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

Do you want to learn how to go from the freelancer life to starting a digital agency and even grow it so it's worth seven figures. In this episode, I'll cover: 3 steps for transitioning from freelancer to agency owner. How to identify and overcome growth struggles. How to hire when you're ready. #1 advice for newbie owners. Rob Riggs has a great story to share about his digital agency journey, and it all begins with freelancing for a pretty awesome guy... ME :) Seriously though, I met Rob through owning my digital agency and we frequently sent work his way. Over the years Rob has turned his freelance business into a thriving digital agency. In this interview, he tells us about the transition that began in 2004, from a one-man show to 12 person digital agency, Your Design Online. He shares how he overcomes challenges, how his role has evolved, and what he would tell his former self to do differently. 3 Steps to go from freelancer to digital agency owner Identify a narrow niche. Rob says he stopped taking on "just any project." He drilled down to a specific niche and became a specialist. Go outside your comfort zone. In Rob's case, he emerged himself in more complex projects that were beyond building websites. He took responsibility for delivering results and showing ROI to his clients. Be self aware. Know what you stand for, what you believe, and what you are (and aren't) willing to work on. (For more on that check out this post on how to Quit Being a Prisoner to Your Agency, and read about an agency owner who created his agency around his life - not the other way around.) Solving the biggest growth challenges Rob says his biggest challenge, at first, was landing projects that were beyond what he could do himself. Once he got over that hurdle and grew to 3-4 people, then they were dropping the ball with details. As they grew even more, their issues were with delivery. You're always going to have issues, they just evolves as your business grows. The key is identifying the issue and the need for change. Then take action! When project details were an issue, Rob says they starting using Basecamp. When they outgrew that tool, they adopted new PM software that did more in the backend. When delivery was an issue, they created standard operating procedures for delivery. It seems counterintuitive but your need systems and processes that are made the be changed. Have a system in place for everything, but be able to identify when that system needs a makeover. If you have an isolated problem, you get through it and you learn from it. But if there is an issue that becomes a repetitive problem, there needs to be a standard process for avoiding it. As Rob says, "I never want to type the same sentence twice." And he's right - if you have great processes in place, you shouldn't have to! How to find talent when you're ready to hire Rob's first hire was a developer, who has been with him since the beginning. His role has evolved significantly over the past 12 years into project manager, problem solver and he's now a key decision maker who runs things while Rob is out of the office procuring new business. Rob says he always looks to hire people who are sharers. Part of his process is to do a post-mortem after a project wraps. They talk about things that went right and things that went wrong. For this to be a successful process, everyone on the team has to be honest about their own mistakes. He also looks for a good fit with the agency culture - making sure to hire people who can get behind the company's mission. He uses a lot of hypothetical situations in his interview process so he can look for creativity and problem solving skills. And, you don't have to pay top dollar for get great talent... Rob believes even coders making $200,000 are going to be unhappy and won't work hard if they can't get behind what they're working on. As the agency owner, you want to slowly replace yourself so you can be doing things that generate revenue. Often times that means being out of the office working prospects... not projects. (Not sure how to replace yourself? Check out this interview with an agency owner who fires himself at least once a year.) #1 advice for starting out? There's a reason I say "systems outperform talent every time." It's true! In Rob's case, there's a delicate balance owning an agency of this size. They are just small enough to be agile and make quick moves and just big enough that they need standardization for consistency's sake. If he had to do it all over again, Rob says he would tell his former self to this first. Tired of Being Restricted in the Career Path You're On? Are you the owner of a small agency under $300,000? Or a freelancer, marketing professional or agency employee who thinks you can run your own agency better? Jump Start My Agency is a program that covers everything you need to start a profitable agency and land high paying clients of over $20,000. This 4 week course is designed to help you find the ideal

What You Should Do (And Shouldn't Do) When Selling Digital Agency In episode thirty four of #AskSwenk, I discuss what you should do (and shouldn't do) when selling digital agency, plus how to compensate referral agencies and how to follow-up when a prospect goes dark. {1:08} Amy asked: "I'm in negotiations to sell my marketing agency. What should I be aware of? Pitfalls to avoid?" You need to determine why is the other agency or business interested in buying your agency? Revenue? Location? It's important to figure this out for the leverage of your agency and make sure to ask them the same questions they ask about your business to evaluate if they can afford you. You should also keep the fact you are considering selling confidential to avoid potentially losing clients. {5:57} Scott asked: "What are your thoughts on paid referrals or partnerships between agencies? For example, your agency refers me work I pay you x% commission. " This