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

Are you looking for a creative way to reward your agency team? Ever considered giving your key employees a stock option? This can be a great way to incentivize and reward your loyal and hardworking team. The real key is to do it the right way so you don't lose ownership or control. In this episode, we'll cover: How profit-sharing can boost your agency's value. What is an ESOP and why have one? Should you be offering free services to gain new business? Today, I talked with Matt Fickin, Sales Partner at Techwood Consulting, an SEO and paid ads agency. I love having salespeople on my podcast. They can help give agency owners a unique perspective. Matt's agency's culture is all about value. So, when it comes to providing employee value, he decided to set up a profit-sharing model. The more success employees achieve, the more money goes into their wallets. He's on the show to explain the benefits of using profit sharing to incentive your agency's team. How Profit-Sharing Can Boost Your Value Here's the question — why should you think about profit-sharing? Let me ask you this: how do you currently motivate your employees? Is it your culture? Or, are you offering promotion incentives? Maybe bonuses? Hey! Those are all great! But, what if you could directly reward employees based on your entire agency's success? That means employees aren't getting rewarded based solely on their projects — the whole agency needs to succeed. That is baking success into your agency's DNA! It's a great way to get all your team members collaborative and accountable while spreading responsibility throughout the agency... when everyone succeeds, everyone wins. I'm not saying this will work for every agency model. And, you can definitely find ways to bake value into your agency without giving your employees a financial stake. But, it can help boost the team as a whole and incentive your key players. What is an ESOP and Why Have One? Matt set up an employee profit-sharing based on the ESOP model. ESOP stands for "employee stock ownership plan." Basically, it means giving employees stock as an incentive. So, the better the agency performs, the more money the team makes! When your agency's value increases, their wallets get fatter! Usually, an ESOP involves a vesting period. So, employees may not be able to cash out their shares until they've worked for you for at least 3 - 5 years. This means your most loyal employees are going to be benefiting the most. If an employee leaves, your agency simply purchases their stocks. It's cash for agency-wide wins. Matt also says that you can fast-track executive staff or key employees. In fact, you can even give execs partial ownership using the same methods — which I advise against. Even better, an ESOP comes with some pretty hefty tax benefits. You should definitely talk with your tax person first — these are going to vary by business, state, etc. Should You Be Offering Free Audits? Of course, I couldn't have a salesperson on the show and not ask about the sales pipeline. Matt says one of the best ways to get clients in the door is to offer up free audits. Sure, some of your prospects take your audit and do the fixes in-house or with another agency. But, by and large, most prospects are going to stick with you once you give them a free audit. If you establish trust up front and prove your authority with audit itself, there's no reason they'd need to look elsewhere. Audits are a great way to impress your prospects and help you get your foot-in-the-door. Now, a caveat here -- Matt admits that he doesn't offer free audits when clients want complex circumstances. But, you can figure out when and where a free audit would be appropriate. 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 having trouble filling roles in your agency with the right people? Is your team having trouble building relationships with the client and each other? Building the right team isn't easy! Don't let your agency business suffer because of making the wrong hiring choices. Building a successful agency team might be easier than you might think. In this episode, we'll cover: 4 ways to empower your team. #1 best candidate to hire for growing your agency. Why you need to always be hiring Today, I talked with Brett Sirianni — surfer, agency owner, graphic design enthusiast, and relationship builder extraordinaire. Brett and his partner own Social Supply Co. What originally started as a means to hit the beach when the surf was just right, developed into an agency that specializes in content, SEO, social and high-fives (+193,000.) Brett has built his successful agency team on the basis of effective communication, and he's here to share some insight so you can do the same. 4 Ways to Empower Your Team Want to know how to create a team that develops robust client relationships? We all want to keep clients around longer and the best way is with solid communication. That's what builds relationships! People do business with people - so empower your team to be great communicators and you'll retain clients longer. Hire the right staff. I know you know, but it's worth repeating. Get the right people in the right seats first. If you want to find staff that understands how to build solid relationships, bake relationship-building into your hiring process - it's a skill that you need to assess very early on. Build a personable team. Make sure your staff has the natural abilities to handle clients. That means hiring people who handle stress well, have a little charm, and have the right amount of extroversion. You can teach skills, but a great personality cannot be learned. Create a culture of employee success. Want your team to care about the agency's success? Care about theirs! If your employees feel like your agency is "just another stepping stone in their career" they aren't going to care about the business's success. They will make decisions based on what's best for them. But by breeding a culture of success everyone wins. Get involved in the introduction. When you first introduce new team members to clients, do it right. Give your team the ability to own the room. Position them as a rockstar. Make them the experts very early and give them the freedom to really dominate the relationship. Emphasize person-to-person communication. Give your team the freedom to know clients on a personal basis. Encourage genuine and honest relationships. Let them be personable and real - clients want to do business with people, not businesses. #1 Best Candidate to Hire for Growing Your Agency Who works for free, wants to prove themselves, and tries extra hard to succeed? Interns! Here's a tip for hiring interns, though. Don't think of them as "free work." Instead, think of them as try-before-you-buy team members. You can see whether or not they have what it takes up close and personal. If you're looking to start an intern program, try local college campuses which are filled with quality candidates. These students are eager to learn and hungry for real-world experience. Talk to a department chair or administrator and let them know you want to help them with their programs. Then, follow through and actually provide a meaningful experience for the student while also making the relationship beneficial for you, too. Take it from me - intern programs can produce some of the savviest, hardest-working team members. Plus, you don't have to deal with team management logistics with interns :) Why You Need to Always Be Hiring Here's a question. Are you hiring? Better yet, does your website say your hiring? Tons of agencies think they actually need to be hiring before they add it to their homepage. You don't! Putting up a "we're hiring" banner on your website (next to your logo works best) does two things... Helps attract great talent. Sure, you may not need them right away. But, when it does come time to hire, you're going to have a list of candidates right at your fingertips. Helps attract and reassure clients. If your prospects think you're hiring, it helps them think you're in high demand and very busy. It also gives your existing clients a sense of security and adds some peace of mind that you probably didn't even know they needed.

Do you wish you could future-proof your agency? Want to land more agency clients and retain them longer? The agency industry is ever-changing but you can create an evergreen marketing agency by going back to the basics. Some of the best practices from the Mad Men era still apply today! Check out these strategies from an agency founder who's been in the business since the 1980's. In today's episode, we'll cover: Why you should focus on the client's internal storytelling. 2 ways to land big accounts and retain them longer. The best way to future-proof your marketing agency. Today, I talked with Peter Cimoroni — Founder and CEO of Razor Marketing with 3 offices across the country. Peter has been in the agency space for over 4 decades! It was a completely different world back then. So, how did Peter keep growing and scaling year-after-year? How does an old-school marketer survive the digital age? With strategy and persistence, of course... Why You Should Focus on the Client's Internal Storytelling As an agency, you're a storyteller. We do that for our clients' brands all the time. Whether you do video, paid ads, or SEO or whatever the case may be; you're trying to tell the story of the brand. But, what about the client's internal story? All of those ads and SEO tricks help tell prospects a brand's story. But, who is telling their employees the story? Peter believes that not only does adding internal storytelling boost your deliverables, but it can be a huge boost for businesses. How can you package those video services to make them valuable internally? Sure, you shoot paid ad videos, but what about shooting internal team-building videos for your clients? If you can find a way to offer brands internal and external storytelling, you'll be able to service two of their needs and boost your bottom-line. That's a win-win! 2 Ways to Land Big Accounts and Retain Them Longer Peter's agency has 8 full time people and they don't hustle looking for new clients all the time. How? They have landed and retained some big clients that provide consistent revenue. Here are Peter's two biggest tips to score big clients and keep them: Have processes. The best way to keep cash flowing and retain big clients is to develop killer processes. Developing strategies can help you automate some of your client acquisition. If you have step-by-step methods for dealing with certain deliverables, you don't have to waste brain space on each client. Make it a no-brainer when it comes to deliverables so your team can focus on the areas they really need to -- such as retaining those big clients. Plus, with automations and systems you'll be able to offer predictability and consistency. Help other entrepreneurs. As strange as it sounds, being helpful to other entrepreneurs can pay off. Not only does it build long-lasting relationships that could potentially flourish into partnerships, but it gives you a sense of self-worth or fulfillment you can't get elsewhere. Here's the best thing, helping entrepreneurs can build relationships and open doorways that may not be open otherwise. The Best Way to Future-Proof Your Agency Peter and I started our agencies in different eras of marketing but we both found ways to future-proof the business. So, how do you keep an agency growing strong for ten or event twenty years in the future? Persistence! I know, it sounds a little corny but, there are tons of strategies out there helping you become forward-thinking. The truth is, you don't know what's around the corner. You have to be willing to fail and keep going. Peter said he has learned more from his 6 startup failures than his 3 successes. The only real way to WIN is to keep at it. Sure, there may be times where throwing in the towel makes sense. But, if you can be persistent, you'll win eventually. Additionally, Peter says to re-evaluate your processes on an annual basis. Don't settle for the "this is the way we've always done it" mantra. Instead, check-on and improve upon your systems and processes every year. Chances are, as technology and team members change your processes will need updated as well. There's always a better, faster, easier way of doing things -- and that itself is a great way to future-proof your agency. Want to know where the agency industry is head? Check out our Future Outlook of Marketing Agencies in 2019 Cashflow or Bookkeeping Issues? FreshBooks is the solution with their ridiculously easy­-to-­use cloud accounting software for agencies. Freshbooks helps you work smarter and become more organized. Most importantly, it gets you paid quicker. Check out FreshBooks.com/SmartAgency and enter SMARTAGENCY in the "How Did You Hear About Us?" section for a FREE 30-day, unrestricted trial.

Are you struggling to compete with other agencies in your niche? Are you tired of losing new business to your competition? You can stand out if you learn how to disrupt status quo. You just need to get a little scrappy and start thinking outside-of-the-box. In today's episode, we'll cover: Why your agency needs to think differently. #1 way to achieve agency growth fast! How data can close more agency new business. Today, I talked with Jay Samit — serial entrepreneur, former VP of Sony, Vice Chairman of Deloitte, and best selling author. Oh! And he grew an agency from 0 in revenue to $200 million is 18 months. He's basically a superstar. And Jay's new book "Disrupt You! Master Personal Transformation, Seize Opportunity, and Thrive in the Era of Endless Innovation" is all about how you can create agency growth by being a little different. Why Your Agency Needs to Think Differently Jay talked about his experience coming into a marketing agency that had $0 in revenue and transforming it into a $200 million opportunity. How? He pivoted. The agency had a great idea, but they didn't know how to execute it properly. They had the framework of value exchange merchandising but didn't know what to do with it. Jay's idea was to offering value exchange merchandise for brands around the world. So for example, instead of paying for your in-game app currency, you could just watch an ad instead. Here's the crazy part. Within one year, the agency was charging advertisers $1,000 CPM! Maybe your agency has a great idea. And, maybe you're awesome at what you do. But, if you're not succeeding, it may be time to pivot. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Think about how you can apply those same services and skills to a broader or more nuanced user base. How can you utilize what you already have in a different way? No way to do things differently? Try adding some unique services that set you apart! The Best Way to Achieve Agency Growth Fast! I've talked about niching in the past, but what about niching into an unknown space? If you can find a way to be the only agency offering services to a particular group of people, you're in the golden zone. Jay told a story about an agency owner going from homeless to $70k in his first month — and $1 million by the end of his first year. How did he do it? He found a market no one else was serving. Sure, niching can be a great way to get hyper-specialized. But, if you can offer services to a market no one is paying attention to, you'll have a huge advantage. Here's a tip... Research a couple niches you're passionate about and see if anyone else is serving them. Start searching for those unexplored opportunities. You never know what you might find. How Data Can Close More New Business Are you having trouble pitching? Can you get your foot-in-the-door, but you seem to have issues closing? Try putting data to work. You can tell a prospect anything. But, if you can show them substance, they're going to be interested. You may have a killer strategy and a great idea that will help that prospect rake in customers. But if you can back it up with solid data, you're more likely to win the pitch. Data doesn't lie. Think you can triple their ROI on Facebook? I believe you, but your prospects need more than just your word on it. Explain the plan, then show them how you can do it by sharing a case story and reporting data that backs up your claim. The better the data, the better your chances. Cashflow or Bookkeeping Issues? FreshBooks is the solution with their ridiculously easy­-to-­use cloud accounting software for agencies. Freshbooks helps you work smarter and become more organized. Most importantly, it gets you paid quicker. Check out FreshBooks.com/SmartAgency and enter SMARTAGENCY in the "How Did You Hear About Us?" section for a FREE 30-day, unrestricted trial.

Are you putting out tons of material but your conversion rates are poor? Do you wish that you could stay a step ahead of the competition? How do you even begin competing in a saturated market like SEO? Don't worry! These questions are normal! Are you putting out tons of material but your conversion rates are poor? Do you wish that you could stay a step ahead of the competition? How do you even begin competing in a saturated market like SEO? Don't worry! These questions are normal! In this episode, we'll cover: * How to dominate by niching. * 3 of the best conversion tools. * #1 way to boost your agency's profile. Today, I talked with Chris Ching CEO and Founder of ElectricEnjin — an eCommerce website design and SEO agency. Chris is a long-time fan of the podcast, and he's here to share some tips on how he catapulted his agency into adulthood. I love hearing from fans of the show, especially when they come on and share some killer strategies with me. Chris is insanely talented, and he has a few tips that will definitely help new and old agencies alike. HOW TO DOMINATE BY NICHING Chris is definitely a hustling agency owner. He went through 3 iterations of his business before he found a winner. We've all pivoted before. But, his best tip on staying competitive in a dense market is this — niche down. I've talked about niching plenty on this podcast. But, this is a reminder — niching brings success (https://jasonswenk.com/niche/) . There are a plethora of agencies that are going to be competing with you. You need to find what makes you different. Figure out what you're really just good at and use it. Don't focus on your weaknesses! Focus on your strengths! You cannot be the best at everything. So pick one and dominate it. Plus, when you're great in one industry or one skillset, you're more likely to get hired for your expertise. Think about it. Would you want to hire an agency that's good at digital marketing or amazing at SEO? It's a no-brainer. 3 OF THE BEST CONVERSION TOOLS One of the toughest parts of starting an agency is figuring out what kind of content converts. Do you start throwing up LinkedIn ads? Should you put out white papers? According to Chris, these are three of the best conversion tools in today's atmosphere. * #1 Lead Magnets: Chris's agency offers a free site audit as their lead magnet and they're totally crushing it with converting those free audits into paid clients. * # 2 Chatbots: I'm a big believer in chatbots (https://www.facebook.com/jasonswenk/videos/facebook-messenger-bot-best-practice-a-strategy-that-generated-250k-revenue/1045222472312264/) . In fact, I have one! Chatbots are 24/7 sales machines that grab leads, convert, and engage with minimal investment. It's silly not to have one at this point. * # 3 Personalized videos: I send personalized videos to ALL of my clients. They form a connection quick. Chris started using personalized videos on his free website audits. He said they made a huge difference. In fact, he says his audit conversion rate is 50%! #1 WAY TO BOOST YOUR AGENCY'S PROFILE If your agency website is not converting the way you'd like, you can change that by making sure your content is ranking for the people who're searching for it. Run a content audit on your own website. Develop a customer avatar (or several of them) and make sure your content is directed to those avatars. Take a hard look at the value you're providing compared to your competitors. Write the content your prospects are actually looking for and maybe even delete old stuff that's cluttering up your site (https://jasonswenk.com/increase-website-traffic/) . Chris and I talked about one of the most common problem areas for agencies — not branding an experience well. It's not enough to tell people you do x,y, and z. You have to form an emotional connection with your clients. Chris gave a great example. Clif Bars logo has the guy hiking up a mountain with a nature backdrop. They're chunky, unique, and rugged. PowerBars tell you what's in them. It's entirely functional. Sure, PowerBars still sell. But, Clif bars were able to jump into a market and beat out the Goliaths by transforming themselves into more than the product. They're an experience. Same thing with Apple and Microsoft. Both of them have done tons of branding. But, one offers an experience, the other offers function. Both can succeed. The difference is this — Apple was able to outsell Microsoft and enter a saturated market. How? They branded an experience.

Want some killer tips to help you scale and score more new deals? Check out how one digital agency owner jumped from landing an $18K project to a $500K project by having the right framework in place. And by learning the systems you, too, can attract ideal clients who can pay what you're really worth. It just takes the right mindset and a solid growth strategy. It's all about doing more with less, hiring smart, knowing what to say 'no' to and attracting the right clients. In today's episode, we'll cover: Getting clients to pay what you're worth. 3 ways to make your agency more marketable. How to grab those first clients. Today, I talked with Dean LaGrange founder of LaGrange Digital the Facebook ad agency he grew from the ground up. Dean bought the Agency Playbook and he's been absolutely killing it with his agency. Dean actually applied the strategies in the Agency Playbook and shared this story with me about going from an $18k project to a $500k project. I knew I had to get him on the podcast to share this same story with my listeners so you know what's working. #1 Person to Hire First For new agency owners, trying to decide on your first hire can be scary. Don't worry! It's easier than you think. Here's the secret. Hire someone who is good at either: Something you're not good at. Something you don't like doing. Something that's taking up too much of your time. To figure out what that something is, you need to do a self-audit. Really look at yourself as an agency owner and figure out what you're good at and what you need a little help with. Then, hire the person that's going to give you that help. It could be sales, another marketer, someone who's good with finances, or anyone else. Getting Clients to Pay What You're Worth I'm not going to lie -- there's a plug here -- but NO, I did not put Dean up to it :) He says he knew he had good processes in place, but also was self-aware enough to know what he doesn't know. The agency was "making it" but he realized what was missing what a mentor or adviser with the experience and knowledge to do what he was trying to do. That's when Dean decided to invest in my Agency Playbook so he could learn how to find clients, what to charge, how to position the agency, and most importantly how to determine the value of the agency's services. After going through the Playbook, Dean took a proposal that he was going to charge at $18,000 and increased it to $500,000 because he better understood his agency's value. And, BOOM! And folks, that was within 3 days of purchasing the Agency Playbook. The real lesson was that Dean learned clients are willing to pay a premium when you can demonstrate the value of your services. He just didn't know exactly how to connect the dots for them - until now. 3 Ways to Make Your Agency More Marketable New agencies are prone to the infamous client drought. You don't have the testimonials or street cred to back yourself up yet. So, how do you make your agency appealing to new prospects? Niche. I've said it a million times, and yet there's still resistance. Finding a niche is an easy way to separate yourself from the pack. Figure out what granular value you can offer to clients. Do you have experience in healthcare? Are you really good at AdWords? Find out what makes you unique -- either a horizontal or a vertical -- and use it as the pillar for agency growth. Have the right processes. You don't need a portfolio to start attracting the right clients. But, you do need the right systems. Tell your potential clients what you do better than your competitors. And, give them the framework for how you can help them. Make sure you walk them through the plan of what you do and how you will get them their desired results. Work for free. If you're hurting for clients, start offering your services for free. It can help you build up testimonials and case stories. Plus, it gives you some experience for the paid gigs. How to Grab Those First Agency Clients If you looked at that last section and thought "I get it, but where do I actually find clients?" I've got news for you. They're everywhere! Dean walked around the business district of a neighboring town and asked business owners door-to-door if they needed help. I've heard for owners who have sent emails, talked to family friends, gone door-to-door, and even some that pick up the phone. TIP --> When you're looking for those first few clients, you need to do outbound. Inbound marketing will be your bread-and-butter once your agency is steady. But, outbound marketing can scale... fast! Even better, a advise a three-fold system of inbound, outbound, and strategic partnerships to make sure your pipeline stays constant.

