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

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,"

How much time should you spend on client work vs. actually growing your agency? Figuring out how to grow early isn't easy. You're not sure where to start and what to focus on. Chances are, you're spending too much time on client work and way too much time trying to land the next big contract. But is it worth it? In today's episode, we'll cover: #1 way to grow your agency fast. 3 ways to determine your agency's niche. Why you might need to say no to big projects. Should you spend time on neutral tasks? Today, I talked with Jordan Scheltgen, co-founder of Cave Social — a social media agency based out of Canada. Jordan has been hustling for brands before he was self-aware of it. His pre-agency blog, CaveMag, had a story about having season tickets to Florida Panthers games. It blew up and went viral, with tons of social shares and exposure. And he quickly realized he could do this... for money! Since then, his agency has rocketed to three locations already! So how did he grow so fast, and what did he focus on first? #1 Way to Grow Your Agency Fast You have to niche! Seriously! If I sound repetitive, it's because it's super important. Niching separates you from the pack and keeps the lights on. But Jordan's agency didn't just niche to find more clients. They niched to create repeatable processes, which is another benefit of niching down. Let's say your agency niches into plumbing. Are plumbers in LA really that different from plumbers in Nebraska? No - not at all. So, this gives you the ability to create a process you can use again and again for clients, in order to grow rapidly and become an authority. When you niche, you become an authority in a specific market. You can speak their language and get really familiar with their common challenges and pain points. When prospects realize you "get" them, it makes them want to work you with. But what if you can't figure out what your niche should be? 3 Ways to Determine Your Agency's Niche If you want to find the perfect niche for your agency, you need to answer these three questions. What am I passionate about? What do I have knowledge about? What's a problem I can solve? If you can find a niche that answers all three questions, you're golden. But even if you can only answer one or two questions, that's fine! You can become passionate. You can gain knowledge. And you can always find a problem to solve. But having at least one of those questions answered can help your agency focus on a niche (either vertical or horizontal -- or both) that will help you grow faster. Why You Might Need to Say No to Big Projects Turning down a massive deal is really difficult. So most of end up saying yes, and then live to regret it. But don't be fooled by the numbers — figure out if it's actually worth the money. For example, you may get offered a one-off project worth $50k. But if your long-term clients are paying you $10k per month, the big one-off client may not be worth the time. It's all about opportunity cost. Remember, when you say yes to one thing, it means saying no to something else. Make smart choices about the value of your time, and remember bigger projects don't always mean better projects. And it's about more than just basic math. If the client is going to cause you headaches or disrupt your agency culture, learn to say no! There are more reasons to turn a client down than there are to accept one. Should You Spend Time on Neutral Tasks? Are you wondering how much time to focus on systems and how much time to focus on clients? Try this trick: create a list. Grab a piece of paper and make three columns. In column one, list all of the value positive tasks you have. In column two, list all of the value negative tasks you have. And in column three, list all of the neutral tasks you have (those tasks that aren't really positive or negative.) Then, take everything in the latter two columns, and delegate or automate it. As owner, you should only be focused on positive value tasks. Most of the time, you'll find there's not much client work on the list. The bigger you grow, the faster you may need to start moving towards business-side tasks. 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.

Wondering if an agency merger is right for you? Curious how do those new partnerships work? And what do you do if they don't? Taking the leap with another agency can be a strategic move. Maybe you want to grow faster or combine skillsets. Whatever the reason is, here's everything you need to know about agency mergers. In today's episode, we'll cover: Should your agency leverage the gig economy? How to know if an agency merger is right for you. #1 way to make agency partnerships work. How to cope with agency partner problems. How one small change can impact agency culture. Today, I talked with Adam Williams, CEO of Magneti — a branding and digital agency out of Colorado. Over the years, Adam has founded a variety of startups ranging from publishing to construction companies. When Adam decided to take the leap into the agency space, he was well-prepared for the business side, but he needed scale and some extra creatives on his side. He's here to share the story of why he decided to merge with another small agency to tackle some bigger clients. Should Your Agency Leverage the Gig Economy? The rise of the gig economy is massive for agencies. Are you worried your agency doesn't have the creative scale to capture big clients? You can leverage the gig economy to deliver those creatives. Are you worried onboarding costs are going to sink your agency? The gig economy can help you deliver at a fraction of the price. The secret is creating processes for external contractors to follow. Once you have the processes down, you can scale-at-will. Want to deliver a massive project for a new client? No problem! You can scale up with freelancers quickly and easily. Hiring freelancers is a no-brainer for most agencies. Just make sure you're hiring the right one! How to Know if an Agency Merger is Right for You There are a million reasons to merge your agency with another. You may be experiencing a growth spike that's forcing your business into new roles you need help developing. You could have a big client you need a little help with. You may want to grow super fast. Or you may even want to fulfill some agency responsibilities you're, well, not good at (like taxes, billing, or even HR.) The only way to know if a merger is right for you is to ask yourself some questions, like: Does this agency offer services my clients need? Do the owners have skillsets I don't have? Does the agency have scalable processes we can adopt? What does the agency's book of business look like? When you start answering those hard-hitting questions, the merger answer will smack you in the face. #1 Way to Make Agency Partnership Work If you do decide to merge, it could mean bringing on a few new partners. And this can be a serious pain if you're not ready. How do you make it work? And how do you prevent bad partnerships from tearing your agency apart? Here's the secret — it's all about empathy. You have to care about the person on the other side of the table. When you're making agency decisions, think, "how would this impact my partner's family?" Make it personal. Because let's be honest. Sometimes, we get angry at our business partners. It's natural. But you always have to dig deep and remember who they are as a person and why you ventured into business together, to begin with. You can get mad at each other -- but you have to respect one another enough to be empathetic. But, what do you do if it just really isn't going to work? How to Cope With Agency Partner Problems Is your partnership just not going to work out? It's ok! You don't have to explain. But you do have to break up with them. At this point, the only question you have to ask is, "who's buying out whom?" If you want to remain in the driver's seat, you have to execute a successful buyout. Here's the thing. If you were empathetic during your entire partnership, this part is probably going to be easier than you think. Make sure everyone walks away happy, don't let it impact your day-to-day work, and smile when you're done. How One Small Change Can Impact Agency Culture Sometimes, having agency rules can disorient workers. Your team needs guidance and structure, but not a list of rules to follow. If you have a giant paper filled with rules hanging in your break area, it may be time to rethink your strategy. Your agency culture should create rules without having to write them down. Check this out -- Adam's agency only has 3 rules: Over-communicate. Nail the details. Have fun! Those three simple things capture so many different little things. They're easy for team members to remember, and they're rules that have scale. 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

Have you been using the same set of processes for years? When's the last time you updated your SOP's? Old, tired processes could be hindering agency growth. If you're feeling stuck it could be an Operations issue. Sales and marketing can get you clients, but stellar operations is what sets you apart - or not. Don't focus on leads; focus on processes. That's the secret to rapid growth. In this episode, we'll cover: How to scale with better agency operations. How to level-up your agency every year. Stop being scared to scale your agency. Today, I talked with Clint Cobia who is the COO of 98 Buck Social — a social media management agency. Clint is an ops man at his core. Over the past few years, his agency has exploded due to his focus on creating the right processes and breeding superior Ops practices. He's on the show to share ways to do better with Ops so you can grow your agency. How to Scale With Better Agency Operations Scaling up is all about hiring, firing, and processes. Those processes define your agency. If you can't produce repeatable work, you're working 10x as hard for half the return. Ask yourself these questions: Do my employees know what do to every day when they get to work? Do I use time as a measure of success or processes? Does everybody in the agency know their roles in the bigger scheme? Is my creative side and sales side systematic? Clint says if the answer to any of those is no, you have a problem! So, hire an Ops Manager or start developing some in-house processes. Use your Ops to create an unfair advantage over the competition because it's not going to create itself. How to Level-Up Your Agency Every Year Having an agency with 10 employees is vastly different than having one with 20. Agencies have levels. These levels aren't set in stone, but you can pretty much guarantee that if you're growing at a healthy pace, you're going to level up at least once a year. You can't use the same processes with a team of 20 that you used with 10 employees. The key is to completely strip everything down and reinvent your processes annually. It may sound like a pain, but it saves time and stress in the long run. Stop Being Scared to Scale Your Agency Agency owners are notoriously hungry. We want to grow bigger, faster and more aggressively. But we're also notoriously scared of growth. Don't believe me? Let me ask you a question — do you know what's holding you back? Clint believes most of us do. Chances are, you do too. You know you need to hire a salesperson. You realize you need better processes. And, you aware you should definitely drop that problem client. Whatever it is — you know it but you haven't done it yet, have you? Why? Because you're scared of growth! Whether it's because you're too comfortable right now or you're scared growing because the next level is too complicated and risky, something is holding you back. But you shouldn't be scared... Growth is really just another word for agency evolution. If you're doing things right, it's bound to happen. I believe growth is a conscious choice. And it is. But so is sitting in limbo. You probably know what needs to be done. You just haven't done it yet. Here's my challenge for all of you today. Get up and go do the thing you know is holding you back. Hire that salesperson, get an Ops Manager, or fire that client. Whatever it is that you've been putting off — go do it. 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.

Do you feel like growing and scaling is always a struggle? Need to differentiate yourself from other agencies? Finding success as an agency owner isn't easy. But with the right mindset, you can hit the 8-figure mark and even power through an eventual agency acquisition. Whether you want to grow your agency fast or plan on growing it to sell, you need to hear from the one and only Mitch Joel, who's done it all. In today's episode, we'll cover: 3 steps to an 8-figure agency. How to power through an agency acquisition. #1 way to differentiate your agency. Today, I talked with Mitch Joel, co-founder of Mirum and founder of Six Pixels Group. Joel is a marketing superstar. He was one of Canada's Top 40 under 40, does keynotes for top brands, and has a best-selling book, Six Pixels of Separation. Mitch also sold his agency Mirum to WPP (a.k.a the world's largest ad agency). And he's on the show to talk about how he was able to grow, sell, and move on from his agency. 3 Steps to an 8-Figure Agency For many agencies, the 8-figure mark is the "we made it!" moment. But how do you get there? Honestly, everyone's path is a little different. That being said, here are 3 universal steps you'll probably need to make. Take on the right partner: There are two things that make a partner great. They need to have the same goals, and they need to compliment your weaknesses. If you're a master salesperson and you're looking for an agency partner, don't look for a salesperson. Find someone who is amazing at the things you're really bad at. Otherwise, you may both end up trying to play to the same tune. And that can lead to a nasty breakup. Get a marquee client: Landing your first big client can completely reshape your agency. You can go from pennies to dollars overnight. It only takes on business with a few friends to grow your agency fast. There's a misconception that you have to have tons of clients to grow. That's not true. You just need a couple of good ones. And they don't even have to big per se! But they do need to be able to pay your agency what you're worth. Have the right philosophy: You need to be scale-focused. What does that mean? It means that your processes need to be capable of handling scale. Think about your ability to support large-scale projects with big clients. If you feel like your foundation is weak, you need to build it up before you take on any big clients. Don't just chase big fish without a big hook. You'll get pulled overboard. How to Power Through An Agency Acquisition There's another way to "make it" without hitting 8-figures. Getting your agency acquired is the dream for many of you. It happened to me, and it happened to Mitch. But what do you do when it actually happens? Your first instinct may be to go out and spend the cash. Don't do that! You have to wait until the acquisition is 100% finalized before you celebrate. The entire process will take a while. And you need to be focused on continuing to grow your agency AND focusing on your new "biggest client" — the company acquiring your agency. Force yourself to wait to celebrate. Afterward, you have to get used to not calling the shots. It's tough. You can always do what I did; go start a podcast. It gives you back some of the control you're used to. Plus, you get to help people out. It's a win-win! #1 Way to Differentiate Your Agency Are you tired of being a "me too" agency? Then change your philosophy. STOP trying to be like your competition and you do you. Don't be like everyone else, but instead figure where you stand on these four things that set you apart from every other agency: Trust Empathy Chemistry Authority How can you create a differentiate using these four pillars to stand apart? First, create trust with your clients by showing tons of empathy. Develop amazing internal chemistry that is evident in the way you carry out your core values. And display the level of authority that conveys domination in your area of expertise. Then, use your messaging (website, social posts, etc.) to display this differentiation to your prospects. 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.