can be done a couple of different ways but depends on how big projects or retainers are. For a good strategic partnership to work, it should work both ways when it comes to referrals with a sliding scale for commission percentages. {7:38} Stuart asked: "We are walking our clients through the proposals, in person, as per your advice. However, we still find that once we have done this, the client then goes quiet on us (never a good sign). How do we persistently, yet politely, follow up to expedite this last stage of the sale and to find out if we are their preferred supplier?" A client going silent is a bad sign but you can probably trace it back to the first conversation you had with the client. Do they have the budget for the project? Do they have the authority to make decisions for the project? Do they have realistic timing? This will help you with your follow up strategy by following the three I's: Issue, Impact and In meeting scheduling. Check out Ask Swenk Episode forty three for more related questions! Improve Your Agency and Become a Better Agency Owner! Want extra help in taking your agency to the next level and become a better agency owner? You can find lots of tips, tricks and insights by reading our blogs that cover a wide variety of topics or if videos are more your thing, visit my Youtube channel!

Are your team within your agency losing far too much time in email communications both internally and with clients? In this episode, we'll cover: Gaining control of your clogged and cluttered email inbox. A system that sorts, organizes and stores emails in a way that makes sense. How to save time so you can get busy making money. Today's guest is digital agency owner Ian Garlic who owns Authentic Web, a video production and distribution agency and host of the podcast, TAO of Inbound. He shares with us a solution for sorting and organizing internal communication. Buried by emails? As his agency grew, Ian was having a problem with his email inbox getting clogged. He was cc'd on everything but wasn't necessarily involved in the details of every project. So, when Ian needed to jump in on something he was digging through emails trying to get a macro picture of what what going on by having to weed through all the micro details in old emails. The solution Ian discovered is Slack - a communication tool for tracking, sorting and archiving team communication. (The opinions expressed in this interview are our own. Neither Ian or I are affiliates of Slack.) Eliminate the time suck of email [clickToTweet tweet="Get a high-level, quick view of what's going on in your agency." quote="Get a high-level, quick view of what's going on in your agency."] Benefits to Slack: Create different channels for sorting and organizing information (client or topic specific). Do you dig through emails looking for information only to realize it's buried in with something completely unrelated? Slack eliminates this problem by sorting things in the channels your create. Tag people when their attention is required. Do you skim (or skip) over emails where you're cc'd only to realize that your input was needed but you were only half-listening? Slack will keep you and your team in the loop but individuals can be tagged and notified with their attention is needed. Automatically sequences information in chronological order. Ever scroll through an chain of emails trying to determine which parts of the conversation came before others? Who said what and what? Try as it might, Gmail and others can't always keep it all straight for us. Slack puts communication in chronological order and archives the old stuff for you. Cool integrations with PM software and GoogleDocs. No more switching between email communication and your other agency tools. It's all in one place on Slack. Getting started with Slack Slack is free to use but there are of course a variety of upgraded paid levels (information located on the Slack website). Ian says it's fairly easy to set-up but like anything else, there's a learning curve involved. You'll change and tweak the way you create your channels and hashtags as you learn what works best for your team. 3 steps to setting up: Create your teams and invite members. Create your channels. (Authentic Web has channels for: weekly meetings, KPI's, each client, miscellaneous and one for office humor.) Download the mobile/tablet apps so you can use Slack without going through a web browser. PRO TIP: Ian is pretty active on Instagram. He uploads images and stores them in Slack where he can grab them at anytime and post to Instagram right from his phone. Use Slack like a server-on-the-go. [clickToTweet tweet="Get out of your in your inbox and get busy generating revenue! #slack #productivity #digitalmarketing" quote="Get out of your in your inbox and get busy generating revenue! "] If you want some other tips on being more productive, check out this post and download my Productivity Funnel. Improve Your Business Increase the productivity of your team by decreasing the amount of time they lose in their email inboxes will create smarter and quicker strategies when working on client projects. If you need any help or advice on any topic to do with your digital agency, I have probably experienced them myself and can help you from what I learned. From what to do with your sales processes, ways to increase your profit margins or how you can build authority for your agency. I can show you how to stop losing money on projects, why solid processes for performance based pricing can be the best pricing strategy and how having remote working or freelancers in your team can be beneficial and the best ways of managing them. Learn about my career and different experiences as well as tips, tricks and insights by checking out my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics. Find more from my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my Youtube channel. There you will find advice from myself and other agency experts.