Are you trying to grow your agency by offering anything and everything your clients could want, yet still feel like it's not enough? The solution starts with knowing what you do well and what you don't. You could actually grow easier and faster if you are self-aware and start cutting back agency services. It seems counterintuitive but it's a strategy that is working right now. In today's episode, we'll cover: How to decide who to hire first. 3 phases of agency growth. Why cutting back services helps agency growth. Today, I talked with Bryan Phelps, CEO of Big Leap — the SEO agency he founded in 2008. Bryan started off building websites for paintball gear as a teenager and slowly grew from a one-man startup to an SEO agency with a team of 70. Bryan is here to tell us how he grew his team and why cutting back on service offerings actually helped his agency soar. How to Decide Who to Hire First Do you handle the entire day-to-day of your agency? Are you the Ops, Sales, and Dev team? If so, stop! I know it can be difficult to let go of the reigns. You feel like hiring employees will make your life harder - there are people to manage and payroll to meet. But trust me it doesn't have to be that way. Not only are employees able to handle some of those tasks, but they can bring skill sets that you don't have. Outsourcing and hiring are one of the first steps towards successful agency ownership. Real growth begins when you are self-aware enough to know your strengths and hire or outsource for your weaknesses. Here's a great question: who should you hire first? A salesperson that can help you fill your pipeline? A project manager who can manage the details of your clients and projects? Or, maybe another creative to help you push out assets? Here's the answer: it could be any of the above. You need to figure out which role will help you the most and then move on it. We all have weaknesses. Bryan and I agree that you have to identify yours and hire someone who can help you in that weak area. I was always great at sales, but I wasn't the best project manager. So, I hired one - it's that simple. Side note: a lot of agencies I work with seem to have issues with agency salespeople. It can be difficult trying to find an agency salesperson who has the skills to both curate prospects and close deals. Guess what? (Shameless plug coming...) My partner and I developed SalesPipelineAccelerator.com so you can outsource the finding, hiring, and training agency salespeople. The 3 Phases of Agency Growth Bryan says his agency went through three major phases (so far) in their growth trajectory. Here are the milestones he identified: 1- Doing It All - Starting out is tough. When you first start your agency, you're handling everything yourself. This is the headache stage. You have to handle sales, ops, creatives, etc. You're working a ton of hours and wearing many hats. It's hard but necessary. 2- Having Enough Help - This is the stage when you are at about 10 employees. You have enough team members that you can finally start to hand over things over, but you're still pretty well involved in the daily operations. You're still working on projects and handling clients, but you've got enough help that it feels more manageable. 3- Changing Operations - With a solid team in place, you can really put the business under a microscope. You can look at internal things like company culture and get really focused on core values. But you can also look at your service offering and figure out which areas of business are crushing it and which ones aren't. When you do that, you might start cutting some of your service offerings. Why Cutting Back Services Helps Agency Growth Why would you cut back service offerings in order to grow? Here's the thing - you can't be awesome at all the things. If you're new, you may be trying to do everything. You want to be the one-stop-shop for every clients' needs. That's okay. You can try to do that -- at first. But, if you've noticed that you've started to slow down in your growth, it may be time to choose one thing and get really laser-focused on being the best. Specializing or niching can be a great way to boost your growth fast. For example, Bryan's agency grew 20% in two months after he stopped providing PPC ads. Why? Because he could hyper-focus on SEO. Specialized surgeons bring home the bacon for a reason. People want to work with the best in a given category. Be the best in your category. You may want to develop strategic partnerships with another agency as Bryan did. He sent them his PPC business, and they sent him SEO business. That way, both agencies benefit from the partnership.

Get ready for some amazing insight from Seth Godin, the father of permission marketing. He dives deep into branding your agency, determining value, niching down, and so much more! There's a ton of value here to help you grow, scale, and enjoy your marketing agency. In this episode, we'll cover: The future of marketing agencies. How to stand apart from agency competition. What's the difference between a logo and a brand? 2 steps for agencies to determine value. Why agencies need to select a niche. What clients really want from agencies. How to leverage your strengths to win clients. It is my distinct honor and privilege to interview Seth Godin on the show. Like so many in the industry, I'm a huge fan of everything Seth had written and I'm so inspired by his wisdom. I think just about everyone knows him, but in case you're the one person who doesn't… :) Seth Godin is an author, speaker, entrepreneur and most of all, a teacher. He has written 18 best-selling books, including This is Marketing and Purple Cow. Seth has also founded two companies, Squidoo and Yoyodyne (acquired by Yahoo!). He's motivated and inspired entrepreneurs and marketers around the world. What's the Future of Marketing Agencies? There's an old school definition of an agency where they bought the ads for brands and created the ads they'd place. These agencies earned a percentage of the ad spend and charge a fee for the creative elements. But, Seth says, twenty years ago that agency model started to shift. At the early stages of the internet boom, brands no longer needed agencies to buy ads or create them. Beginning then and even truer today, Seth believes agencies need to be advisors to brands. Clients need you to help make their products or services better. Agencies have the ear of the CEO. Therefore, the future of agencies lies in building that relationship and being the liaison between the CEO, the other departments of the business - like engineers and other creators, and the consumers themselves. Related: The Future Outlook for Marketing Agencies in 2019 Using Pricing As A Differentiating Factor A lot of agencies tell me they watch their competition and then charge slightly less, and that's their strategy for staying ahead of the competition. My advice is always: don't make lower prices be your differentiating quality. Seth agrees and shared a story about his 1995 business venture "Get Rich Click." While Yahoo! was selling clicks for $2.00, Seth was selling them for 50-cents. He says he knew he was only going to be successful until someone else started selling them for 49-cents. You know what happened? Yahoo! bought them and eliminated the competition. Friends, you cannot grow your agency if you're racing to the bottom! What's the Difference Between a Logo and a Brand? Are you building a brand, or is your agency just a logo? Seth talked about the difference between a brand and a logo using his example of Nike and Hyatt. He asked if Nike started a hotel chain, could you envision it? Yes, of course. But if the inverse were true, and Hyatt created an athletic shoe, could you envision it? Not so much. The difference is, Nike has built a brand. Consumers know what they stand for and believe in. So anything and everything Nike does, their customers know what to expect. Hyatt has built a chain of hotels, but their name and logo may as well be interchangeable with others in the industry. They don't represent or stand for anything specific. So - while growing your agency, be clear on what you stand for and convey that message to your audience. This is what will build your brand and help your agency stand out. 2 Steps for Agencies to Determine Value Seth says we have to get away from the "more and better" mentality. Meaning, stop thinking about getting more clients as your way of being better than the competition. If all you want are more clients, then your worth is tied to how busy you are but if you really want to be better then there are two questions to answer when determining worth: How much do you cost compared to the alternative? How much is what you do worth to your target market? Seth says you have to be the one and only… if you're no better than the alternative, then you're not worth more than them. It's that simple. Why Agencies Need to Select a Niche Selecting a niche does not mean serving a small audience, it means serving a specific audience. Seth believes it's super important and here's why... The web is not mass media. We think it is and we treat it like it is, but it's not and users aren't using that way. We act like there are infinite possibilities when marketing on the internet, but that's just not true because people are online searching for very specific information. If your message is too broad you can't and won't be found. As I like to tell agencies, marketing toward one niche does not mean turning down work from clients outside your niche. It just means you're laser focused in one specific niche and aiming all your marketi

Looking for a way to add tons of value and increase services to your agency clients? Have you considered adding video as a service but not sure where to begin? Adding video can seem overwhelming but it doesn't have to be. With the right processes and systems, you can dive headfirst into offering video services to your clients with minimal investment. Learn how to seamlessly transition to a video offering so you can help your clients share their case stories. When they sell more and you sell more - it's a win-win. In this episode, we'll cover: How to build better relationships. Video marketing doesn't require a huge upfront investment. 3 video marketing strategy tips. #1 way to convince clients to buy your videos. Today, I talked with my good friend Ian Garlic. Ian runs a successful video marketing agency, authenticWEB, hosts his podcast, The Garlic Marketing Show, and consults on video shoots — now there's a trifecta! :) Ian has worked with big names, big businesses, and traveled internationally on shoots. Ian is on the show to tell us how existing marketing agencies can easily offer video marketing as a service. He's sharing the ins and outs, as well as tips and strategies to make sure you're successful right out of the gate. Video Can Help Build Better Relationships We ALL want better client relationships. When you welcome an awesome new you create a killer campaign, and then... what? They walk out the door and never come back. Or they move onto another agency that can do more of what they need. Offering a complementary service, like video, is a way to keep those clients around longer. Here's the great thing about video content. It's permanent. Facebook strategies shift, Google's algorithm changes, and those CRO strategies go out-the-door when the next big buzzword hits the scene. But, all videos — they aren't going anywhere. You can shove that video content into any other strategy, and it's universally understood. Clients love video content because it's evergreen. When you start pitching video content, you really have to understand your clients. What's their story? Why are they here? Once you sit down with them for a strategy session and really get to know them, they're going to stick around because you get them. They won't run off to the next agency that shoves a cooler, better strategy in their face because video is video. Why Video Service Doesn't Require Huge Upfront Investment I know what you're thinking. You don't have the time, resources, or people to start offering video. You're wrong. It's a lot easier than you think! Ian says you really only need one videographer and a solid strategy. The rest of the stuff - copywriting, editing, etc. - you can outsource. When Ian started, he didn't hire a team for video production; he hired a videographer and outsourced the rest. How did he do it? He had a process! You have to have a system in place that tells people what they need to get done. Without a system or even the right checklists, you'll likely be scrambling to get everything done, and you'll unknowingly let things slip through the cracks. 3 Video Marketing Strategy Tips Determine your low-hanging fruit. Make a list of which of your current or past clients could work well with video. Don't think you have to go out and capture new leads to sell your video service. You don't. Think about who, among your existing network, could benefit from video and pitch them a strategy utilizing your video service. Nail the strategy session. Strategy sessions are a great way to get to know your clients. But, they're also an excellent way to build your process. During the sessions, you'll figure out what the client needs, which is going to tell you what you need to do, step-by-step. Map it out to a successful end result. Now that you know what the client wants, start figuring out how you're going to do it. Get the sale first! Then, come up with a plan of how to execute the strategy you just made with your client. Don't worry about building a team. Just make sure you give the client a clear understanding of the plan and regularly communicate the goals. How to Sell Video to Your Existing Clients How do you actually get those clients to pull-the-trigger on your new video service? Put everything in perspective. Ask them this: "How much is one lead worth to you?" Flip their mindset from looking at video as a cost to looking at it as an investment. If they're a service-based business, one lead may be worth a thousand dollars... up to ten thousand. Once they think about the ROI for a second, they're going want 20 videos. If those videos only score them a few leads, they're still going to come out on top. The same thing works for non-service clients too. Have them think about the entire process in terms of ROI. They're going to see video as an expense. However, you need to sell it is as an investment by pointing out the benefits of this evergreen, multi-use content. Cashflow or Bookkeeping Issues? FreshBooks is the solution w

Are you trying to figure out how to scale your agency? Do you want some killer agency growth tips? Finding clients can be tough, especially if you don't yet have a salesperson or team in place to land more clients. But, if you play your cards right, you can skip some of the typical growing pains in order to grow and scale faster. In this episode, we'll cover: 3 ways to reel in more new agency clients How to know when to hire a salesperson. #1 way to capture clients in the beginning. Today, I talked with Kirk Deis, co-owner of Treehouse 51 and creator of proprietary software Bugsquasher. Kirk started off building Tumblr sites, ghostwriting, and grinding in the freelance world. Three years ago he finally decided to make the jump from freelancer and started his own agency. Like all new agencies, he learned some tricks along the way, and he credits is business for mentoring him along the way. Today, he shares a ton of great tips for breaking those first barriers. 3 Ways to Reel in More New Agency Clients Wondering the best ways to build trust and authority in the market? Capturing prospects' attention can be tough in the beginning. Here's how you can reel in your ideal clients by building trust and authority. Be a student. Too many new agency owners fall into the trap of trying to leverage themselves as experts. Don't be afraid to ask for help! Connect with mentors, interview experts, retweet or share social posts by others. You don't need to have all the answers, you just need to know where to find them and how to connect to them. All these things help build instant credibility and maybe even score some clients. Connect on social media. Everyone is on social media - use it to find and talk to them! Connect with other agency owners or marketing experts and create some deep, meaningful connections. Find out who's doing it better than you and connect with them. Help first rather than asking for help. These relationships can lead to tons of new opportunities that would not be possible without social media connections. Do free stuff. Don't be afraid to do your first few jobs for free! It's a great way to capture the attention of prospects in your niche and build authority. You will build up a portfolio and be able to ask for testimonials. It's that sort of priceless social proof that lands clients more easily than any paid ad campaign ever could. How to Know When to Hire a Salesperson I get this question a ton. When do you hire your first salesperson? Kirk hired his first salesperson at the $500k mark. But, honestly, it's not about when you hire your salesperson, but how. Most agency owners think they can be the sole salesperson, and there are some that can (like Kirk, for example). But, having a dedicated salesperson is the best way to truly scale as well as fill your pipeline. If you're the founder and owner then it's hard for you to focus solely on sales. That means when you are focused on sales, then sales are great. But when you're pulled into other areas, such as delivery, then sales suffer. If your agency is suffering from big ebbs and flows of sales and the owner is the one handling sales, then it's probably time to hire a salesperson dedicated to that role. Here's the thing. Don't just hire a salesperson and then tell them they have to sell your way. Give them the freedom to sell their way. Here's the trick. Define the outcomes, not the strategy. Maybe start them off with just selling your foot-in-the-door offer, then you could assist with selling the next project. The key is to assist, not dominate the whole process. If you start trying to force salespeople to work within your parameters, you'll end up with a terrible experience. #1 Way to Capture Client's in the Beginning It's less about what you've done and more about how you do it. So don't worry about a solid portfolio, just nail down a great process. You don't have to show off your previous work; you need to explain what sets you apart. Sit your prospect down and tell them why your process is better than your competitors. Do you make websites? What's your process? How is it better than your competitors? Why do your sites convert better than other agencies? If you don't know, figure it out and then point it out to your prospects! Clients want to know why they should choose you. They don't want your secret sauce ~ they just want to know you have one :) That great looking portfolio may get your foot in the door, but your process will convert! Here's the thing about your process, it must be fluid. There's always a better way to do things. Your agency should be that better way. If it is, your prospects will notice, and they will definitely be interested. 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 o

Would you like to win more clients without the pressure of selling to them? Would you like to know how to improve relationships and build authority? Stop wasting time, energy, and resources by networking. Instead, leverage media to help you win more agency business without constantly selling. Learn some great growth hacks through the art of preselling. In today's episode, we'll cover: Why you should start interviewing others. Why you should start being interviewed by others. #1 hack for selling more to your ideal clients. Today, I talked with Steve Gordon, Founder of Unstoppable CEO. Steve works with professional services firms to help them convert more prospects through the art of preselling. Steve hates the traditional networking grind (so do I!) So, Steve is a big fan of prospecting for clients through mediums like podcasts and video. Here's here to share some valuable advice on building relationships and authority so you can land more business without selling. Why You Should Start Interviewing Others Do you want to build authority fast? Start interviewing prospects to help you grow your community of followers. Steve is a big proponent of recorded client interviews. What's a recorded interview? Well, podcasts are for one! Why is sitting down with an expert guest so valuable? Build your content library: Not only are you getting your prospect in a room with you, but you're also creating value-added content for everyone in your network. Grow your reach: Whether you're using a podcast, YouTube, or webinars, sitting down with a guest is a surefire way to increase your reach. Think your guest won't share that interview with his whole network? Think again. Most guests want to promote your show because you've set them up as an expert. They're as proud of the interview as you are! Low-cost point of entry: You don't have to spend a ton on equipment in order to interview guests on a video show or podcast. In fact, starting a podcast is easier than you think. Eliminate the sales game: Your prospects are consuming your content on their own terms. Some will binge watch/listen. No matter where or when they're listening you're establishing a relationship with many while talking to one. Why You Should Start Being Interviewed by Others Think interviewing clients is the only way to build credibility and scale your network? Nope. It works both ways. Get yourself booked on other shows where your ideal clients are listening. Not only does this get you out in front of a new crowd of potential prospects, but you're also building relationships with the interviewers. That's a double whammy. Being a guest on a podcast is easy! Just offer their viewers valuable content by speaking on topics that solve one of their pain points. If you have value to share, there are podcasts out there looking for you. Try the reciprocating tactic where you have a guest on your show and then ask to be on theirs. Everyone is always looking for new content - all you need to do is be relevant. #1 Hack For Selling More to Your Ideal Clients If you want to stay a step ahead of the competition, you have to build a relationship with your clients. They need to know you're the real deal. So, how do you do that? Let them get to know you. Be genuine. Whether it's smart, funny, charming, blunt, thoughtful, sarcastic... you be you. It doesn't have to be interviews, or videos, or podcasts — it can be whatever medium you want! Just make sure you're sending it to your prospects and putting it on the platforms where your prospects congregate. My YouTube channel and podcast have built relationships with my subscribers. They feel like they know me even when I've never met most of them. Think about it this way. When you listen to your favorite business podcast or video, is it because you view them as an authority? Of course! They're the king of the castle because they have the keys to the front door. With media (think webinars, YouTube, podcasts, etc.) you can position yourself however you want. Plus, when clients watch or listen to your content they get a feel for who you are and you've got a better chance of resonating with them.

Are you struggling to keep your agency employees? Tired of spending time training team members who leave too soon? Employee retention is one of the hardest parts of running an agency, and one of the most important parts of growing. Learn how you can keep your employees happy, fulfilled, and ready to grow right along with you. In this episode, we'll cover: Why your agency must dominate employee retention. 9 ways your agency can boost its retention rate. 4 steps to creating a team development map. On today's show, I talked with Tommy Chenoweth the Senior Director of Team Development at January Digital — a full-funnel marketing agency. Tommy spends his time focusing on the talent pipeline, which includes retention practices. Tommy's been with January Digital for many years, but as the agency has grown his role has become critical for their future success. As they've gotten bigger and hired more employees, Tommy's onboarding and retention practices has helped them gain serious momentum. Why Your Agency Must Dominate Employee Retention Employee turnover is a major pain, right? Onboarding and training are expensive and time-consuming. But, beyond the hassle, employee attrition has some serious agency-wide consequences. First, when someone leaves your agency it may make pique the curiosity of your other employees. They will wonder why they're leaving... Are they getting paid more? Working on better projects or clients? Getting better benefits? Those are all the questions your employees are asking themselves when others leave. Second, it's nearly impossible to sustain growth when agency employees are always jumping ship. When the focus is on constantly training new employees, responsibilities get shifted and client relationships suffer. Finally, and this is the big one, your clients are going to notice. When an employee leaves the team, the client starts to wonder why. Even worse, when a new employee joins the team, no matter how well you onboard and train interally, the client feels like they're starting all over. 9 Ways Your Agency Can Boost Retention Provide a clear path: Let your employees know how they can evolve with your agency. Make sure there's a path of progression for getting promoted and building personal authority within the agency. (More on this below.) Hire the right people: Hire employees that match your core values. You can teach skills but culture and personality either fits or it doesn't. Check out this 10-step hiring process. Fire fast: It's true when they say "hire slow, fire fast." Don't be afraid to get rid of employees who are creating or contributing to a negative atmosphere. One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch! Find purpose: Don't be an accidental agency owner. Make sure your agency has a vision and share it with your team. People want to believe in and contribute toward a common goal. Provide mentoring: Make sure the leadership team is sitting down with employees at least once a month to build give guidance and direction. Pro tip: when you do "reviews" don't call them that! Instead, call them coaching sessions or mentorship meetings. Find a term that emphasizes the positives of the meeting. Develop a flowing culture: Make sure your culture is embedded deep in your agency. If employees are deeply rooted in your company culture, they're more likely to stay longer. Promote based on value: Don't give promotion based on tenure. Instead, consider the value the employee brings to the agency and promote when it's deserved and needed for agency growth. Designate outcomes: Don't assign tasks; assign them outcomes. Your employees are your single greatest resource. Allow them the freedom to express their creativity. You'll win more clients, keep more employees, and see some great results. Allow employees space: Tommy calls this a "bridge concept." Give your employees the ability to prove they're ready for the next level by bridging their current role and the next level. Let them take on some managerial tasks if they want to be a manager. Allowing them this latitude will give you a better idea of their capabilities to handle higher level responsibilities. 5 Steps to Creating an Employee Development Map Tommy has created a development map to ensure each employee has a clear path for progression. Here's how you can, too: Find all of the top performers at your agency and figured out what core traits set them apart. Have all of your employees list things they do that are unique to them in their job role. These things add value to the agency but only one individual is doing them. Categorize those skills into 4 core buckets: digital acumen, client service & strategy, management, and contribution to culture. Map out a linear progression of skills required for promotion within the agency. This way your employees know exactly what skills they need in order to advance!

Do you have a qualification process for agency prospects? Do you know when to turn away a bad prospect? How do you know if a client is a good fit for your agency? Turning away clients isn't easy, but turning down a bad prospect may just save you time, energy, and your sanity! In today's episode, we'll cover: When should your agency swipe left on bad prospects? 5 big client mistakes to avoid. One great example of a bad agency client. Today, I talked with BJ Enoch, VP of Enterprise Accounts at SocialSEO. BJ knows a thing or two about turning clients down because he's learned the hard way. SocialSEO has 100+ employees and manages a ton of clients. So, BJ is the perfect person to give us all some client rejection insights. He's a 6-year SEO agency veteran with a knack for spotting bad clients. From early mistakes to time travelers, BJ gives us real, practical advice for avoiding bad agency prospects. When Should Your Agency "Swipe Left"? So honestly, I had no idea what "swiping left" meant until a few weeks ago (because I'm happily married!) So, for those who don't know, swiping left is when you decide to "reject" an uhhmm... "prospect" on the dating app Tinder. The app gives users different profiles photos and you can swipe left to get rid of the profiles you think are a bad match. We've all dealt with bad clients a time or two but you know you don't have to! In fact, telling a prospect NO may be one of the best ways to grow your agency. If your agency is newer and you're in need of the cash flow, you're probably going to take every job that comes your way. It gives you tons of experience and allows you the opportunity to make some mistakes. But, if you've been in the industry a while and you know exactly who help, then it's time to start saying "no" to the wrong projects and prospects. BJ says to ask yourself some questions before you take on a new project. If the answer to any of the questions below is no, run away! Ask yourself: Can we deliver this project? Can we deliver this project at a high enough quality for the client? Is the project reasonable? Is the timeline reasonable? Do we WANT to deliver the project? Can we successfully communicate with the client? 5 Big Client Mistakes to Avoid You can't always be the expert at everything: We're all really good at something. But, we're also all really bad at something. Don't tell the client you can create their website if you only do video production! If you're not equipped to deliver high-quality content, let the client know. Trying to work outside of your expertise is going to cause all kinds of issues. And, you'll probably lose the client because of your inability to deliver as promised. The client isn't the expert: Speaking of being the expert, remember that it's you! If a client tries to set a bunch of parameters during the meeting, be wary. Don't be an order-taker — be an advisor. Make sure to establish this role upfront so your agency is not treated like a commodity. Don't oversell - set accurate expectations: You don't have to constantly let the client know how amazing you are. Seriously. Don't tell them you're going to deliver 25% more than they wanted. Sure, you always want to impress but you should let your service and results speak for themselves. Avoid pricing issues: Your price is X, not Y. "But Jason, the client said they could get the services from my competitor for that price!" Then tell them to work with your competitor! "But Jason, the client said they would pay me once my services start boosting their revenue!" No way José! They'll most likely jump ship to the next more expensive agency and try to cut them down on price. Don't play the short game. Agency growth is all about the long game... lifetime value is key! Focus on client retention, not just on acquisition. This means you should be vetting clients and making sure you're both on-the-same-page before you work with them. BJ left us with one great example of a bad agency prospect when he decided to "swipe left" on a prospect who wanted a website built for time travel business (?!?). Cashflow or Bookkeeping Issues? FreshBooks is the solution with their ridiculously easy­-to-­use cloud accounting software for agencies. Freshbooks helps you work smarter and become more organized. Most importantly, it gets you paid quicker. Check out FreshBooks.com/SmartAgency and enter SMARTAGENCY in the "How Did You Hear About Us?" section for a FREE 30-day, unrestricted trial.

