts forever. Ted says this is the number one thing he learned over the course of his career. As such, you always need to have a plan for when times get rough. What does this look like? Evaluate your client base. It's never a good idea to put all your focus in one area. As a generalist, don't invest too much in a specific industry. As a niche agency, never saturate too much of your interest in one client or one area. Grow in smart ways. As an agency owner, the goal is growth. But you have to do it right. If you grow too fast, you may have difficulty keeping up which can make you vulnerable in times of instability. 3 Ways to Stand Out as a Generalist You've decided to be a generalist — great. The good news is, this means you have a wider reach, you can relate to a larger range of customers. The bad news is, there's nothing to separate you from all the other "me too" agencies who don't have a specific niche. So how do you stand out without having a niche? Don't pretend to be all things to all people. Even as a generalist, there will be clients who just aren't the right fit. Clients who require a niche level of expertise or have specific needs may not be right for you. Know what makes you different. For Hot Paper Lantern, they set themselves apart from the rest by bringing in specialists from different industries. By providing marketing and consulting services they provide value many similar agencies don't. Even if you don't have a specific area of expertise, you can still be unique. Leverage your experience. One thing Ted has that many agency owners don't is experience. Ted has two decades in the agency world and has surrounded himself with a team of similar expertise. Experience is an asset. OWN IT. 3 Reasons You're Better Off Choosing a Niche It's important to find out what makes your agency stand out from the crowd. Some agencies are able to do this without choosing a niche. But for many agencies, defining a niche is how they stand out. So how do you know if you're better off choosing a niche? You don't have an established client base. Ted was lucky. He started his agency with several established clients. This isn't the case for most agency owners. If you don't have an established customer base, you're going to have to find a way to bring in clients. As a generalist, it's going to be hard to stand out. When you niche down, you are able to dedicate your marketing toward a specific client base. You don't have a lot of revenue. Even if you don't have an established customer base, you can still stand out by bringing in resources or hiring great talent. Without appropriate funds, this will be very hard to do. You're just starting out. This one goes with the two points above. If you are just starting out, you likely don't have the client base or the revenue. Additionally, you haven't quite figured out what makes you unique. For smaller agencies, it's usually better to start out with a niche and expand later on if that's what you want. It's hard to say you can't find success as a generalist because it has been done and it continues to be done. But it takes a certain level of experience and expertise. If you're going to be a generalist, it's important to understand the extra level of investment and risk it entails. By setting realistic expectations, you're more likely to make smart choices and find success. Looking for a Payroll and HR Solution for your Agency? Payroll and benefits are hard. Especially when you're a small business. Gusto is making payroll, benefits and HR easy for small businesses. You no longer have to be a big company to get great technology, great benefits and great service to take care of your team. For a limited time, Gusto is offering a deal to Smart Agency Master Class listeners. Check out Gusto.com/agency for 3-months FREE once you run your first payro

Do you want to grow faster while also staying nimble like a small agency? Growing your agency means growing your team. One agency actually did it by dedicating half of its team to sales. Sometimes it just takes a simple change of focus or a deeper look at the effectiveness of your processes to find meaningful success. In today's episode we'll cover: 3 keys to landing the right agency prospects. Is it time to break apart your agency teams? How to build on successful sales and continue to grow. Today I talked to Michael Weinhouse, founder and co-CEO of Logical Position. Logical Position is a digital marketing agency based out of Portland, Oregon, who in just 10 years has grown to over 700 employees. Find out how a focus on sales led to tremendous agency growth. 3 Keys to Landing the Right Agency Prospects In the beginning, clients don't just come to you. Gaining clients and growing your agency takes a lot of hard work. For Michael, he found the number one way to scale his agency fast was sales. This focus on sales led to partnerships with Google and Microsoft which contributed to the agency's rapid growth. In the early years, this meant a lot of cold calling. For several years, the team was primarily composed of salespeople. Even after the agency began to see success, the number one focus was still sales, to the point that 50% of the employees were sales! But if you are going to narrow-in on sales, you have to do it right. For Logical Position, it was all about making sure each call provided value. So how do you do this? Do your homework. You don't want to waste a potential client's time. Find out what your client wants and don't be afraid to give little nuggets of value or tips, even if the prospect doesn't sign on. Total transparency. Michael's agency uses a quality assurance team to make sure every client they sign-on is the right fit. By being transparent and letting a client know, "Hey, this isn't a good fit," they are able to truly help the clients they do sign on without setting unrealistic expectations. Not everything has to be perfect. Be open to feedback. Take the criticism you get and implement it into your processes. Is It Time to Break Apart Your Agency Teams? A lot of agencies divide work between several teams within the agency. While this approach may work for some agencies, it's not the way Logical Position does things. There are a couple of reasons for this. Michael says he always found sticking to one sector is a quick path to burnout — not good when you're trying to grow your team. When you allow your team to work with people in different verticals they can use conversations from one area to find best practices that work with another. But while there are no teams, this certainly doesn't mean there is no structure. Logistical Position uses a tiered system to incentivize employees and keep things organized. Once you have mastered one skill set and met your goals, you have the opportunity to move further up in the agency. Michael says there is a natural level of competition among his sales team, which definitely helps convert leads. How to Build on Successful Sales and Continue to Grow You may be thinking: "You can't run an agency simply on sales," and you're right. Michael says the tipping point came about three years ago when the sales team had been so successful the operations team had to expand to keep up with the growth. Presently, the sales force makes up just over a quarter of the agency team, instead of the 50% share they had previously held. As for acquisitions, Logical Position acquired its first agency at around the $20 or $30 million mark. They chose an agency they had previously worked with and whom they had built a lot of trust. They have since acquired yet a third agency. From here, Logical Position really began to grow. As a co-CEO, Michael has found his team was at the point where they could take the day-to-day stuff, allowing him to focus on employee and client retention. Scaling an agency can be a challenge. It's important to find a focus and figure out what works for your team. A successful sales process is a great way to increase clients and motivate your team to continue to grow. Are You Looking for Outsourced Copywriting for Your Agency or Clients? Verblio is a content creation solution designed specifically for agencies. Their writers can help with everything from blog posts to ebook to video scripts and more. Forget the hassle of finding and hiring your own writers. Verblio has a pool of more than 3,000 highly vetted writers who produce custom, SEO-rich content. You set the criteria for style and tone and they match you with writers that have expertise in your specific subject matter. Verblio's platform is designed specifically for agencies -- and for a limited time, they are offering my audience 50% off your first month of content. My team is using Verblio and loving it, so make sure you check them out.