Agency Case Studies, Team Accountability & Avoiding Client Changes. On this episode of #AskSwenk, we'll cover: How you can use case studies to attract agency new business, how to improve your team accountability, and what do you do to stop your client from requesting a zillion changes. This Week's Questions: {0:51} Christian asks: "How can I use a successful case study to attract more business within the same niche?" {3:01} Eric asks: "What can I do to hold my team accountable to their goals? More importantly, if they don't hit them... what kind of repercussions should there be?" {5:26} Steve asks: "How can I handle a client who wants a zillion rounds of changes? We are constantly making changes only to find out they want more changes on top of their changes. It's killing us in hours. Is there a more efficient and profitable way to handle it?" Would You Like To Work With Me LIVE & In Person? I'm doing a live workshop here in Atlanta, GA in July, and I wanted to see if you'd like to come. This is an exclusive opportunity to WORK DIRECTLY WITH ME, IN PERSON, and I'll teach you the agency strategies that have helped me build a very successful digital agency. Discover the best Digital Agency Strategies today. Get Online Training to help you setup the right systems and strategies to help you grow faster. What Are Your Agency Concerns? So we've covered how you can improve your team accountability, use case studies for success for your agency and handling changes from clients but these might not be the only concerns you have for your business. It doesn't matter if you have been an agency owner for a while now or have just taken the leap and started a new agency, I have covered topics from the struggles you may face within your agency to leveraging Youtube in your marketing for your agency marketing strategy. Learn more about me or you can check out all my tips, tricks and everything you need to know in my blogs. I have covered a wide variety of topics as well as answering your questions in more from my Ask Swenk series. Are videos more your thing? Don't worry! You can check out my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my Youtube channel for advice from myself and other agency experts.

Struggle to find the work-life balance for you and your agency? As an agency owner, it's so easy to become a prisoner within your business as you strive to make it the best digital agency out there. In this episode, we'll cover: How to build your agency around your life, to find a work-life balance instead of being a prisoner. 3 ways to build your agency around your personality. How to brand your agency and be the leader in your category. Today's podcast guest is Re Perez, founder of Branding For The People, a branding agency for entrepreneurs and small businesses. Re has worked for some pretty huge agencies working on some major Fortune 500 clients. He talks to us about leaving all that behind in order to build an agency around his personality and lifestyle finding the best work-life balance. Re had a pretty interesting journey that led him to starting his agency. His highly successful career took him from New York to Dubai and back to New York. Yet despite a successful career he wasn't fulfilled with the work he was doing. He says that feeling coupled with a negative personal experience left him deeply questioning his next steps in life. He took 6 months off to travel, meditate, practice yoga and figure out what was next… In his travels, he learned about a yoga studio called "Yoga For The People" and later a restaurant, "Food For The People". Coincidence or fate?? :) Re took these signs, coupled with his gut instinct to become an entrepreneur, and started his agency Branding For The People - an agency that brings Fortune 500 branding solutions to small businesses. Branding Your Agency Re says logos and slogans do not make a brand. Those things support a brand but are only marketing tools for identifying a brand. Branding is a desired perception. In order to create a desired perception you must first have a desirable perception of yourself. As a small business, if you want to be perceived as the leader in your category you have to behave like the leader in your category by: Practice what you preach. Agency owners are famous for giving great advice to clients and NOT following it themselves. Start taking your own best advice! Be genuine. People can smell BS a mile away and they will call you out on it. Be who you are