Want to fast track your agency's growth trajectory? Are you looking to push your agency to the next level? Start thinking ahead and planning in advance for anticipated growth. Dig into your financials, loop your team in and get there faster when everyone's on board. In today's episode, we'll cover: How to get into the growth mindset. How much cash reserves should your agency keep? What's a healthy agency profit margin? #1 way to make sure your vision is being implemented. Today, I talked with Ted Kohnen, he is the non-founder president of Retina — a global full-service agency with a deep technical foundation. The agency brought Ted in as their President as part of their growth strategy, which makes him the perfect person to talk growth! He's here to share growth tactics and strategies that you can apply in your agency right now. How to Get into the Growth Mindset When you're looking to grow, start by looking at your balance sheet. Most agency owners come from the creative side or the account side, not from the financial perspective. Usually, agency owners hire a CFO and get right back to being creatives. Stop! If you really want growth, you need to understand your financials. Ted says you can get your hands dirty by paying attention to two main factors. 1. The near-term... This is your receivables, expenses, and cash flow. Understanding your near-term financials will help you manage your agency tighter. You know when and where you need to cut back and which business processes you need to find a way to automate or outsource. If you can see the bulk of your expenses, you can really start to dig into what your financial pain points are. 2. The long-term... This is your future expenses such as expansion, opportunity, and headcount. These are things you should be planning out when you're looking closely at those near-term financials. The sooner you start creating a financial strategy, the sooner you can start growing your agency when the time comes. Pro Tip: Let your CFO know your long-term plans. If they don't know, how can they help you get there? CFO insight and buy-in is key to getting where you want to go. How Much Cash Reserves Should Your Agency Keep? Every agency needs to have some cash in the reserves, but how much is often a point of contention. Luckily, Ted's here to save the day. Ted recommends keeping 6 months in the bank. To do this, you need a deep understanding of your pipeline. Just like you need to learn your agency's financials, you need to be hyper-vigilant in learning what your pipeline looks like. Now, some of you may be saying, "We're fine! We have like 7 months worth of cash flow in media spend!" Stop right there! Don't mix your operating expenses with your float! Make sure you're storing them in different accounts. If you rely on media spend for operating expenses, you're going to get burned. What's a Healthy Agency Profit Margin? Ted said (that's fun to say) a healthy profit margin is around 20%. Now, you may remember my podcast with Mark Asquith who quit his agency at a 50% margin! But, that's not typical. Anywhere from 15% to 20% is a healthy margin. If you're over 20%, you may be neglecting research and development (employee education, culture, tech stacks, etc.) If you're under 20%, you need to start crunching those number! Remember, it's your responsibility to understand your financials, don't rely on your CFO. If you're within 10%, you may be fine. But, if you're operating at a 5 - 10% margin, you need to pivot! #1 Way to Make Sure Your Vision is Being Implemented One of the hardest parts of running an agency is trying to make sure your employees are on board with your vision. Ted says he took Sheryl Sandburg's advice from her 2013 book, "Lean In." And that advice is to make sure you take time to walk around and talk to your team (high-level to entry level.) Engaging your team in casual and easy conversation can ease their concerns and lets you know share your vision. This isn't a formal "town hall meeting" nor is it schedule or have an agenda. He says to get to know your people on a personal level; which gets increasingly more challenging as your staff size increases. Make sure to foster those relationships outside of the office as well. Get your team involved with a charity and let them volunteer during paid work hours, or take everyone to a sporting event. Ted plays bubble soccer with his team! Whatever works for you, your team, and your company culture. Just be sure to engage with your employees and make sure you're all carrying your vision forward. If you notice a particular employee doesn't seem to share your vision, don't put off the inevitable. Be Purposeful with Your Time Ted left us all a tip before he hopped off the podcast — look at requests for your time through a sharply focused lens. Don't just take every meeting that comes your way. If someone wants your time but it's not related to growth, employee culture, or client delivery, don't give it to them! Do you know th

Do you struggle to find the right employees? Would you like to retain the amazing employees you have? What about the R&D tax credit that got one agency $150K? Employee retention and acquisition doesn't have to be a headache. And, agency expansion concerns don't need to keep you awake at night. With the right culture and the proper hiring methods, you can find those hassle-free employees and keep them around. Plus, when you train and develop their skills, you could be eligible for a major tax credit. In today's episode, we'll cover: The 3 biggest employee onboarding red flags. #1 most important employee retention tool. Does your agency qualify for a big R&D tax credit? Today, I talked with Dobbin Buck, who's living the dream at his agency GetUWired. Not only is Dobbin a super passionate agency owner, but he also gets to spend his days working from a cabin-turned-agency nestled at the foothills of Blue Ridge Mountain in Georgia, USA. Dobbin has over 40 team members now, and he shares his experiences with hiring and retaining those employees — as well as how his agency landed a whopping $150,000+ tax credit. 3 Biggest Employee Onboarding Red Flags Finding, hiring and onboarding employees is tough! I've talked to tons of agency owners who don't want to grow due to concerns of hiring and managing a large team. Increasing your headcount doesn't have to be super stressful if you pay attention to the warning signs and you can filter out those potential trouble employees. Here are 3 signs that someone may not belong at your agency: 1. They don't jive with your culture: This is huge! Your agency's culture defines the business. If you have a cultural misfit, it may be time to have a talk. Things like this are fairly obvious right away, and it might be an easy fix either with a conversation or by cutting someone loose. It's way easier to change someone's skill-set than it is to change their personality or comfort level 2. They chase the carrot too hard: Having an employee that goes the extra mile is great! Who doesn't want that? But, if you're interviewing someone who seems to only care about the hustle, you might want to reconsider. They're going to get burnt out faster, and they may be too focused on work to really get to know your business and your culture. Remember, employees need some time off work to build critical relationships. 3. They don't think outside-the-box: Dobbin said he includes a problem in his hiring process that isn't solvable without outside research. If the employee comes back and complains that they didn't receive enough material, it's an immediate red flag. Make sure you're hiring people who can take the reigns when they need to. Here's a link to his 10-step hiring process mentioned in the interview. #1 Most Important Employee Retention Tool Company culture is everything. Your culture is the gas in the tank. When you offer an amazing agency culture, your employees will stick with you. In addition to culture, avoid those red flags above and a build a team who shares your vision, which will help keep them around. In today's climate, team members have so many options. There are thousands of agencies hunting for great talent, so it's key to use your culture as a #1 driving motivator. Your company is the one major differentiator you have against other their other options. Pay is great, but when team members know they are part of a bigger plan and they work with people who share that vision, they're going to stick around. Does Your Agency Qualify for a Big R&D Tax Credit? Dobbin talked about how he got a tax credit recently for a whopping $157,619! Now that's a tax credit! The R&D tax credit — officially "the Credit for Increasing Research Activities" — is for experimenting with technology with a qualified purpose. Most agencies qualify, so if you're not trying to capture that R&D tax credit, you're missing out! Dobbin said he hesitated for a long time before finally making the jump and working with a tax firm to apply for it... It looks like it paid off! If you want to know more about the tax credit, I did a podcast with a tax specialist - check it out here. 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.

Feel like your agency is stuck or reached a plateau? It happens, whether you're just starting out or in business for many years. Don't get frustrated or settle for the status quo. Instead, it might be time to get back to the basics, get scrappy and get creative. With the right strategy, mindset, and persistence you can make some tweaks that help you jump that next hurdle and reach a new level for your agency. In today's episode, we'll cover: How working for free can really pay off. How to execute outbound sales. #1 most important agency growth tip. Why you should re-think your billing. Today, I talked with Colton Bollinger founder of JumperMedia.co, an Instagram marketing agency. Colton started out in 2016 providing free Instagram marketing services to some buddies and golf instructors. What started out two years ago as a solopreneur-venture has grown now to include two partners and a team of 44 employees! How Working for Free Can Really Pay Off Colton got really scrappy in the beginning, which meant bootstrapping his business and executing unconventional ideas. One of those ideas was to work for free and develop case stories. Sometimes giving away your services for free can actually help you grow. It seems counterintuitive, but that's exactly what Colton did and he says it was a major key to his early growth. He started by offering his Instagram marketing services totally free. Instead of making his clients pay, he asked them for video testimonials. These videos performed better than just a written testimonial and served as organic, value-adding references. He says his "clients" were more than happy to record testimonials to help him grow and succeed since he'd delivered them great results for free. How to Execute Outbound Sales Beyond his inbound leads, Colton knew he had to execute on outbound sales too. He started out by cold calling and sending super specific direct messages to prospects. (Kinda like Joey Gilkey suggested with his LinkedIn outbound strategy.) I always recommend a 3-pronged approach to prospecting -- inbound, outbound and strategic partnerships. That way when one channel dries up you can still scale and grow with the other two. Hyper-specific, highly targeted messages are critical. Don't be generic with a copy/paste message. Be unique, different and personal. Do your homework and point out what they're doing right and where they could use improvement. The more personalized you can make your outreach efforts the more of a payoff you'll see from them. Related: How to Find and Train an Agency Sales Rockstar #1 Most Important Agency Growth Tip Go back to the basics! Here's the interesting thing about agency owners, we're all pretty similar in skill and knowledge. Most of us are just hustling to grow and scale their business the best way they can. But, if what you're doing is not yielding the results you want then it might just require one minor tweak. It's like a pro golfer (Colton was one!) or tennis pro (I was one!) who knows all the intricate moves and complex strategies of the game. But sometimes they just need to go back to tweaking their swing and BOOM! Seriously! Find little areas for improvement or small things that you can do differently. Those micrometer differences may be exactly what you're missing. It's almost never some giant thing that needs fixing -- it's usually a small tweak. Why You Should Re-Think Your Billing Cash flow is king... Don't settle for the old "the check's in the mail" excuse! Colton said automating their billing and setting up recurring billing was one of the most important things his agency has done. Think about the way you're billing customers and look at ways you can improve cash flow such as: changing payment terms accepting credit cards charging a month or more in advance There are so many tools out there, Colton likes Moonclerk and Stripe recurring. Instead of waiting for the check to come in the mail, you can spend that money on client acquisition and grow at accelerated speeds. Reconsidering your billing options may give your agency the growth boost it needs. 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.

Do you hate writing client content? Or struggle to find writers who can match tone, style and use industry-specific language for your clients? Do you never have time to create agency content because you're so busy with client work? There's a better way! Creating content doesn't have to be difficult and finding the right writers for your agency doesn't have to suck. If you avoid the biggest content creation pitfalls and figure out how to hire the right writers, you'll be creating rankable content in no time. In today's episode, we'll cover: 3 biggest content creation pitfalls. How to set-up your writers for success. 5 types of content that own SEO. Today, I talked with Paul Zalewski, VP of Marketing at Verblio — a content creation platform specifically for agencies. Paul experience spans from phone marketing to SEO and everything in between. Soon after taking the leap to digital marketing he was ranking #1 on Google for "stop junk mail" and helping businesses get high SERP. Today, he's working with Verblio to bring content to agencies around the world and he's here today to share strategies for ramping up your agency's content creation. 3 Biggest Content Creation Pitfalls Over time, Paul's seen some common pitfalls in content creation when agencies make while working with clients. 1. Not doing your homework. Make sure you pour through their existing content and really define their tone, style, and the types of buzzwords their niche uses. There's a big difference between a tech(y) blog that's informative and filled with block-style paragraphs and a quick-burst super casual tone, like mine. Make sure you hone in on the way your client wants their content structured. 2. Set expectations. This is huge! Content creation is an ongoing process. Your clients are going to have to be involved sometimes, and they need to understand how content ranking works - we know you don't jump to the #1 Google spot overnight, but do they know that? Education is huge. 3. Set up long-term success. Align your agency's goals with the client's goals. What does success look like to both parties? Everyone needs to know what the process looks like from start-to-end. This means you may have to explain some SEO functions to your clients and you have to make sure you're both using the same metrics to define success. How to Set-Up Your Writers for Success Whether your agency handles content in-house or outsources it, finding a way to communicate your goals to the writer can be tough. At Verblio, all of Paul's writers are required to do a ton of research before they tackle client projects. Any time you're hiring in-house or outsourcing your content creation needs, make sure that your working with someone who is willing to put in the time and energy. Writers need to be able to really think about the skeleton of the work they're creating (intent, CTA, tone, style, etc.) and being able to communicate those goals to the writer will set you up for success. Paul has hired over 3,000 writers in his career, and his most important qualifier is: writers need to be able to write for digital. You want to know that your writer has some skill, can make boring content engaging, and has some expertise in your subject matter. Is it easier to teach a writer to be a marketer or a marketer to be a writer? Neither! Hire one that knows both. 5 Types of Content That Own SEO We know you might already know this... but what's ranking best these days. Long form content or even a book. Don't expect everyone to read the entire thing, but pillar content is ranking right now. Video creatives — especially if you're leveraging social media! Don't just post a video, but add an SEO-rich description. Audio content (like our podcast) — again, don't just throw audio out there, but instead, add something like these show notes :) Recycled content! Do you have any old posts sitting around that were killer content pieces for you in the past? Revamp them into some new fresh content - here's a strategy to follow. With that said, you can ignore #1-4 if you've already found the high ranking content that works best for you and/or your clients. Make content that works for you. Don't stress over following all these lists of "Top Tips" or you just might end up with best practices overload!

Is your agency profit where it should be? (Hint: net profit should be at least 30%) Are you constantly struggling with cash flow? Do you always pay yourself last, or not at all? Solve all these problems and actually enjoy running your business again when you apply the principle of Profit First. In this episode, we'll cover: What agencies are doing wrong with their cash flow. Why businesses should put profit first. 3 basic steps of putting profit first. We've got a repeat guest today, Mike Michalowicz who is an entrepreneur and the author of six business growth books. I had him on the show previously talking about his book Clockwork: Design Your Business to Run Itself. Then recently, we used his Profit First theory as a workshop in our Agency Mastermind and I knew I had to get him on the show again. Mike got his start as an entrepreneur who was very successful very early in his career. His early success led him to other investment opportunities which left him feeling unstoppable and invincible. He had multiple homes and expensive vehicles... but, in hindsight, his own ego and arrogance got in the way. He says he never had a real pulse on his business finances and little care to know any details his accountant shared with him. So, in 2008 he had no idea his businesses were failing until his accountant called to tell him it was time to declare bankruptcy. Within a month he and his family if five lost their cars and homes. After a couple years of feeling sad, sorry, and insignificant Mike decided to become an author writing about his experienced with a new goal to eradicate entrepreneurial poverty. What Agencies Are Doing Wrong With Their Cashflow Typically, agencies (and for that matter, all businesses) are doing a bank balance accounting method. Your accountant tells you to look at income statements, P&L statements, balance sheets, etc. which can get mind-numbingly boring. And all you care about is the bottom line, right? That's because we're trained to think: Sales (minus) Expenses = Profit And that "bottom line" is your profit. So that's where your attention is focused because that's what matters most. But Mike challenges us by asking, why is the thing we care most about falling to the bottom of the list. Think about it. Don't we always put the most important items at the top of our list? It's backward and wrong that profit is just considered "what's leftover" after everything else. Why Businesses Should Put Profit First Mike's formula for putting profit first is important because it means you are making money. It's human nature that the goals we put first are the ones we get done. That's why so many people work out in the morning. What comes first is what gets done. Look, as a society, we are always asking other business owners "How big is your business?" and that's because we care most about revenue. But, you can have a huge business and not be profitable at all. What we should be asking is, "How healthy is your business?" So many agencies are living check to check. They're most concerned with top-line revenue instead of profitability. But when you get into a situation where you can't pay vendors or worse, can't pay your employees does topline revenue even matter? No. Putting profit first flips the formula: Sales (minus) Profit = Expenses 3 Basic Steps of Putting Profit First I know what you're thinking and it's a little more than just pulling profit out first. 1. Stop making excuses and give it a shot. We know it's difficult to get on board with trying something new. We're all are used to handling our business accounting the way we've always done it. And so Mike says there are 3 general excuses people give for why they can't implement Profit First. "My business isn't profitable so this will never work." ~ Yes, it's not profitable because you're using the old method. You can do this and you can be profitable if you get rid of your own head trash. "My bank will charge me fees for opening 5 different accounts." ~ Look, your bank is your vendor and they should want to help you do what you need to do to be profitable. Explain what you're doing and why. If they are adamant about charging fees, then change banks. Yes, it's a real pain to do that and it will take 1/2-day of your time making the switch. But in the end, it's your profitability worth it? "My accountant won't go for it." ~ A lot of accountants are set in their ways, but you're the client. Explain why you want to do things this way. If they can't get on board, ask them what percentage of their clients are profitable using the old-school accounting method :) If you really can't get your accountant onboard, check out Mike's resource of Profit First trained accountants. 2. Open multiple bank accounts and segment your money. Most business owners are habitual bank balance checkers. Admit it, you're checking at least daily, maybe even hourly. So in Mike's book, he spells out his process which includes opening 5 different accounts all dedicated to different

Are you having problems hiring or firing your employees? Ever feel like your team is holding back agency growth? Hiring and firing employees doesn't have to be difficult. Don't worry about firing your less-than-perfect team members as your agency grows; it's best for both of you in the long run! In today's episode, we'll cover: #1 reason you should fire that one employee. How to scale your agency with your current employees. 3 key team management tips. Today, I talked with Shantel Khlief CEO at Image Media Consulting, who has an absolutely incredible story of how she discovered her passion for marketing through pie! Shantel is one of those people who was born to be a marketer. She got her start when she couldn't find a local pie shop's menu on Facebook. Later, she stopped by and offered to grow the shop's social media presence... and then like many of us, an accidental agency emerged! Shantel shares some fantastic tips on employee hiring and firing, which is one of the most challenging aspects of growing an agency. #1 Reason You Should Fire That One Employee Every agency encounters a team member who's just not making the cut. Maybe you feel a sense of loyalty toward a long time employee. Or, maybe you simply can't bring yourself fire someone because you like them as a person (but dislike their work). Or, maybe you're afraid of the impact firing will have on your clients and the rest of your team. Here's what you should do: fire them! Letting someone go may be precisely what they want (or need.) If you feel like the employee isn't working hard enough, doesn't fit your company culture or values then firing them may kickstart both of you. That employee will go on to do something new, and your other team members will respect you for it. Remember, you're the owner. You have to set the example. If you're still hesitant, think about it this way. Would you rather fire them or lose your good employees because of them? How to Scale With Your Employees When your agency starts growing it's typical to run into some employee friction. When you start out with just a few key team members, you're all friends. You grab coffee together and talk shop regularly. But, when that number balloons up to 20+ suddenly you've gone from friend to boss-friend. Roles change and sometimes perceptions do not, which can cause friction. Look, it's perfectly ok to change the playbook as your agency grows. The more employees you're dealing with, the more difficult it becomes to please everyone. Sure, those loyal employees may be a little disappointed at first, but change happens. And, the good ones will understand how to help scale the agency to the next level. 3 Key Team Management Tips 1- Do more coaching. As your agency grows, your employees' perception of you will change.. You may think they will come to you with any problem, but they may think you're too busy. Coaching is a crucial piece of employee management. It's a way to set expectations, deal with inconsistencies, and get employees pumped up. 2- Rethink your bonuses. Stop giving your employees bonuses at specific times. Give them out randomly. For one, it makes them appreciate it more. But, it also reduces any pain points caused by changing bonus structures. Once you hit the $1 million mark, you may have so many employees that high bonuses aren't as realistic. My podcast with John Ruhlin completely changed the way I think about bonuses. 3- Fire the toxic employee. Seriously, I know it's hard. But, as Shantel explains, it has to happen in order to grow. Stop worrying so much about what everyone thinks of you and put your goals and your agency first. The right move isn't always the most popular one. Do you know the 5 Roles of the Agency CEO? This is where you should be focusing your time, energy and efforts.