Thinking about selling your agency -- someday? Is a merger or acquisition a good fit? Whether you are hoping to move on to a new adventure or stay on as an employee, it's always important to make sure your agency is in a position to maximize a merger or acquisition opportunity. In today's episode we'll cover: Why it's important to tell your agency's story. #1 Way to get multiple buyers when selling your agency. 2 Simple ways to know a merger is the right fit. Today I talked to Todd Taskey, the CEO of Potomac Business Capital. Todd's agency does a lot of merger and acquisition work, dealing with sellers to maximize their profits and find a good fit. He shares what agencies need to do to get buyers interested and how to get the best offers. Why It's Important to Tell Your Agency's Story When buyers are looking to acquire or merge with your agency, they want to know where your agency is heading. This is a good way for buyers to determine your agency's value. But the biggest mistake most agency owners make is not thinking about where they are going. The best way to increase your agency's value is to tell a story. What does this mean? How long have you had your clients? Buyers like to see longevity. If you have a bunch of new clients, a buyer will worry this revenue can easily slip away. How much do your clients like you? Yes, this is important. Likeability and trust go a long way. If your clients don't feel a sense of loyalty, they're going to use this transition as a good opportunity to jump ship. What is your recurring revenue? Those big projects are nice. But your potential acquirers want to see long term stability. Todd says he is able to get buyers to feel more comfortable with agencies that have long term retainer contracts. #1 Way to Get Multiple Buyers for Your Agency We all hope when we go to sell our agency there will be multiple buyers fighting over us. But many times you put feelers out there and then suddenly one of them sends you a letter of interest asking you to stop shopping your agency around. So how do you avoid this and get the best selling price? The simple answer is HARD WORK. Todd says he puts together a list of about 100 prospects and then goes and talks to each one. He then finds the three most serious buyers and works from there. When you find the right agency, it's all about negotiating. When a buyer thinks they are getting a great value they are more tolerant when bumps inevitability come up down the road. If you work the buyer in the beginning, it provides leverage when it comes to negotiating things like working power and non-solicitation agreements. 2 Simple Ways to Know a Merger is the Right Fit When you sell your agency, you want to know it's the right deal. Everyone's a Monday morning quarterback and will always find something they could have done better. So how do you prevent that? How can you feel comfortable with the choice you make? Todd says it comes down to a couple of things. Is it a lot of money? Funny but true, right? You don't want to walk away feeling like you got the short end of the stick. If a buyer is offering you a lot of money, it's hard to feel bad about that. Have a dollar amount in mind before you entertain any negotiations and don't settle for less (as long as you're realistic). Does the buyer share or complement your vision? If you plan on staying on with the agency, your vision is important. You need to make sure that you are comfortable with where the agency is heading. If you don't see that with the seller, it might not be a good fit. Selling your agency is a good way to make a change or take things to the next level. But you have to do it right. Take time to prepare your agency and don't settle until you find that right fit. Looking for a Payroll and HR Solution for your Agency? Payroll and benefits are hard. Especially when you're a small business. Gusto is making payroll, benefits and HR easy for small businesses. You no longer have to be a big company to get great technology, great benefits and great service to take care of your team. For a limited time, Gusto is offering a deal to Smart Agency Master Class listeners. Check out Gusto.com/agency for 3-months FREE once you run your first payroll with them.

Are you looking for a way to grow your agency but don't know where to start? Does it feel like your current marketing approach is failing to bring in enough referrals to help your agency grow? Referral programs and agency events are a great way to bring in new clients and engage with the ones you already have. The good news is, you don't have to be a big agency to see big growth. In today's episode we'll cover: 3 keys to rapid agency growth. 3 keys to create a successful referral program. Why even small agencies should host events. Today I got to talk to Michael Mogill, a good friend and former client. Michael is the owner of Crisp Video, a digital agency who works exclusively with law firms to help them differentiate their firm and attract high-value clients. In just a few short years, Michael took a $500 investment and turned it into a $20 million agency. Discover how big risks, radical ideas, and hard work has paid off big for him. 3 Keys to Rapid Agency Growth It's not often someone is able to create a multi-million dollar agency out of basically nothing in just a few short years. If it were that easy, everyone would be doing it. Since founding Crisp Video in 2012, Michael has been able to double the agency's size and value every single year. So just how did he do it? Michael says there are three key things that led to his agency's rapid growth. Have a clear focus: We've heard it before — discovering your niche is one of the best ways to grow your agency. When you have a clear focus and can excel at what you do, clients will begin to see you as the go-to agency in the industry. Be prepared to place big bets: Taking chances is hard, especially when you're starting out and don't have a lot of funds. But the best way to see a big payoff is to make a big investment. Don't be afraid to take chances and invest in yourself. People are more prone to invest in high-risk assets like real estate and stocks but are more hesitant when it comes to investing in something they can actually control — themselves. So what's holding you back? Hard work pays off: At the end of the day, you won't be able to grow your agency if you don't put in the work. 3 Keys to Create a Successful Referral Program Michael earned a lot of attention when he announced Crisp Video would be giving away a Tesla as part of their referral program. Sure he could have given away an Amazon gift card, but that doesn't really get people's attention. It all comes back to being prepared to make big bets. With such a big promotion, Michael learned a few things along the way. Have one person dedicated to the promotion full-time. Referral programs take a lot of work. Clients won't usually just give up their time to send you referrals, they need a little guidance. For Crisp Video, this meant reaching out to clients, drafting referral emails, and developing a comprehensive campaign. Make sure you have a big enough client base. You need to consider your client value and how many potential participants you have. You won't see a return on investment if you offer a $77,000 Tesla to 20 clients. The first time around, Michael saw a one in three participation rate. Take big chances but make smart choices. There's more investment than just the grand prize. When you consider how much you are willing to spend on a referral program, you have to think about the actual cost. The cost of the Tesla was only $77,000, but with marketing and tiered prizes, Crisp Video spent about $100,000 on the promotion. Why Even Small Agencies Should Host Events When it comes down to it, you just have to get started. When Michael hosted his first agency event, he didn't know what he would say or what he would do. He set a date and sold tickets. The rest came later. It doesn't matter if you have 500 clients or 50. If you can't get on someone else's stage build your own. Soon, you'll discover, confidence grows. The more risks you are willing to take and the more you invest in yourself, the bigger the payoff. Referral programs and agency events are a great way to meet new people and grow your agency. But if you want people to bet big on your agency, you have to be willing to bet on yourself. Are You Looking for Outsourced Copywriting for Your Agency or Clients? Verblio is a content creation solution designed specifically for agencies. Their writers can help with everything from blog posts to ebook to video scripts and more. Forget the hassle of finding and hiring your own writers. Verblio has a pool of more than 3,000 highly vetted writers who produce custom, SEO-rich content. You set the criteria for style and tone and they match you with writers that have expertise in your specific subject matter. Verblio's platform is designed specifically for agencies -- and for a limited time, they are offering my audience 50% off your first month of content. My team is using Verblio and loving it, so make sure you check them out.