and be willing to let go of clients who aren't OK with the real you. Don't "act" like the big agencies by copying their behavior. Find your own unique position, while still behaving like a big agency. Don't force a square peg in a round hole. Always align yourself with the projects and brands that excite you. Allow agency's brand to be determined by your own core values. Work-Life Balance: How To Build Your Agency Around Your Lifestyle Re has one key motivator which determined how he would structure his business while staying true to himself: He didn't want a traditional office job. Meaning, he didn't want to work for anyone else or spend a bunch of time in board rooms. He wants to travel and connect with people outside of the office walls. He is very clear on his goals and values. Are you? 3 Ways to Build Your Agency Around Your Personality Change the terminology. Re doesn't refer to them as "clients" or "projects", they are "relationships" or "engagements". He's a people person and treats each opportunity with care. A change in terminology also changes the perceived value of the experience. Check out my previous post about how changing terminology can even help you increase your prices! {BONUS!} Be self aware. Know how you are (and who you aren't). You can't get real clarity on leading your business until you know who you are... Ask yourself: "Is this agency fulfilling?" or "Does the work I'm doing really matter to me?" and "Does my agency support my desired lifestyle?" If not - you can take a sabbatical like Re, or find another way to quiet the noise and distractions that are standing in your way. Here are the 4 common things that could be standing in the way of your clarity. Don't make decisions based on money. We all take on clients or projects because we need the money. And, you have to have some bad experiences so you know what you don't want to do. But at some point you also have to realize though that not every person with a credit card was meant to be your client. Instead, think and act like a millionaire, even if you're not… yet. Best advice: Be true to yourself and let the rest unfold. What's holding as a prisoner to your agency? Comment below and tell me your biggest challenges. Discover the best Digital Agency Strategies today. Get Online Training to help you setup the right systems and strategies to help you grow faster. Building Your Authority Finding a work-life balance for you as an agency owner will not only benefit your agency but your team as you are establishing a healthy work relationship. But in order to build authority as a business owner and your digital agency, you need to be able to recognise other issues within your agency that needs your attention. No matter what c

Do you find it hard to keep up with developments in technology and getting client contracts just right? In this episode of #AskSwenk, I answer your questions and cover these topics for you: What KPI's your agency should be measuring, how to keep up with all the latest technology and what key info you need to include in client contracts. Agency KPI's, Technology, & Client Contracts This Week's Questions: {0:25} Susan asks: "What KPI's does a digital marketing agency need to measure?" {2:10} Troy asks: "You are pretty much on every channel. I've listened to your podcast, seen you on Twitter, FB, Instagram and your blog, How do you keep up with it all?" {4:28} Rory asks: "As I'm just starting out, and bringing on clients, are there any super critical "things" to include in contracts and should we worry about contracts?" Are You Ready to Improve Your Agency? After you have mastered these challenges, what's next on your list? If you want to take your agency to the next level, constantly finding ways to improve is key. Want to know how to face failing economies and recessions or how a speaking opportunity can create business? Maybe you want to know the four phases of growth within your agency and want extra help in taking your agency to the next level and sell your agency for a larger profit? I have all the information you need to help you through it. Learn more about my life and my experience as well as lots of tips, tricks and insights by reading our blogs that cover a wide variety of topics. If videos are more your thing, don't worry, i've got you covered! You can check out more from my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my Youtube channel. There you will find advice from myself and other agency experts.