Considering a merger or acquisition to scale your agency? Wondering what's involved in selling, but overwhelmed at the thought of it all? Relax! The processes can be stressful, but it's totally manageable and can also be a great growth strategy. Whether you want to stay in control and grow your agency with an acquisition, or you want to exit your business with a massive payday, here's everything you need to know about agency mergers and acquisitions. In this episode, we'll cover: 3 things agency acquirers are looking for. The best way to cure agency growing pains. Can you really grow through mergers and acquisitions? Today, I talked with Jose Lozano CEO of 9thWonder — a full-service digital marketing agency with offices around the globe. Jose didn't start off with a massive agency, and he didn't grow one... he bought one! After selling his company to a massive organization, he led a group to acquire an agency to scale up. Jose shares why and how to scale your business by acquiring another agency. 3 Things Agency Acquirers Are Looking For Selling your agency is an important decision. Are you really ready to sell? What will you do after you sell? Will you merge agencies and stay on, or get acquired and move on? The answers to all of these questions matter. But, before you can even start thinking about them, you have to ask the big question — is your agency sellable? When CMOs and big organizations look at agencies, they aren't just looking at profitability. They're looking for opportunities. Jose has done internal M&A polling, and I've talked to thousands of agency owners on this subject. Here are 3 things that make your agency sellable. Having Processes: You can be crazy-successful but still look like a bad investment. Having success is one thing — having a repeatable formula for success is a whole different ballgame. When you have the right processes in place it lets investors know you're successful and that you've broken your success down into a repeatable formula. Being Independent: If you created your agency with the sole purpose of selling it, you're at a disadvantage. It's like when people buy a house just to flip it, they treat it differently because it's not their home and never will be. The same thing happens with agencies. Being an independent owner who has hustled and bled for their agency is huge. It lets people know you're personally invested in your business. Niching Out: You have to have an unfair advantage. Why should an acquirer buy you? There are plenty of agencies out there but, if you do something better than everyone else — you're worth top dollar. Dominating a specific niche not only makes your agency more valuable to investors, but it is one of the best ways to be viewed as an industry leader. The Best Way to Cure Agency Growing Pains Your agency's size is not relative when it comes to stress. I've met agency owners with 3 part-time team members that were as stressed as owners with 30. It's all about how you handle key areas of your business. What's causing the stress? Is it ops? Or are you having trouble handling team members? Whatever it is you have to pinpoint it and either hire it out or partner up with someone who gets it. Deciding to grow is a conscious choice. And it can be impossible to make that choice when you're busy managing your stress level. Chances are, you know what's causing your stress. Maybe you're overwhelmed with finances and KPI's, or maybe you dragging your feet on hiring or firing. That's ok! If you feel like you're not cut out for the role of CEO the solution might be getting acquired or merging with an agency. Don't be afraid to give away some of your equity to reduce your stress. Which would you rather have? Full ownership of a stressful, chaotic agency, or 80% ownership of a well-managed one? Can You Really Grow Through Mergers and Acquisitions? Yes, you really can! Giving away equity can put you on the growth fast track. And acquiring another agency can also be one of the smartest moves you ever make if you do it right. I know what you're thinking! How do you know what your agency (or another agency) is truly worth? You can check out this video on agency valuation. Bottom line, the answer really depends: How profitable are they? What kind of niche are they in? What's their profit margin? Check out my post on how to double your growth with an acquisition. 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 find the right clients? Wish your agency was working with bigger clients? Finding the right clients isn't easy — especially if you're trying to grow from freelance to agency owner. The secret is having the right qualification process and knowing who to say yes (and no) to. In this episode, we'll cover: How to go from freelancer to digital agency owner. 3 reasons you might steer clear of big agency clients. #1 way to choose the right agency clients. Today's interview is with Jesse Witham, the Co-Founder and CMO of Search Marketing Agency. Jesse has been doing SEO since he was young (like 14!), way back when keyword stuffing and digital directories were "SEO" so he knows the complicated evolution of the field. Jesse went from freelancing to owning an agency handling over $300 million in client SEO spend. He's here to share his story about agency growth and finding the right clients. How to Go From Freelancer to Agency Owner Going from freelancer to digital agency owner is natural. As a freelancer, you already have some clients— you just need to scale. So, why not start a business, hire a few people, and start serving more clients, right? While everyone has unique reasons for making the jump, they all share one thing in common — they're ready to go big or go home. So how do you actually do make the leap? The biggest thing is making the first hire. Sure, setting up an LLC, creating a brand and logo are all important steps. But, the symbolic moment for the transition from "freelancer" to "agency owner" is that first hire. That's when you know you've gone from being solo to being a team. And that's a lot of responsibility — suddenly you have someone relying on you. That's the magic line you cross when you go from freelancer to agency. Your first hire doesn't have to be another creative or a salesperson. You should always hire for your weakness. You don't want a clone of yourself, you want someone who can fill the gaps you leave. Like the ying to your yang :) Jesse's first hire was someone who could keep him organized; I usually suggest a first hire be a project manager. 3 Reasons You Should Steer Clear of Big Agency Clients Big clients with their big budgets always seem appealing. Don't be fooled! Here's the problem with big clients — they can make or break your agency. Whether you're a new agency owner or have decades of experience under your belt, one thing never gets easier — turning down big budgets. Sure, big clients have tons to spend on marketing. But that doesn't mean those big clients are the best way to scale your agency. There are 3 issues with big clients. Inhibited growth: Having 5 huge clients can mean major revenue, but at what cost? When you have 5 clients that absorb all your time, it's tough to grow. You can't test new concepts on a multi-million dollar account. With smaller clients, you can more easily research, test, and develop new strategies and tactics. It's much harder with clients that are make-or-break accounts. Lack of diversity: The bigger they are, the harder they fall. And when they fall, it can really impact your agency (but not necessarily a bad thing!). Having a few key clients is stressful. You're constantly in fear of losing them. Big egos: When clients know they're your biggest, they may act like it. This leaves the client with the upper hand, and you without leverage. Big clients can also come with big egos. As an agency owner, your team expects you to handle those egos. That's tough to do when losing a single client can tank the agency. Having a bunch of similar sized clients allows you to be more selective. #1 Way to Choose the Right Clients It's important to know when to say no to clients, but the real question is — when do you say yes? The easiest way is to create some criteria. If they fit it, they're in. If they don't, they're gone. Easier said than done, I know. But letting a few rotten apples slip through can spoil the whole bunch. You have to create crystal clear criteria and stick to it. What does this mean? It means saying no more often than you're comfortable with at first. But in the long run, you'll only be working with the ideal clients who you can really help be successful. That's a WIN! 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.

Would you like to master inbound marketing with killer content? Would you like your agency to generate more leads without working harder to find them? Generating more traffic and engagement is the key. And it's doing better is easier than you think when you address the right two audiences. With some strategy you can win at the content game and land your digital agency more inbound leads an ever. In today's episode, we'll cover: Two audiences every digital agency needs to create content for. Why the agency owner should be the face of the agency. How your digital agency can increase blog site traffic. Today, I talked with Kieran Flanagan — VP of Marketing for HubSpot. Not only did Kieran help HubSpot grow into an international marketing goliath, but he's also partially responsible for growing their freemium business. We all know HubSpot is a big deal in marketing but, did you know 100% of HubSpot's customers come from the demand created by the marketing team? Kieran's on the show today to share with us the two audiences his team focuses on and why your agency should too. Two Audiences Every Digital Agency Needs to Create Content For How do you satisfy the mental cravings of clients and forge emotional connections with them? HubSpot breaks their marketing department into two teams — Mind and Heart. So, the Mind team is responsible for tactical content such as blog posts. The team figures out what people are searching and creates content around questions, concerns, and keywords based on SEO demand. The Heart team is responsible for emotional creative, like videos and audio content. You know, the stuff that pulls at entertains or creates connections. This type of content makes people feel that working with your business will solve their problem or ease their pain point. Here's what's great: Each team has its own content calendar, and they act independently. This way, both types of content gets full focus, and HubSpot knows it's churning out both types of content regularly. Why the Agency Owner Should Be the Face of the Agency What do VaynerMedia, Apple, and Microsoft all have in common? They all have an owner who represents the brand! You need to be the face of your agency. Now, I know that can be scary sounding. Many agency owners feel being the face of their agency is too time-consuming, but it doesn't have to be! You set the methodology. Yes - you be a leader. And no, you don't have to hustle 24/7. It can be as simple or as complicated as you want. As always, stop doing the things you suck at and nail your strengths. As an Agency CEO, you have 5 roles in the agency and being the front-face of the company is #1. How Your Digital Agency Can Increase Blog Site Traffic As most everyone knows, HubSpot has some fantastic blogging tips. They do pillar and cluster model for their posts, including marketing funnel diagrams and spend tons of time and resources on the HubSpot blog. So, obviously they have some phenomenal blogging tips, right? Here it is... drumroll please... you have to have a reason to write blogs. Wait! Before you roll your eyes, think about it. Does your agency really have a reason to create your blogs? Are you just writing "10 Reasons to Hire a Digital Marketing Agency" style blog posts (which are so clearly just cushy soft sales pitches)? Your prospects aren't stupid - they see right through that stuff. Your blog posts don't capture the heart or the mind of your prospects. When HubSpot writes "Best Marketing Hacks of 2019" their content isn't just ranking. They're accomplishing their mission, too. They sell marketing software and their mission is to help marketers with solutions to make their jobs easier. That blog post both ranks and it furthers their mission and it caters to a specific audience with a beneficial outcome. So -- If you sell agency services to lawyers, don't write "10 reasons you need a digital marketing agency." Instead, write a post titled "10 Ways to Get Quality Law Leads for your Law Practice" and see what difference it makes.