Are you struggling to make your agency stand out? It could be a branding issue. Knowing your brand and owning it can make a big difference when it comes to getting your prospects' attention. In a world saturated by digital marketing agencies, the last thing you want to be is another "me too" agency. So here's advice on the best ways to differentiate your agency from the competition. In today's episode we'll cover: 2 reasons it's important to find your agency's niche. How to understand what it means to brand your agency. #1 Way to differentiate your agency from everyone else. Today I sat down with Scott Markman, Founder and President of Monogram Group. Monogram Group is a branding agency, dealing almost exclusively with private equity clients. As a branding agency, Scott has spent the past 30 years finding his niche, developing a brand, and becoming an expert in his field. But recently, Scott's firm hired a digital agency to help with their own brand. In this episode, we'll talk about why you have to know your agency's brand and how defining a niche can get you there. 2 Reasons It's Important to Find Your Agency's Niche Lately, it seems like anyone who knows anything about a computer can start an agency. Because there are so many agencies, it's tempting to offer everything to everyone. The logic is, the more I offer, the more clients have to choose from. But agencies who take this approach quickly find out being a generalist isn't really the best approach. Why? Because clients want someone who knows the nuances of their specific industry. Scott started his agency as a generalist -- part out of boredom, part out of a desire to learn something new. But while the work was challenging, he quickly learned private equity was where he needed to be. There are two main reasons why finding your niche is important: Being a generalist will quickly eat away at profits. Sure it's fun to challenge yourself and learn new things, but doing so every time you bring on a new client takes time. You'll learn you're investing too much time learning about the product when should be focusing on what you can deliver. Do this too much and you will end up losing more than what you are making. When you have a niche, you save time because you don't have to take the extra step of researching the product or the market. Clients want someone who knows what they are talking about. Scott says he is able to close 65-75% of all the proposals he pitches. Why? Because clients are confident that he knows what he is talking about. Think about it. When you speak the industry language, understand the challenges and pain points of your clients' clients you are more valuable than someone who has to research those things. How to Determine Your Agency's Brand Many agency owners think they know their brand, but really they have no idea. When we talk about branding, we're talking about the feeling clients get or associate with your agency. When you are developing your brand, there are a few questions you want to be able to answer: Why do I exist? What can I provide to potential clients? Where can I play strong? What's the market for my services? How can I make clients feel they wish they had found me sooner? Scott says 85% of what you say is going to be the same as everyone else. The key is to not stop there. The other 15% is your brand. Recognize what makes you valuable, carve out a space for yourself and own it. #1 Way to Differentiate Your Agency from the Others Back to the question we started with at the beginning: "How do I stand out from the crowd?" The answer is brand, brand, brand. What is it that runs in your DNA? What are you passionate about? What do you know better than anyone else? The number one way to separate your agency from "me too" agencies is to know your brand and make it approachable to a variety of audiences. Remember, your niche is who you will market your services to, but it doesn't have to stop there. When you know who you are, clients will search you out. The key is to find the one thing you can offer better than anyone else can. Branding is so important for attracting clients and earning their respect. Your clients can't know who you are if you don't. Carve out your space, master your craft, and share it with the world. Looking for a Payroll and HR Solution for your Agency? Payroll and benefits are hard. Especially when you're a small business. Gusto is making payroll, benefits and HR easy for small businesses. You no longer have to be a big company to get great technology, great benefits and great service to take care of your team. For a limited time, Gusto is offering a deal to Smart Agency Master Class listeners. Check out Gusto.com/agency for 3-months FREE once you run your first payroll with them.

Are you struggling to figure out what your agency really stands for? Do you find yourself developing a new process every time you start a new project? In the fast-paced agency world, knowing who you are and what strategies work for your agency are key to finding success as a team and as an agency. In this episode we'll cover: Why developing processes means increased productivity. #1 tip to help your agency survive the tough times. 3 benefits transparency in agency leadership. Today I got to talk to J.P. Holecka. J.P. is the owner of Power Shifter, a digital agency whose goal is to make things simpler. His agency works with start-ups and big brands, including some notable companies like FitBit and Energizer. With a background in film production, J.P. quickly realized how important process and culture are to an agency's success. In today's episode, J.P. discusses how culture helped his agency survive the loss of its biggest client. Why Developing Processes Means Increased Productivity Does it feel like your team is constantly running around in circles? Does your environment feel like it is constantly filled with chaos? If so, it might be because you haven't developed a process. What does it look like to develop a process? When you have a process in place everything is repeatable. Rather than figuring out how you are going to approach a project from scratch every single time, you can simply follow the process, saving you and your team time, money, and stress. Developing a process will look different for everyone. For J.P., he brought in a couple of coaches to help his agency get organized. These coaches focused on the operational side of the house as well as the ad job and helped J.P. develop a system that worked. #1 Tip to Help Your Agency Survive the Tough Times Let's face it — business isn't always going to be easy. There will be times where your agency is tested or suffers a loss. For J.P., this moment came when his agency lost its biggest client last year. But rather than destroying the company and putting them out of business, the loss actually made Power Shifter stronger than ever. The number one thing that helped J.P. and his team make it through this loss was culture. When you have an established culture and know what your company stands for, you'll be equipped to handle times of adversity. To develop a strong culture, it's important to be clear with your values. What do you stand for and what do you want to achieve? Then, surround yourself with people who have the same beliefs and want the same things. 3 Benefits of Transparency in Agency Leadership So many times, agency owners are afraid to be open and transparent with their team. Whether it's the fear of sharing too much or losing members of their team, owners have a tendency to hold things closer to the chest. But J.P. says he's seen the benefits of being transparent and plans to develop an open-book management style in the near future. Being transparent with your team can derive many benefits. Transparency helps make sure everyone is on the same page. Your team can't get behind you if they don't know where you're going. Don't be afraid to share your goals, your strategies, and even some financials so everyone knows where the agency stands. You'd be surprised how much clarity is gained by being open and honest. Transparency helps develop culture. We already know how important culture is to your agency's success. When you're transparent with your team, the ones who want to stay will have your back and the ones who don't will likely leave. Transparency promotes teamwork. When you're honest with your team, they're more likely to be honest with you. They'll be apt to share their ideas, offer opinions, and say something when something's not right. You'll find it difficult to find success as an agency if you and your employees are two separate entities. Transparency can empower individuals and help you come together as a team. At the end of the day, culture is more than ping pong tables and beer taps, as J.P. likes to say, it's about knowing who you are and having the tools and the faith to survive even the toughest times. If you develop your agency with process, culture, and transparency in mind, you'll be more likely to find success.

What happens when a digital agency outgrows a partner? Do you sell the agency and part ways? Can you negotiate an agency partner buyout? It happens - partners drift apart or sometimes people simply want out. Dealing with a partner break-up doesn't have to impact your agency's growth if you don't want it to. In fact, you can negotiate a fair buyout by facing it head-on or by being proactive. It's a tough conversation but definitely one to have earlier than later. In today's episode, we'll cover: #1 source of digital agency leads. The best way to approach a bad partnership. 4 steps to an agency partner buyout. Today, I talked with Dan Altenbernd, Co-founder of H2M, which is his digital marketing agency in Fargo, Minnesota. Dan has over 18 years of experience in the industry, and he's been building brands in his hometown for years. Not only is Dan's agency booming, but he started it with one more partner than he has now. When his partner didn't have the same goals as him, they negotiated a buyout and he's on the show to share that wisdom. #1 Source of Digital Agency Leads We all know agency growth is both the biggest goal and the biggest barrier for most agencies. We all want to grow. And how do you grow? With a lead generation system that keeps your pipeline full. The lead war always seems to be between outbound and inbound. Should you be reaching out to them or should they be coming to you? And actually, I don't think there is one right answer -- in fact, I preached a 3-channel approach to lead generation. I've seen agencies win with outbound. And I've seen agencies win with inbound. Your agency needs both, as well as strategic partnerships, in order to stay successful. But, here's the thing — neither inbound nor outbound is the easiest source of leads. You know all of those relationships that you've been cultivating throughout your career? Those are an amazing source of leads. Former colleagues and co-workers are all low-hanging fruit. Many agency owners think they need 1,000 leads a day to grow big. You don't. You really only need a few. And your network can be those few leads that end up catapulting your agency into 7 figures. Dan says this is especially important for newer agencies with lean budgets. Rather than spending a ton on Facebook ads, get out there and leverage the connections you already have. Once you have your first few clients, you can start implementing other killer inbound strategies you've been thinking about. The Best Way to Approach a Bad Partnership There are plenty of agencies that have amazing partnerships that just work. But, let's be real. No one will always want exactly the same things as you at exactly the same time as you, right? Eventually, you or your partner will outgrow each other or the business. Maybe your partner doesn't have the same ambitions as you, has different views, or simply wants out. Then what? I always say, you either know the bad partner or you are the bad partner. But as Dan explained, it doesn't have to be an ugly break-up. You just need to have an honest conversation with your business partner. If you think you're headed in the wrong direction, let them know. Don't be scared to start the conversation. If a change needs to happen, rip off the band-aid, and get it done sooner than later for the sake of your business and your own well-being. 4 Steps to an Agency Partner Buyout Put it out there. Be upfront and honest with them. If you avoid the conversation for too long, it will be too difficult. It's better to face the confrontation and try to move forward. You might be surprised at the result! Dan simply pulled his partner into a room and told him it wasn't working - and his partner understood. Once it comes time to actually create the exit plan for your partner, hire an outside consultant to help mediate conversations and negotiations. Emotions and egos can get in the way of an agency partner buyout. You're both entrepreneurs and you're both going to want to win the negotiations. Allowing a third-party to make the deal is the best way to keep things amicable. Give your agency team time to process. Don't let your partnership break-up impact the team or get in the way of the great work you're doing. Communicate the new vision for the agency so the team knows and understands the direction and what things will look like without the partner. While you want to be direct with the conversation, don't be hasting with the exit plan. That way, there's plenty of time to phase one partner out without impacting agency processes. Dan's entire buyout took place over the course of 5 years!