If you are looking for technology secrets for your agency to impress your clients, then today's episode is just for you. In this episode, we'll cover: 3 technology secrets that will WOW your clients. A Facebook development that every business should be using. The hottest trend in live streaming video. The #1 easiest hack to boost your Google ranking. On this episode of The Smart Agency Master Class, we'll hear from Ryan Steinolfson with some advice that can boost your business and totally impress your clients when you bring these growth solutions to the table. Ryan's agency, Accelerate Marketing, specializes in social proof and live streaming video for it's clients. He says live streaming is a lot more complex than it appears and his agency helps their clients with it in three ways: Live streaming on the client's behalf. Teaching client teams to live stream, or with their course Live Stream Blueprint. Developing "Advocacy Days", which are live stream events among multiple strategic partners that are connected using a common hashtag. According to the 2016 Future Outlook of Digital Agencies, we know brands hire agencies to be their technology leaders. They expect their agency to bring them emerging trends that will build business. I've been saying it for months now, Live Streaming is H-O-T and your clients need strategies for using it to their benefit. Here's more about live streaming video from a previous podcast guest, Kim Garst, founder of Boom Social. Here are 3 major technology secrets that will WOW your clients! 1. Facebook Live can now be used for any business page. As of a few weeks ago (from original post date April 2016), Facebook Live can be used on any business or public profile page. They just flipped a switch and made it available - and this is HUGE NEWS! Using Facebook Live, you can: Stream live video using the Facebook app from your iPhone or Android device. Add call to action text over your live stream Boost your videos by add keywords optimization Embed or repurpose your videos. Have your followers subscribe to get notified when you're broadcasting. Allow your followers to comment in real-time, share and embed your video. (Be sure to "like" my page and check out my Facebook Live videos now!) And Ryan has learned that right now, Facebook is giving preferential treatment to people/businesses who are using the Facebook Live feature. So live streaming videos are jumping to the top of news feeds (for now)... that means more opportunities and more reach. 2. The next big thing in live streaming video is 360 After Meerkat and Periscope introduced this technology, we've seen both Facebook and YouTube jump on board. YouTube allows you to give access to others to live stream on your channel and drop a graphics card into your live video. Which is super cool. But the next BIG thing in live streaming is 360° videos. Ryan says he's got his eye on Livit - an app for live streaming in 360°. It integrates with 360° cams for one of the coolest end-user experiences he's ever seen. 3. The BEST trick for moving up in Google rankings We know social proof (or social influence) carries huge weight in purchase decisions. Did you know that you can help your clients generate leads and crush it just by getting more reviews?! According to Ryan, 15% of your Google ranking is based on your social proof. So more positive reviews, means a high ranking. His agency has even seen movement from a D-position to A-position just from getting 10 or 15 reviews. This is a powerful tool that you and your clients are probably not taking advantage of, but should be!

What You Need to Know When Starting an Agency When starting an agency, it can be intimidating from building the best team to creating your portfolio of clients to make your business profit. But as the agency grows, you may find yourself outgrowing clients that you had when you initially started and needing to consider growing your team or outsourcing content for different projects. On this episode of #AskSwenk, we'll cover: what to do when your agency has outgrown a client, all about starting an agency (like when and how), and whether you should outsource your content writing. (0:21) Jojo asked: "My question is, how far do we need to go for these clients before it is time to think about politely passing them off to a more suitable freelancer or smaller agency? I appreciate that they were part of our business growth up to this point, but some of these clients are "loss-making" for us and get in the way of other work." (2:46) Nancy asked: "What will I be ready to start an agency? Should I start one now and leave my job?" (5:25) Enoch asked: "Do you think outsourcing content makes you more productive?" You can also find more of my Ask Swenk series as well as my other videos by checking out my Youtube channel! Tired of Being Restricted in the Career Path You're On? Are you the owner of a small agency under $300,000? Or a freelancer, marketing professional or agency employee who thinks you can run your own agency better? Jump Start My Agency is a program that covers everything you need to start a profitable agency and land high paying clients of over $20,000. This 4 week course is designed to help you find the ideal clients, charge what you're worth and learn how to build a team. There are clients waiting to work with you! Let me help you by requesting an invitation to the program.