We've all seen tech companies explode in popularity and valuation. How can your digital agency get a piece a sweet tech venture? Check out how one agency owner is out there successfully building technology and simultaneously running a digital marketing agency -- and crushing it at both. In today's episode, we'll cover: How to build technology at your digital agency. One unique method to create tons of internal content. #1 growth tip for new agency owners. Today, I talked with Bhanuka Harischandra, Founder and CEO of Surge.Global — a digital marketing and tech agency in Sri Lanka. Bhanuka's agency does everything from video to mobile to content and even SEO... but they also build tech. So, while half of Surge Global is helping businesses scale with marketing, the other half is scaling tech projects and creating tech companies. Bhanuka is here to tell us how to build tech at your agency and use it to grow and scale your business. How to Successfully Build Technology at Your Digital Agency Tech revenue is tempting, am I right? We see these tech startups with 5 employees that scale to $500 million in a few years and it's mind-blowing. So, as an entrepreneur, you may be trying to balance your desire to chase tech with your love for agency work. Guess what? You don't have to decide between them. Instead, you can build tech and build your agency at the same time. It's all about keeping a balance. Bhanuka's advice is to hire two separate teams. Your agency team should not develop tech projects. You need a separate R&D team to help build external and internal tech projects. You can even create an incubator. Hire some developers to work on different projects, see which ones take off, and then scale the winners up. Bhanuka transitions R&D teams with great products into their own business and his agency remains a shareholder. It helps keep everyone focused on their unique task. One Unique Method to Create Tons of Internal Content Creating internal content can be a serious pain for agency owners. Here's the thing — it's super necessary to have internal content for your team to rally around. You probably have access to some great content creators; they just need a little motivation. Bhanuka got his team to produce over 700 pieces of content in 30 days by gamifying content creation. He built an app and made a contest out of creating content. The team member who created the most content within a month would win $500. Second and third places were promised monetary prizes, too. And he compared everyone on a leaderboard to the team could view results in real-time. In the end, Surge only paid out $800 for 700 pieces of content. That's what I call a bargain! Here's what's awesome — Surge now has the app they developed out for other clients to use. (You can check out the app at Rallied.io) #1 Growth Tip for New Agency Owners It's been nearly unanimous from my podcast guests. The #1 piece of advice is learning to say no. But, it's about more than just saying no... It's knowing how to prioritize and say no to the wrong things so you can say yes to the right things. Even Bhanuka admits his agency almost went under by saying yes to the wrong things. He says always vet your prospects before they become clients and determine: Are they a good fit for your niche? Can you and your team get along with them? Are they a culture match with your agency? Will payment be received on time? Are they reliable and responsive? And, most of all, do they have realistic expectations (remember NBAT!)? If the answer to any of these is no, then you need to say no to working with this prospect.

Every agency wants its team to work smarter and hustle harder. But, the smart agencies know the best way to get results is with the right incentive program. On today's show, we're featuring an employee incentive model that may change the way you think about salaries and bonuses, as well as culture. In today's episode, we'll cover: 5 reasons to share 50% of agency profits. Why agencies should only hire specialists One big employee compensation secret How to implement profit-sharing Today, I talked with Tom Murray, Managing Director of Jump450 — a full-service marketing agency in Soho, NY. Tom's agency does something a little crazy... they give 50% of profits to its employees. He's on the show to share why and how this crazy strategy is actually growing the agency faster than ever. 5 Reasons to Share 50% of Agency Profits Giving away 50% of your profits may sound more like a nightmare than a strategy but the thing is — it can work. Better yet, the agency is also paying employees a competitive base salary! Sounds crazy right? Maybe. But, it has a bunch of benefits you're probably not even thinking about: You'll get the best-of-the-best. Incentivizing your team with bonuses on 50% of the profit gives them insane salary potential. The best talent in the industry will flock to your agency for one simple reason — you pay more. Goodbye retention issues. Let's be honest. Your team isn't going to find better earning potential anywhere else if you're offering them a huge cut of revenue. You can cut the fluff. The amount of motivation that profit-sharing programs give employees is mind-boggling. Some of the roles you're currently utilizing (like project managers) may be able to be cut. This helps the agency stay lean and allows a cushion to share 50% of topline revenue. Everyone will be an ambassador. Giving your employees a direct stake in the agency will hype them up. It makes natural brand ambassadors for your agency. Clients know the team is motivated. Clients understand offering 50% to your team will get (and keep) them motivated. And that means clients rest assured the team is doing a great job at all times. Why Agencies Must Only Hire Specialists When you need someone to do SEO work, don't just hire "someone" - hire an SEO expert. This may sound obvious, but most agencies aren't following this rule. Tons of agencies just hire generalists and train for the skill. Try it the other way around. If you pack your agency with people who are really good at one thing, everyone is going to be the best at their jobs. You can probably hire fewer people. And, best of all, your clients will get the best possible help. Struggling to convince talent to come onboard? Consider filling in the holes with hyper-specialized freelancers. One Big Employee Compensation Secret Are you ready for the big secret? For most employees, it's not all about the money. Your team has to show up every day for work. In fact, half their life is basically going to be spent there. So having the right atmosphere and breeding a good agency culture is crucial when it comes to motivating, inspiring, and engaging employees. Believe it or not, amazing culture is another way to compensate your team. So, you can bonus your team or offer a profit-sharing incentive, but if your culture is garbage, the team is not going to engage. When you start thinking about salary, think culture first. You can make your team happy by providing an amazing place to work (first) and then think about the compensation model and any bonus structure. How to Implement Profit-Sharing For smaller agencies, changing the salary structure is a breeze. But, if your agency has over 10 team members, it can be difficult to make a wide-reaching change. If you're just now considering a profit-sharing model, you'll need to spend time forecasting. The key is to build out data models and track cash flow before implementing a profit-sharing model, so you can be sure the agency can support it. In other words... it's tough but, it's definitely doable. Because -- your salary structure could be the one thing holding back your agency's success.

Having trouble getting your agency to the next level? Want to increase agency revenue but can't get beyond a plateau? Then it might be time to get a little uncomfortable and take some risks. If you really want to level-up your agency check out the big risk one agency took which yielded 4X revenue in just two years. In this episode, we'll cover: 3 hacks to help your agency level up and increase revenue. Why outbound will make your digital agency revenue soar. How to hire the right agency sales team. Today, I talked with Chris Brencans, CMO at OnTheMap — a full-service digital marketing agency. Chris's agency does something that may sound a little strange. Half of the agency's team are salespeople. That's right! 50% of the approximately 70 people at the agency are involved in sales, and business is booming. OnTheMap's revenue has grown from $1 Million to $4 Million in the last 2 years by investing in its salespeople and taking some risks. Chris is on the show to share some tips with us. 3 Hacks Help Your Agency Level Up Lean on your processes. If you don't have processes, you're driving the highway without cruise control, constantly speeding up and slowing down. Why make it harder on yourself? Once you build-out the right processes, you can take your foot off the gas and start working on other areas of your business. You shouldn't be spending a ton of your time on client work. Instead, build processes so you can work on the business rather than in it. Find the glaring problems. Here's the big secret — you already know what your biggest problems are. Chances are, everyone in your agency knows what they are. Ask your employees and be honest with yourself as you reflect on them. They may be hard to fix. But ignoring them is causing them to be bigger than necessary. Tackle your agency's problems because they are a roadblock to your growth. Take some risks! If you have processes in place (#1) and you don't have any big problems (#2), then you're not taking enough risks. And, your reservations are what's holding back your agency's growth. Take a leap - bet on your agency! Organic growth still requires money, time, and resources. Be willing to spend them. (Like Chris's agency -- their big leap was betting on their sales team and poof! 4x growth in 2 years.) Why Outbound Will Make Your Digital Agency Revenue Soar Inbound marketing keeps you successful. But it's outbound marketing which makes you successful. Chris's agency is 50% salespeople. They bet big on outbound, and it grew them from $1m to $4m. This isn't a one-off tactic. Neil Patel uses outbound to grow his agency, and I had one agency on the podcast who has grown to $6m in 2 years tackling outbound. Outbound just works. You can execute it on a lean budget. There are tons of killer strategies to follow. And it's easy to get started. You don't need half of your team in sales, like Chris. It just depends on your specific processes. But you definitely need one person, or a few, dedicated to sales. How to Hire the Right Agency Sales Team Attracting salespeople is all about salary, benefits, and culture. Selecting the right candidate(s) is all about these 3 things. Look for initiative. You want to give your salespeople some formal training, sure. But you should be able to hand them processes and let them run with it. This team is going to be handling valuable leads. Make sure you give them some room to prove themselves. I believe salespeople prove their worth in their first 60 days. If they aren't cutting it.... you know what you have to do. Find the right soft skills. They say good salespeople aren't made; they're born. That's sort of true. Amazing salespeople need the right soft skills. Look for empathy, leadership, and resolve. You want a team of great communicators. Always hire for soft skills first. You can train the rest of the skill sets but personality either works with your culture or it doesn't. Seek an eagerness to constantly improve. You want a team that's always looking to do better than last month. Do they set their own goals? Do they take constructive feedback? Make sure their hungry and eager to be successful.

Are you struggling to capture those big fish clients? Does it feel like your agency is constantly battling for every account? We've all been there! You've still got some growing pains. But, what if you could skip those growing pains and go right to be big leagues? Here's how one agency owner made his first client Kobe Bryant. In today's episode, we'll cover: How to score big agency clients. 3 reasons your agency should hire some freelancers. #1 way for digital agencies to stay competitive. Today, I talked with David Brickley, CEO of STN Digital and Host of The Business Of Social podcast. We all have our own unique origin story but, David's story is downright crazy. Not only did he score one of the biggest names in sports (Kobe Bryant!) as his very first client — he continues to work with some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment. James Harden, Shaq, Amazon, UFC, the Olympics, and even movie stars are his bread-and-butter. David's here to share his story about how you can grow your agency event while you're a small or mid-sized shop. How to Score Big Agency Clients What if I told you that David convinced Kobe Bryant to be his first client through a cold email? It's true! And, there's a lot we can all learn from that... Scoring your first big client is all about taking chances. Get out there and chase them - because why couldn't it be you? Forget about sticking to inbound and waiting for them to knock on your door. If there's something you want bad enough, get out there and chase it. And you know as well as I do — it only takes one big client to completely change the course of your agency. Once you have a big name or a big brand, you can leverage them to get other big clients. It's the domino effect. And, winning with outbound doesn't require a big budget - it's all about the grind. 3 Reasons Your Agency Should Hire Some Freelancers Don't worry - you don't need a huge team to serve big clients, you may just need to add some freelancers. The gig economy is in full swing. You can talented and highly skilled freelancers to work on a project basis. And here's why: Freelancers give you tons of flexibility. You don't have to worry about onboarding for each unique client need. If your next client needs a little camera work done, you don't have to go out and hire someone for the one job. You can pay someone by-the-hour, and you never have to make a commitment. Freelancers give you scale. What happens once you get your first big client? Do you have a team ready to handle their projects? If not, you've got an unlimited number of freelancers ready to tackle that project. Freelancers are cost-effective. Does it really make sense to hire a full-time writer for 40 hrs a week to create a few blog posts? Do you really need a full-time animator? Freelancers allow the flexibility to pay-as-you-go on a project basis, without the overhead of full-time employees. #1 Way For Digital Agencies to Stay Competitive Every year, hundreds of agencies close their doors for good... and for most of them it's not intentional, but rather the result of lacking one basic thing. They didn't adapt. The algorithms keep changing and what worked last week or last month or last year isn't cutting it. For example, EO isn't the same this year as last year. And, it could be wildly different next year. Digital agencies have to be flexible and they need to be constantly innovating. If you aren't creating bigger, better, and more interesting things, you're headed down a dangerous road. You can't keep performing the same old tricks; you must keep things new and evolve to the needs of your audience. Client retention isn't all about wooing them (although the right gifts don't hurt!) It's about providing them value with innovative solutions they can't find with anyone else.