Would you like to be your own agency boss but not hesitant to start a business from scratch? Tired of having a boss? Think you can do it better? Ready to run things yourself? Most times these are the reasons most agency entrepreneurs start their own agency. But that doesn't mean it has to be the way you do it. Another viable option is to acquire an established agency to give you a jumpstart. In today's episode we'll cover: How to find the agency that's right for you. 2 tips to make sure you don't pay too much to acquire an agency. 3 keys to finding success at with your new acquisition. Today I had the opportunity to talk to John Kadlic, CEO and owner of Parallel Path. Parallel Path is a digital marketing agency focusing on the health, wellness, and lifestyle industries. John worked his way up in the agency world, eventually becoming president of a large digital marketing agency. After 22 years in marketing, John was ready for his own agency. But John didn't take the conventional approach and start one — he bought one! Discover why John took this approach, and what he learned along the way. How to Find the Right Agency for You Why buy an agency when you can start your own? John wanted to take advantage of the hard work someone had already put into their company. John bought Parallel Path on his 50th birthday. He says at this point in his life, he was willing to spend more money, in exchange for not having to invest the extra time. John didn't have to spend time finding clients or hiring staff, they all came with the acquisition. Buying an agency is a great option for people who don't have the time or desire to start an agency from scratch or who are looking to grow their existing agency. The downside is, it requires a larger investment. So how do you find the agency that's right for you? John says his process started with a little soul searching. He took some time to figure out what he liked about work, what he didn't, and what energized him and got him excited about his job. Then, he made an outline of all the things he was looking for in an agency. Having a clear vision of what he was looking for not only helped John narrow his focus but also made it easier for his team to suggest potential agencies. 2 Tips to Make Sure You Don't Pay Too Much for Your Agency Okay. So you've found your dream agency. How do you make sure you don't pay too much? Buying an agency is like buying a house. Owners take pride in their "baby" and often ask for more than what it's worth. Buyers, on the other hand, are looking for a deal ~ the acquirer's idea of fair valuation is often much lower than the sellers. How do both parties find common ground? Surround yourself with a good team: John had a strong team working with him throughout the entire process. His team included an experienced lawyer, a financial adviser, and a private equity expert. Make sure you hire the right professionals who will give you honest, sound, financial advice. Data, data, data: Buying an agency is an emotional process for all parties. While you may not be able to eliminate the emotions altogether, the less they are involved, the better. Stick to the facts and always have benchmarks, figures, and numbers to back up your offer. 3 Keys to Finding Success at Your Newly Acquired Agency You've bought an agency, now it's time to make it your own. But wait! Now is not the time to go in and change things up. John says new owners often want to jump in and get their hands dirty. But this is almost always the worst thing you can do. To find success, you need to appreciate what you are getting into. Take it all in: We get it; you're excited and ready to make big changes. But you have to respect the process and team already in place. If you go and change things up right away, you're likely to upset your team and clients. Implement structure: It's important your team understands what is expected of them and how you will hold them accountable. John says he uses EOS, implementing accountability charts and weekly leadership meetings. Create a vision: John waited about 5 months before he made any big changes. At this point, he met with his team to discuss the vision moving forward. Letting your team know you respect the past and including them in your vision of the future will help gain their respect and find success as an agency moving forward. Whether you're buying your first agency or acquiring another agency to grow an existing one, it's all about the process. With a careful plan, a solid vision, and respect for existing systems, you'll be on the path to success. Looking for a Payroll and HR Solution for your Agency? Payroll and benefits are hard. Especially when you're a small business. Gusto is making payroll, benefits and HR easy for small businesses. You no longer have to be a big company to get great technology, great benefits and great service to take care of your team. For a limited time, Gusto is offering a deal to Smart Agency Master Class listeners. Check out

Do you feel like a "me too" agency, but you're not sure how to break the chains? Do you want to create a differentiator you can use to grow faster? The agency space is changing. With Facebook pushing business owners to create their own campaigns and hundreds of new agencies popping up monthly, it can be tough to grow. You probably feel like your trapped in a small room and in a rut. Don't worry! There's a way out. In this episode, we'll cover: 3 traits every agency owner needs. Why your agency needs to create a differentiator. 4 steps to creating and hosting agency events. Today, I talked with Mike McCloud, President & CEO of MMA Creative and founder of the World Food Championships. Mike is a tried-and-true entrepreneur with agency DNA. Not only has Mike been in the agency space since 1991 (that's 29 years now!), but he leveraged his agency to help him create the hyper-successful World Food Championships event. That event now generates 95% of MMA Creative's revenue! So, how did an agency owner create a renowned food league with its own TV show and top-tier sponsors? Like this! 3 Traits Every Agency Owner Needs Mike says these are the three traits every successful agency must have: Contrarianism: Is everybody selling Facebook ads? Then you shouldn't be. Winning as an agency owner requires lacing up your boots to go on the road less traveled. Opportunity is everywhere. Sure! You can be a "me too" agency and settle for the crumbs. But why wouldn't you want the whole cake? You have to think outside-of-the-box. What is everyone doing wrong? What is everyone ignoring? Figure that out, and use it to grow. Optimism: When tough times come knocking, you better be ready to answer. We all know that an economic downfall is on the horizon. It may not be today, but it's coming. And when it does, you need to be able to smile, sit down with your team, and figure out how to use that recession to your advantage. Never give up. Always have a trick up your sleeve. And persist through the good times and the not-so-good ones. Every agency owner is going to face situations where giving up is easier than pushing through. Experimentalism: This is a big one! You need to be willing to try new things. All of these blog posts and marketing podcasts aren't going to tell you the next big thing. Once others have figured it out, it's no "the next big thing" anymore. It's just a thing. You have to experiment and find those amazing growth hacks yourself. Why Your Agency Needs to Create a Differentiator There are two big threats to agencies. Business owners can live without you. As an agency, you're the middleman. Business owners can run Facebook ads without you. They can make creatives without you. And they can generate leads without you. They're probably not as good as you are, but they can. And as long as they can, some will. There are thousands of other agencies offering what you have. If you're a "me too" agency, you're a commodity. If your pitches revolve around price, you're racing to the bottom. Your strength shouldn't be your price tag. But it often is. Creating a differentiator eliminates those threats. What can you do that no one else can do? If you don't have an answer, find one. Mike created an event. But you don't have to. You can create an experience, a product, a service, or anything else your competitors can't. I've interviewed agency owners who use strategic gifting, promote their freak factor, and even build tech, just to name a few. They all share one thing in common. They do something unique in order to stand out. 4 Simple Steps to Creating and Hosting Agency Events Use your agency to catapult growth. While your agency is generating revenue, use some of it to experiment and create an amazing differentiator. Here's how Mike was able to create a massive food event using his agency as a springboard. Be profitable: Creating a product, service, event, or experience requires, well... cash. If your agency isn't in the positive or you don't have enough income to support yourself adequately, focus on that first. Learn how to build an evergreen agency. Differentiators don't happen overnight. You'll need income to help you build one. Find something valuable: What should you build? Great question! Here's the answer — something that's valuable to someone. Find a gap in the market and attack it. Did you notice there aren't any agencies using VR tech for restaurants? That's a gap! Get to work. Look at everything through an R&D filter: ABM = Always Be Experimenting. You're probably not going to create something amazing on your first try. You'll have some failures. Use some of your agency income to experiment with new strategies and services. Some of them may pay off dividends in the future. Have commitment: It took Mike 5 years for his food event to become popular. That's a long time! You must be willing to commit to something and nurture it in order to succeed.