Are you considering hiring freelancers but don't know the best way to successfully manage remote teams for your digital agency? In this episode, we'll cover: Creative ways to find top talent. Freelancer onboarding… or not? Managing freelance and remote teams. Today's guest is the co-founder of Hubstaff, a technology solution for managing a remote staff with everything from time tracking and progress monitoring to payables and financials. Dave Nevogt shares with us some great tips on sourcing, hiring and managing freelancers. Out-of-the-box talent searching ideas: Often times agency owners don't know where to look for the right candidates. Most end up relying on referrals or freelance marketplaces. Very few agencies experiment with other sources, such as: Check out LinkedIn or AngelList. Create a LinkedIn search filtered by your criteria. You never know who's looking, who might be employed but unhappy. Reach out in a personalized private message and include a link to the job description. If they're interested, they'll reply. Use your website to continuously recruit. You should always be scouting for good talent, whether your need extra help or not. Advertise "now hiring" on your website. This portray growth and attracts talent. Post job descriptions, too. Run targeted Facebook ads to enlist talent from a specific source, such as a specific company, geographic location, etc. How to handle freelancer onboarding Hubstaff has a small team stretched around the globe. Here's how Dave onboards (... or rather, how he doesn't onboard) new team members: Have a candid conversation about the position and the potential growth. You might see the potential for full-time but don't start out that way. Get settled in first and see if the person is the right fit. (Note: the U.S. IRS frowns on full-time freelancers. Check out this interview "How to Avoid an Audit" with an agency-focused tax accountant.) Don't fully onboard immediately. Start slow and make sure it's going to work on a surface level first before you using time and resources to train. Spend the first 30-days testing the waters. Learn each other's personalities traits and work ethic. Get a feel for the freelancer's effort and response time. Start slow with lots of involvement by the manager. But remember, there's a fine line between "involved" and "micromanaging." Communicate a ton and understand their workload. Make sure requests are filtered through you for now. Managing freelance and remote teams How can you ever be totally sure a contractor is working on the project you're paying for and not watching cat videos online? Truth is, you can't. What you can do is have an upfront conversation about expectations and your vision for the position. Tips for managing freelancers: Use a collaboration software such as Trello or Slack. This gets everyone OUT of their INBOX. It also allows the manager to see what everyone is working on and upholds a culture built on transparency. Hold live, weekly status meetings to see who's working on what. Even with PM software, private messages and direct requests can hijack a freelancer's time without your knowledge. Communicate goals and priorities. Know what your team is working on and keep it minimal (like, 5 things instead of 25). Often, when someone is overwhelmed they'll just shut down. Use a tool like Hubstaff for tracking progress on projects, budgeting, time tracking and random screenshotting in real-time. Working with freelancers or a remote team can be SUPER beneficial to both parties. It works for me, it's working for Dave at Hubstaff and it's been working for another agency owner I interviewed who has a $3 Million Agency With No Employees. SYSTEMS to help your GROW & SCALE My Agency Playbook contains the 12 Systems I used to grow and eventually sell a SUCCESSFUL multi-million dollar agency. It includes all the resources and tools as well as step-by-step strategies to save you tons of time. Everything you learn can be implemented immediately. Learn more by clicking here. Build Your Agency Growing your agency team through freelancers and remote teams can provide many benefits and many businesses in the future will move toward remote working, especially in the digital field. Are there other areas of your business you want to improve? By evaluating other areas of weakness within your agency, you can create a better business and improve as an agency owner. And the best thing about it is, I can help you get through all of it. I can give you support and advice on many topics from what to do when you want to speed up sales processes, ways to increase your business profit margins or how you can build an authority for your agency. Growing your agency can be a major struggle for any agency owner and I can show you the different phases of growth you will experience, how placing a process for performance based pricing can be the best pricing strategy for your business and the three questions you need to ask yourself to sell more! Learn a

On this episode of #AskSwenk, we'll cover: How to handle clients who think you have a conflict of interest because you're specialized in a niche. Also, ways to get your foot in the door with new clients, plus getting better business leads for your sales team. This Week's Questions: Tackling Conflict of Interest {0:29} Giles asked: "We specialize in design and marketing for the bar and restaurant sector. We've recently had a couple of meetings with prospects who were concerned about a conflict of interest as we already do work for one of the largest players in this sector in the UK. How would you tackle their concerns?" Getting Your Foot in the Door {2:36} Bobby asked: "What assessments would you use for getting a foot in the door with a client?" Finding Better Business Leads {5:16} Phil asked: "There's one thing I consistently hear from my sales team and that is 'it's just bad timing for the client right now.' Have you found a good way to overcome this objection? " Related: http://jasonswenk.com/askswenk50 Improve Your Agency Now that you have strategies for getting your foot in the door and bringing in better business leads for your digital agency, what's next on your list? What other challenges and obstacles are you facing preventing you taking your business to the next level? I have covered topics from how to handle a recession or how to increase your profits without losing customers for your agency. Or maybe you want to know the four phases of growth within your agency and want extra help in taking your agency to the next level and sell your agency for a larger profit? I have all the information you need to help you through it. You can learn more about my life and my experience as well as lots of tips, tricks and insights by reading our blogs that cover a wide variety of topics. If videos are more your thing, don't worry, i've got you covered! You can check out more from my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my Youtube channel. There you will find advice from myself and other agency experts.