Creating video content is hard, right? It's got to be perfect lighting, sound, and of course relevant subject matter. Don't let all that overwhelm stands in your way of getting started. Video content is one of the hottest ways to attract new agency business. And, anyone can make incredible videos without a ton of experience - you just need to get out of your own way in order to get started. In today's episode, we'll cover: How to start making video content for your agency. 3 easy video types to help get you started. #1 tip for creating engaging video content. Today, I talked with Chris Deblasio, actor, producer, and CEO of Agency850, the entertainment marketing company he founded. Chris's agency shoots Hollywood-quality videos and does product placement for movies and TV. Chris went from selling yellow page ads to running a successful video agency. And, he's learned a few tricks along the way. From being comfy in front of her camera to winning with video creatives, Chris explains how video marketing can add value to your agency's services. How to Start Making Video Content Chris makes high-quality videos at his agency but he's the first to admit you don't need fancy equipment to get the attention of your prospects. You don't need an expensive camera and a sound crew to produce outstanding videos -- just need your phone and a vision. Want to know the big secret to making great video content? Just start! The sooner you start, the sooner it will become second nature to you. Sure, you'll make some crappy videos in the beginning. But, you're never going to make really killer ones until you a few under your belt. No one is going to judge you by one or two stinky videos. Prospects will be looking at your entire body of content, not a few rough ones. The sooner you start, the sooner you can find your voice. And the sooner you can cash in on video marketing – which isn't going away anytime soon. 3 Easy Video Types to Help You Get Started Here are 3 super-easy video content types to get you started. All you'll need is a camera and a smile. Q&A Show: A simple question/answer show is an easy way to throw your hat in the video content ring. All you have to do is sit in front of a camera and answer some questions. It will help you get comfortable being yourself in front of the camera, plus it will position you as a thought leader. Don't have any questions to answer? Research some in online communities like Quora. I did that when I first started Swenk Today! Live Content: Facebook Live and other live social platforms make it almost too easy. No one expects live videos to be filled with high production quality. That gives you a good excuse to play around a little if you don't know what you're doing. Give people a tour of your office or host a live Q&A with your clients and team. Podcast: Yes, all agencies should have a podcast! Your podcasts can be video podcasts. And, it's low risk. Most people are watching for the audio. So, if you have poor production and lighting skills, no one is going to notice. Even better, if you keep the podcast going, you'll be able to look back on your first episode and see how far you've come! Want a good laugh? Check out my first one which we now fondly refer to as my hostage video. #1 Tip for Creating Engaging Video Content The number one tip for making videos is... drumroll, please... be yourself! Yes! I know it's corny but it's true. Viewers want you to be genuine; this is easily the most important thing you can do to be successful with video content. Besides, no one can replicate you or your personality. It's totally normal. Most people tend to get a little nervous when in front of a camera. When I first got in front of the camera, I looked like an Oompa Loompa :) Take off the mask. A fake persona is obvious and copying someone else -- like Gary Vee or Casey Neistat is disingenuous. Go ahead and be yourself and give people a chance to like you for you.

Looking for a low-risk, high-result way to scale your agency? Want the flexibility to grow and scale at will? Freelancers are a great way to grab top talent in this gig economy. Using freelancers can help scale your agency faster and easier than bringing on permanent employees and the overhead that goes with them. But, the real key is knowing which roles to hand to freelancers and which roles you should not outsource. But, how about using freelancers as a core component of your workforce? I talk to an agency owner that uses both in-house employees and freelancers on almost every project. And it's helped him grow at the speed-of-light. How to win with freelancers Which roles you should never outsource. What not to do with agency freelancers. 3 reasons smaller agencies win big. Today, I talked with David Freund, Partner at Junto — a web design and content agency. David's agency doesn't just use freelancers on occasion... freelancers are a core component of his agency's growth strategy, with over 25 on his team. Vetting freelancers and leaning on them to deliver cost-effective results helps Junto stay competitive in the commoditized market. And, David's here to give us some tips on when and how to use freelancers the right way in order to grow your digital agency. How to Win With Freelancers Blending an in-house team with freelancers has a ton of benefits. Hiring a load of freelancers can help your agency go remote. And, it can definitely help you save on costs and onboarding headaches. But, the secret benefit is that it gives you insane flexibility to scale. With a core team of employees in place, you can hire and let-go freelancers at will. As your growth has ebbs and flows, your hybrid team of employees and freelancers has the flexibility to ebb and flow, as well. Need a new website designer? Hire a freelancer. Need fewer SEO specialists? Eliminate a few. With freelancers, you can grow and shrink at will. And, you don't have to worry about all of the junk that goes into hiring and firing. This gives you a huge advantage over your competitors who are stuck with less flexibility. Which Roles You Should Never Outsource As agency owners, the thought of outsourcing talent can be terrifying. Finding and vetting freelancers can be overwhelming. And, some freelancers can be unreliable or unpredictable unless. If you've been burned before you might be scared to work with others in the future. But, here's the secret — Dave says you have to outsource the right roles. For starters, keep strategy and project/account managers in-house. Keeping these roles strictly for permanent employees gives you the quality control that is necessary to grow your business. The last thing you want is to lose your agency's standard or sacrifice its reputation. Having a key team of managers within your walls is the secret to keeping a high standard and reaping the benefits of the gig economy. Your account managers act as a liaison between the agency and the client. You can structure your agency to have account managers work with the freelancers. That leaves you in charge of the big picture. But, you don't have to manage ALL of these freelancers and in-house team members at the same time. What Not To Do With Agency Freelancers It can be tempting to hire some freelancers, send them work, and then you deliver the end product to the client. Basically, your agency is just playing the middleman and reaping the rewards. Sounds like a win-win, right? Nope! Your agency needs to hold the reigns. You must have the systems in place to facilitate freelancers success and deliver consistent results to your clients. If the end product is a representation of your agency's work you have to have control over it from start to finish. Your job is to provide your freelancers with the systems they need in order to succeed. And, you or someone within your agency needs to have the skillset to understand and oversee the work you're outsourcing to a freelancer. So for example, if you don't know anything about web design, don't just hire freelancers and hand over a finished website to the client. At the very least, your account manager should have an understanding of web design and work hand-in-hand with the freelancer. 3 Reasons Smaller Agencies Win Big Size doesn't matter - no, really! :) There's never been a better time to be a small or mid-sized agency. You can be nimble and agile with your clients, and you can be far more flexible than the bigger agencies. If or when prospects question your agency's size, use these benefits to spin the story in your favor: Small agencies can leverage freelancers. Using freelancers for skilled roles helps cut costs and compete for big projects. Sure, big agencies could hire freelancers but, they usually don't. They have a huge in-house team. And, they're going to lean on that team to get jobs done in order to justify salaries. But, that additional overhead puts them at a pricing disadvantage. Your agency can do the job cheaper an

Struggling to win new agency business in order to supercharge growth? Stuck working in the business and unable to step back in order to work on the business? Your role as an agency leader is always evolving as the agency grows. But your #1 job is being an amazing leader and giving your team the guidance and support they need. In this episode, we'll cover: How to win new agency business by building relationships. #1 way to supercharge digital agency growth. 3 tips for being an amazing digital agency leader. Today, I talked with Steve Weiss, Co-founder of MuteSix — a Facebook ad agency. Steve moved to Los Angeles, CA to do standup comedy and instead ended up creating a digital agency. Four years later and he is now running an 8-figure agency with over 130 employees! So, how does a comedian transition to a massively successful agency owner....? "Did you ever hear the one about the wildly successful agency owner?" No? Then stick around as Steve shares his story of growth, including his top 3 tips for being a better agency leader :) How to Win New Agency Business By Building Relationships As agency owners, we always want to win the pitch and land new business. You get in the room with the prospect and you want to tell them you can handle anything. You're willing to do anything and be anything in order to win a pitch. But that never ends well, does it? In Steve's case, he uses humor (remember, he's a former standup comedian!) to his benefit... It's ok to tell a prospect you don't know how to do something. Be the authority in a specific niche - horizontal and/or vertical. When they ask for something outside of your skillset, be honest or use humor like Steve. For example, he tells prospects that SEO is like "black magic" to him, but what he's really good at it Facebook ads. And, he tells them his agency crushes Facebook ads; there's no one better at Facebook ads. His honesty and a bit of humor builds trust and creates the foundation for a relationship. In fact, it can be the secret to winning the pitch. If you're candid with them, they're going to respect you more for it. We can all smell a sales pitch from a mile away. So can your prospects. When you start bragging, they know you're desperate for the sale. Be truthful, honest, and win business with ideal clients who appreciate who you are. They'll believe you when you tell them what you're actually good at. So, instead of trying to convince clients you're "full service" even though you aren't, think about flipping the script. Be honest with them. And, use that honesty to form a great relationship. #1 Way to Supercharge Digital Agency Growth Want to know the secret to accelerate digital agency growth? You can't do it alone ~ you need a team :) Empowering your team is one of the easiest ways to achieve fast growth. If you hired right, your team is filled with skill and talent. You want is to be the smartest person in the room. Hire people who are smarter and better than you are and reap the benefits of supercharging your agency's growth. Believe me, if I would have been the smartest person at my digital agency, we would have never gotten anywhere! Steve says to give your team some room to grow and dominate projects on their own. And, always put your team ahead of revenue. Clients come-and-go. Good team members don't. It's hard to find people who fit into your culture, understand your vision, and have the passion to create results on their own. Your team is your biggest asset so treat them as such. Being a leader isn't all about you, your agency, and your vision... It's about providing opportunity and a pathway for growth and fulfillment. When you're a great leader that alone can be fulfilling for you. It's a win-win. 3 Tips for Being an Amazing Digital Agency Leader 1. Lead by example. Don't tell your team how to win, show them how. As a digital agency owner, all eyes are on you. Yes, it can be stressful, but leading by example is a good way to empower your team. Recognize your team's strengths and make sure you're continually developing those, rather than focusing on their weaknesses. Let your team shine by showing them how to become even better. 2. Don't try to please everyone. Don't be the people pleaser. You have to know when to say no. And you should always be willing to bring up issues with your team. Try to be friendly and have fun with your team, for sure. But, at the end of the day, you still have to be respected as the leader and not just another guy or gal on the team. 3. Learn how to fire. You should never have to motivate an employee. It's ok to inspire them, but motivation needs to come from within. Share the vision with them to inspire. Show them how they're part of something bigger and how their role creates a residual effect on clients and your clients' clients. That's inspiring! But if you've got someone who needs constant motivation, then it's probably time to fire them. It's not as hard as it sounds and eliminating dead weight will actually bene