Are you worried your agency is too small to compete with the big dogs? Are you exhausted trying to provide everything for everyone? The marketing world has changed over the past few decades, but a lot of the concerns and approaches have remained the same. As an agency, knowing your strengths and marketing to your niche can be a huge advantage. The sooner you realize this, the better. In today's episode, we'll cover: Why agencies need to combine branding with direct marketing. How segmentation can take your agency to the next level. #1 reason to dominate your agency's niche. Today I got to talk with Grant Johnson, founder, and owner of Responsory. Responsory is a direct response digital marketing agency focused on measurable results. Grant started his agency in 1999 after leaving his job as VP of a marketing agency. Grant didn't like the direction the agency was heading, so he started his own. Grant felt nobody was really doing measurable marketing the right way, so he took on the challenge on his own. 20 years later, Grant has grown Responsory into a multi-million dollar agency. Let's dive in. Why Agencies Need to Combine Branding with Direct Marketing Many agencies put all their effort into building their brand but fail to focus on direct marketing. Or, they do the opposite, and put their efforts on direct marketing, with no real idea about their brand identity. But the truth is, you'll get the best results when you combine the two. That's what Grant did when he started his agency in 1999. He says when he started his agency, you had brand marketing on the left and direct marketing on the right, and the two weren't converging. Today, it's all about ROI — what am I getting out of what I am putting in? Grant believes when you combine branding with direct marketing, you have the ability to enhance and grow your brand in a measurable way. Direct marketing helps your agency grow faster, while branding helps you establish trust with your audience. How Segmentation Can Take Your Agency to the Next Level The bulk of the clients Grant works with don't do segmentation. This has been a problem for as long as advertising has been in existence. Some agencies prefer to reach as many people as possible, instead of focusing on specific sectors. It's important to realize your customers are going to have a variety of wants, needs, and ideals, even within the same niche. You can't just send out a blanket marketing campaign and call it good. You have to understand the individual component. Today, SEO and paid digital make marketing to specific sectors and analyzing the results easier than ever. You have to remember to look at your audience as a whole vs. individuals. #1 Reason To Dominate Your Agency's Niche When you're starting an agency, the temptation is to provide everything to everyone. This is the quickest way to fail. For the bulk of agency prospects, they're not looking for an agency who can do a lot of things okay, they want an agency who can do what they need really well. Know your niche and own it! Grant says he's always upfront with his clients. When they come to him, he tells them what he is really good at and what he's not. In the same regard, if you're a small agency, own it. There's been a shift towards smaller agencies who know what they are doing vs large agencies who do it all. If you have a team of five, don't hide the fact that you're small, announce it to the world! It's all about quality vs. quantity. Most importantly, you have to believe in your brand and believe you're the best. Like Grant says, if you don't think you have a niche, or a difference, or are the best at what you do, then why do it? What's that saying — the more things change, the more they stay the same? A lot has changed in direct marketing and branding over the years, but many of the same basic principles remain the same. When you combine proven philosophies that work with today's technology, you provide the catalyst to help your agency grow. Looking for a Payroll and HR Solution for your Agency? Payroll and benefits are hard. Especially when you're a small business. Gusto is making payroll, benefits and HR easy for small businesses. You no longer have to be a big company to get great technology, great benefits and great service to take care of your team. For a limited time, Gusto is offering a deal to Smart Agency Master Class listeners. Check out Gusto.com/agency for 3-months FREE once you run your first payroll with them.

Struggling to attract and keep Millennials at your agency? Do you want to learn what motivates Millennials in the workplace and how you can become an inspiring leader? Millennials are slowly taking over the workforce as the largest group, which means learning how to attract them and keep them around is critical for the success of your agency. In today's episode, we'll cover: New trends in incentivizing agency employees. 4 things Millennials want from their leaders. 2 ways to keep agency employees engaged. Today, I talked with Chris Tuff, Executive Vice President and Partner at 22squared and best-selling author of The Millennial Whisperer. Chris has achieved great success as a digital marketer and is revered for his thought leadership and boldly blazing new paths in the digital space, including working with companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Google. Chris shares some golden nuggets of information about motivating and leading Millennials to help you build an amazing agency team. New Trends in Incentivizing Agency Employees Today's workforce has different values and traditional incentives might not be the key to keeping good employees at your agency. Instead, consider adapting to the go-getters. Chris believes in the importance of giving your employees a stake in the company. You can do this in a few different ways: Phantom Stock. Sometimes called "shadow stock," you don't actually give your employees stock, but you give them the same financial benefits as stockholders. ESOP. Implementing an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) gives your employees shares in the agency towards their retirement. You can either give employees shares or money to buy shares. Partnership. The largest stake you can give your go-getter employees is to make them a partner in your agency. Typically, you offer this to employees as an opportunity for them to buy into your company and become a partner. 4 Things Millennials Want from Their Leaders You've probably heard comments about Millennials like "entitled, needy, dumb, impatient, naive." Chris argues these characterizations simply aren't true. In fact, his favorite quote is "Millennials aren't the problem, they just expose all the problems." Many agencies are doing it wrong because they don't understand what Millennials want from their leaders. According to Chris, you need to provide the following things as you lead your team, so you can retain quality employees: Inspirational leadership which includes coaching and goes beyond simple motivation. Autonomy such as remote work or flexible work schedules. Transparency like sharing information and communicating the vision. A sense of purpose which fosters employees' passions and interest. 2 Ways to Keep Agency Employees Engaged Attracting and keeping Millennials isn't only about incentivizing and understanding their leadership needs. You also have to adapt the way you promote them and really learn how to bring out leadership traits. Chris says this is really about making a connection with your team and you can do that in two ways: Follow your team on social media. Some agency owners and bosses assume following your employees on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. is a big no-no. This isn't true. In fact, you can create a stronger connection with your team, foster friendship, and show empathy by keeping up with what's going on in their lives. Be open to your team's side-hustles. So, you might think it's counterintuitive to encourage your team to have a side-hustle because it distracts them from their work at your agency. Yet, it's these side-hustles that fuel your team's passion and purpose. When you are open to supporting other projects that aren't in direct competition with your agency, you help your employees feel engaged in work and in life. This can fulfill their desires and keep them from moving on to other employers or projects.