Happy holidays from JasonSwenk.com and our entire agency tribe. We hope you never have to deal with these 12 Days of a BAD client project, but if you do ~ we hope this helps you get through it. 12 STRESSFUL DAYS OF WORKING ON THE WRONG CLIENT PROJECT... On the first day of the project, my bad client gave to me, A terrible deadline for me On the second day of the project, my bad client gave to me, 2 more excuses, On the third day of the project, my bad client gave to me, 3 contacts' emails, On the fourth day of the project, my bad client gave to me, Four 404 errors On the fifth day of the project, my bad client gave to me, F-i-v-e W-o-r-d-p-r-e-s-s T-h-e-m-e-s, On the sixth day of the project, my bad client gave to me, 6 Salesforce plugins, On the seventh day of the project, my bad client gave to me, 7 moving deadlines, On the eighth day of the project, my bad client gave to me, 8 automations, On the ninth day of the project, my bad client gave to me, 9 rounds of revisions, On the tenth day of the project, my bad client gave to me, 10 Twitter followers, On the eleventh day of the project, my bad client gave to me, 11 annoying emails, On the twelfth day of the project, my bad client gave to me, 12 shareholders screaming.

Struggling with creativity for marketing your agency? Looking for ways to increase subscribers and opt-ins? In today's creative-driven landscape is now easier than ever to thrive. Don't let uncertainty or mental blocks get the best of you. Take some actionable steps that will cement your creativity and transform it into results. In this episode, we'll cover: It's time to try the one creative thing you've been ignoring. #1 most important creative tip. 2 rules for creative agency owners. Today, I talked to Jeff Goins, founder of GoinsWriter.com and author of several popular books — including Real Artists Don't Starve — who also teaches online classes and hosts events. He's not just a writer. Jeff is a writer that fell in love with marketing. After working at a non-profit for years, Jeff's writings skills and entrepreneurial spirit led him to a life as an amazing creative. Today, Jeff's going to share some juicy tips straight out of his new book. It's Time to Try the One Thing You've Been Ignoring Yes, that thing. You know the thing. It's that chatbot you're afraid to implement, or podcast you're afraid to start, or the video marketing you've put off. Sure, you've got plenty of excuses to avoid that thing, but you it's time to stop ignoring it and get it going! We all have strategies and tools available to us. And yet we all have excuses for not trying them out. Whether it's because we're positive it won't work or we think that it's just a fad, all of that head trash (link here) can prevent you from doing the one thing that could be the catalyst for change and agency growth. Jeff tried blogging for 9 years with a very little following. In fact, it took 4 years to reach 250 subscribers. But, when he offered a free ebook as lead magnet to his new blog — he jumped from 70 subscribers to 1,000 in just one month. Why? Because he simply tried his thing. Jeff says he thought lead magnets were just marketing mumbo-jumbo. But when he got out of his own way and tried it out, he found major success. Here's my challenge for all of you this week -- identify one thing and go do it! #1 Most Important Creative Tip Why do you create content? Is your agency simply trying to convert leads to clients? A lot of people think content is for selling. If that's you, then you need to 180 the way you're thinking. Content must provide value. This is especially true for blogs and video creatives that are hitting top-of-the-funnel prospects. Jeff says to think of content as a mutual gift to your audience. You give them valuable, free content, and in return, they give you their attention. Don't just focus on conversion metrics. If you give them value, they will come. All of those prospects who don't buy anything now could end up being more valuable than you think. Give them fresh content, and they may just become brand evangelists on social media. Remember, marketing is more complex than lead metrics —and word-of-mouth is still powerful. 2 Rules for Creative Agency Owners Jeff gave us a little sneak peek into his newest book where he shares the 14 rules for creatives to thrive. Here's 2 of them: 1. Steal from everyone Here's the thing about originality, it usually produces terrible results. It's OK to steal from your influences. Are you creating a new blog? Go look at your competitors and your heroes. Guess what? They looked at their competitors and their heroes! Study what your peers are doing and use what's valuable to you. Don't just say "I have to do everything differently!" Or, as Steven Jobs (quoting Igor Stravinsky) said "Good artists copy, great artists steal." This doesn't mean you should plagiarize. It means you should pick a few of the all the great things other people are doing and morph them your own. 2. Live a portfolio life You have to be fluid to survive in the creative world. Sticking to one thing may be a great way to market your agency as a niche to clients, but when it comes to being creative, you have to adapt. Think of the creative world as a mutual fund, not a single stock option. Tech is moving too fast and times are changing too rapidly to get caught up in one style or content type — you have to move with the tides. To do more than just survive you have to be continually creating and innovating. Cashflow or Bookkeeping Issues? FreshBooks is the solution with their ridiculously easy­-to-­use cloud accounting software for agencies. Freshbooks helps you work smarter and become more organized. Most importantly, it gets you paid quicker. Check out FreshBooks.com/SmartAgency and enter SMARTAGENCY in the "How Did You Hear About Us?" section for a FREE 30-day, unrestricted trial.

Are you stuck in a rut? Feel like your agency isn't going anywhere? Are you full of strategies but lacking in execution? Ever feel like you're stuck on an endless hamster wheel? It might be that you're in your own way and it's time to dig a little deeper. Your biggest obstacle might be all the trash in your own head. A change in mindset and thoughts can be a critical step towards growing your agency. In today's episode, we'll cover: What is head trash? The problems caused by head trash. 3 ways to take out the (head) trash and change your mindset so you can grow your agency. Today, I talked with Erin Pheil founder of MindFix — a group dedicated to eliminating self-sabotage in entrepreneurs and high-performers. Before she founded MindFix, Erin spent 16 years hustling at her own digital agency, FollowBright, so she totally gets the struggles of agency life. She's here with a wealth of experience and savvy techniques to teach us how to overcome our own mental barriers. Once you get out of your own way, you'll be on a better trajectory to grow your agency faster and easier. What Is Head Trash and Why Is It a Problem? There are tons of agency owners out there who have the strategies and the resources they need to become hyper-successful, but they just can't seem to get there. Too often we look towards the latest-and-greatest strategy as a growth pillar but when it doesn't work we get frustrated. Instead, Erin says we should be looking inward at the stories we are telling ourselves. What negative talk or stories are you telling yourself? "All my clients just beat us up on price and don't appreciate our value." "Our clients don't care about us, they treat us like a commodity." All of these stories we have in our heads are what Erin calls head trash. Basically, head trash is the loops and patterns we fall into due to previous exposure to situations. All of these stories impact the way we deal with our every day and often times causing turmoil. For example, let's say you used to work at a call center and you had one of those robotic scripts you had to say on every call. You couldn't stand the script; you felt it was turning away customers because it was so poorly written. Fast forward to today. You run a marketing agency and you're considering using a chatbot as a pre-qualifier for new leads. You have the resources and the strategy, but you don't pull the trigger because you believe scripted conversations aren't effective for gaining new customers. That is head trash. Head trash is the stuff that stands in our way -- and it's the stuff we can actually control. It's so much easier to overcome than we realize, but most of us don't even know or understand why it exists. Head trash can cause your agency to stall, cost you clients or stand in your way of fulfilling your profession or personal potential. 3 Ways to Take Out the (Head) Trash How do you clear all of this programming out of your head? 1. Stop and Think! Next time someone does something that doesn't sit right with you, think first instead of reacting. Why are they doing this? What are some reasons for this behavior? Are there external circumstances that may cause this? Once you learn how to think about every possible scenario in your encounters with others, you'll also begin to think about your own behavior in this same way. You'll be able to dissect your own hang-ups and understand the underlying stories you're telling yourself. (From the earlier example... Why don't you like chatbots? Is it because of that call center experience? Bingo!) 2. Think Neutral. You want to remove emotion from your decisions. If you start to feel emotion when you're making a decision that should be rational, try to figure out why. There's a root cause of every emotion; if you want to remove the head trash the key is getting to the bottom of the emotion. 3. Don't Jump to Conclusions. This is huge! Preconceived notions can kill a good idea before it even launches. For example, don't assume your chatbot won't work before you even test it. Don't be afraid to try, test, or fail. Failure is the key to future successes. If you're jumping to conclusions all the time, you have some serious head trash you need to deal with. Want to learn more about becoming your own mental garbage man? Erin has a FREE 60-minute learning session here. Check it out. Cashflow or Bookkeeping Issues? FreshBooks is the solution with their ridiculously easy­-to-­use cloud accounting software for agencies. Freshbooks helps you work smarter and become more organized. Most importantly, it gets you paid quicker. Check out FreshBooks.com/SmartAgency and enter SMARTAGENCY in the "How Did You Hear About Us?" section for a FREE 30-day, unrestricted trial.

Wish your agency had better account management? Want to learn how to increase client satisfaction and reduce churn-rate? It might be time to take an inward look in order to up your game and improve agency account management. When you and your team communicate more effectively with your clients, you will turn them into your biggest fans. In today's episode, we'll cover: How to build a deeper relationship with your clients. The most effective way to communicate with clients. Top 3 account management tactics. Today, I talked with Karen Hayward a Fractional CMO at Chief Outsiders — the largest fractional CMO firm in the US. Karen works with CEOs and helps brands build growth strategies. She's an expert on account management, which is an area where we see a ton of growing agencies struggle. This episode contains crucial information that could be a real game-changer in your agency's client relations and retention. How to Build a Deeper Relationship with Your Clients Meaningful client relationships are churn's kryptonite. The faster (and better) you build a relationship with your clients, the less likely they are to jump-ship. After all, leaving a faceless brand is far easier than leaving an agency that you have nurtured a strong affiliation with. So, how do you build a deep-level relationship? Karen says it's all about aligning your values and your client's values while leveraging your human assets. So, let the people in your agency get to know key members of your client's team. If you have a relationship that exists on multiple channels, you will suffer less when you hit those road-bumps. Make sure your team and your client's key employees (CEO, CFO, CMO, marketing director, etc.) build a relationship while agreeing on performance metrics. We talked about relationships a ton when Joey Coleman, author of Never Lose a Client Again, was on the show. Bottom line, be certain you and your client have the same end-goal in mind as well as the same definition of success. The Most Effective Way to Communicate With Clients Figuring out how and when to communicate with clients is a huge headache for startup agencies (and lots of mature agencies as well). When are you bothering your clients? Some clients probably prefer not to communicate with you at all, right? Karen suggests you communicate with your top clients quarterly. Even if everything is fine - and especially if everything is fine. Don't make communication about sales. Ask them for feedback and learn what your clients really want by asking them. Hear them out, reassure them, and take action before there are issues. A great way to get off to a good start is to send new clients Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys after the first 30 days! You can send them these surveys quarterly as well. You can take all of these Net Promoter Scores and see what kinds of trends your agency is having with your client. This gives you some great insight and also takes care of sheltered client concerns they may not be openly sharing with you. Top 3 Account Management Tactics Before she left, Karen left us with a few great tactics we can all try out. Start NPS immediately. Net Promoter Scores are amazing! They give you critical insight into your client-agency relationship status. Karen says you can get started right away with these if you take advantage of websites like Promoter.io and AskNicely, which both offer free NPSs in the U.S. with their free trials. Eat up the free trials and operationalize right away. If you aren't finding any value, at least you didn't spend anything! Make marketing pervasive in your agency. Karen suggests pushing marketing at every turn in your agency. Whether that's attaching marketing supplements to email signatures or even small details like business card design, subtle marketing can add great immediate value to your business and keep your clients interested. Engage in meaningful dialogue. Karen suggested making sure your team has a story to tell. In other words, the account team needs to study-up on their clients so they can engage in meaningful conversations. Karen uses a system she calls S.T.A.R. (Situation, Task, Action, Result). The key is for everyone to be prepared to interact deeper than surface-level. Cashflow or Bookkeeping Issues? FreshBooks is the solution with their ridiculously easy­-to-­use cloud accounting software for agencies. Freshbooks helps you work smarter and become more organized. Most importantly, it gets you paid quicker. Check out FreshBooks.com/SmartAgency and enter SMARTAGENCY in the "How Did You Hear About Us?" section for a FREE 30-day, unrestricted trial.

Do you want to turn your agency's clients into raving fans? Would you like to retain more clients instead of just procuring more? Here's how to make your clients first 100 days noteworthy enough to turn them into advocates. In today's episode, we'll cover: What is the 100-day problem? 8 phases of the client lifecycle and keeping them happy at every phrase. 3 quick tips to transform clients into raving fans. Today I talked to Joey Coleman, a professional keynote speaker, consultant and author of "Never Lose a Customer Again". Joey has worked on client retention with brands such as Hyatt Hotels, Deloitte, and even Zappos. He is a master of retaining clients and transforming them into raving fans. And that's why here's here with advice on how to keep the clients you have while simultaneously transforming them into advocates for your agency. What is the 100-Day Problem? As a marketing agency, we pour tons of time and resources into customer acquisition. Whether it's social media, sales strategies, content curation, or even email marketing, we focus tons of effort on turning prospects into customers... but then what? According to Joey, anywhere from 20 - 70% of customers (depending upon your industry) don't make it more than six months. And of those, nearly 90% won't make it past the first 100 days. All of that time and all of those resources, wasted. That's the 100-Day Problem and we all encounter it whether we realize it or not! Fortunately, we have Joey giving us some critical advice on keeping clients and turning them into our biggest fans, with the ultimate reward of referrals. 8 Phases of the Client Lifecycle and Keeping Them Happy Joey defined 8 key phases of the customer's life cycle, plus he gave us some fantastic tips on keeping customers happy at every phase. Check out his First 100 Day Starter Kit. Assess: This is the phase where customers are deciding if they want to do business with you. They're assessing your website, third-party reviews, and your marketing materials to determine if you're the right fit for their needs. Admit: Here, your customer is finally admitting your agency can help them solve their need and achieve success. They feel a sense of hope and possibility by deciding to work with you. Affirm: Despite the initial feeling of hope, the very next thing your client will do is start to second-guess their decision to work with you. While your team is celebrating a new client, the client is already having thoughts of buyer's remorse and wondering if they've made a mistake. The key to overcoming this is to communicate with them right away and AFFIRM they've made the right decision! Connect and make sure they know you're with them every step of the way. Often times we get busy working on the work, we end up going dark on client communication and that's when they start to get worried. Activate: This is the first significant interaction your customer has with your agency. If you have a product, this is the unboxing. If you have a service, this is the implementation of it. This is where your client digests your product or service and evaluate whether they'll continue the relationship. This is the first impression and you need to totally nail it so you can continue the relationship! Acclimate: This is the phase where you need to get your client familiar with your way of doing things. Joey thinks this is the stage where most agencies fall short. During this phase, the client will be learning your processes as well as potentially interacting with your team members and learning about additional offerings. Accomplish: This is the phase where you actually helped the client achieve their initial goal. The key is to make sure their initial expectations for the end result is met. Did you actually accomplish their goal, or did you just achieve what you thought was their goal? You must communicate regularly to identify their full set of goals and understand their definition of success, as well as what metrics will be utilized to measure success. Adopt: At this phase, your client is loyal and they've fully adopted your agency's philosophy and practices. They don't care about competition or price point because they believe in what you do and how you do it based on the outcomes you're producing for them. Advocacy: When clients are all in, you've reached the final (and best) stage. They are out there advocating for your agency because you have established trust. This is typically anytime after their 100-Day Anniversary. They are now more likely to share stories with their network and provide you with testimonials or case stories... Ask for them and use them! 3 Quick Tips to Turn Clients into Raving Fans Get personal right from the beginning. Start the relationship off by connecting on a personal level. People like to work with people! Therefore, something as simple as a quick personalized thank you video can even do the trick. (I do this all the time for anyone who buys any of my products or services. It's be

Are you ready to make the jump and start your own agency? Do you want to the top 3 struggles of starting an agency? Don't let those startup agency jitters get you down! Get scrappy, and be picky! Also, learn about how Facebook Messenger Marketing and chatbots are going to change the future of agency lead generation. Is it time to start your own agency? The 3 biggest startup agency struggles. #1 most important tip for the future of Facebook marketing. 3 reasons to implement Facebook Messenger Marketing. Today, I talked with Molly Pittman who owns and runs Digital Strategy Boot Camps, co-hosts the Perpetual Traffic podcast, and was a former VP of Marketing for DigitalMarketer. Molly brings some incredible startup agency insights as she started Digital Strategy Boot Camps a little over a year ago. We get down to the bare bone fears of starting an agency and her best advice for avoiding and overcoming the top 3 struggles of a new agency. Is it Time to Start Your Own Agency? One of the most challenging aspects of starting your own agency is knowing when to actually start one. After all, that you're probably really comfortable (but maybe unfulfilled) in your current gig. So is it time to start your own agency? The answer isn't really clear. According to Molly -and I agree - you just know when you know. It's one of those internal things that drives you. We're all creators, and when it comes time to set out and create your own thing, your gut will do the talking. You know yourself best, so you're going to be the one that decides when it's time. Are there risks? Sure! Are there rewards? You better believe it. 3 Biggest Startup Agency Struggles Molly talked about the 3 biggest struggles she faced when she went out on her own. Trust us when we say these struggles are universal. You will encounter these when you start an agency, but you can manage them if you're aware in advance. 1- Project Management: When you first start your agency, you're going to have to learn how to juggle multiple clients requests at the same time. The squeaky wheel method is probably going to take over, and you'll either be servicing the loudest or the highest paying client first. That's natural. Here's a great tip from Molly. She has a notebook that she organizes everything she has to do for each client for the week (emails, meetings, work, etc.) This way she knows what she's walking into, and she doesn't leave clients in the dust. 2- Client Alignment: When you first open your agency's doors, you want to take all-comers. It will give you some great experience and give you the foot-in-the-water that you'll need at the beginning (oh, and the money!) Once you get to the point where you can pick-and-choose your clients, you can start making sure your client's values align with yours. Molly's big tip here is to work with clients that you get along with. Picture yourself in the airport next to them — would it be miserable or not? 3- Setting Expectations: Client-agency expectation misalignment is a run-of-the-mill problem. Your client wants more than you think they do, and you thought you agreed on terms they didn't actually want. It's crucial for you to sit down with your client and set expectations. Go over the metrics with them, and introduce specifics early on. #1 Most Important Tip for the Future of Facebook Marketing Since Molly works a ton on Facebook, I couldn't help but ask her what she sees Facebook after the Cambridge Analytica stuff... Her biggest tip is to create content that's more engaging. As Facebook returns to newsfeed values, it's rewarding the ads that get the most engagement. Facebook wants to see users interacting with ads. The best way to get engagement is to be authentic. The best ads are less salesy and offer more (free) value. 3 Reasons To Implement Facebook Messenger Marketing Since Molly's also a guru on Facebook marketing, we talked about the new landscape of the platform, as well as Messenger Marketing. When done right, Facebook Messenger and chatbots can drastically change your lead generation strategy. Here's why: It's where the people are! 1.3 billion people are using Messenger, and the number continues to grow. You could make a case that Facebook is dying down, but Messenger is just getting started. The metrics are crazy. People are seeing 80 - 90% open rates and +50% CTRs on Messenger. Compare that with email's 25% open rate and a measly 4% CTR, and you'll see why chatbots and Messenger Marketing is so valuable. You get engagement. Messenger is an engagement heavy platform and users who click want to engage. People want to talk to you. Just pop a bot in to automate the first part of the conversation and then pass it on over to someone real. Get quirky with it! Messenger is filled with an audience that's ready-to-talk. Cashflow or Bookkeeping Issues? FreshBooks is the solution with their ridiculously easy­-to-­use cloud accounting software for agencies. Freshbooks helps you work smarter and become more organized. Mos