Experts are sensing a downturn in the economy... But is your agency recession proof? So many variables go into a healthy agency. Maybe you should look at raising agency prices? Maybe your agency really needs to hire (or fire) to make yourself indispensable to clients? If the economy takes a hit, you have to know who to hire, who to fire, and the right way to price your services in order to survive. In today's episode, we'll cover: How to grow in a recession. When should you raise your prices? 3 reasons clients love project managers. Is your agency business partner still the right fit? I had a great conversation with Scarlett Rosier, Co-founder of Rhyme and Reason Design. Scarlett is one of those "unicorns" who actually went to college and got a Masters in Advertising. (So many of us are accidental agency owners who just fell into the business!) Scarlett is put her skills to work as the Director of Operations at her agency for the past 10 years. She's here to talk about growing in a down economy, nailing your pricing, and the value in project managers. How to Recession Proof Your Agency Worried about a potentially volatile economy? Don't be! When the market goes down, your agency has an opportunity to go up. Here's the big secret — in-house marketing teams are usually the first cut. Cutting the in-house team, therefore, justifies agency costs for your clients. Brands still need marketing in a recession. But, they can usually save money by getting more help externally. Don't fear a recession; embrace it. If you survive the recession, you'll have a bunch of new clients and a reason to raise prices. And you need to raise prices in order to be profitable. When Should You Raise Your Prices? The simplest answer is this — whenever you can! You have to be able to justify a price increase with value. So, if your value has gone up over the past year, your prices should too. Let's say you've hired two new people, learned a ton of tips and tricks, and you're even better at helping clients this year than you were last year. Your prices should reflect those improvements because your clients are benefitting from them. I recommend reviewing and raising prices at least once a year. You should constantly be improving, building better processes, learning new techniques and strategies. And that means you're giving clients more value year-over-year. Adjust your proposals to match the increased value. Plus, you probably give your employees a yearly raise based on performance, right? Your clients should be giving you one too! Think about it this way... If you have a heart attack, are you going to use the best surgeon or the cheapest one? Price your agency services to match your skill and you'll attract the ideal clients instead of the ones who just want a bargain. A price increase is the fastest and easiest way to grow your agency business. 3 Ways Project Managers Help Retain Clients Want to know what clients really want? They want relationships and regular communication. They want to feel assured they've made the right decision to work with your agency. And that's where a great PM helps retain clients. They're the client's trusted advisor. Your clients need someone to touch base with so they don't feel like they're in the dark. Clients have questions, ideas and business goals they want to talk about. A PM is their agency contact for listening, sharing, and connecting. They are a single point of contact. No client wants to have to go through a new person every time they need something, and frankly allowing them to do that would cause massive problems anyhow. Project managers build client relationships, which brings tangible value to your agency. It's easier to make existing clients happy than constantly bringing on new ones, right? Happy clients make agencies giant. Project managers attack pain points. Hiring an agency requires a leap of faith on the client's part. They don't know if they're going to get results, and they're spending money on potential value. Project managers can help ease those fears and avoid buyers remorse. A good PM will anticipate the client's fears and talk through them. Is Your Agency Business Partner Still the Right Fit? Business partner relationships can be like a marriage. You rely on each other, and you know the day-to-day struggles the other faces. But, what happens when your marriage evolves or changes? But also like marriage, business partner "divorce" isn't easy. And the realization of its necessity something many owners grapple with. I have a saying — "You either know the bad partner or you are the bad partner." Sure, sometimes partnerships are successful, but oftentimes I see the partners outgrow each other. So how do you know when it's time to part ways with a business partner? It's all about communication and goals... Scarlett says to look at how the person argues as an indicator of their communication. Are they articulate? Can they stand their ground intelligently? You don't need to agree all t

Do you want to hire the right salespeople? Not sure what measures to take to set them up for success? Curious about the best way to compensate your sales team? Sales is a critical part of your agency's success. Sales drives conversions, captures clients, and helps relieve some major the burden from the owner. Hiring an amazing sales team and setting them up for success if the key to longterm agency growth. In today's episode, we'll cover: #1 way to set up a successful agency sales team. 2 things every salesperson needs to do. How do you separate your services from a commodity? Should you pay based on commission or salary? Today, I talked with Alex Chernyak, Director of Business Development at Martino Flynn, a digital agency in New York. Alex has over 15 years of sales and digital marketing experience, and he's owned his own agency, too. With a start in radio, Alex was drawn into the agency space by the allure of freedom. And, since then he's been helping agencies build killer sales teams and sales systems. Over the years, he's learned how to find, hire, and train salespeople that accelerate agency growth. #1 Way to Set Your Sales Team Up for Success Are you thinking about hiring for sales? Hiring isn't easy. But, hiring sales is one of the trickiest in the agency space. Sure, hiring for core values and culture is important. And, you should always have a vetting process in place to weed out poor applicants. But, that's only going to get the right person in the door. How do you set them up to win accounts? The answer: agencies must have an existing sales system in place to facilitate sales success. Salespeople aren't plug-and-play. And even if your sales hire has experience in another agency, there are nuances to every agency business that just can't be handed off. You can't give your new salesperson a phone and expect them to start setting appointments or landing deals. It doesn't matter how great of a salesperson they are or what agency they worked at before; they need support and an existing sales system. Sales rockstars are built — not born. 2 Things Every Salesperson Needs to Do 1. Build a sales list. List out 200 - 300 prospects. These are the prospects your sales team is going to target with drip campaigns, paid content, etc. And, they should be constantly rotating this list based on interest. Here's a great tip from Alex — keep a separate list of your top 10 - 20 prospects. The sales team should have extra resources (e.g., audits, outreach support, etc.) for these prospects. 2. Find ways to communicate value. Your agency sales team can help you break free of being viewed as a commodity. Sales needs to diagnose problems, build rapport, and justify the price with value. Always sell solutions (not features) and talk value over cost... always! How Do You Separate Your Services from a Commodity? Here's the hard truth. There are people who are offering the same services as your agency for a fraction of the price. Where some prospects are concerned, if price is all that matters, you already lost. So, flip the script. It's not about price — it's about quantifying value. Sure, that web developer in another country can build a site for $500. But how good is it at converting leads? This is where your sales team comes into play. When a prospect starts talking price, change the subject to value. Here's an analogy: A prospect comes to you and asks you to build a killer WordPress site. You quote them $25k. They come back the next day and say, "This freelancer overseas said he can do it for $2,000. Why should I pick you?" If you've given your sales team the right playbook, this one should be easy... Why is it only $2,000? Can they build it as fast as you can? Do they have the level of experience you have? Do you offer a unique branding style that no one can mimic? Don't sell them a service. Sell them a key to unlock the treasure chest with solutions to their greatest challenge. This isn't always easy! A lot of the work we do is invisible to clients. And an effective Account Manager can continue to communicate results so your agency is never viewed as a commodity. However, if you hired the right salesperson, they can communicate it with confidence and head it off early and communicate value before it becomes a question with the prospect. Should You Pay Based on Commission or Salary? In short - both! Straight commission sales compensation isn't low-risk high-reward — it's low-risk low-reward. It leads to higher turnover. Plus, your salespeople don't have any incentives to be an evangelist for your brand. They don't care how good the prospect is or how well they fit with your culture. They need to make ends meet, so they can't afford to be selective with who they sell to and why. On the flip side, straight salary is for marketers. Salespeople need incentives to go above and beyond in order to land the bigger, better clients. They are driven by the challenge of earning their commission and need you to dangle the carrot.

Not sure how to determine agency prices? How can you stay competitive while separating your agency the competition? The first step is to stop copying them! Quit focusing on the competition because it always results in you becoming a copycat agency. If you want to grow, you have to dare to be different. In today's episode, we'll cover: The best way to determine your agency pricing structure. Why agency meetings may be costing you too much. How to separate your agency in a crowded market. Today, I talked with Nick Eubanks, CEO and Founder of From the Future. Nick got his start by spamming cold emails and working real estate. But, once he started his agency, he grew fast! In just 5 years, Nick's agency was worth millions. He's sharing his story so you can grow quicker, and also avoid some of his mistakes. The Best Way to Determine Your Agency Pricing Structure Many agencies determine their pricing structure by looking at their competitors and matching or competitively pricing themselves in the market. Let's be honest — a lot of you probably started out by picking a fair-sounding price point. Am I right? Price your agency's services intentionally. Sure, you can do what your competitors are doing. But, at that point, you've already lost. Instead, try this — price your services based on your value and desired margins. The average net margin for a services company in the U.S. is 32% - so make that should be your goal. To figure out how much you should charge clients, add up your agency expenses and labor expenses, then figure in the value of your services. Then charge clients at least 32% above the cost of your expenses. But, remember, you're selling a solution — not just a product. You can charge as high as 50% or more over margin and still attract clients. Bear in mind, you need to factor in all of the miscellaneous business costs into this model. For example, have you ever considered how the expense associated with internal meetings? Why Your Meetings May Be Costing You Too Much Internal meetings are a great way to build company culture, create rapport among the team, and of course, brainstorm. But Nick says they're more expensive than we realize. Let's say you have 4 team members attend an hour-long meeting. If you're billing their time at $200 an hour, that meeting is costing you $800. Not only is that meeting costing you billable hours, but those four employees aren't directly servicing clients during that time. So, the meeting expense is actually more than you think. The lesson here is not to cut out meetings - team meetings are a great way to keep your team working cohesively. But, you need to be aware of how much meetings cost. And, build those costs into your price structure. How to Separate Your Agency in a Crowded Market Nick's agency started using technical SEO strategies combined with a design/UX team to stand out. But, it's about more than just services. Being unique requires some critical thinking. What are your competitors doing? Whatever it is, think about doing the opposite. That's how to fast track your growth. For example, if everyone is approaching SEO the same way, add a twist and do technical SEO. Look for opportunities in your niche. And, when you find one — latch onto it. Sure, you should definitely compete for clients. And, you don't have to just go after clients no one else is taking on. But, you should always be looking for under-serviced prospects within a market. In other words, don't watch your competitors and just copy what they're doing. Figure out what they're doing and do something entirely different. Identify your strengths and what you do better than anyone else. 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.