Are you still struggling to score the first few agency clients? Or maybe you've scored them, but now you feel like you're stuck handling them and not growing. Making it past those first few agency road bumps is difficult. And finding your first clients and figuring out how to use them to springboard your growth is the biggest initial road bump. But finding those clients doesn't have to be a nightmare. You just have to get a little creative. He's on the show to talk about a cool strategy for landing the first five clients and how his agency took off from there. In today's episode, we'll cover: Why sometimes even the best agency team members quit. How to score your first few clients. #1 thing to do after you secure your first digital agency clients. Today, I talked with Benjamin Arabov, Founder and CEO of Pure Digital — an agency specializing in PPC, ad design, and influencers. Benjamin is passionate, hardworking, and above all, dedicated. When his brother told him about an agency internship while he was in college, he pounced on the opportunity. From there, he moved into full-time while taking night classes. Why Sometimes Even the Best Agency Team Members Quit Keeping your agency employees can be the hardest part of your initial growth. Replacing team members isn't cheap. In the past, I've talked about how you can dominate employee retention using a variety of methods like profit-sharing and killer training processes. But here's the thing. Even if you give your team members big chunks of cash, it doesn't mean that they're all going to stay. There's no way to prevent employees from leaving. Some people just want out. And I'm not talking about those poor performers you should be firing already. I'm talking about some of your best workers. They may want out. In Benjamin's case, he was crushing it at his first agency job, but he wanted more. Born from a long line of entrepreneurs he decided to chase his own dream and create his startup agency. You should be prepared to lose anyone. And you should have a backup plan in case your most valuable employees up-and-leave. How to Score The First Few Agency Clients The hardest clients you'll ever land are your first ones. You need incoming cash to fuel agency growth. You may have clients in mind. But you don't have past client results to show off and win them over. Why should they even look your way? Benjamin says his agency's early growth was largely due to referrals and a super successful email campaign. If you want to grow early, you have to get scrappy. You need to flex some of those creative muscles. Back in 2015, Benjamin sent out an email campaign offering a performance review (audit), that scored him 5 BIG clients. Let's be honest — that may not work in 2019. Audits have been done to death. But you can identify your own Foot in the Door offer and create a winning email campaign surrounding it. #1 Thing to Do After You Secure Your First Agency Clients When you finally figure out that magic formula to get a few initial clients (call in some favors if you have to!), you need to do something ASAP. You need to hire some people. You don't want to be the person making all the creatives for this account. Why? Because you'll get stuck and unable to scale your agency to the next level. When you spend all your time on those first few clients you put yourself in a prison and you're chained to client work. But when you hire creatives or project managers, you are free to work on business development. You want to scale. We all have different agency goals. You probably want more than just those first few clients. And you need people to make that happen. What role should you hire first? The role you're worst at! Eventually, you want to move away from creatives unless you have an agency partner who can handle the business side. Looking for a Payroll and HR Solution for your Agency? Payroll and benefits are hard. Especially when you're a small business. Gusto is making payroll, benefits and HR easy for small businesses. You no longer have to be a big company to get great technology, great benefits and great service to take care of your team. For a limited time, Gusto is offering a deal to Smart Agency Master Class listeners. Check out Gusto.com/agency for 3-months FREE once you run your first payroll with them.

Are you thinking of starting an agency, but are not sure where to start? Do you have a business model but are struggling to find your core values? In today's market, starting a digital agency can be an exciting and prosperous opportunity. Knowing your brand's message and how to share it with others is the key to standing out and not be another "me too" agency. In today's episode, we'll cover: How to find and retain agency employees. #1 key to creating an agency business plan. How to find your agency's true north. Today, I got the opportunity to sit down with Jonathan Peischl, co-owner of SPLICE Agency. Jonathan started his career as a medical writer, but quickly realized he was destined for the digital ad agency world. After a couple of moves (and a major move across the United States), Jonathan and his business partners realized the companies they were working for were missing a few key components necessary for the industry to survive. Together, the four men created a business plan that has transformed SPLICE from a four-man operation to a company of over 30 employees in just three years. Find out Jonathan's keys to success here. How to Find and Retain Agency Employees When you are creating a business, your employees are going to be one of the key components of your businesses' success. It doesn't matter how great you are at everything else, if your employees are constantly jumping ship for the next bright and shiny opportunity, your agency is going to sink, fast. So how do you make your employees want to work with you? It begins with culture. Promote a culture you want to live by. Jonathan says he wants his employees to have time to pursue their passions. Whether this means letting your employees work from home or leave early to pick up their kids, show your employees that you value their creative input, as well as their lives outside of the business. Really live by this culture. Don't just put it on a whiteboard and be done with it. Creating culture employees want to work in requires care and feeding every day. It begins with great leadership promoting your company's values. #1 Key to Creating an Agency Business Plan The thing about digital agencies is many begin without a solid business plan in place. They start the business and then five years later create a business plan. If you are going into a startup trying to create a business plan from scratch, you want a plan that sets you up for success. The number one way to do this is to develop a plan that works well for both your clients and your team. Once you have your philosophy, you surround it with a set of core values for which you want your company to stand by. When you balance your vision of what you what for your business with what you provide your clients, you will always be able to find your true north. How to Find Your Agency's True North Your true north is where you want your business to grow — where your vision should be focused every day. But how do you find your true north? How do you know what direction is the right direction? It all begins with soul searching. Cleanse yourself from the processes of past employers: It's so easy to get caught up in values and ideas from previous companies and leaders. To find your true north, you need to really sit down and think about what's important to you. Find what makes you stand out from your competitors: You won't always be able to compete on price or cash flow, so it's important that your values and offerings stand out from the crowd. What can you provide that no one else can? How can you position yourself beyond just a commodity? Gut check yourself: You don't want to come up with a vision or idea that is so lofty that nobody can pull it off. That's a way to set yourself up for failure. You have to keep your feet on the ground to some degree. Your true north and guiding values will be a key to your success as an agency. If you can't provide a product or service you are proud of and work for a company you enjoy working for, you're never going to find true success. When you begin with a solid vision and business plan, the opportunity to grow bigger and better will always exist.