Looking for ways to get your agency noticed by your ideal clients? Do you want to stand out among the competition? Then it's time to understand and amplify your agency's talk triggers. With the right strategy, you can conquer word-of-mouth advertising and get your ideal clients talking about your agency. In this episode, we'll cover: Why you should be doing something different. 5 types of talk triggers. #1 word-of-mouth tip. What is your agency's triangle of awesome? Today, I talked with Jay Baer founder of Convince and Convert, and (if you've been living under a rock) he's also an amazing content marketer, speaker, and author. He is also one of my favorite show guests because he's always got fantastic agency growth advice! This time, Jay is here with a lot to say on word-of-mouth advertising as well as what he calls Talk Triggers, which you can use to stand out from the competition. Why You Should Be Doing Something Different Jay talked about why agencies should be doing something unique and different. It's a noisy space and it's difficult to stand out among the competition even when you're the expert in your niche. Instead of simply falling back on your expertise, do something! You have to be proactive in your word-of-mouth, and one way to do that is to take everyday things and do them differently. Putting a unique twist on something ordinary can generate a ton of buzz about your agency. Jay gave an example of sending your proposal at the bottom of a sheet cake. If you got a proposal at the bottom of a sheet cake, wouldn't you talk about it? That's a perfect example of what Jay calls a talk-trigger. 5 Types of Talk Triggers Jay identified 5 of these talk triggers, which he works with clients to improve. You don't have to use all of these (that may be overkill) but you should attempt to have at least one thing that you do differently than other agencies. Here's Jay's list of his 5 types of talk-triggers. Generosity: These are things such as gifts, presents, or anything else that adds free value to your customer's experience. When done, properly gifting can be an amazing talk trigger. Attitude: Sometimes wacky behaviors, such as the sheet cake example, can really stand out and make a solid impression. There are a ton of things you can do to set yourself apart from your competition with attitude, as long as it's authentic. You do you! Example: Every time someone asks for more info on your agency, send them a personalized video. Responsiveness: People love doing business with people who respect their time. Speedy responsiveness can make a great impression and get people talking about you. Jay gave an example of a New York car repair shop that picks up your car at night (while you're already not using it), fixes it while you sleep, and brings it back in the morning. Usefulness: This is all about being extra useful for customers. Example: Does your agency provide written content services? Provide a bonus 500-words once in a while, just to go beyond expectations. Empathy: We all know we need empathy, but some agencies go above-and-beyond. Empathy is talkable when it's at the correct dose. Too much feels pushy and too little feels rigid. Example: Call people who signed up for your service and personally thank them! Ask them how they're doing while you're at it. #1 Word-of-Mouth Tip If you're trying to figure out how to create your own talk triggers and you just can't seem to figure out the best strategy, try this... ask your clients! Jay recommends sitting down with your clients (new, old, and former) and ask them what they expected at every point in their buyer's journey. Let's take proposals for example. They'll probably say that they expected to get a PDF of your proposal via email (which you better not be doing unless you present it in person first!) Whatever it is they expected, do something different - try the sheet cake thing, maybe? :) The most important thing is that you do something your customer doesn't expect and that will surprise and delight them. What Is Your Agency's Triangle of Awesome? Jay talked about understanding your clients. Too many agency owners and workers spend the vast majority of their time at their desks. Marketers like to think they know customers better than anyone, but that's usually not the case. Jay recommends running talk-triggers by your triangle of awesome — which consists of marketings, sales, and service departments. You want to get ideas flowing in from every direction and collaborate to come up with the best talk-triggers possible. Get those marketers, salesman, and customer service employees in the same room. Cashflow or Bookkeeping Issues? FreshBooks is the solution with their ridiculously easy­-to-­use cloud accounting software for agencies. Freshbooks helps you work smarter and become more organized. Most importantly, it gets you paid quicker. Check out FreshBooks.com/SmartAgency and enter SMARTAGENCY in the "How Did You Hear About Us?" section for a FREE 30-day, unre

Worried your agency will collapse if you're not constantly working? Wish you could lead your agency without working 24/7? Feel like you sacrifice too much of your family and free time for your agency? Stop being a prisoner to your agency! This pace isn't the best way to run your agency. And maybe your agency doesn't actually need you as much as you think it does. In this episode, we'll cover: Why you need to get uncomfortable in order to grow. 2 ways to drop the hustle and grind. #1 most important delegation tip! Today, I talked to Mike Michalowicz author of six business growth books, including Profit First Book and his latest, titled Clockwork. In this new book, Mike attempts to disrupt the hustle and grind mentality that has taken over modern small businesses, especially marketing agencies. Instead of working 24/7, Mike wants you to work less, get more done, and change your entire work mentality. Why You Need to Get Uncomfortable Hustling for the sake of hustle is not the way grow your business. If you've been hustling non-stop for several years and you haven't gotten anywhere, it's time to change your strategy. You've slumped. Too often, agency owners think if they just work hard enough it'll pay off. But this hustle hard mentality isn't going to cause burnout and a sense of defeat. Mike says you have to get uncomfortable. Put yourself out there and make a change. Hire new employees, delegate more of your responsibilities onto others, try to position employees in ways that disrupt your day-to-day. Even something as simple as trying a new software may be the kick-in-the-butt you need to get out of that constant grind. There are 5 roles of an agency owner. If you're doing anything outside of them, consider ways you can delegate, automate or eliminate it. Stop doing things you suck at or don't enjoy! 2 Ways to Drop the Hustle and Grind 1. Hire owners. If you're having trouble getting your agency employees to act like owners and take on the responsibility necessary to help you run your agency, hire people who will. Mike suggested hiring people who had the ambitions of owning an agency one day. Even if it's just a side gig, having people who understand the mentality it takes to run an agency is critical. 2. You do you. Stop reading those "10 Lifestyle Habits of Highly Successful People" articles and get in touch with who you are. Agency strategies (and especially lifestyle strategies) aren't just one size fits all. They have to meld with you and who you are. If you're not authentic, your agency is going to suffer. So when you hear Gary Vee tell you it's all about the hustle -- maybe it is, but maybe it is. You do you. Don't lose yourself in your agency. Don't be a prisoner to it. Remember, you started the agency to support your life. Not the other way around. #1 Most Important Delegation Tip When it comes to delegating employees, Mike has a critical tip. You want to assign the outcome. [clickToTweet tweet="Delegate the outcome rather than the specific task. You'll be amazed at how your team responds to this method, and how much freer you feel, too. " quote="Delegate the outcome rather than the specific task. You'll be amazed at how your team responds to this method, and how much freer you feel, too."] Standard "delegation" usually works like this: "Jamie, can you go and work on that proposal for me?" This style of delegation, or assigning specific tasks to each employee is worn-out and results in you being stuck answering tons of questions. You end feeling like it's just easier to do it yourself rather than entertain so many interruptions. Instead, Mike recommends assigning an outcome instead of delegating a task. So, instead of saying: "Jamie go work on that stack of proposals." You should say: "Jamie, can you make sure that those proposals really reflect the value we bring to our clients? You got this!" You want to turn your employees into decision makers. Give them permission to do their best job and make decisions that benefit the agency. So, if Jamie has another question, tell her to go with her gut and choose the option that best reflects the vision and goals of the agency. Delegate by the outcome rather than the specific task. You'll be amazed at how your team responds to this method, and how much freer you feel, too! Cashflow or Bookkeeping Issues? FreshBooks is the solution with their ridiculously easy­-to-­use cloud accounting software for agencies. Freshbooks helps you work smarter and become more organized. Most importantly, it gets you paid quicker. Check out FreshBooks.com/SmartAgency and enter SMARTAGENCY in the "How Did You Hear About Us?" section for a FREE 30-day, unrestricted trial.

Is your agency having difficulty standing out? Want to get attention from strategic accounts or high profile clients? Looking for better ways to improve client retention? Getting prospects' trust, recognition, and loyalty doesn't have to be complicated. Giving the right gift to the right person at the right time is a gesture that goes noticed and rewarded. In this episode, we'll cover: How to send gifts your clients want to receive. 4 things you should never gift. #1 group of people to give to (hint: it's not the prospect). Bonus: When not to send gifts. Today, I talked to John Ruhlin, founder of RuhlinGroup, an expert gift-giving agency. He also, quite literally, wrote the book on giving gifts. This is my favorite books of all time (which is really saying a lot since I rarely read!) Giftology: The Art and Science of Using Gifts to Cut Through the Noise, Increase Referrals, and Strengthen Retention is John's book, and he's on the show to share strategies in order to score big clients, build business, and gain trust with clients. How to Send Gifts That Your Clients Want to Receive What gift does that CEO of the company that your agency has been chasing really want? Great question! You should go figure that out. John talked about the time he wanted to connect with Cameron Herold (yes, that Cameron Herold,) so John called Cameron's assistant and asked for his shirt size. What did he do next? He went to Cameron's favorite store — Brooks Brothers — and purchased shirts, jackets, pants, and all kinds of Brook's Brothers swag. Then, he literally outfitted Cameron's entire hotel room in Brook's Brothers stuff and made it look like a showroom. Cameron was so impressed at the thought and consideration behind the gift that he agreed to a meeting with John. It's not about the gift itself, but rather the meaningful gesture. So, next time you're looking to impress a client with a gift, don't just purchase something expensive for them — purchase something that they love and add an element of surprise. 4 Things You Should Never Send to Clients Sending gifts is a great way to win over clients, increase referrals, and build critical relationships, but some gifts may be doing more harm than good. John talked about 4 things that you should never send to clients. Branded Swag: Sending clients that cool branded gear you have is doing way more harm than it is good. Sure, every marketing book ever tells you that you literally need to brand everything, but gifts are supposed to be about the recipient, not you. Apple Products: Do you want to send that prospect an iPad? John wants you to know something before you do — everyone has an iPad! Don't send clients swag that they're just going to end up regifting. Food: John has two reasons that you shouldn't give clients food: (You only get one impression. If you send clients something like a paring knife, they're going to use it a bunch of time throughout their life. Each time they use it, they're going to think about you. Once they eat that food, you're irrelevant. There are too many diets! Is your client Paleo? Gluten-free? Jewish? There are too many diets, allergies, and restrictions. Giving food as a gift is risky. Gift Cards: Do you know what gift cards say? I'm too lazy to get to know you! John teased that he actually had 10 gifts that he thinks are bad gift ideas. Get them all here. #1 Group of People To Gift To Let's say you want to nurture a relationship with a CEO with gifting. Should you send your gift to him? Not according to John. You should send a gift to his wife, kid(s), pet(s), or assistant(s) instead. You want to make everyone around him a sales advocate. Think about it. That CEO gets tons of gifts all the time, but his wife or his assistant doesn't reap the same benefits. A $1 investment in his wife is like $200 investment in him. Bonus: When Not to Send Gifts! Don't let your gift sit next to 500 other gifts. There's a reason John never sends gifts on Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries. No matter how great your gift is, you don't want to be competing with 50 other people. Suddenly the gift you poured your heart into is now lame. Also, don't send someone a gift after a referral. You just boiled your entire relationship down to a monetary value. Send them gifts when they aren't expecting them — not when they are - and add an element of surprise. Remember the scene in Christmas Vacation where Clark bring his boss a gift? Unimpressed and ungrateful, his boss tells him to add it to the stack with all the others. Ask yourself what gift would provide unexpected thought and creativity... then execute. Don't be a Clark! Movie image courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment Related: How to Retain More Agency Clients & Increase Recurring Revenue

Looking for ways to improve your agency's long-term growth? Ever felt like throwing in the towel because the agency grind was just too much? It might be time for a gut check on whether you need to hustle harder or move on. So, check out these insights and actionable strategies from an agency owner that up-and-quit his $1 million agency with over 50% net profits, so he could chase a different dream. In this episode, we'll cover: Should you quit or hustle harder? #1 most important long-term agency growth tool. 3 reasons why scaling isn't always a good idea. 4 benefits of podcasting to grow your agency. Today I talked to Mark Asquith who is a founder over at PodcastWebsites.com. Mark moved onto podcasting from his agency that he dissolved (without selling) that was operating at over 50% net profit! Mark left the agency he created to start chasing his dreams creating SaaS for podcasts. We talk about why he left, how anyone could possibly leave such a successful agency, and why agency owners need to be podcasting. Let's dive right in! Should You Call it Quits or Hustle Harder? Mark's former agency was operating at almost 60% net profit and filled with high ticket clients. How in the world can anyone leave that behind without selling it? Mark left because, well, he got bored. We all get bored at certain points with our agencies. Whether it's because the market is in a strange space that we're unfamiliar with, or it's because we have to deal with another sales pitch, running an agency has its ups and downs. So, if you're tired of the grind, how do you know it's quitting time? When should you stop and when should you shift your position? For Mark — who wanted to do SaaS for podcasts — what he wanted to do wasn't something that he could position his agency to do without disrupting its standard practice. He was tired of the sales pitch (who isn't?) so, instead of hiring a sales manager and delaying the inevitable, Mark decided to just jump ship and do what he was really passionate about, which didn't include running an agency By not selling his agency, he got to keep all of those client relationships he had developed, and use them to consult on the side. Did he make the right decision? Mark made the right decision for Mark! Only you can really know if quitting is the right thing to do. If you want to leave because your heart really isn't in it, you should consider it. However, if you know that you should be running an agency in your heart and you just aren't doing well at the moment, get scrappy and resourceful, and hustle harder! #1 Most Important Long-Term Agency Growth Tool What's more important your brand or your offer? Your offer may get you a quick sale, but your brand is the backbone of your entire agency. Mark and I talked about ways to fight back against the commoditization of agencies in today's business world. I see lots of agencies just sticking the pedal-to-the-metal and trying to Walmart their way out (grab lots of clients to justify the low margins.) But, let me ask you this. Why do most of us own Mac computers? I know, the Apple analogy has been done to death, but seriously, think about it. They are 3x more expensive, yet almost all agency owners and creatives have one. That's because Apple branded themselves so well that they made their product associated with creatives. Trying to scale too fast to compensate for low margins will end up making you work 10x harder and possibly sink your whole agency. Branding, on the other hand, creates long-term success and shields you against market fluctuations. Branding is the only way to set your agency up for long-term success. Successful branding will help you leverage yourself as more than a commodity. You want the price to be incidental. As the old saying goes. Sell a good night's sleep — not the mattress. 3 Reasons Why Scaling isn't Always a Good Idea To scale or not to scale, that is the question. Mark's agency made the conscious choice not to scale. In fact, he did the opposite! He purposefully trimmed down his clients to the top 20%. This way, he got to work with high margin clients and develop deep meaningful relationships. Here's why your agency may want to follow Mark's example and not scale. It gives you time to market yourself. If you aren't busy 24/7 working with clients, you have a chance to content market yourself. You can start a podcast, write some articles on Medium, or make that blog you keep putting off. You get better margins. If you focus on taking only the clients with the best margins, you set a precedent for future clients. You're an agency that's focused on delivering rich content, not being the cheapest. You don't get burnt out! Getting burnt out can seriously impact your business. Don't bite off more than you can chew. Mark took on a few quality clients, built a photography studio downstairs, did speeches around the world, and found time to run a successful podcasting company on the side. He wouldn't have been able to do any of that i

Is billing a headache for your marketing agency? Do you wish you could quit hour-based pricing and actually get paid what you're worth? Good news! You can. By removing the time barrier, you will see increased profitability and improve client relationships for your agency. In this episode, we'll cover: 3 reasons to bill by value instead of time. What does it mean to break the time barrier? Today, I talked with Mike McDerment, co-founder and CEO of FreshBooks — invoicing and accounting software with over 24 million users. Mike talked about his recent free eBook called Breaking the Time Barrier and why agencies need to drop time-based billing and start to use a more value-centric model. 3 Reasons To Bill by Value Instead of Time Most agencies bill by-the-hour or by-the-project, but, time-based pricing may be doing your agency more harm than good. Mike explains 3 reasons value-based pricing is a better approach. It removes incentive-based agency-client friction. You're incentivized to take longer on a project, while your client is focused on getting it done as fast as possible. This difference of incentives can lead to some friction between you and your clients that can ultimately fracture your relationship with them. Value is a better creative metric. Mike brings up a great point here. When you do creative work, every hour isn't the same. Sometimes we have a 20-hour burst of activity where our brain is firing all the right signals and we produce some insanely good content. But, sometimes we also work for 3 straight hours, and nothing seems to be moving forward. Do you get the same quality of work done every single hour? Of course not. You understand your client's goals better. If you bill by value, you have to really understand what value you're bringing to your clients. This means that you will have to fully understand why they want that new website. Are they trying to increase conversions? Are they looking to take advantage of a newer and faster CMS? Why do they want what they want? Understanding why a client wants something lets you nurture a more fulfilling goal-based relationship. Value-based billing allows you to develop deeper relationships with your clients. Not only that, it gives you the ability to bill clients based on your deliverables, which benefits your agency since productivity isn't always consistent. And actually, with hour-based pricing, the smarter you get the more profit you lose. What Does it Mean to Remove the Time Barrier? Let me ask you a question. If you charge based on hours, are you selling a service with value or are you just selling hours? For example, if your agency designs websites, what are you really doing? It depends on the client. Some clients want a new site so they can increase their conversions, right? Wouldn't it make more sense to sell them a website that increases conversions? The difference between billing by the hour and billing by the value of your service can seem like they're the same thing - but they are not! Let's say it takes you 5 hours to design that website and it starts increasing the client's conversions immediately. Great! But, if you billed them at $60 an hour, you've only made $300. Is that really enough for improving a clients conversion rate by 4%? At the same time, if it took you 300 hours, your price may seem too high for the client. Instead, sit the client down and figure out what they need. Once you understand their needs, you can bill them based on what you are delivering, not how many hours you worked. There's no confusion at the end of the project, no combatting over hours, and you and the client will feel better about the end product. No one feels like they got the better of the other party. That's what removing the time barrier is all about. Related: Increasing Agency Profit with Value-Based Pricing

How can your agency create compelling YouTube ads? How can you get the most ROI from YouTube ads? YouTube ads are a strange beast, and the creative landscape of YouTube is continually shifting. But, if you stick to your buyer's persona and chase your ideal customer, YouTube ads can help grow your agency fast. In this episode, we'll cover: Why you may need 2 YouTube channels. The difference between YouTube and Facebook ads. 3 steps for making better YouTube ads. Why 5 seconds could make-or-break your ad. #1 most important tip for the future of YouTube ads. Today, I talked with Tom Breeze (A.K.A the king of YouTube ads) who runs Viewability — the highest spending performance campaign agency on YouTube! Tom has been on the podcast before, and he dropped some great insight into performance-based models. I urge you to check out that episode if you haven't already; it's one of my favorites. Tom went over some of the most critical YouTube ad strategies, and how he and his agency position YouTube ads that engage and convert. Let's dive right in! Why You May Need 2 YouTube Channels Tom talked about splitting your organic YouTube channel and your Ad-based YouTube channel. That may seem strange at first, but, since both require different things for success, splitting them up actually makes a bunch of sense. When you're releasing videos on your organic channel, you want to have a ton of views and engagement (subscribers, comments, shares, etc.) to help boost your channels ranking on the YouTube algorithm. When you're running ads, you want views, but you aren't going to have a lot of engagement (and you probably don't want a lot of engagement.) That's where a second channel comes in useful. Splitting them up gives you the freedom to chase different metrics on each account without risking tanking your YouTube rankings on either of them. The Difference Between YouTube and Facebook Ads Tom laid out the main difference between YouTube and other ad types. On YouTube, you already have your viewers attention. They're already there to view and buy. Facebook, TV, Instagram, and other creative outlets all require you to be entertaining and engaging enough to grab the viewers attention. On YouTube, you don't want ads that are too entertaining. When you do pre-roll ads (those ads that you can skip after watching 5 seconds before the video you actually wanted to watch), you only pay if the viewer watches 30 seconds of the ad. You don't want anyone except potential buyers to watch the entire ad because you'll waste ad spend. You'll end up paying for people who aren't your ideal clients and don't fit into your buyer's persona. 3 Steps for Making Better YouTube Ads YouTube ads can be annoying. There, I said it. So, when it comes to creating ads that are going to nurture customers down your funnel, you have to use a little finesse. Tom shared some of his agency's biggest tips on how to chase those critical customers without wasting money and people's time. You want to disqualify people in the first 30 seconds of your ad. You have to pay for pre-roll ads once it hits the 30-second mark. Make sure only your ideal customers get to that point in the ad. Create different ads for each pain point your audience experiences. For example, let's say you run a social media marketing company. You will want to create an ad that targets companies looking for help running their Instagram accounts. At the same time, you'll want to run ads targeting companies looking for help with social media metrics on Facebook. If you create ads for each service, you'll be hyper-targeting people who need your service, so you'll only be paying for prime leads. Don't be too engaging! I know, everyone ever has told you that all your ads need to be engaging all-of-the-time, but, when it comes to YouTube, engaging ads are going to waste your money and people's time. Don't let people get all the way through the ad because you blew your budget to make a hilarious creative. Be engaging in a way that appeals to your ideal customer, not to everyone. Remember, you already have their attention — you don't need to fight for it. Why 5 Seconds Could Make-or-Break Your Ad Here's a prime tip for all of you. Adding an extra 5 seconds to the end of your ad can make-or-break your CTA. Tom recalls watching a Monday.com ad on YouTube that was engaging and appealed to him, but the ad ended before he could click the CTA. Tom's company has been having major success testing a countdown timer at the end of the ad. This way, customers have time to click that CTA and it adds a sense of urgency. You have to remember that video ads aren't like landing pages. People only have a certain amount of time to click the CTA — give them an adequate amount of time to click it. #1 Most Important Tip for the Future of YouTube Ads The future of YouTube ads lies in AI metrics. You want to keep an eye on your conversion pixel. Gather as much information as possible on each ad you're running. You want to give the