Top 5 Business Growth Tips on How to Scale Your Agency Are you struggling on scaling your agency and just can't find the best business growth tips that fit your business model? In this episode, we'll cover: Top 5 business growth tips to grow and scale your digital agency. How to juggle and manage multiple businesses. If you're looking for a 7 or 8 figure entrepreneur to model, this guy might be it… Syed Balkhi is the owner of several multi-million dollar online business and he's crushing it. Syed's trifecta of online startups includes: WPBeginner (the largest free Wordpress resource), OptinMonster (lead generation software, and List25 (entertainment site) -- all of which are hitting 7+ figures and combined, serve over 400 million visitors! He's also a former agency owner and a stakeholder in several other businesses. In this episode, Syed shares his best advice for getting your business to the next level. He's got a ton of great tips for growing and scaling. Top 5 ways to grow and scale #5 - Answer everybody's questions. Syed says he spent very little on marketing his startups. Instead he would run hashtag searches on Twitter and respond to every tweet that had anything to do with a particular topic (in his case, Wordpress). Don't reply with a hardsell. Reply with a helpful tip or solution. #4 - Identify and solve one problem at a time. We're entrepreneurs. It's easy to get distracted by all those fantastic ideas that pop into our heads. Syed says a key factor in his success was concentrating on one idea at a time. #3 - Use a lead magnet. You'll have far better success with an opt-in that offers a payoff in the form of a useful checklist or tool. People are always hesitant to opt-in for fear of spammy junk mail. Bribery works so much better :) #2 - Follow-up is paramount. Once you capture contact info use it to establish trust and gain authority. Don't just send your monthly e-newsletter, which is all you. Provide goodwill content by offering resources and valuable information that helps them. #1 - The BEST advice to grow and scale: Find the right combination of content marketing and marketing automation. Build a system that establishes the "know-like-trust" factor with content and useful tools. Test and tweak often. How to succeed at multiple businesses The key is F.O.C.U.S. - Finish One Commitment Until Success. Syed says your agency should have to be focused on the strengths of your business. Identify a problem your prospects experience and then solve that problem differently and better than anyone else. Sometimes agency owners see a common problem their clients' experience and want to develop a product solution. Resist the urge. FOCUS. If you do decide to venture into developing a product, make sure it is a separate entity with a dedicated team. Don't overlap your resources between your service business and your product business. You can't excel at both simultaneously, so one will always suffer. In the end, neither business will flourish. In terms of juggling it all… Syed says he doesn't. He is in regular communication with team leaders that manage each of his businesses. He and his teams use tools like Slack and Basecamp to stay looped in. Syed's role now is mainly marketing, support and coaching his team. In fact, he's so far removed from daily operations, he doesn't even have coding access anymore (and he's OK with it!) :) If you want to grow and scale your agency, check out my Agency Playbook. It includes the 12 systems I used to start, scale, enjoy, and sell my agency. Check out this video on you can use my Playbook to take your business to the next level. Building Your Business Using these business growth tips, I hope you begin to see a real difference for your agency. If business growth tips aren't the only piece of advice you need, what other challenges are you facing? I have probably experienced all the different struggles for an agency owner through my own experience and I can help you from what I learned. From what to do with your sales processes, ways to increase your profit margins or how you can build authority for your agency. I can tell you the best ways to stop losing money on projects, why performance based pricing can be the best pricing strategy for your agency as well as why including remote working or freelancers in your team can be beneficial in the long run. You can learn more about my career and different experiences as well as tips, tricks and insights by checking out my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics. Find more from my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my Youtube channel. There you will find advice from myself and other agency experts.

On this episode of #AskSwenk, we'll cover: What awards you should be looking at nabbing to attract big brand clients, whether you should be putting your published pricing on your website, and how to protect the concepts you've pitched. This Week's Questions: 0:22 - Jerry asked: "What industry awards should I go after for my agency that can attract the bigger clients?" 1:53 - John asks: "What are your thoughts about posting your prices on your website or not posting them? I see many other agencies who do post and then many who do not." 3:39 - Elizabeth asks: "My agency is pitching concepts a lot more now. Concepts which we are proposing to make the content for. How can we protect our ideas from clients taking our ideas to other agencies?" Let Me Help In this episode of Ask Swenk, we've discussed a range of topics like published pricing for your agency and spec work but did this cover what you need to improve your agency? Do you need more advice? Don't worry, I have all you need to get through these obstacles. No matter what you need advice on, I have more than likely covered it. From topics such as handling a recession to ways of using your social media community to expand your brand awareness. Or maybe you want to know the four phases of growth within your agency and want extra help in easing through agency growing pains? I have all the information you need to help you through it. You can learn more about my life and my experience as well as lots of tips, tricks and insights by reading my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics. If videos are more your thing, don't worry, i've got you covered! You can check out more from my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my Youtube channel. There you will find advice from myself and other agency experts.