Do you want to get free exposure from podcasts, influencer videos, and TV stations? Want to generate leads at no cost? Are you ready to start building your personal brand? Growing a digital agency is all about attention. You want to get in as many people's faces as possible. And you want them to think of you as an authority figure while they're watching. To do that, you need to step up your PR game. How to create a killer agency PR pitch. #1 branding mistake your digital agency is making. Why you need to be the face of your agency. 3 ways to up your content game. Today, I talked with Christina Nicholson, founder of Media Maven — a media relations and PR agency. Christina worked as a reporter and TV anchor for over 10 years before she decided to "transition to the other side" (a.k.a, she jumped ship and created her own PR agency.) Today, Christina has a team of 7 people, and she pumps out an incredible amount of content ranging from podcasts to blog posts and YouTube videos. She's one of those agency owners than transcends their digital agency. And she didn't get there by accident. How to Create a Killer PR Pitch Whether you want to get on the news, on an influencer's YouTube channel, or on a podcast, you need a public relations pitch. Drop those old-school press releases in the trash can and draw up 6 or 7 sentences answering the following questions: What do you have to say? Why should anyone listen? What can you give the audience? Why is it relevant? Why is it important? Try to make it topical. You may own a trash pickup service, but if you have some killer advice that is relevant to digital agency owners, you better believe I'll have you on my podcast. It's all about positioning. How can you take your experience, product, or service and apply them to a specific situation? Look, if that trash pickup service owner tells me he understands how to sell his services to people, I'm not going to have him on the podcast. It just doesn't resonate with my audience (that's you!). But if he tells me he has tips on how to win clients with amazing on-the-spot pitches, regardless of the target audience, then he's in! It may be the same information, but positioning, phrasing, and application of that information are totally different. #1 Branding Mistake Your Digital Agency is Making Most agency owners spend a ton of time branding. But are you branding... YOU? Personal branding is massive in today's agency ecosystem. People like Gary Vee, Neil Patel, and Seth Godin have become more than their agency. They've become full-blown brands. And that's what your clients expect. Christina says you have to practice what you preach. You have to have the authority, social proof, and credibility to get clients to trust you and your agency. People want to work with people, not nameless agencies. How do you self brand? Treat yourself as a client. Take time out of your busy schedule to brand yourself. Start a podcast, pump out some videos, or start making incredible blog posts. Having a personal brand breeds trust with clients and your team. Leverage your talents and make an identity for yourself. What happens when you Google your name? Does your bland LinkedIn profile popup? If so, you've got some work to do! Why You Need To Be the Face of Your Agency Once you start mastering personal branding, people are going to turn to you first. When prospects look at your agency, they're going to have you in mind. So what happens when every client starts asking to work with you directly? It's just not possible! You need to be the face of your agency. But you should never be the voice. Let clients know you have an incredible team to help them. And, your team is their touchpoint. Also, let them know you take a personal interest in every account. You get the emails forwarded to you, and you're working on the backend to make stuff happen. But you simply can't be there to field their questions or touch base with them. Set those expectations early. Honestly, your clients will be ok with it. The best example of this is Gary Vaynerchuk and VaynerMedia. Gary Vee isn't going to personally oversee your account. He is the face of the agency and his clients know they aren't going to work directly with him. Your clients secretly know that too. Just make sure you set those expectations early. 3 Ways to Up Your Content Game Christina says you need tons of content in order to build your personal brand. But putting out tons of content is time-consuming, expensive, and difficult, right? So how do you do it? Use other people's content. You don't have to create and share your own content. When Christina knows this podcast is live, you better believe she's going to share it on social media. Why? Because it brands her! It's ok to share other people's content. It's even better if you were involved. This goes back to PR pitches. If you can get on those podcasts and social channels, you can share that content to brand yourself. Recycle your content. It's not a sin to share t

Is it just me or can agency life really suck sometimes? Ever wish you could just hit the reset button? Or get a do-over? It's like we're always working for our clients, improving their business, and adopting their purpose instead of having our own. In turn, we struggle to grow our agency business because can't see the forest for the trees. It happens to all of us from time to time. But a turnaround might be easier than you think. In this episode, we'll cover: How can your digital agency inspire happiness? 5 things your agency can do to be more successful. This is a banner episode for me, guys. It's my first three-peat guest, Jeff Hilimire. That's right, he's been on the show twice before talking about agency growth strategies and mistakes to avoid. He founded and sold his first agency and is now in his sixth year as founder of his agency, Dragon Army. He has also founded a web development non-profit called 48 in 48 and sits on the board for a variety of other 501(c)(3)'s. Jeff has been in the industry for over 20 years and he's seen it all. In fact, that's exactly why he literally wrote the book on how entrepreneurs can change their mindset in order to get out of their own way and turnaround their business. How Can Your Digital Agency Inspire Happiness? Jeff founded Dragon Army in 2013 as a gaming startup, after selling his first agency. After one year of chasing success in the game realm, Jeff says he realized his agency did not have a purpose. Jeff's revelation: agencies are always working for other people and adapting their clients' purposes. At that moment, he decided to develop a purpose and pivot his agency to carry it out. Today, Dragon Army focuses on web, mobile, and brand marketing. Their purpose is to inspire happiness with positive relationships. I know what you're thinking… how in the heck?! But it's actually really basic. Jeff says they execute this in two ways: creating impactful work and doing good. And what's even more basic -- they start internally with inspiring happiness among the team. Think about it this way. When you create a desireable agency culture and actually live your core values, you end up inspiring your team. That inspiration flows over into their work -- and everyone wins. This purpose-driven business model has won Dragon Army clients like Coca-Cola, Lyft, and Chick-Fil-A, to name a few. Jeff's advice to all agency owners is to consider how you can inspire happiness in a way that has a profound effect on your team. 5 Things Your Agency Can Do To Hit the Reset Button In such a competitive space, it's natural for agency owners to be constantly focused on the bottom line. But, Jeff says that is exactly what's causing agencies to bottom-out. Reflecting on his 20+ years of experience as an entrepreneur and agency leader, Jeff considered 5 lessons or core principles that can help other businesses change their mindset and create transformative growth. In The Five-Day Turnaround, Jeff authored a narrative about a business who adopts these 5 principles to turn around their business amid five client meetings: Adopt a do or die mindset. A lot of businesses get complacent and lose this "do or die mentality." But when there's no Plan B, you're forced to solve problems or find a fix. Find your purpose, vision, tenents, and values. While successful already agencies employ this, it's important that teams actually do too. Consider your team as your startup and develop team purpose, vision, tenents, and values. Get the right people on the bus. Understanding and defining how to get the right people working with you and building trust among the team. Move at the speed of a startup. Embracing the MVP "minimum viable product" and learning to take action without hesitation. Reward failure. Try new things, embrace failure, and celebrate losses. Get over the threat of "messing up." Would You Like More Leads for Your Agency? If you want to get more leads with an 80% open rate and 25% click-through rate, you need to check out ManyChat. Engage prospects and build relationships with simple personalized experiences using the #1 bot platform for Facebook Messenger. I've been using ManyChat for 3 years for connecting with prospects and converting leads. ManyChat bots are ideal for marketing, e-commerce, and support; making it easy to have automated conversations with prospects and customers. To connect with the 1.3 billion daily Facebook Messenger users, head to ManyChat.com and enter code: SwenkPro for a free one-month trial.

Not sure when you should add to your agency team? Wonder who the first hire should be, and when? Growing an agency can be difficult and lonely. But when you have the right kind of support, the right people, and identify the right clients you'll grow leaps and bounds. In today's episode, we'll cover: How to know it's time to add to your agency team. #1 thing to grow your agency beyond 6-figures. On this week's podcast, we are hearing from Drew Schulthess, owner of Catchfire Creative. Drew's agency has been working in the consumer packaged goods and lifestyle brands space since 2011. He's on the show today talking about the steps he took to get over to the million-mark and beyond in revenue. How to Know It's Time to Add to Your Agency Team Drew's first hire was a mere four months into starting his agency. That's super quick, right? He said that at the time, a resume came across his desk that was just good to pass up. The person was multi-faceted and seemed to have experience in many different areas that Drew wanted to grow. So even though it was a stretch on the budget, he took the leap to bring the person on board… and eight years later, he's still with the agency! Of course, Drew says his first hire has been amazing and able to adapt and evolve as the agency changes and grows. Here's the thing about hiring. When you're just starting out, you might feel like you need to "sell" the agency to the candidate and convince them to want to work with you. (I remember thinking, "why would someone want to do this with me?") But remember -- it's supposed to be the other way around, of course! Make the candidate sell themselves to you. And hire for culture fit first, over skillset. #1 Thing to Grow Your Agency Beyond 6-Figures Here's why I really dig Drew… he listens to me :) Drew credits a nugget of advice he picked up in one of my videos about setting prospect qualification criteria. He says taking the time to do that made the difference for his agency and helped them sky-rocket to the million mark and beyond. Once you have a framework for who your ideal clients are, you can stop saying yes to everything. (Like you can quit taking on the clients with unreasonable deadlines and outrageous requests, like this one.) It might seem counterintuitive to turn down work, but when you start saying no to the wrong work, it frees you up to only saying yes to the right stuff. Drew says that creating the criteria and actually putting it on paper was an important exercise for his agency. It gave him the clarity he had been missing and was the turning point in the agency's growth. Related: https://jasonswenk.com/nbat/ Would You Like More Leads for Your Agency? If you want to get more leads with an 80% open rate and 25% click-through rate, you need to check out ManyChat. Engage prospects and build relationships with simple personalized experiences using the #1 bot platform for Facebook Messenger. I've been using ManyChat for 3 years for connecting with prospects and converting leads. ManyChat bots are ideal for marketing, e-commerce, and support; making it easy to have automated conversations with prospects and customers. To connect with the 1.3 billion daily Facebook Messenger users, head to ManyChat.com and enter code: SwenkPro for a free one-month trial.