Is your marketing agency taking advantage of every possible tax break? Did you know you could get up to $250K in tax credits? A lot of agencies are actually leaving money on the table in the form of an R&D tax credit. So, let's dive in, and break down some actionable steps that any agency can take to cash in. In this episode, we'll cover: Tax credits vs. tax write-offs. #1 tax credit agencies can take advantage of. 4 steps to claim the R&D tax credit. When to claim the credit and when not to. Today, I talked with Jim Morrow from AATDM where he does tax consulting and CFO reporting for digital media companies. I actually met Jim after a conference; he gave me a ride to the airport. After figuring out he was an accountant, we talked shop for the entire trip and I just knew I had to get him on the podcast. Tax credits are one of those things that too many agencies just aren't taking advantage of, which is just like throwing money away. Jim is here to tell us how you can take full advantage of tax credits that you're due. Today, we're going to get hyper-actionable, and show you how you can save your agency some money! Tax Credits vs. Tax Write-Offs Agencies need to be paying more attention to available credits. Credits have some significant benefits over write-offs. Here's the difference. Tax credits are dollar-for-dollar reductions off your tax. Which means credits are basically free cash! If you have a $10k credit, you get $10k off of your paid taxes. Write-offs — or deductions — lower your taxable income. So, let's say you made $150K, but you had a $50K expense. That $50K will lower your taxable income, but not lower your actual taxes. Make sure that you look for those tax credits! #1 Tax Credit Agencies Can Take Advantage Of Jim talked about a tax credit nearly every marketing agency can take advantage of — the R&D tax credit. The R&D tax credit — officially known as the Credit for Increasing Research Activities — can refund your agency as much as $250,000 a year! That's money-in-the-bank! The R&D tax credit is federal (though some states let you "double dip") so it's folded into your federal tax return. To qualify for the R&D credit, your agency has to be "experimenting" with technology with a qualified purpose. Basically, anytime your agency is devoting man hours to either: Building your own technologies (CRM, databases, marketing automation, etc.) Customizing out-of-the-box technologies to capture unique analytics. So, all of that hard work your agency has put into customizing your Infusionsoft or HubSpot software would count towards the credit. The credit is also great for those of you in tech-heavy niches — like VR or AI. But, let's be honest. Almost every agency is going to devote some man hours to, at the very least, customizing out-of-the-box software. Here's how it works. Let's say you spent 7,500 combined manhours customizing your CRM (not unheard of,) you would get 10% of that 7,500 hours back as a credit. So, if your employees get paid $35/hr, you would be looking at around $262,000 total. That means your credit would be $26,200. Not bad! That's a pretty significant tax credit which you could be missing out on. 4 Steps to Claim This Tax Credit Since the R&D tax credit will reimburse you 10% of your R&D cost, and the majority (if not all) of those costs are going to be attributable to manpower, the main two documentations that you need will be timesheets and payroll. Here are some steps Jim provided which will help you take advantage of the R&D credit. Find an accountant who understands R&D tax credits. Sure, you could use your regular CPA, but why wouldn't you want someone that specializes in tax credits to handle it for you? Same reason niches work in marketing — if someone specializes in a few things, you know they do those few things well. Figure out your associated costs. Your accountant will probably do this for you. Most of the time, these costs are going to be manpower-related. Have your tax specialist fill out Form 6765. Claim previous years. This tax is retroactive so you can claim the last 3 years at the same time if you haven't done it before. Most of the steps will be handled by your tax specialist (if you hire one) so you shouldn't have to put much legwork in. The only problem you could run into is payroll and timesheet related. If you don't keep timesheets or super-accurate payrolls, it may not be worth it to apply for this tax credit. It's a large tax credit, so the IRS will probably be looking into it. If there isn't something concrete to back up your claim, you'll probably get denied and throw up a red flag. (Here's more on how to avoid an audit!) When to Claim the Credit and When Not To Let's go over the caveats. When should you try to claim the R&D tax credit and when should you not? Jim went over some of the "magic" numbers with us. You should try to claim the tax credit if all of the following are true. You have around $200,000 in R&D related expenses, or you spend money on

Does your agency struggle with an outbound sales strategy? Do you even have an outbound strategy? You can build a scalable outbound strategy using LinkedIn by making connections and delivering those prospects critical content. If your LinkedIn profile isn't getting you the results that you need, or if you're looking for a way to boost your sales, check this out. You don't need a big budget to grow your agency using outbound marketing. With a solid plan, an ideal client in mind, and a little finesse, you can use LinkedIn to dominate outbound! In today's episode, we'll cover: Does your agency really need a LinkedIn outbound strategy? #1 biggest mistake you're making on LinkedIn. How to create a LinkedIn job story. Why getting rid of connections will land more new business. Bonus: Joey's super-secret growth hack! Today I chatted with Joey Gilkey founder of Tribe Prospecting; his agency which provides done-for-you prospecting and marketing solutions. Joey comes with a solid sales background that eventually turned into a love for marketing. He leveraged that into a position as a growth hacker and growth strategist with a HubSpot agency. Today, he's crushing it over at Tribe Prospecting, and he's here to share some tips on how to dominate outbound using LinkedIn. It's always refreshing to hear from someone who loves outbound marketing because I think that too many people gloss over it when it comes to generating leads. Let's dive right in... and make sure you follow us to the end for a great LinkedIn hack from Joey that will help your agency immediately start reaching out to clients in an impactful way without breaking the bank. Does Your Agency Really Need a LinkedIn Outbound Strategy? There are way too many agencies that have absolutely no outbound sales strategy. We all like to pour over the inbound marketing blogs then run out there and smash ads on whatever is this year's biggest trending inbound strategy is (I think you're supposed to be throwing money at micro-influencers this year?), but when it comes to having a dependable outbound strategy, most of us fall short. The problem with outbound marketing is lead generation. You spend tons of money trying to get customers to your landing page so that they can start slowly worming their way down your funnel. Now, imagine that there was a platform that was saturated with potential clients, lots of those potential clients were decision makers for their company, and those clients were already sharing content and looking for solutions. Ok great! Now, imagine it's totally free! Here's why you should be hyper-involved with LinkedIn outbound marketing. It doesn't have cruise control. You control the speed of your outbound marketing campaign. Unlike referrals or ads, you are completely in control of the growth and scalability of cold emails, calls, etc. It's predictable and dependable. Sure, there are definitely nuances that come with outbound marketing, but, as a whole, outbound is much more predictable than inbound. Want to connect with only dental assistants and deliver content directly to them? Great! LinkedIn lets you do that. Do you need to meet an aggressive sales quota? Great! Outbounding marketing enables you to be as aggressive or passive as you need to be. It's free! Seriously, LinkedIn is one of the best platforms for growth-stage companies on a budget. You don't have to pour money into the ad or lead machine to get results. #1 Biggest Mistake You're Probably Making on LinkedIn Stop using LinkedIn as a bragging platform! Utilize LinkedIn as a lead generation tool or a landing page. Don't just talk about how amazing you or your agency is --- talk about the customer's needs. Give them a reason to want to stay and learn more. Joey tells us to use a specific framework when you build out your profile: Use your headline to call your customers out. Don't just talk about how you're the greatest thing since sliced bread, talk about what you can offer your customers. Don't say "I'm the world's greatest inbound marketer, and I own a multi-million dollar marketing agency." say "I help CMO's around the world generate leads effortlessly using omnichannel marketing dominance!" Who are they? CMOs. What do I do to help them? Using omnichannel marketing dominance. What will they get? Leads. Your summary should have empathy and authority. When it comes to your summary, use empathy and authority to drive the point home. Empathize with their issue and tell them how you will solve it. Now, I always say to keep the authority light. Writing with authority is like using salt in food. Too much of it makes the whole thing taste horrible, but a little adds some depth of flavor. Lead up to a failure or fear of not working with you. After your CTA in your summary, lead the customer to a failure. "I help you create a growth-driven marketing strategy that literally shoves leads into your funnel and forces them down, so you don't go out of business!" No one wants to lose their job. Don't b

Do you want to find a niche that you can carve out? Do you want to dominate a specific gap in the marketplace? This week we talked to one agency that picked a niche and is dominating their market. They have hyper-specific goals, achievements, and clients, and that exclusivity is propelling them forward as aggressors in their market space. Today, we'll cover: 4 benefits of operating within a niche. Overcoming the obstacles of niching down. How to dominate your competition. The #1 pain-point of operating within a niche. Today I chatted with Adam Draper CEO/Owner of Gladiator Law Marketing. Adam's digital agency operates deep within the law firm niche, and, recently, he's been crushing it. His agency is rapidly growing, focused on small to medium sized law firms. He's here to share some of his keys to success, specifically how his niche is propelling his agency forward. 4 Benefits of Operating Within a Niche Why would an agency want to specialize? Doesn't working in a niche limit you from reaching clients outside of your niche? Doesn't specifying a niche mean losing out on potential clients outside the niche? First, it's crucial that we all understand that finding a niche isn't only beneficial, it's critical in the current agency atmosphere. Being able to dominate a specific industry is more feasible than dominating the entire agency atmosphere; it just is. Let's go over four critical benefits of operating in a space where you can specialize your services. You have a roadmap. If you start providing a service that's specialized to service everyone, you can lose track of what you're doing and where you're going. You have to find a way to position your service to clients without giving them a good example of why your service is more beneficial than your competitors. Finding a niche allows you to target specific pain-points and polish your service. You can predict outside influences. Being in a niche allows you to predict and adapt to outside impacts. You can position yourself more clearly because you're a master-of-one, not a master-of-none. You have killer growth potential. Because you can create a more actionable to-do list and you understand the exact nature of your services, operating in a niche can help you grow your businesses faster with higher ROI. You know your competition. When you wedge yourself into a specific gap in the market, you can really start to study your competition. You can understand precisely what services your competitors offer, and convince clients why your service are unique and have a higher value. Overcoming the Obstacles of Niching Down Adam and I talked a bit about overcoming those initial obstacles. I see far too many people get caught up in that one bad client. It's sad, and one ruthless client shouldn't ever defeat your self-worth. Here are some tips for overcoming those initial obstacles that are holding you and your overall growth back. Make sure that your client is a good fit. If you're too focused on the financial aspect of your business, you might be taking on all comers. Don't do that. If you feel like your client won't benefit from your services, don't take them on. It will end up biting you in the end (confidence, churn rate, etc.) Find out where your bad prospects are coming from. Pinpoint the avenues that are drawing in bad clients, and try to reduce negative experiences (even if that means an initial profit hit.) Learn your industry inside and out. Adam talks a bit about the obstacles that are generated due to him being so focused on one specific area of business. He says that you need to really learn the business you're in and plan accordingly. If there are any potential threats to your business (even if they seem far-fetched) create a contingency plan. Be on the lookout for new technologies. Keep your eye out, there could be upcoming technologies that will impact your area of expertise. Learn them before your competitors do. How to Dominate Your Competition When you're starting out in a niche, competition is heavy. Here are some tips on how to dominate your competition. Stay focused on your clients. You know that iconic photo of South African swimmer Chad le Clos watching his Olympic competitor, Michael Phelps? During the whole race, his eyes were so focused on Phelps that he was looking at him even while swimming. Of course, Phelps won. That's because Phelps was more focused on the prize than on his competitors. Think 2 years ahead. Since you can heavily focus on one specific area when you operate in a niche, start to think years ahead. Don't get caught up in the now and forget to plan dominance in the future. Turn down work. Remember, make sure your client is a good fit. Let your competitors get greedy and take on the bad clients. Not all clients are good clients. And when you spin your wheels working with the wrong ones, you're turning down some of the right ones. The #1 Pain Point of Operating in a Niche The main pain-point of working within a niche is that you'r

The creative landscape is changing. Is your agency keeping up? Are your creative people struggling to stay fresh? It's easy to become overwhelmed with change and uncertainty. Learning new trends and technologies can be challenging. However, there are massive opportunities available in our day and age. It's good to be a creative right now, and there's no excuse not to create! In this episode, we'll cover: Why it's never been a better time to be a creative. Why you're out of excuses not to create. Today I chatted with Sean Womack, founder, and CEO of Smack, a media agency, and author of the novel, The Six Sides of the Black Box. That's right, Sean wrote a fiction novel (not a business book!) which provides a glimpse into agency life and illustrates 6 lessons learned. Sean's interesting and extensive background a creative in the agency space speaks for itself. On today's show, Sean shares his interesting backstory and the excitement of being an agency creative in today's landscape. He also touches on the evolution of being a post-40-year-old creative person as well as give us some fresh insight on being creative in our crowded agency world. With the ever-changing technology and fast-paced nature of our industry, it's refreshing to hear from someone who has navigated successfully and reminds us why it's an exciting time, no matter your age. It's Never Been a Better Time to Be A Creative Are you a Gen-X-er? If so, then you remember the "Don Draper way" of pitching creative ideas to the client. As a Creative Director, you show up to a meeting and tell a compelling story to get a client to buy the idea. Not so much anymore... Today's philosophy is to create as many ideas as possible. Then those ideas go into a system to be analyzed and tested in the marketplace and see which one(s) will fly. That change has been radical and it's impacted the entire industry. Change can be difficult and scary but we have to remember all the positives that today's technology brings. If you are (or if your agency has) an awesome creative who love creating stuff but feel guilty about not really knowing which idea will work...then this is the best time ever to be a creative! Not only do we get to generate as many ideas as possible, but we also get to put them into a system to be tested. That system is able to tell us which idea worked and with whom. It's pretty ideal - the system always needs new creation in order to test and improve. So keep creating! Why You're Out of Excuses Not to Create 1. There's plenty of material. Today, creatives get to work directly with a ton of different people, from engineers and business people to artists and storytellers. Everyone comes together and mixes it all up to create an interesting and rich creative environment. 2. There's plenty of resources. Let's not forget all the different mediums and platforms right at our fingertips. In recent times, a creative's job has expanded. You might be thinking of writing a book and you know that actually writing the book is just step #1 of like 20. But the amount of tools at our fingertips makes our expanding jobs easier... that's to technology and social media we can reach the masses at lightning speed. No excuses... Now is an exciting time to be a creative! 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 self-sabotaging your agency's sales? Do you lack trust or confidence in your team to deliver results? Worried they aren't going to live up to expectations and make you look bad? You probably have felt this way at one time or another. You might even be causing the problem and not realize it! Your agency is a reflection of you and it's natural to have these concerns. Once you're super honest and self-aware you can get out of your own way to grow your agency. In today's episode, we'll cover: How niching down builds trust. Avoiding 2 major pitfalls of growing an agency team. 2 questions the guest has for Jason when she puts Swenk on the Spot Today I chatted with Cat Howell, founder, and CEO of Eight Loop Social, a successful Facebook ads agency. Cat faced some serious lows in the beginning and shares with us what she learned and how she overcame them to become a six-figure per month agency. Growing an agency can be hard, but you can make it even harder if you are self-sabotaging your agency sales... and you might not even realize you are doing it. As agency owners, we are all guilty of wanting or feeling that we need to "do it all". Cat tells us how to overcome that "do it all" mentality so you can learn to trust your team and grow your agency. How Niching Down Builds Trust When you are an agency that is trying to serve all types of clients, you aren't serving any type of client well. (The jack-of-all-trades is the master of none.) Trying to do everything means your agency team is constantly on a learning curve to a specific industry or service. That constant learning curve can cost your agency: Money Resources Accounts Greatness When you hone in on your agency's strengths it allows your team the ability to FOCUS. Pinpointing a niche - whether vertical, horizontal or both - provides the opportunity to save time, money, resources as well as gain clients and become great at one thing. Once you pinpoint a niche, create SOP's around that particular funnel and get systemized so your agency team can be more efficient and effective. When you see your team running like a well-oiled machine, you'll gain trust and they'll feel empowered to do work that will grow the agency. Avoiding 2 Major Pitfalls Of Growing an Agency Team #1. DON'T borrow money to build your team. It can be a vicious cycle... You're trying to win new business, but you don't have the money to hire staff. But then clients don't want to commit without you having enough staff in place. You might want to (or already have) taken out a large loan to build your team. Here's how you can avoid this pitfall: Have lead generation processes in place and be able to onboard new clients effectively. Understand how to win clients and bring clients in under the right pricing. Have a system for onboarding and training your team. Minimize the amount of training that requires your time, personally. While you're personally training, you're neglecting other important agency growth tasks. This can lead to resentment and stunt agency's growth. Don't expect new team members to just figure it out - that's a recipe for disaster. #2. DON'T neglect your team during agency growth. In times of fast growth, we tend to shift focus to onboarding clients quickly and lose sight of internal processes and systems such as properly training the agency team. This is a sure way to set them (and you) up for failure. Talk about self-sabotaging! Instead, here's what you can do: Have a non-negotiable structure which includes proper training and processes in place so you can trust your team. If you find yourself in a situation of too much, too fast and things are slipping through the cracks take a step back. Look at what's standing in the team's way of success. Then STOP. Stop the funnel. No more calls. Focus on your team and train them. Reset everyone on the right path in order to rebuild trust and confidence in your team. Your team is your greatest asset. You need to trust your team and put them first. New agency business and growth can only follow when there is confidence in your team to deliver results on the services you're promising. When you lose confidence in your agency team it is natural to start pulling back and that is self-sabotaging agency sales while negatively impacting growth. Swenk On The Spot Today I tried something new on the podcast and let my guest, Cat, ask me two questions. It could be anything she wants, within appropriate reason (ha!) and I answered them on the spot. 1- Do you run background checks on contractors and full-time staff? I run background checks, dig into social accounts, and check references on employees but not on contractors. I'm totally transparent about this policy with job candidates and I've found it filters out the shady ones. 2- What do you do if a client asks you for a grace period on your invoice? No. Don't do it. You have to start by setting up expectations from the beginning of the client relationship. Clients start to get nervous if they d

Looking for ways to generate more new agency business? Tired of watching your competition grow and want to set your agency apart from the pack? Now is the time to be a front runner with the cutting edge technology of chatbots. You can use chatbots to generate new business and as an add-on service for your clients. It's easier than you might think to build and use a chatbot. Chatbot technology helps you engage with your ideal prospects and keep the conversation going in order to convert them into a client. In this episode, we'll cover: Why chatbots are better than other methods of prospecting. #1 mistake agencies make using chatbots. Should you add chatbot building as a service? 2 easy steps to get start using chatbots. Today I talked with Andrew Warner, Founder and CEO of Mixergy, a development resource for entrepreneurs. He's also the founder of Bot Academy. Andrew built his first company to over $30 million in sales and sold it. He started Mixergy to help business owners, by interviewing successful entrepreneurs and learning how they built their businesses. After learning about chatbots and eventually becoming an angel investor, he immediately knew chatbots were going to change the way we do business. He shares the potential that comes from using chatbots to generate new agency business. Why Chatbots Are Better Than Other Methods of Prospecting Email isn't working like it used to. Inboxes are flooded and we are learning that people love instant messaging or chats instead. People like to engage with communication apps. Chatbots are the ideal tool to educate, build trust, and nurture a relationship from prospect-stage to client-stage. For example.... Think about your Contact Page. People can come to it and ask a question... they want to know if you can help them. Then they have to wait for a response and that is it. That's the end of it. With a chatbot, there is potential for further engagement. A potential customer can ask questions while the chatbot is also garnering information. After the chatbot interaction, your agency can also followup and engage. A relationship is formed and can be nurtured over time. The change can be as simple as moving from a form, which is transactional in nature, to a chatbot that is more of a relationship-builder. A chatbot allows businesses to connect with their customers. Right now very few agencies are using chatbots, and even fewer are offering chatbot building as a service. Your agency can get in on this early-on. #1 Mistake Agencies Make Using Chatbots Don't try to have your chatbot do too much! While it can be exciting to jump out of the gate with new ideas, remember chatbots are still relatively new to the receiver and you don't want too overwhelm them. You can test my 'bot here. You'll see I only use the it to qualify the prospect and determine who I'm talking to by asking 2-3 questions. Then a live person jumps in to keep the conversation going. Should You Add Chatbot Building As A Service? In addition to using chatbots to generate new agency business, you might consider adding it as a service. Chatbot building might be a service to consider for bringing value-added to your clients. Andrew says a basic chatbot takes just minutes to make. He suggesting building one to present to your clients and let them play with it. Start by approaching your agency clients who already do email marketing well and show them how their current content would work with a 'bot. Be sure to do it in person or via video conference, so you can get real-time reactions. Since chatbots are in the early stages, creating this add-on for clients might set your agency apart from the competition. 2 Easy Steps To Get Started Using Chatbots Test out different chatbots. You wouldn't start building a website without doing some research, so approach chatbot building the same way. Check out the chatbot built specifically for this podcast, here. Create a fake chatbot and go from there. Visit botlist.co to find a list of software for chatbot building. Play with different tools to see what works for your agency and it's chatbot purposes. If you build your chatbot right, your agency will be able to know exactly where the audience is coming from. Generate leads for your agency by checking out Builtwith, to find out who's using chatbots. Then use an email service, like Mailshake to send out mass emails (that don't actually look like mass emails) as well as follow-ups, to start a chatbot conversation. 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.