Looking for an innovative way to inspire your team? One agency has broken the mold on bonuses and profit-sharing. Instead, they're inspiring their team with 50% of top-line revenue. If you want your already amazing team to be inspired enough to hustle harder, check out this incentive program that has an agency team out-earning the leadership team. In this episode, we'll cover: 3 ways to identify bad clients. A unique and inspiring employee profit sharing model. Today's podcast guest is Shaun Sheikh, CEO and Co-founder of Jump 450 Media. Shaun has been on Forbes 30 under 30 list, and his agency has blown up tot he tune of 8 figures in just a few years. Like most young agency owners, Shaun has introduced some creative strategies and innovative operations processes into his agency. Today, we talk about a few of those including an exciting employee compensation model that he calls his secret sauce of success. 3 Ways to Identify Bad Agency Clients Learning to say no to bad clients is one of the major pillars of agency growth. When you start out, you want (and need) to take what any and every client you can land. That's fine! You should be taking on all clients and discovering who your agency really is. Who you can help and who you can't. What you're good at and what you're not. What you love to do and what you don't. But, once you get established and learn the hard lessons, it's time to get really focused so you are only working with ideal clients that pay what you're worth. So, where do you start? How do you figure out which clients are good and which ones you need to "swipe left"? 1. Start with culture. Before you even think about cash, think about culture. If a prospect isn't a good fit with your agency's culture, you'll know. A good pre-qualification process is the key to identifying them. Remember, there's no such thing as a bad client ~ only a bad prospect or bad process. There's no strategy involved here. Trust me; you'll just know. Get rid of these prospects/clients ASAP. They're a terrible fit, and you will almost certainly run into issues with them in the future. 2. Analyze client spend. Does the client's time-to-value ratio make sense? Some clients may be valued at big bucks, but they end up taking up too many agency resources. When agencies first start, naturally they want to land high ticket clients. A $50k client may seem like a dream-come-true. But, if you can service seven $10k clients with the same amount of effort, that $50k pain-in-the-a$$ client no longer makes sense, right? 3. Map out future potential. This is the hidden client statistic no one ever talks about. What does their future potential look like as far as upsells, future campaigns? Is this client adapting to their changing environment? Are they innovating in their industry? Does their potential look as though it will support your goals? If not, then don't spin your wheels. A Unique and Inspiring Employee Profit Sharing Model There are several schools of thought on employee profit share programs. And, I know a lot of agencies who swear by this type of monetary incentive. However, Shaun has a pretty interesting and unique profit sharing model you're going to love. Jump 450 gives its agency employees 50% of the top-line revenue! That seems like... a lot, right? Here's the catch... Employees can only earn that incentive if they outperform their own salary. They have to hit their salary goals first. Then, they start earning additional revenue based on performance. And, he does this on a monthly basis! This bonus structure helps agency employees feel as though they co-run the company. They get involved with every client and try to outperform themselves. Some of Jump 450's employees out-earn the leadership team... Crazy, right?! Keep in mind, to get qualify for the bonus the team has to perform like crazy. And, all of that extra performance means better profit margins profits for the agency. In reality, the team is getting 50% of the profit they hustle for. This is the above and beyond stuff they aren't expected to do. Late nights, next-level pitch prep, and after-hours client meetings, etc. And, when the employees earn big, so does the agency. It's literally a WIN-WIN. Will this work for every agency? Maybe not. But, if this kind of incentive program fits into your existing business model, it can be a great way to get to the next level.

Have you ever wondered how agency culture effects business growth? If you think they're two separate things, think again! Your culture speaks volumes about your agency. When your culture is a defining factor of your agency, you will experience amazing growth. Simply put, the foundation of every great brand is a great culture. So spend time developing an amazing culture and you will create brand ambassadors to move the needle on your agency's business. In this episode, we'll cover: How it's important to niche horizontally or vertically. How agency culture develops brand ambassadors. #1 way to cultivate amazing agency culture. Today, I talked with Brandy Obvinseva the co-founder of Gallant Culture. Brandy has a degree in international studies and intended to be a political ambassador. Instead, she helps companies find their brand ambassadors. After a stint at Texaco and a few other oil & gas companies, she co-founded her agency, Gallant. Since then, her agency has changed a few times but it's always been driven by culture. She has unique views on niching and culture that have helped her agency explode. Why It's Important to Niche Horizontally or Vertically Selecting and marketing to a specific niche is a significant growth pillar for agencies. It gives you purpose, drive, and a defined process to use to score clients and drive profits. It just works. But what is a niche? Is it the industry you choose to work in? Is it the services you offer? Maybe. It can be. But, you don't have to niche vertically into an industry. You can niche horizontally based on a specific skill set or expertise in a specific technology. If your agency helps plumbers build websites. Then plumber websites is your vertical niche. If your agency helps anyone build a Joomla (software) websites using a specific set of processes, then Joomla websites is your horizontal niche. Ready to have your mind blow? You can really drill down and have BOTH a horizontal and vertical niche. Here's the secret — a niche is anything that helps you understand your clients better and motivates you to accomplish their goals effectively. Selecting a niche doesn't mean saying "no" to clients outside of your audience. It just means identifying with and understanding a specific audience, ultimately giving your agency an advantage over others. Want to figure out your niche? Try this! Write down three of your clients biggest challenges every day for 30 days. At the end, map out what their issues are. And, think about how you can pivot your agency to solve those problems. That's your niche! You could even have multiple niches but focus on building one niche at a time. How Agency Culture Develops Brand Ambassadors As Brandy says, "If you want to have a group of people that are going to wave your flag, they need to know what flag they're waiving." Your culture is the unspoken rules of your agency. It impacts how your employees pitch to clients, communicate with them, and (most importantly) converts them. Always lead with culture, hire with culture, and even choose clients who are a good culture fit. But, here's where it gets interesting... Brandy says you don't have to specifically "define culture." It's naturally going to be interpreted uniquely by each team member. One of your employees may be perky and bubbly, while another may be methodical and quiet. That's fine! There's room both within the same agency culture. For example, if one of your core values is honesty, both can find ways to allow honesty to shine through in their work. The important thing is that your culture drives them. They should be your brand ambassadors. To that end, they need to understand your culture and live it. So, if you're still trying to find your niche, start with your culture. What kinds of clients fit your agency's culture? Which of your team members and clients can be your agency's brand ambassadors? #1 Way to Cultivate Amazing Agency Culture How do you nurture and grow your culture? By being adaptable. Your agency culture will evolve and change over time. As your team gets bigger and new employees enter the scene things will change. The rules of your business will change too, and you'll probably pivot a couple of times along the way. That's normal and completely natural as part of the growth process. But, you have to be willing to constantly develop and improve upon your culture as the agency environment changes. Let your team members, clients, and industry guide you. In the beginning, a minimalist culture which promotes enthusiasm and hustling may work out great. But, 5 years down the road could be another story. You will have new clients and employees who are going in another direction. The culture of today will not match the culture of the future ~ adaptability is a must.

Considering buying or selling your digital agency? Acquiring another agency is an excellent growth strategy and it's might be easier and less expensive than you might think. An acquisition can help improve profit margins, expand your client base, and inherit a skilled team while eliminating the competition. An agency acquisition is worth exploring if you're interested in rapid growth. In this episode, we'll cover: Do you need to be a big agency in order to buy one? Do you need a lot of cash to buy another agency? How to structure an agency acquisition. The 4 criteria of a good agency to acquire. Today's podcast guest is Brook Schaaf, co-founder, and CEO of FMTC, an agency dedicated to helping advertisers and merchants develop discount and affiliate program with curated data and management. Prior to going the entrepreneur route, Brook got his start at Zappos where he developed his passion for affiliate marketing. Since then, he started his own firm and is on the fast track to major growing by acquiring other agencies and/or their books of business. Do You Need To Be a Big Agency In Order to Buy One? Nope! At the time he acquired his first agency, Brook's firm had just 10 remote employees. The first agency he bought was PartnerCentric, which was of equal size to his agency. The existing owner was burnout and looking for an exit strategy. He said the process was long (it took two years!) and sometimes frustrating, but totally worth it in the end. Do You Need A lot of Cash to Buy Another Agency? Nope! According to Brook, an agency is generally worth 50% of its topline revenue excluding media revenue (since that can fluctuate). The problem is most sellers want to build retirement cash into negotiations and therefore expects to get more than it's worth. However, once you reach an agreement on the valuation you don't need all that in upfront cash. How do you know what your agency actually worth? My formula differs from Brooks somewhat because I factor in a multiple of EBITDA. You can check out my valuation chart here. But it all boils down to this… Your agency's value is the amount your willing to sell and which a buyer is willing to buy. But you don't need to have a ton of cash laying around in order to buy an agency. Standard funding includes a cash downpayment of between 10-20% with the remainder delivered in one of four ways: Cash upfront (which is difficult for most people). SBA Loan from a bank (which involves a lot of paperwork and hoops to jump through). Third-party funding (which may involve giving away equity). Seller-held note that is payable over a few years. Brook's acquisition was funded with a cash downpayment and a seller-held note payable over the course of two years. It's risky for both parties, but it's the best way to move forward without needing anyone else's permission. How to Structure an Agency Acquisition Advice from both of us who have bought and sold agencies -- involve lawyers in as little as possible. The bulk of negotiations can be done without racking up attorney's fees. Determine whether it's an asset sale or equity/stock sale. An asset purchase is buying the agency's book of business, including client contracts, trade name, payables, and receivables. An equity/stock sale is buying out the owner(s) interest in the business. Brook says an asset sale is much clearer and easier to manage. It also creates a cleaner exit strategy for the seller so he/she can move on. The 4 Criteria of a Good Agency to Acquire? 1- Readiness. The seller needs to be genuinely ready to sell. A lot of times people put feelers out and then hesitate when it gets real. If you sense any mixed feelings, walk away. 2- Culture. Remember, in most cases, you're inheriting a team too. (There will be technical stuff about firing and immediately rehiring them, but most sellers will want to make sure their team is taken care of.) So make sure their team's vibe will gel with yours. After having acquired multiple agencies, Brooks says the team is typically thrilled for the new vibrancy. 3- Numbers. How stable is this agency? How profitable are their accounts? It should go without saying, but you need to make sure they're running healthy books. 4- Skillset. Are you confident that the acquired agency and its team can work the way your existing agency works? If you're acquiring an agency to expand your foothold in the market then skillset is key. If you're buying to add a service then it's less important that they match your agency's skill set instead you want theirs to compliment yours. Considering selling or buying an agency? Check out more details about the process here.