Is your agency struggling to convert leads? Are you looking for a new service that can deliver more leads to your clients? It's all about delivering personalized attention. And, everyone's attention is currently on Facebook Messenger. Your agency and your clients can convert more leads when you connect and engage in the right place at the right time. With billions of users and plenty of engagement, Facebook Messenger is one of the best ways to get in front of your prospects. In today's episode, we'll cover: Why your digital agency should be using Facebook Messenger. How to use a bot to vet agency clients. #1 way to convert more leads with Facebook Messenger. Today, I talked with Mike Yan, Co-founder of ManyChat.com — a chat marketing automation company. Mike's journey to Manychat was simple. He identified a gap in the market, saw an opportunity, and pounced on it. Facebook Messenger is one of the highest converting marketing tools on the planet right now. And being able to automate workflows in Messenger is a no-brainer. Here's how Mike's tool is helping agencies create some seriously cool campaigns. Why Your Digital Agency Should Be Using Facebook Messenger Want some kick-you-in-the-pants statistic to get you going? Facebook Messenger's open rates are around 80%. CTRs climb as high as 60%. And it has billions of users. If your agency hasn't jumped on the Messenger bandwagon yet, you should. You're sitting on a pile of gold. Just look down. And being an early adopter of a tool like Manychat in order to automate your Messenger conversations is going to help you dominate down the road. Because here's the thing — your agency needs automation to win clients. You can have a team of salespeople that could sell ice in Alaska and an ops team with a bottle of growth serum. But if you can't actually reach your clients — you're going to run into a brick wall. Automation is the secret to reaching your ideal clients at scale. How to Use Bots to Vet Agency Clients I'm a huge fan of chatbots. I use a slick Don Draper bot to vet agency owners. And, I've talked a ton about the value of chatbots across digital channels. But when it comes to Messenger, you NEED to have a bot. After you've drawn up an incredible buyer's journey and target audience, you need to figure out which leads are high-value and which aren't. The key to effectively using a chatbot is to limit it to STARTING a conversation. It's not intended to BUILD a relationship. Use a bot to filter or categorize prospects but you need a human to continue the relationship... and that is what will set you apart from other automated agencies With chatbots, you can run prospects through the gambit without having to lift a finger. Your chatbot can determine if they're just tire kickers or serious prospects. If they're in the former category, you can add them to your list and hit them with your barrage of top-funnel strategies without wasting real resources. But if they're in the latter category, you can instantly connect them to a real person and leverage your salespeople. #1 Way to Convert with Facebook Messenger What's the #1 problem with bots? People know they're bots! Stop thinking about chatbots as salespeople and start thinking about them as a digital concierge. Once prospects reveal their intentions, you can send the high-intent ones personalized video or audio messages. This works doubly well if it comes from you instead of your team. This way your prospect goes from talking to a chatbot to getting a one-of-a-kind messaging from the person in charge. That switch from automation to personalization can help you win big by distinguishing your agency from the rest who are bot-ifying everything! In a world that is fully automated, set your agency apart with custom and personal contact.

Want a peek into Gary Vaynerchuk's and VaynerX's agency growth strategy? What can you learn about agency structure and growth from VaynerMedia? What does it take to become a "visionary" like Gary Vee? Great questions! And the President of The Sasha Group (a VaynerX agency) is here to share all this and more. Check out how you can apply some very Gary principles to your digital agency. In today's episode, we'll cover: What does an agency COO do? 3 things that make a good agency visionary. 4 ways to create a successful offshoot agency. The biggest piece of marketing advice from The Sasha Group president. Today, I talked with James Orsini, the President of The Sasha Group — an agency under the VaynerX banner that services $1 million and $100 million companies. James was also the former COO of VaynerMedia — and he's responsible for helping align and execute on Gary Vaynerchuck's visions. So, how did James go from COO of VaynerMedia to President of The Sasha Group? And how does The Sasha Group help VaynerMedia funnel smaller clients into their agency? Let's find out! What Does an Agency COO Do? James was the COO of VaynerMedia before he took on the President position at The Sasha Group. Why is it important to have a COO and what role do they play within the agency? The Agency COO helps facilitate responsibilities and set strategies. James explains it like this: Gary sets the vision. James sets the strategy. And the senior leadership executes that vision using those strategies to create tangible results. Every agency does the Tango with those three primary pillars (i.e., vision, strategy, and execution.) But it can be tough to do all of it alone. Typically, the visionary type isn't the best strategy person. And that strategy person may or may not be good at execution. You don't want one person trying to do all three things. And that's a major problem for some agency owners. We love to do everything. Not only do you not have to set strategies and execute those strategies, you probably shouldn't. Hire for your weaknesses, and hire an A-team that can help facilitate your visions. 3 Things That Make a Good Agency Visionary We all know Gary Vee is a visionary. He's in the all-star category with Seth Godin, Rand Fishkin, Neil Patel, and all of the other marketers who are the brand of their agency. Gary has an insanely popular YouTube channel, tons of clout in the industry, and a massive agency to back it up. But what makes someone a good visionary? Is it an inherent trait? Or something you can learn? Is it when their image transcends their agency? Is it their ability to lead, inspire, and innovate broadly? Or maybe visionaries are freak occurrences that just happen. Maybe it's just in their DNA. Maybe we're born visionaries... I believe anyone can be a visionary. You just have to focus on three things: The Big Picture: You can't get emotionally attached to projects, and you can't sweat the small technical details. Visionaries see and communicate the big picture and trust their team to carry it out. Leadership: Gary calls himself the "moldable dictator." He's the main man but he's also willing to pivot ideas and adjust plays when necessary. Hold the reigns to your agency. But be willing to listen to the ideas of those smart people you've hired. Find the Attention: Find what the people want — not what you want them to want. Gary Vee understands consumer attention is focused on social platforms. So, he is present on all social platforms and he started a social media agency. Steve Jobs understood what people wanted (i.e., gorgeous devices that are simple and contained.) So, he focused on well-designed devices that existed in a closed-source ecosystem. Focus on what the marketplace wants and demands. 4 Ways to Create a Successful Offshoot Agency When your agency starts to grow, you have to start saying no. But, every time you say it, a little piece of you dies inside. After all, someone is sitting cash on the table in front of you, but you have to tell them no because you'retrying to stay focused on the right projects and clients to grow your agency. So, why not make an offshoot agency? Whether is SaaS or a complementary service, your smaller agency can handle some of the smaller clients, and you get to keep the revenue. It's a win-win... right? Maybe. But here's the problem — offshoot agencies have a bad habit of failing. But The Sasha Group is far from failing. And, with their mission statement of "we'll help you outgrow us into VaynerMedia," they're setting the stage for Vayner to funnel small businesses to them. So what makes them different? They don't use main agency resources: You can't use the same resources for your offshoot agency as you do for your main one. Why wouldn't they just go to your main agency at that point? They need to be separate entities with different day-to-day leadership and execution teams. They don't just take "low budget" clients: James says big clients with small budgets aren't "small budget,"