When is the right time to bring on freelancers or contractors? How can you stop doing everything yourself so you can grow your agency? If you're overwhelmed at the thought of building your agency team and nervous about how to find the right people, check this out. Great freelancers are out there. You can find and onboard them easier than you think! Learn some suggestions and easy tips to make freelancers work for you, so you can build your team and grow your agency. In today's episode, we'll cover: 2 reasons to bring on freelancers. How to find & onboard freelancers. #1 biggest mistake to avoid when using freelancers. Why it's time to pay attention to the gig economy. Today I chatted with Nathan Hirsch, founder and CEO of Freeeup.com, an optimized freelance marketplace. Freeeup.com vets and trains all potential candidates, so you don't have to. After running a successful e-commerce business, Nathan quickly felt the frustration of trying to find and hire reliable freelancers. He realized the need for a better way to source freelance help and from there, Freeeup.com was born. On the show today, he shares his expertise on how to hire and onboard freelancers faster in order to ensure mutual success. 2 Reasons To Bring On Freelancers It is very simple. If your agency work is taking up so much time that every other aspect of your life is suffering... it's probably time to outsource. Here's 2 reasons to look for freelancers: Hire to get your hours back Make a list. Figure out everything you are doing for your agency on a daily, weekly or monthly schedule. Hand over the easiest stuff that doesn't have to be done by you. Turn your weaknesses into strengths. Have a yearly review for yourself and figure out what you are not very good at. Hire a freelancer who is an expert at it. Bring on freelancers who bring something to the table, that you may be lacking. If you haven't yet, it's time to become self aware of where your hours are spent, and where your skill set lies. You'll see more rapid agency growth when you get really clear on where you're at and where your agency is headed. How To Find & Onboard Reliable Freelancers Finding freelancers can be a crap shoot. There are dozens of different platforms out there. Your agency can try out Nathan's company freeeup.com and receive a $50 credit to try it out. Nathan recommends creating a living training document... whether it's a video with screen share or step-by-step Word doc. It just need to be something your agency's freelancers can sit within the beginning to learn and ask questions. Be clear on processes and procedures, as well as expectations. Sure, paying a freelancer for training time will cost your agency some non-billable hours but there are major benefits: A training document takes less time away from you and your agency leadership team. Questions will be answered before they are asked or before issues arise. After training is complete, you can ask the freelancer questions and make sure they will be a good fit. Any follow-up, one-on-one training will be easier and quicker, since the freelancer has already read through the training document. Nathan's training document has grown to over 80 pages, but your agency just needs to start out with a one to two page outline. Appoint someone responsible for updating the document, with input from people in other roles. This will also make adding or replacing people much easier because everything will be living in the document. #1 Biggest Mistake to Avoid When Using Freelancers The biggest mistake Nathan sees agencies make is not setting expectations. Spend the time up-front going through the specifics. Don't assume a project will take a certain amount of time - confirm it. Make sure you're clear on a due date and time (especially when working across different time zones!) Make sure everything is in writing, so there are no misunderstandings. Follow-up and follow-through is key. So for example, your agency does remote meetings via phone call, then make sure to follow-up with an email reiterating what was discussed as assigning responsibilities. Your agency and your freelancers need to be 100% on the same page. Here's the other BIG MISTAKES to avoid when working with freelancers. It's Time To Pay Attention To The Gig Economy The gig economy is growing fast! Did your know that in the next ten years, it's expected that over 50% of the workforce will be remote? So it's definitely time to start figuring out how your agency can incorporate the remote workforce. You can get started by checking out a special offer from Nathan and Freeeup.com. He's offering my listeners a $50 credit when they create an account. Why not check out what Freeeup.com has to offer? Check out: https://freeeup.com/jasonswenk/

Want to grow your agency to 8-figure revenue? Thinking of growing your team but worried about the overhead? Hoping for a moment of clarity, where it'll all come together? Then it's time to put your foot on the gas and push through. Acquiring quick agency growth is achievable when you're focused. Find out how one agency owner got to $1 million in under 6 months and 8-figures in under 5 years! In this episode, we'll cover: A different agency structure. 2 attributes for quick agency growth. #1 thing to achieve constant agency growth. The 8-figure revenue a-ha moment. Overcoming the small agency hump. Today I talked with Jake Baadsgaard, founder and CEO of Disruptive Advertising, an agency built on results-based relationships. Jake grew his agency to the $1 million mark, run-rate, in six months and was able to exceed 8-figure revenue in under five years. Today, Disruptive Advertising boasts over 100 employees and continues to grow. He shares some thoughts on agency growth, pivotal moments for his company and advice on how your agency can overcome that plateau and accelerate growth. A Different Agency Structure Jake's agency has an interesting structure. Disruptive separate out the account management from the execution. He brings in employee and continues the face-time with the client, to ensure the agency is moving in the right strategic direction for the client. He then provides a list of what needs to get done. This develops into the employee taking over the face-time and owning the relationship as well as the execution. 2 Attributes for Quick Agency Growth Always be in a hurry. Jake always felt a need to be in a hurry and get things done. He attributes their quick agency growth to two things: Cash Having a physical software that he could sell, Jake started with no debt. Keeping his monthly expenses low, he didn't have to worry about making money the first two years. Having cash on the table allows your agency to focus on growing. Cash on hand can shave 2-3 years off what typical agencies will go through to achieve growth. Hustle Network and get good at bringing in business and selling. Build relationships to help build your agency and attract top talent. #1 Thing To Achieve Constant Agency Growth Don't give up ~ push through! There are always bumps in the road. Jake thought about quitting all the time in the first couple of years, but he didn't. After successfully navigating some difficult relationships and figuring out the direction of the agency, he chose to push through. There is no magic bullet. Don't quit today, quit tomorrow. The 8-Figure Revenue "A-Ha Moment"? There were different things that pointed Jake in the right direction, but his true "a-ha moment" came when he realized he was trying to make decisions before he needed to. This approach creates a lot of unnecessary pressure. It comes down to this: What is your agency's end game? Do you ultimately want to sell your agency? Once you establish this decision, then you can build something exciting to come to work on everyday. It's all about clarity, vision and communicating direction. --> See related articles to sell your agency. How To Overcome the Small Agency Hump It can be scary to bring on more overhead, knowing that it will cut into revenue. If your agency has multiple partners, that brings the challenge of keeping everyone satisfied while still having room left to grow the financials. Here's the thing. Sometimes you have to take a hit on your bottom line, by investing in sales and marketing, to feed the pipeline and encourage growth. It's important to recognize when it's time to move past founder-based selling. To do that, carve out a percentage of revenue to invest in a sales team and marketing team. That's the best way to grow. Always be building your agency pipeline... and, don't take your foot off the gas. Don't forget the value that comes from collaboration with other agencies. Strategic partners can be lead to major growth. 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 better ways grow your agency? Tired of the status quo? Missing easy targets and low hanging fruit opportunities? Then take some lessons from an agency owner who's doubled revenue every year for five consecutive years and growing at a crazy fast rate! In today's episode, we'll cover: Finding your agency's share of the market. What to expect in your agency's first year. 4 simple actions to grow your agency. 3 easy ways to maintain agency growth. Today I chatted with Tony Delmercado, co-founder and CEO of Hawke Media. With only five years in business, Hawke Media has grown from a 5 person team to 100+ employees and has doubled it's revenue every year, looking to hit the $18 million mark this year. With that kind of success, I couldn't wait to pick Tony's brain on how he was able to start and maintain growth of his agency. From his start to present day, Tony walks us through some simple tips and strategies he found successful. Finding Your Agency's Share of the Market Tony says you need to find a hole in the market and respond to demand. The catalyst for starting a company, whether you want to grow a brand or do marketing well, you need to either: Build a team in-house Multitude of challenges Work with an agency cost prohibitive - straight up expensive Unfortunately there isn't a good intermediate option. So Tony and his business partner turned to qualified friends that checked off necessary boxes. As their clients wanted more things, they built their agency's internal competency and hired more people with the necessary talents and skill sets. What To Expect Your Agency's First Year Work, work, work...and more work. Lots of hours and hard work. In the beginning, your agency says "yes" to everything whether it's speaking engagements, meetings, committees, public appearances, anything and everything to get your agency name and brand out there. Hawke Media, didn't take on investors or debt, they simply bootstrapped on the cash coming in. In that first year, because of this model, they were very judicious with their spending. Tony says his personal mantra is three-fold: Get shit done. Learn quickly. Be cool. He and his partner hustled hard that first year, living this mantra every single day. That's why it was easy to realize these needed to be their agency's core values. Since then, they have hired their team around these values. Your agency NEEDS to nail down and define core values and build a company culture. One of the best things about being an entrepreneur, is that you get to pick who you want to work with. Your agency needs to make sure that it picks well, that it gets the right people, good people, to keep a good cultural vibe. As an agency owner, Tony says, "it will never all be done". Your agency to-do list will always and continuously grow. Stop worrying about checking off the last box, instead start prioritizing and allocate time to the important stuff. Your agency, but also you, will need to learn how to say "no" to those things that aren't necessary or can be better managed by a team member. Get rid of time-sucks, like recurring meetings that aren't necessary. 4 Simple Actions To Grow Your Agency Growth might not be easy, but it can be made simpler when you model after someone who's doing it the right way.... Use a CRM and some form of follow-up or reminder. You don't have to use an expensive service There are cheap options out there. Create some basic email automation Have a form to capture information. Develop a system to drop prospects into funnels for your agency. Use Google retargeting or GDN Don't underestimate the abilities of this service. This is still a powerful tool when done correctly. Pick up the phone. A call back or follow-up phone call, keeps lines of communication open. Build solid personal relationships while your competition is automating everything. PRO TIP: Don't forget about the low-hanging fruit. These are old or stale leads right at your fingertips. Create a system for routinely checking those out, too! 3 Easy Ways To Maintain Agency Growth Don't become complacent. Always look to do better and to improve. Be aggressive in marketing your agency. 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 to get your agency revenue to the $1 million mark? Already at $1 million and struggle to get beyond it? What got you where you are now, isn't what's going to get your agency to the next level. Have you lost focus or just don't know where to look? Then it's time your agency explored the power of content and started making investments into it's future. In this episode, we'll cover: Growing your agency from the first million to the next million. One growth strategy often forgotten. 5 simple tips to help scale your agency. #1 Technology your agency should be using. How to find your agency's focus. Know yourself and build a solid team. Today I got to talk to John Hall, CEO and co-founder of the content marketing agency, Influence & Co. He's also a keynote speaker and author of the best-selling business book, Top of Mind. Considered a content marketing guru, John shares with us tips and tricks he has learned along the way, as he grew his company from just 2 people in 2007 up to 130 employees in 2018. Implementing John's strategies will help scale your agency and position you as a thought leader and influencer in your agency's niche. Growing Your Agency from the First Million to the Next Million The biggest challenge your agency will face when scaling is taking on clients and employees you shouldn't. To avoid this classic pitfall, use these two tips in your agency process: Take time to hire the right person. Having the right people in the right seats will make all the difference. Really look at potential clients and ask "why?". Make sure you are only taking on the right clients for the right reasons. Having processes in place is important when scaling. One Growth Strategy Often Forgotten Simply put -- CONTENT Content is more than a lead generator or marketing vehicle, content is the core of the company. Content allows your agency to share it's culture, industry trends, leadership, vision, and more. Your agency wants to generate content in "themes" to outline the environment and to attract people, whether it's employees or clients. You can't just say the words in an interview or pitch, you need to be continually communicating it as a company. This allows potential clients or employees to see what your agency is all about and makes them want to work with you. Define your agency's core values and live them out. 5 Simple Tips To Help Scale Your Agency Amplify your agency's services on your website with an excellent user experience. Make an investment in what your agency does. Utilize technology that can help your agency scale by saving you time. Create efficient practice that will lead to higher margins. Leverage content across the company by multi-purposing it. Differentiation can be hard, but it is important. Don't be like the competition - stand apart from them! #1 Technology Your Agency Should Be Using Technology needs depend on the agency, but to have the absolute best tech for your agency's needs, you need to create it. Creating your own technology allows customization towards your agency's needs. If there is a problem you're experiencing, and you can create a tech tool as the solution, that's the ultimate benefit. How To Find Your Agency's Focus Where is the biggest opportunity for your agency? It's not about what is most exciting, it's about what is going to drive longterm success. What are the things that your agency can say no to and what are those things that your agency needs to say yes to? Owners typically jump quickly and this can lead to a loss of respect from your team, as well as opportunity costs. Don't put your agency in a position where it is no longer doing productive work, because you're too busy "chasing butterflies." Know Yourself And Build A Solid Team Who you get into business with and how you treat the people around you is key! Your agency needs trust at the core. John and his two partners are in sync with another and he attributes it to total transparency. Although I usually say: "you either know the bad partner or you are the bad partner," I've seen some really successful agency partnerships too. However, having an out clause and operating agreement in place can keep things from getting messy if someone wants out. And most importantly, your personal brand is important. You are a vehicle to create opportunities for your agency and you need to invest in it and in yourself. 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.

Thinking of vlogging but doesn't know where to start? Don't think you're any good on camera? Afraid you don't have the right equipment? With these simple tips and tricks you'll be able to get started right away. You will become an authority in the marketplace and build trust with your ideal clients so you can win more new agency business. In this episode, we'll cover: #1 reason your agency should be vlogging. More benefits of vlogging. Why video views and subscriber numbers don't matter. How to get started and what equipment you need. Today I got to talk with Cody Wanner, daily vlogger and co-founder of the video production company CAP Collective. After watching and being inspired by another vlogger, Cody thought about creating his own daily video series. Over a year of thinking about it, he finally decided to just do it and it's been a major game-changer for his video agency. With Cody's simple tips and easy style, he shares how your agency can start vlogging immediately. #1 Reason Your Agency Should Be Vlogging It Builds Trust! Just getting a face in front of people, in front of possible clients and talking to them is building trust. Consistent face time will build trust between your agency and your audience and trust is everything. People buy from people they trust. And, with that trust comes authority. Trust + authority = more new agency business More Benefits Of Vlogging Sharing content via a vlog will help position your agency as an expert in the marketplace. Your audience will look to your agency for answers. There's a serious ROI when you vlog on a consistent basis. For Cody, his vlog has also become a constant follow-up tool to help keep his agency top of mind. His consistent (daily) video content serves as a reminder to his prospects, and works SO MUCH BETTER than a "checking in" phone call. Why Video Views And Subscriber Numbers Don't Matter Cody has a cool movement he's pushing right now, which he's calling No Small Creator #nosmallcreator... he says there is no such thing as a small creator or small subscriber. He believes anyone who's creating content is a big deal. There's no such thing as insignificant content because you never know who is going to be inspired by something you say or create... your content could be influencing the next Oprah. You never know who your viewers are, who they're sharing with or who they're affecting on a daily basis. Influence them to be great and let the domino affect happen. How To Get Started and What Equipment You Need Your agency needs to commit to uploading content every day - even if it's not great. Even if it's downright bad. Once you commit to that, you can trust the process and yourself. Once you start vlogging, it is in your entrepreneurial nature to make things better. If your agency just starts uploading content, the process will take you to reviewing, analyzing and improving on it because that is what you do. Perfection is the enemy of good. Your agency's vlogging is probably not going to be perfect at first but upload it anyway. As my friend Ian Garlic says, What Type Of Equipment Your Agency Needs To Start Vlogging Check your pocket. The best equipment is the equipment you already have... meaning, don't let equipment be an excuse that keeps you from vlogging! If all the video equipment you have is a smart phone - use it. Vlogging on a smart phone can be just as successful as with expensive equipment. As you get more experience and more comfortable you may want to buy other equipment, but it's not a necessity. And if you really want to know more about equipment, here's a video about what I use now. Just note - I started by using my iPhone and iPad! :) Vlogging is not about the technical quality of the footage, it's about the story you tell. The way you document growth or change and how your agency is helping others. You can check out my evolution as a vlogger... and seriously, it was pretty rough when I first started. This was my first vlog episode and it's pretty terrible! Cody and I agree; just start by documenting what your agency is doing and get it out there. Find a main focus and go do it. And be sure to make it your own - modeling other vloggers is ok as long as your end product is genuine to who you are. 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 great at creating but seem to fail with execution? Do you have a hard time delegating tasks and get lost in the day-to-day of working in your agency instead of on it? Then it's time your agency makes a marketing plan for your agency! When you get your team on board and delegate to a lead in charge of the execution, you are freed up to create the longterm vision. Learn how to step away from being the Agency Owner and become the Agency CEO. In this episode, we'll cover: Simple lessons to grow and scale a business. 3 easy mindset shifts to grow your agency. How to stay consistent and treat your agency like a client. 3 buckets to have in your agency's marketing plan. The importance of implementing your agency's core values. Today I got to chat with Derek Champagne, founder and CEO of the full-service marketing agency, The Artist Evolution and author of Don't Buy A Duck: Stop Wasting Money & Only Do Marketing That Works!. With a mantra of "without fail," a vision and some failures in his pocket, Derek built his current agency to a 30+ employee business. Today he shares with us the importance of having a vision and marketing plan for your agency. In order to grow and scale you need to make sure you're treating your agency with the same consistency and level of attention you give your clients. Simple Lessons to Grow & Scale a Business Derek says some of his failures have taught him some great (yet, simple) lessons about business growth and scaling. These are key to transitioning from Agency Owner to Agency CEO: You need to have the right people around you to grow effectively and get the advice you need. You don't need to hold your cards so close. Collaborating with other agencies can bring great success. You need to have a longterm focus and vision for your agency. 3 Easy Mindset Shifts To Grow Your Agency Have a vision and set goals to achieve it. Don't get lost in the weeds of the day-to-day grind. Let your agency team understand your clear vision: How can a team get behind you if they don't know the plan or where the agency is going? Communicate your agency marketing plan and vision. Empower your agency employees to make decisions that help achieve your vision. Know what you're good at and where/when you need to delegate. Get out of your own way and don't be the smartest person in the room. How To Stay Consistent & Treat Your Agency Like a Client Much like your clients, your agency's growth is also dependent upon having a marketing plan. If you haven't niched down yet, it's time to do that. Know who you are, who you target and what you're best at - then go after it. If your marketing isn't going according to plan... maybe you don't really have a "plan" after all?! Having a marketing plan is crucial. Map it out. Not just you, bring in your agency team. Whiteboard it out. Hold a strategy session and answer "what does our marketing plan look like and why." The "why" is important - your team needs to know and understand why you're doing what you're doing. Don't just do it because you think you should, knowing the why makes it much more effective. 3 Buckets To Have In Your Agency's Marketing Plan A marketing plan isn't just for clients.... it is critical to have an agency marketing plan, too. Customer Acquisition How is your agency gaining new clients? How are marketing dollars spent? Client Retention What is your agency doing to retain existing customers? What are you doing to cross-pollinate services and build partnerships? Agency Reputation What is your agency doing to stay top of mind and tip of tongue? How are you present and interacting with those in your community and client base? Also... assign, don't assume! Along with a marketing plan your agency needs to also know who is doing what. Be sure that every marketing plan has a point person who is responsible for the execution and results. Being able to present a solid marketing plan to your agency clients will help build trust. Creativity and strategy are great, however they sit on the cutting room floor if you don't have implementation and execution figured out! Implementing Your Core Values Go back and take a look at your agency's core values. Are you implementing them consistently? If you're doing core values right, you should be able to focus on building the team, holding the vision and gaining resources towards that vision. When you make this things a priority for your agency, then the client-side will come together. Your focus should be on finding and keeping a solid team. You can always get more clients, but it will cost you more to rebuild a quality team. Ready to Discover the Best Agency Strategies Working Today? [Invitation-Only Group for Digital Agency Owners] Most agency owners struggle to scale. We've developed a process that will guide you through the journey of implementing the right systems so you can scale your agency — instead of feeling overwhelmed by it. We do this by bringing together agency thought leaders to share strategies, off

It's tough making decisions as an agency owner! From your first hire to knowing when it's time to sell. Here's advice from an 11-year agency owner veteran on some of the key attributes to look for in your agency's first hire as well as some simple considerations to help you know if it's time to sell your agency. In this episode, we'll cover: The #1 thing to look for in a first hire. Is it time to sell your agency? Today I chatted up Kathleen Booth, VP of Marketing at Impact, a resource for inbound marketers, and host of the Inbound Success podcast. After growing her own digital marketing agency for 11 years, from startup to a HubSpot platinum level partner, Kathleen read the signs that it was time to move on and sold her agency in a merger. She shares with us how she made big agency leadership decisions, from her first hire to selling the agency. The #1 Thing To Look For In a First Hire A burning, insatiable desire to learn and figure things out! The digital marketing landscape is ever-evolving and your agency needs people who will evolve with it. Your agency wants people with a good marketing presence. Remember, this could be a person with any number of marketing-type backgrounds, so don't limit your interview process by job title. Kathleen suggests hiring someone who can take tasks off your plate. (In most cases, I advise hiring a Project Manager - here's why.) As an owner, you need to be able to focus on strategy and building your agency, not on tedious tasks that could be handed off. Be sure your candidate can manage a client, so you don't have to. It's time for you to step away from managing agency clients and details. Clients value that to which they don't have easy access. Meaning, if you're accessible all the time, clients won't value your time and they won't pay as much for it. Keep your interactions consistent, but spread out. Time To Consider Selling Your Digital Agency? Are you still having fun? You need to love what you're doing. Kathleen was having fun for the first 10 years, but the 11th year was draining. Is your agency scalable to the level you want to be? In Kathleen's case her agency's growth was tied to being an early Hubspot partner. But as their program grew her agency's lead generation suffered. If you answer "no" to either of these questions it might be time to consider selling. Kathleen was faced with either pushing ahead, doubling down to grow and scale OR selling her agency and moving on. If you're thinking of selling, use your network and start putting out feelers. It was easier for Kathleen to make her decision, because she found an interested party. Be self aware. Don't let money and ego get in the way of making the right decisions for you and your agency. The best entrepreneurs know when it's time to walk away and can do so fast. Ready to Discover the Best Agency Strategies Working Today? [Invitation-Only Group for Digital Agency Owners] Most agency owners struggle to scale. We've developed a process that will guide you through the journey of implementing the right systems so you can scale your agency — instead of feeling overwhelmed by it. We do this by bringing together agency thought leaders to share strategies, offer advice, and reveal what's working (and what's not working) in their agency. The truth is, whatever you want to accomplish in life, nothing will help you go further, faster than getting the right advisor in the context of motivated peers. If you want to GROW fast and smart, here's how Agency University™ Mastermind will HELP. Request your personal invite here.