Do you feel like your agency is stuck with subpar employees? Think maybe you have all the wrong people but too afraid to clean house? Firing employees is never easy. But, underperforming or toxic team members will kill your agency's growth. Check out the story of how one agency fired his entire team twice, the aftermath of the experience, and what learned by rebuilding. In today's episode, we'll cover: Why your agency needs a financial model. Creating a culture of personal ownership. 2 mistakes that led to firing all employees. Today, I talked with Aaron Edwards, co-founder of The Charles NYC. Aaron quit his job, moved from London to NYC, and created a digital marketing agency. Since then, Aaron's agency has grown into a multi-million dollar phenomenon. Success didn't come without hard work and many lessons along the way. In fact, he's had to fire ALL his employees twice. Talk about "cleaning house." Aaron shares some great growth tips, including how to inspire culture, and which two mistakes led him to fire his entire team. Why Your Agency Needs a Financial Model Aaron worked in finance before he started his agency. And, his biggest financial tip is this — have a financial model. This means pulling out spreadsheets and diving into some math (which is something us creatives aren't usually in to). But, having a financial model can save you a ton of time and headaches in the long run. Here's a great way to get started. Think about the revenue goal you want to reach. Then, work the math backward to figure out how to get there. And, use those insights to create the right financial model. In most cases, you either need more clients or you need to charge more. You also need to figure out how to build up cash reserves to make it through some lean times (think 3 - 6 months of salaries and expenses). Plus, you should obtain a line of credit for the small emergencies. Ideally, secure the line of credit when you don't need it, so it's already available for when you do! And, cut your margins down as slim as possible. Remember, putting profit first can growth hack your agency. Creating a Culture of Personal Ownership Want to know what kills agency culture faster than anything? Egos! If your employees are taking failures too personally — they won't last long. Every agency has failures, but the difference is how you recover from them. Teach your team to treat failures as learning opportunities. Every employee has to be able to take ownership within their role without worrying that a mistake or misstep will threaten their credibility. To achieve this, you need an open culture. Employees should be able to talk to their leadership team about bad experiences. And, agency management should offer coaching/mentorship sessions to help fix issues. Don't let failures drag an individual or entire team down. Create an open culture where mistakes and failures are embraced. 2 Mistakes Which Led to Firing All Employees Aaron had to fire his entire team twice and rebuild the agency. Looking back, he says two big mistakes led to the massive house-cleaning: Not providing enough opportunity. You have to give your employees the opportunity to grow and communicate what that growth looks like. This means providing a clear roadmap to success at every step. It's not enough to tell them they can advance within the agency — they need to see it what that looks like. Aaron says his mistake was not providing showing his employees how to grow within the agency. When you don't do this, the good ones look for opportunities elsewhere. Or worse; productivity decreases as they get complacent. Not hiring for culture. You can teach someone skills; you can't teach them culture. Always think about how a new hire is going to fit into your company. If you don't, you may end up with a mishmash of different personalities and a bunch of cliques. If you see one of your employees isn't participating and they don't seem like a good fit, its ok to get rid of them. One bad apple spoils the bunch. And, when your entire team has a poor culture, firing them all may be your only option.

Not sure how to find and hire the right digital agency talent to help you grow? Here's the 8-steps one agency owner uses to build his business. He is also diving into reasons why niching down has was a good decision and the most important focus of agency sales pitches. 3 reasons your agency must niche down. The only kind of profit that matters. 8 steps to hiring culture-fit digital agency talent. Today, I talked with Chris Martinez Co-founder of DUDE! — an agency that provides unlimited web designing for other agencies. Chris has been through the ropes as an agency owner. And he's worked hard to figure out how to nail pitches, niche down, and hire that perfect prospect. Plus, he wears a wrestling mask sometimes. What's not to love? 3 Reasons Your Agency Must Niche Down Chris said the single best decision he made in order to help his agency grow was to select a niche. And if you haven't yet, you need to niche down, too! Here are 3 reasons: Clients will come to you. Niching down accelerates word-of-mouth. Now, I don't want you to rely on referrals to grow your business but when you are able to generate a buzz as a specialist within an industry or a specific skill set that establishes authority in your niche. You don't have to re-invent the wheel. If you're taking on any and every client, it can be tough to build processes. When you choose a niche, you know exactly what you have to do. You can build simple, effective systems and processes to become efficient. Targeting clients is easier. Building a buyer's persona gets 100x easier when you identify a niche. You know exactly who you're going after, where they're at, and how to speak their language. Related: How Your Agency Can Pick a Niche and Dominate It Besides, your clients really only are about 2 things: What do you do better than your competitors? What results can you give them? That's it! So why not start thinking high-level. Be specific in who you serve and create processes that give you an edge over your competitors. Use your successes and case stories to win even more business in the same category. The Only Kind of Profit that Matters Everyone wants the big clients, right? But bigger clients aren't the key driver to agency growth. It's profitability. For example, when your first big client comes in with a $50k contract, you're going to want to say YES! But, how much of that $50k is really hitting your bottom line? You might be a 7-figure agency but if your margins are single digits then gross revenue doesn't mean squat. Conversely, you might be a $300,000 agency who's really learned how to tighten your belt and coming home with 40% profit, then you're doing really well for yourself. If your bottom line isn't where it should be, you need to pivot. Carve out your niche, determine where your expenses have gone askew, and then go lean and/or raise your prices. Do whatever it takes to put you where you want to be. Sure, you may be taking some losses when you first startup. But, if your agency is established and you're margins aren't at 30% or better, it's time to change courses. And that change may start with learning how to say NO! 8-Steps to Hiring Culture-Fit Digital Agency Talent Hiring someone who has the skill set to do a job is easy. Hiring someone who wants to do a job in the environment and with the team you've created can be a bit tougher. Chris says to hire people for their culture-fit, not their technical-fit. You can teach someone a skillset but you can't make them change who they are. Chris has an amazing culture-first hiring process inspired by the way they do things at Zappos.com. Here's his agency's 8-step hiring process Post the position publicly. (Obviously.) Identify candidates' soft skills and hard skills from their resume and application. Chris always puts more value on soft skills. You want to see who a person is — not just what they can do. Send the best candidates a questionnaire. You can find out a lot more than just their answers to the questions... like, how fast do they respond? Do they pay attention to details? Can they meet the deadline? Do they follow direction? Are they going above and beyond expectations? If you ask them to send you 5 examples, did they only send 4? Schedule a phone interview. Talking to someone can help weed out applicants early. Are they polite or rude? Authentic or fake? Aggressive or grumpy? Send a technical skills test. Do they actually have the basic skill set they're hiring for? Send a psychometric test. This helps you figure out who they really are deep down. These aren't perfect, but they can help you get rid of a bad fit fairly early on. Schedule an in-person interview. Chris has a round-robin interview style with 4 - 5 people. Each person talks to the potential hire. Then, they meet afterward and see if all parties are in agreement for hiring them. They ask each other: "Would you work with them?" and "Would you work for this person?" Everyone must answer in the affirmative or they pass on the can

Curious how to stand out and win more clients in the crowded agency space? Wondering how the big agencies got so big? For starters, stop being a "me too" agency trying to do what everyone else is doing. Stop trying to be what everyone is... you do you. We are always working on our weaknesses, instead of focusing on our strengths. Instead, we should focus on our strengths, leverage the weaknesses, and be a little bit of a freak in order to stand out. In today's episode, we'll cover: Why your agency needs to be a reflection of you. What is your agency's freak factor? 3 reasons you should embrace your weaknesses. Today, I talked with David Rendall — professional speaker, author, entrepreneur, and freak-enthusiast. David is incredibly passionate about the big-picture agency stuff. He shares what he calls the Freak Factor and his recipe for entrepreneurial success. This week alone David has traveled around the globe -- Dublin, Paris, London, and Egypt talking to businesses and entrepreneurs about one thing -- winning through uniqueness. Why Your Agency Needs To Be a Reflection of You As digital agency owners, we're prone to looking around for the best way to do things. It's part of our DNA. We like to be on top of the latest technologies and hottest trends in digital. But, when it comes to your agency's culture, outside is the last place you need to look. David says your agency needs to be a reflection of who you are. We throw the word "culture" around a lot but, culture isn't a hidden mystery; it just takes a solid look in the mirror. Virgin Mobile started off zany because Richard Branson is definitely zany! Walmart is all about logistics, inventory, and pricing — it's super practical because Sam Walton was super practical. Leverage your personality traits to create an agency you would want to work at and that alone will attract the right people. The culture will practically create itself once the vision and tone is set by you. Don't just create another "cool agency" — create something that helps you surround yourself with a like-minded team who will be an asset is carrying out your vision. What Is Your Agency's Freak Factor? Too many agency owners want to be like the big kids. They think they need to copy the big agencies in order to be as successful as one. Listen, Snapchat didn't just create a mirror copy of Instagram. They decided to do something new. Instagram is for showcasing images, so Snapchat took a different angle and made those images disappear. If the crowd is going one direction don't follow them. You'll find more success if you let them lead you toward your own, unique solution. David's advice is to find the gap in the market and then attack it. Don't just offer another solution like everyone else. Put your own twist on it, and offer a unique strategy for getting your clients the results they desire. 3 Reasons You Should Embrace Your Weaknesses If you walk away from this podcast with one lesson, it should be this: work on your strengths, not your weaknesses. Fixing your weaknesses may destroy your strengths. It's true! David likes to use the Walmart and Target analogy. Walmart is known for cheap prices and crappy service. Target has great service and a little higher pricing. If Walmart improves its customer service with added training and increased employee pay, it cuts into their margins and costs go up. Ditto for Target. They both eliminate their strength if they focus on improving their weakness. Your weaknesses might be your strengths. Is your agency small? That's not a weakness! That's a poorly positioned strength. You're not small; you're personal, nimble and agile. You can tell clients, "Yes, we're small and that means you can talk directly to me and won't get lost or forgotten." Think about your weak points and figure out how to leverage them as strong points. Strengths can get even stronger. Even if you can't find a way to turn your weaknesses into strengths, don't worry - you don't need to. Disregard your weaknesses and instead, focus on improving the things you're great at. Hone your craft and be the best damn {fill in the blank} the market has ever seen. 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.

Have you ever considered running a fully remote digital agency? Wondering the pros and cons of leading a virtual team? Like anything else, there are pluses and minuses -- and it can be hard to know if it's the right choice for you. One agency owner decided to ditch the office space in favor of running a remote business and she's not one bit sorry. In today's episode, we'll cover: Working on the agency vs. working in it. 3 reasons to ditch your office space. #1 way to inspire remote agency teams. Today, I talked with Jordan Lacenski — Chief Innovation Officer and the main boss at BrandBoss Creative. Jordan is also the Co-Founder of SheWolf Collaborative, an online association for high-achieving women. Here's the crazy thing... she just recently ditched her office space to work from her home and she hasn't looked back. Working On the Agency vs. Working In It Being an agency owner can feel like a circus. You have to juggle clients' brands and marketing as well as your agency brand and marketing. So, how much time should you devote to your clients and how much should you devote to your agency? If you're the founder, almost all of your time should be spent on your agency. Here's why... You can hire people to handle the projects and clients. You can find someone to do taxes and finances. And, you can even have someone build killer processes for delivery. But, what you can't hire for is someone to define your brand. As CEO, you should spend your time working on your agency and not in it. In fact, you have 5 specific roles as CEO and setting the vision is #1 on the list! 3 Reasons to Ditch Your Office Space Jordan has jumped the growing trend of agencies who are ditching the office space for an entirely remote agency. It may sound crazy but, it can work. While it's not for everyone and there are circumstances where it won't work, there's never been an easier time to work remotely. I had office space for my agency, which housed over 100 employees. But if I had to do it over again, I'd do a hybrid model with office space and work-from-home opportunities to offer my team a better work/life balance. Jordan gave us 3 reasons she ditched her office space: No more rent. Why add to your overhead by paying rent? You can help your profits margin by ditching your rent payment. This is especially helpful in cities like NYC where rent and the cost of living is astronomical. If your entire team works from home, you'll save on the fixed costs associated with having an office. And your employes will probably thank you for it :) Avoid traffic. In some cities, getting to work is its own nightmare. It can swallow up a few hours of your day. Those are hours you or your team could be working. Going remote means more billable hours in the day for you and your team. Hire anyone. Having a physical location limits who you can hire to a specific geographic area. You are constrained by hiring local or someone willing to relocate. With a remote team, you can hire anyone from anywhere, which gives you a huge advantage over brick-and-mortar agencies. It can be really, really great but, there's one massive con... Interaction among remote teams is very limited. This can lead to issues with agency culture, team bonding, and even branding. Plus, it can make agency team management a little more tricky. #1 Way to Inspire Remote Agency Teams Finding ways to inspire a remote team can be tough, right? Regular video chat meetings are a must, but it really isn't the same as having them in the office. Daily engagement with one another builds camaraderie ...video chats are great for getting the work done, but most people are multitasking or focused on other things. What can you do? Have a few in-person meetings every year ~ quarterly or even semi-quarterly. But, you should try to get your entire team gathered into a physical location. This will help the team bond, spread some of your culture around, and create a better remote culture. 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.