Thinking about doing a podcast, but don't know where to start? Overwhelmed by the prep work like booking guests and developing questions? Here's some insight, helpful tips and actionable strategies to have your agency stay top-of-mind and build relationships. In this episode, we'll cover: Why your agency needs to start a podcast. How to get over the first hurdle. 2 easy steps to secure great podcast guests. #1 tip to develop strong podcast questions. Tips and tools to build relationships after the episode airs. Today I talked with social dynamics expert, Jordan Harbinger. As host of the podcast, The Jordan Harbinger Show and contributor to the website Advanced Human Dynamics, Jordan uses his great questioning skills to delve into strategies, techniques and habits of some of the most successful people on the planet. He's had the opportunity to interview huge guests like Larry King, a CIA agency, a military General, even Shaquille O'Neal! Jordan understands the influence of podcasting and shares some great nuggets of knowledge on how to start and maintain a successful podcast to keep your agency top of mind. Why Your Agency Needs A Podcast A podcast is a great way because: It is an outreach tool to create relationships. Your ideal audience is searching for your content. Check out this related interview with Pat Flynn on Starting a Podcast How To Get Over The First Hurdle The #1 objection to starting a podcast is usually that people hate the sound of their own voice. Jordan says there is a simple way to get past this -- edit your own show. Having to listen to your own agency show over and over will provide you with some great insight on things to work on: What filler words are being used too much (such as "like" or "ummm"). How to be dynamic in your tone and inflection. How to use a microphone and test/track sound quality. Once these are corrected, listening to your own voice won't be so bad. 2 Easy Steps To Secure Great Podcast Guests To get great guests you need to simply: ASK! Be persistent. People are more accessible than you might think. Just be brave and reach out because you'll never know if you don't ask :) Utilize and create network connections that your agency can leverage to bring on podcast guests. Make a list of who you want. Create a system to reach out, and be sure you doesn't just focus on one guest at a time. Reach out to multiple potential guests and follow-up consistently until you get a yes. #1 Tip To Develop Strong Podcast Questions Be well prepared! Out-prepare everyone else. Do the research on the guest, read their book, watch their videos, listen to their podcast... learn about them before the podcast. Keep the questions insightful and don't focus on being super witty or clever. Your goal for a successful interview should be that you run out of time, not material. Set up the questioning to last double the amount of time as the actual podcast. This will allow for editing to really hone in on the most valuable nuggets of information and get rid of all the "fluff" that is not of vital interest to your listeners. Tips And Tools To Build Relationships After the Episode Airs Follow-up, reach out, stay in touch. Just because someone was a guest, doesn't automatically make them a solid contact. Make an effort to continue communication to build the relationship. Jordan's website Advanced Human Dynamics offers a free mini-course on things like: How to keep in touch reengaging contacts reach-out text drills and exercises These tips require very little investment of your time, but can drastically impact your relationships with guests, sponsors, and potential clients. It is worth the time! Visit the website here and click on Level 1. There are also 2 great tools for your agency to use: Boomerang A useful tool that works with Gmail and allows you to control when emails are sent and received as well as schedule reminders. Contactually A CRM program that can organize and prioritize contacts and communication with them. Set reminders and store information so remember to touch base with potential guests, pasts guests, etc. at a predetermined increment of time (30 days, 45 days, etc.) Ready to Discover the Best Agency Strategies Working Today? Most agency owners struggle to scale. We've developed a process that will guide you through the journey of implementing the right systems so you can scale your agency — instead of feeling overwhelmed by it. We do this by bringing together agency thought leaders to share strategies, offer advice, and reveal what's working (and what's not working) in their agency. The truth is, whatever you want to accomplish in life, nothing will help you go further, faster than getting the right advisor in the context of motivated peers. If you want to GROW fast and smart, here's how Agency University™ Mastermind will HELP. Request your personal invite here...

Wondering how to adapt to all the Facebook changes? Upset your Facebook ads aren't getting the ROI you expect? Wondering if Facebook is a dying platform for lead generation? Facebook is evolving with the demands of it's users and we know Facebook isn't going away anytime soon. Learn from an expert on the best way to position your Facebook ads as well as utilizing Facebook live and videos to build relationships. In this episode, we'll cover: Is Facebook a dying platform for lead gen? How to use Facebook ads to generate leads. 3 strategies for using video on Facebook. Today I chatted with Curt Maly, CBDO at Black Box Social Media, speaker and primary voice of Social Media Ad Genius. With over 8 years experience working with Facebook Ads, Curt shares some insight on the current Facebook landscape and how your agency can adapt. With the focus being on building relationships, Curt shares some tips on Facebook Live and videos that will help your agency achieve a like, know and trust factor that is so important for building a sales pipeline. Is Facebook a Dying Platform for Lead Gen? The current news media surrounding Europe's GDPR has definitely scared some from using Facebook, but this won't necessarily last. Curt says Facebook ads definitely aren't for every industry. You and/or your clients might perform better on another platform. For example, Instagram is showing success as it emerges as a more popular platform. However since it's photo-centric you need to make sure you're smart about relevant content to build your agency brand on Instagram. If we look at the history of Facebook it can help see where the future is going. It's similar to the early years of Google Adwords, when they weren't focusing on customer service. Facebook has struggled with privacy issues as well as customer service. (Like, how hard is it to get a Facebook contact on the phone?!) But Facebook is stepping up their game by working with agencies and focusing on customer support. So, they're coming around... and Facebook is far from "dying" :) How To Use Facebook Ads to Generate Leads Your agency needs to build a human relationship and that's going to cost more in ad dollars. It is time to focus on content vs. relevance. Facebook is currently the largest publishing platform. And, if your agency want to use the largest publishing platform to generate leads, then you need to publish really good content and follow-up accordingly! A current Facebook analysis says that clicks and/or click-thru rates don't necessarily mean someone is going to increase brand awareness or intent to purchase. This goes against the common ideology, so the industry needs an ideology change. We need to adapt to change, social media platforms are still a bit of the wild wild west. Facebook is ever changing their algorithms. Right now Facebook is looking at the engagement on business profile pages and their posts. Facebook is dinging business for "click bait" if people are clicking your link to a landing page and then come right back to Facebook. This is why using Facebook for organic reach with direct response won't work if your agency isn't playing in the game of Facebook. A successful business plan includes engaging posts and relationship building, not just running ads. You won't have scalable traffic or a predictable pipeline if you're just focusing on ROI and not the personal relationships. 3 Strategies for Your Agency's Videos on Facebook Video allows a viewer to relate to you, get to know you and build a rapport with you. This is a much better business building strategy than a "good hook" in your ad copy. When looking to create a video, Curt says he likes to think of structure of infomercials. That's right, infomercials. Infomercials last the test of time and follow a basic formula: every 3-5 minutes, there is a call-to-action. Many of us only give a CTA at the end of the video. But for those who don't want all the way through, they miss out on the their next steps. There are three types of videos your agency can use: Short one minute video. Use this video to address a cold audience. Generally, this video is to build awareness. Provide 2-3 bullet points and then a call-to-action. Hint: Instagram can support a 1-minute video too, so why not multipurpose? Facebook Live. Use this type of video to help people get to know you and your agency brand. Facebook Live videos can help grow engagement to score points with Facebook. As much as 80-90% of views are from Facebook live replays. Apply infomercial structure and split your video into 4 equal parts with a CTA after each part. In the first 30 seconds give them: what you're going to cover or why they should watch and a CTA or where to find out more info. Long, 10-15 minute videos. Use these videos to provide great value to the existing followers. as well as to announce or promote something new. Apply infomercial structure and split your video into 4 equal parts with a CTA after each part. You can have more than one CTA a

Wondering how you can get PR and media coverage a for your agency? Afraid your agency isn't newsworthy? Then it's time to learn some simple tips to get your agency the media coverage it deserve so you can generate interest and leads organically, plus amplify your brand. Today's show guest is talking ways to jump-start your agency's publicity. In this episode, we'll cover: 3 tips to achieve media coverage. The #1 thing to do for a media interview. Today I chatted with Emily Richett, founder and owner of Richett Media. In 2013, Emily left her job as a TV news reporter to start a new venture and naturally leaned towards publicity. Over the past five years her agency has grown from a solo act, to now 5 full time employees. Emily shares some great advice on working with different media outlets and how to start getting your agency in the news. 3 Tips To Achieve Media Coverage Your agency is newsworthy, even if you don't think so. There are always ways to be newsworthy if you understands what the media outlets are targeting, what they care about and the natural ebb and flow of the news cycle. Emily shared 3 big tips for getting noticed by the media: Make it easy for the media to want to cover your story. The media is going to cover seasonal and holiday trends, based on their annual calendar. If you can connect the dots for them and align with a season or time-sensitive current trend you're more likely to get noticed. Create the hook for the media. Often times reporters are too busy, so if you do some of the leg work for them it's a much easier sell. Tie into what the media outlet's viewers care about. People care about people (not businesses) and their impact on society. Outline how your agency is making an impact, whether on a local or national level. Utilize social media as a media lead generation tool. On Twitter search #journalrequest, where journalists request information and quotes for stories. On LinkedIn, use Dux Soup as a lead generation tool to leverage for media lead generation. Check out other resources, like H.A.R.O. ("Help a Reporter Out") The #1 Thing To Do For a Media Interview Prepare in advance! You want to leverage this media opportunity, so you MUST do your homework in order to make your media coverage great. See if you can find out what questions they will ask. A great way to do this is to study past interviews. Create a list of questions you want to be asked in order to touch on the important topics; provide the list to the media outlet. If your agency will be in print, provide professional pictures and /or headshots. If you agency will be on TV, shoot a hi-res B-roll and provide it. Remember to be yourself. Find your agency's voice. [clickToTweet tweet="Fifty-percent of a great PR opportunity is getting the press. The other 50% is leveraging the media exposure." quote="Fifty-percent of a great PR opportunity is getting the press. The other 50% is leveraging the media exposure."] Always have a call to action with media coverage. Make sure the viewers can find your agency or your client. For Emily's free entrepreneur's publicity guide, click here. Ready to Discover the Best Agency Strategies Working Today? [Invitation-Only Group for Digital Agency Owners] Most agency owners struggle to scale. We've developed a process that will guide you through the journey of implementing the right systems so you can scale your agency — instead of feeling overwhelmed by it. We do this by bringing together agency thought leaders to share strategies, offer advice, and reveal what's working (and what's not working) in their agency. The truth is, whatever you want to accomplish in life, nothing will help you go further, faster than getting the right advisor in the context of motivated peers. If you want to GROW fast and smart, here's how Agency University™ Mastermind will HELP. Request your personal invite here.

You know video marketing is where it's at right now, but are you struggling to get started? Do you want to generate leads using video but not sure how to get the right viewers? Wondering how to grow a YouTube channel and leverage it for your new business pipeline? It's time to learn how to utilize YouTube to grow new relationships, make connections, and build your authority. In this episode, we'll cover: #1 thing to grow your YouTube Channel. How to leverage YouTube as a search engine. How is YouTube ranking videos? 3 steps to a successful video. Today I chatted with Sean Cannell, YouTuber at Think Media and Video Influencers, international speaker and coach. Sean spends his time helping entrepreneurs build their influence through online video. Today he is providing us with insight and tips on building a YouTube channel and generating leads with video. #1 Thing To Grow Your YouTube Channel Clarity - your agency needs to know: Where your agency wants to go. Who your agency is, in the marketplace. Who your agency wants to reach. To find this clarity, answer these 2 questions before posting videos: 1- Who is your target audience? Remember, broader is not better The riches are in the niches (yes, really!). 2- What is your value proposition to the target audience? What consistent value are you going to deliver? Articulated messages to get viewers to think: "Wow, this is exactly what I am looking for!" How often will your agency deliver content? Start out with at least a weekly video, then increase from there. How To Leverage YouTube As A Search Engine YouTube is less crowded than Google, as a search engine, so there is a lot of white space and opportunity. Just like with Google, the search bar in YouTube will predict phrases, based on common searches. So position your agency videos on the other side of people's questions. This will set your agency up to get "views while you snooze." How do you do this? It's simple: Take the top 20-30 FAQ's your agency gets and make a video answering each question. Position the videos to leverage search by embedding them in your agency blog or linking to your agency website. Create a library within YouTube, for easy linking access. By pushing people to YouTube, this encourages 'likes' and subscribers. Video content is powerful. It builds the important Know, Like, and Trust Factor. And Sean says it is 53% more likely to rank on the first page of Google (than written content is). Video is most people's preferred content format, which leads to a higher level of engagement and can help grow your agency! How is YouTube Ranking Videos? Minutes Matter Most! Originally YouTube would track views as a success metric. But, as click-bait started popping up, YouTube started to see the benefit of measuring minutes. YouTube learned that just because viewers where clicking on a video, it didn't mean that they were actually viewing the content. Impressions don't necessarily mean impact. However, a minute of someone's time, is a big deal. So, when you go into the metrics on your agency's YouTube channel, you will see analytics of minutes, views, and subscribers. YouTube values these metrics because, first and foremost, it is a business and makes money from advertising. So, they reward people and businesses that create lengthy content that get viewers to linger longer on their platform. 3 Steps To A Successful Video Step 1- The beginning. There are 3 parts to the beginning and should all work in unison. Title - this is what gets viewers to stop scrolling. Keep it straightforward. Having numbers is powerful, so consider things like: 5 Tips, 3 Reasons, etc. Thumbnail - this is what gets viewers to click on your video. The biggest mistake Sean sees is thumbnails with too much text. Hook - this is what gets viewers to stay and watch. The first couple minutes of your video should make them want to keep watching. Another great tactic is to include a teaser for a "bonus tip" at the end, to ensure longevity. Remember: online interaction is linear and progressive. Step 2 - the middle. Videos should be as long as they need to be, but as short as possible. Data has shown that the ideal video length is between 7-16 minutes. A video within this length performs 50% better than videos shorter or longer. But remember, minutes matter, so you want to get viewers to watch to the end. (That's where those "bonus" teasers become helpful.) If your agency wants to use "i" cards, you will not be penalized if you link away. On the other hand, YouTube will note the end of the viewing session. So be sure this use is intentional and strategic. Don't link away in every video. If viewers watch your videos to the end and increase the amount of minutes in your channel's metrics, YouTube will help grow your channel by suggesting it more often. YouTube analyzes the ultimate impact of what your agency's channel is putting out, but also understands that some viewing is programmatic (like with a TV network). It will not penalize if one

Are you ready for GDPR? Wondering how it will affect your agency and/or your clients? Even if you're not in Europe, you are required to be in compliance with these new data privacy regulations. In this episode, learn what you need to do to protect your agency and stay in compliance with GDPR. In this episode, we'll cover: What is GDPR? What does GDPR mean for agencies? 3 Steps to GDPR compliance. What happens if your agency is non-compliant? I'm super excited to talk to today's guest, Suzanne Dibble the small business law expert based in The UK. She's got 20+ years experience and has worked some big time entrepreneurs, like Richard Branson. She has been living, breathing, and consuming everything related to GDPR and how it affect small businesses for the past 3 months. Suzanne is on the show today to explain the ins and outs of GDPR so you can keep your agency in compliance and continue to generate leads despite stricter guidelines. What is GDPR? The GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is a set of rules imposed by the European Union (EU) who seek to create a harmonized data protection law framework across the EU and aims to give back to data subjects, control of their personal data. GDPR imposes strict rules on businesses hosting and processing this type of data, anywhere in the world. Suzanne says GDPR comes from a place of good intention, and isn't just a new set of regulations to make our lives miserable. The good news is that there's just a few steps to take that will keep you compliant by May 25, 2018. And the really good news is that there's no enforcement agency waiting to haul you off to prison for non-compliance. :) What Does GDPR Mean for Agencies? Basically, this will affect your lead magnets and automated marketing campaign sequences. It's all about transparency. Under these regulations, when people opt-in for something (like a lead magnet) that's the only thing you can send them. If you want to continue to use their email address for marketing purposes, this will require additional consent. 3 Steps to GDPR Compliance Compliance does not have to be an overwhelming process. Suzanne top lined the three steps we can take to make sure we stay compliant: 1. Decide whether GDPR is relevant to your agency. It affects businesses who either (A.) process data of people in the EU with the intent to offer goods or services, and (B.) businesses monitoring the behaviors of those in the EU. If you've answered yes to either of these criteria, then you need to send a re-consent email to your lists to those recipients in the EU. 2. Determine if you have lawful grounds of processing data. There are 6 criteria that fall under the definition of being lawful under GDPR, though most small businesses will fall under one of the first four. Consent. The real issue is obtaining re-consent after May 25. With that, you have lawful grounds. Contractual agreement. If you're already under contract with a client, you're all set and new consent is not required. Compliance with the law. Record keeping or maintaining data on clients, employees, and contractors is consensual and therefore no new consent is required. Legitimate interest. Many of us will fall into this category, where you're marketing to someone with legitimate interest in your service you can lawfully process their data with consent to do so. Vital interest. Public interest. 3. Write a new privacy policy and a cookies notice. Under GDPR you must be completely transparent about what you data you're holding and why. Additionally, you must rationalize what you're doing with any data, where it comes from, where you're transferring it to, etc. GDPR has 13 points that must be addressed in your privacy policy so be sure you're fully covered. Cookies are considered an extension of personal data. Therefore, businesses are also required to be transparent with their use and handling of cookie data with a cookies policy. What Happens If You're Non-Compliant? As Suzanne explained, there's no governing agency that's enforcing these regulations or hunting down offenders. Basically, it just all comes down to a risk analysis. The real risks are to your brand reputation. Breaking compliance may upset people who are knowledgable on the subject. They may choose to take direct action and make a legal claim. And even if they don't take action, you risk losing their trust and respect. There are over 250 pages to the Articles and Recitals of GDPR. If you are unsure whether this relates to you, or you'd like to dig in deeper you can learn more in Suzanne's exclusive GDPR for Online Entrepreneurs Facebook group. She also has a ton of information on her website here: SuzanneDibble.com/GDPR Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency 3X Faster? Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency 3X Faster? Are you overwhelmed by all the information out there on various ways to grow your agency? Do you want direction on how you can grow your agency faster and easier? Then you're in luck! I've

When you think of Artificial Intelligence, do you think of sci-fi movies? Do you wonder or worry if AI can take over some of the data driven work your agency does for it's client? Don't let Artificial Intelligence scare you! AI can be your competitive advantage when you learn how it really works and what it can do for your agency growth. In this episode, we'll cover: What exactly is Artificial Intelligence (AI)? The two types of AI. How your agency can embrace AI and use it to grow. Today I got to talk with Paul Roetzer, author, CEO and founder of the inbound marketing agency, PR20/20. He is also founder of the Marketing Artificial Intelligence Institute. Paul got his start in PR, but started questioning the agency model, specifically billable hours. His goal was to figure out ways to achieve economics of scale and profitability, so he set up shop with PR20/20 and created standardized services with set prices. Paul's interest in AI first piqued when he watched the Jeopardy episode featuring IBM's Watson supercomputer which beat out the humans. He has been researching and writing about AI, ever since. What Exactly is Artificial Intelligence? It's easy to go to images of science fiction movies and Will Smith, when thinking of Artificial Intelligence (AI), but that's not accurate. AI is the science of teaching machines to be smart. It's more like when Netflix suggests another show or movie for you to watch after learning what other shows/movies you like. The machine's abilities revolve around very narrow tasks that are data driven, such as what time to send an e-mail, what content to write about, A/B testing of landing pages and predicting conversions, to name a few. They excel at things that are hard or time consuming for humans to do. When used within data driven areas, AI helps your agency make better decisions. [clickToTweet tweet="'80% of what we do as an agency will be intelligently automated within five years.' Says @paulroetzer, found of Marketing Artificial Intelligence Institute" quote="80% of what we do as an agency will be intelligently automated within five years. ~ Paul Roetzer, found of Marketing Artificial Intelligence Institute"] The Two Types Of AI Machine Learning - This is the AI that we are talking about. This is where your agency uses machines to solve data driven problems with superhuman skill. Deep Learning - This is the AI that falls in the sci-fi realm. This involves getting machines to think like a human brain works, by processing through neurons. Facebook has a hand in this type of AI with the facial recognition feature they're developing. How Your Agency Can Embrace AI Don't let it overwhelm you, AI is happening. It's time that your agency starts learning and understanding he capabilities of AI. Then look for ways you can apply it to your business and use it to grow. For example, Paul says you can utilize AI when automating e-mails. If your agency wants to send emails at a certain time, does it take into account different time zones or the receiver's opening habits? AI can make adjustments to automated sending habits, based on predicative information. As the data comes in from the email blasts, the AI tool gets smarter on it's own and will make the necessary adjustments, based on it's learning. If your receiver usually opens emails at local time of 9AM, there's no sense in sending the email at 3AM, right? Another great application to use AI for your agency growth is with chatbots. You can let chatbot AI engage with your prospects until a human can take over. AI is currently all around us, it is present in much of the technology we use every day. So be aware. Don't define your agency on one little thing. Now that you can see this coming, it's time to pivot, use AI to support and build upon the systems your agency already has so you can grow easier and faster. Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency 3X Faster? Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency 3X Faster? Are you overwhelmed by all the information out there on various ways to grow your agency? Do you want direction on how you can grow your agency faster and easier? Then you're in luck! I've created an innovative agency owner mastermind called Agency University. Agency University is a program which provides 1-on-1 mentorship, coupled with the ongoing group support that is crucial to the success of your agency. Click here to see if it's the right fit for you!