Do you have one mega client that would cripple your agency if you lost them? If you have a client that represents more than 40% or 50% of your total revenue, don't let them hold you hostage. Check out how one agency knew it was time to say goodbye and took a leap that helped build the agency he always wanted. In this episode, we'll cover: Why walk again from a $750k mega client? What does productization look like for agencies? The biggest mistake an agency can make. I'm talking to an agency owner who lost a mega-client and lived to tell about it. Jeff Conlon is the CEO of Ideas, Money, Art (IMA) the video marketing agency he started in 2004. He shares his story of actually walking away from a client that was over 50% of the agency's revenue, and how that decision has helped him grow the business into what he's always wanted. Why Walk Away from a $750,000 Agency Client? Do you have a big but difficult client you're afraid to get rid? It happens to the best of us, right? We work hard to land and keep amazing clients, but sometimes we get backed into a corner where we need them more than they need us. That's what *almost* happened with Jeff's agency. Early on, IMA did a small project for a huge home services business worth over $100 million. That small project turned into a little SEO retainer and opened the door for them to work with 30+ franchises…. Well eventually, IMA was grossing $750K per year from this client. The agency always had other work, but this one remained more than 50% of their revenue stream. So, why would Jeff walk away from that kind of revenue? Over the years, there had been too much turnaround on the client side. After many years with one VP of Marketing, he retired and the position has been a revolving door ever since. The synergy was gone and could not be recaptured. Working with that client was more stressful than it was worth. When their contract came up for renewal, Jeff decided to walk away. The move was big, bold, and scary. But the agency has come out the other side and Jeff says it has been a huge relief. Of course, the downside was letting go of the account team dedicated to that client. But on the flip side, it forced IMA to work on their own business. They created their own lead generation system and developed a way to productize their agency services. And the new rule is… no one client can represent more than 20% of the agency's revenue. What Does Productization Look Like for Agencies? With their newfound clarity and not wanting to be lumped together with all the other "full-service video agencies" (AKA "me too agencies"), Jeff and his team took a long look at their differentiating factor. That's how they developed the Digital Marketing Quadrant. Instead of selling multiple services, IMA offers their Digital Marketing Quadrant as a strategy which paves the pathway for clients to achieve their revenue goals. Instead of offering tactics (SEO, PPC, etc.) the Digital Marketing Quadrant starts with a small engagement and then advances toward larger projects that lead the client toward their goals. Remember, your clients don't care what you do, just as long as you get the results they want. Related: https://jasonswenk.com/seth-godin/ The Biggest Mistake an Agency Can Mistake With over fifteen years in the business, Jeff says he's made every mistake in the book. The biggest, though, was not understanding the value his agency provides and not going after clients who understand it. This caused major strife… despite the fact that the agency had been growing rapidly for 3 years, profitability was in the single-digits. (This gives me nightmares, btw!) At the time IMA was at nearly $2 million in gross revenue, yet Jeff's income had flatlined and the agency's margins were dipping. Why? The agency was in a growth phase, so of course, they were adding staff and paying out benefit but otherwise spending unwisely... That experience, of single-digit margins, totally cured him! Jeff's sights are set on 20% profit -- which is still way too low, but at least he's aiming for double-digits :)

Are you having trouble handling your day-to-day agency operations while also growing your digital agency? Looking for an easy solution to management issues? It might be time to hire a CEO. Wait. What? That's right - hiring the right support as part of your leadership team can actually help transform an owner's role enough to grow the agency easier and faster. In today's episode, we'll cover: Why it might be time to hire a CEO. Why your agency needs a social media funnel. 4 steps to creating a killer social funnel. Today, I talked with Audra Brehm founder and CEO of Brehm Media — a social media agency with a focus on health and beauty brands. Audra is also a member of my Digital Agency Elite Mastermind and she's here to share some tips and strategies she has used to realize some amazing growth at her agency. She's one of the few agency owners who actually hired leadership a CEO for her agency. She's also a guru at social media and gives us some golden nuggets on using social channels to find agency new business prospects. Is It Time to Hire a CEO? Being an agency owner is tough... And, it's all much tougher when you're trying to handle everything yourself. The entrepreneur mindset attracts hustlers, movers, and shakers. We often think we can handle everything ourselves. But, the really smart ones hire and outsource for the things they don't enjoy or are not good at. That's what makes Audra such a smart cookie. She didn't love handling the day-to-day employee stuff, setting the culture, putting out fires, etc. Admittedly, it's just not her thing. As I like to say, "whatever you suck at - eliminate, delegate or automate." So Audra hired a CEO to handle all that stuff she doesn't enjoy and it's been a breath of fresh air. Now she can focus on things she enjoys and is really good at. Instead of constantly tending to crises, managing the team, or monitoring financials she has the space to grow the agency and take the business in the direction she wants, on her terms. Just because you're capable of doing certain things within your agency doesn't mean you should be doing them. There are ways you might be spending your time that could be spent more effectively, or more enjoyably. Celebrate your strengths and stop worrying about your weaknesses. The lesson here is to get out of your own way, leverage your strengths, and hire for your weaknesses. Why Your Agency Needs a Social Media Strategy One of the biggest issues with social media is that too many marketers approach it without a plan. Audra says social media is actually more of a funnel. We should be developing a strategy with our social media that takes our prospects through the stages of the funnel. You have to plan ahead, develop a strategy, and constantly monitor results. Have a plan but also be patient and let the funnel do its job. 4 Steps to Creating a Killer Social Funnel Audra shared her 4 steps towards creating a lean, mean, conversion-machine social funnel. Know your mission, vision & why. Whether you're creating social campaigns for you or your clients, you have to know who you (or they) are. What's the purpose of your brand? Don't just copycat other people's social campaigns. You have to create campaigns that reflect your brand and your purpose. From the tone, voice, imagery, and colors — your social content should reflect who you (or your clients) are and what you (they) stand for. Have a strategy. Meaning, benchmark your goals so you can measure your progress. Consider how many sales do I want in 6 months? What about in one year? How many new clients? How much in revenue? This helps you develop the social media funnel and tweak if you aren't hitting those benchmarks. Execute. It's so important not to just throw stuff out there on social media without any sort of call-to-action or next step. Are you driving to landing pages? Are you retargeting effectively? Retargeting is key and it's often a missed step or executed poorly. Remember who you're going after and why. Continue to speak their language even in your retargeting efforts. Analyze. Analyze. Analyze. Are your campaigns working? Look at your numbers regularly and figure out what's working, what's not working. Numbers don't lie. If your analytics are in the red or flatlined that means people don't know, like, and trust you as much as you think. So it's time to change things up. If you're constantly in the green that's great but are those numbers consistent with your new business? Is your growing social popularity translating into sales? We all know a lot of this, but we don't do it for ourselves as much as we do it for our clients. Treat your agency as well as you treat your clients :) Don't just execute without a strategy.

Wish you could eliminate the growing pains of running a digital agency? Wonder what pitfalls you could avoid if you knew in advance? With 3 big lessons from starting, growing, scaling, and exiting multiple agencies today's guest shares a ton of knowledge on everything from business partners to building a team to merging with a bigger agency. In this episode, we'll cover: Merging with a bigger agency. Building an agency team based on culture. 3 misconceptions on bringing in a business partner. Today's interview is with a four-time agency owner, William Harper who's the CEO of WM Harper, and former owner of three other agencies which he has successfully grown and exited. It's been a hell of a ride for William, so I've brought him on the show to share the lessons he's learned along the way. Lesson #1 - Merging with a Bigger Agency The grass isn't greener, but William says he and his partner learned this lesson the hard way. They took grew their agency (William's first of four), Underground, lean and mean. They started winning industry awards and getting noticed. They were landing more and bigger clients, which got them noticed by other agencies. Eventually, an offer came from a 100-person agency, Eisner Communications and William's agency, Underground, merged with Eisner. On the outside, it appears that a merger will open new doors to resources and technology not otherwise available to a smaller agency. However, William and his partner quickly learned those big corporate resources come with a price. Underground lost the ability to be nimble with their clients and projects. Their processes were quickly changed, existing clients prices were increased, and the agency was forced to fit into a corporate mold. My advice is, do not merge with a bigger agency. If you do, keep your eyes wide open to what it will look like. The grass is not greener. If you're looking for an exit strategy - just sell, don't merge. Lesson #2 - Building an Agency Team When William went on to build another agency, he took with him the knowledge of the former and decided to grow his team based on culture. Instead of hiring talent, he viewed it as curating people. Talent and skill are important, but he says his interview questions would also include things like: Why do you love this business? What do you want to achieve next on your career path? What are your overall goals? Do you want to lead? Create? Work independently? We agree that hiring based on culture fit is more important than hiring based on talent. Specific skills are teachable, but matches of personality, values, and beliefs must be present from the start. William quoted a statistic that something like a mere 13% of people are engaged in their job. You need your agency team to reflect the 13%, not the remaining 87%. Lesson #3 - Bringing on an Agency Business Partner I often advise people against bringing in a partner. As I say, "you either know the bad partner or you are the bad partner." After about one year, I brought in a partner to my digital agency. And, over the years, William says he's had great partners along the way in each of his agencies. But he too advises against it now that he's been through a variety of scenarios. There are a few misconceptions about bringing on a business partner: 1- You need a partner in order to convince clients to work with you. FALSE. A partner does not provide instant credibility. You can be an authority on your own. Build your team based on values and you can count on the culture to provide checks and balances. 2- You need a partner to fill in your own gaps. FALSE. Surround yourself with people smarter than you in certain areas without giving up ownership. It is possible to get that yin and yang flow in your agency without a partner. 3- You need a partner to call BS when necessary. FALSE. A lot of agency owners wish they had a sounding board for making decisions. Instead of giving up a piece of ownership to a partner you can hire a mentor, join a mastermind, or create your own board of advisors. While it might seem like a good idea to bring in a partner, oftentimes issues arise when the partners need different things out of the company for different reasons.