Do you know how to ensure you are guaranteeing leads for your business? If you are struggling with this as well as growing your team or how to prevent time lost to bad clients, this episode of Ask Swenk is the one you need. In this video, I'll cover: What to do when a prospect wants you to guarantee leads. My #1 struggle in growing my agency team and 3 ways we overcame it. How to fire a terrible client so you can quit wasting time. Guaranteeing Leads in a Proposal (0:23) Lawrence asks: "A prospect is asking for us to guarantee the number of sales leads our digital marketing will create -- which is impossible and could change over time. How would you go about putting this into the proposal?" Don't shy away from guaranteeing performance! Take pride and back your work. I have NO issue with guaranteeing leads... DO IT! But, you cannot guarantee sales. Lead generation in your control, converting leads and the sales process is not. 3 steps to guaranteeing leads: Determine a very specific criteria for qualified leads. Be very definitive on what a quality lead looks like. Look at similar, past clients as a benchmark for your past performance. Establish compensation at both a fixed level and performance level. For example, you get paid "X" rate for deliver "X" fixed amount of leads, and an additional "Y" rate for every lead thereafter. Here's an interview with an agency owner who runs his business totally on a performance-based pricing model. He has over a 50% margin and a 95% close rate. Talk about qualifying leads! #1 Struggle of Growing My Team (2:22) Christina asked: "What were your biggest pain points in growing your agency from a just few people to more and how did you overcome them?" The biggest struggle I had with growing my team was worrying about being able to afford them. Cash flow and making payroll was my #1 concern. 3 things that helped us overcome cash flow worries: Project receivables. We looked for holes to forecast where cash flow would be an issue and then we could be proactive instead of reactive. We use these "holes" as deadlines to motivate the sales and leadership teams. Change payment terms. We made recurring revenue (retainers) due upfront with incentives for prepayment for the entire contract period. Project payment terms changed to: 50% upfront, 25% due on a specific date or at a specific point in the project (whichever comes first), and 25% due upon completion or at a specific point in the project (whichever comes first). Increase pricing. We increased our prices for both our existing and new clients. Once you make the decision on what agency you want to be, make the moves to act and charge like it. Firing a Terrible Client (5:18) Glenn says: "We need to get rid of a terrible client. They're not taking the hint, so I need to formally drop them. A lot of thought went into this decision and they must go. How would you go about it?" Congratulations! I'm so proud that you've realized it time to get rid of this client. I have a motto: There's no such thing as a BAD agency client - just a bad prospect or bad process. It's OK that your process let a bad prospect sneak it and it's awesome that you're ready to get rid of them. Here's what you need to do: Check the language in your contract to see how much lead to time you need in order to end the relationship. Abide by the contract at all costs. Make a phone call, not an email and definitely not a text message, to talk to them. In the call explain that it's not working out and that your need to sever the relationship. End on good terms by giving them all their files and even a refund if you think it's necessary. Draw up a letter that details everything that was discussed on your call and all the assets you'll be releasing to them. Send this letter to them USPS Certified so that you can prove it's been received. And, keep a copy for yourself. Consider setting up an introduction between your newly fired client and your biggest competition :) After it's all said and done, forget it. Good riddance! You'll notice a huge difference in your team and your culture when you eliminate this baggage. In fact, take a look at the rest of your client roster. Are there other clients that are causing distractions or making it harder to become the agency you want to be? Quit wasting time on the wrong prospects and concentrate on the right ones. Do you like this NEW 3 question format? Give us some feedback below. And, make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel so you're getting the newest video advice each week! Build Your Agency Now that you know how to improve on guaranteeing leads, growing your team and more, this may be only the tip of the iceberg. But don't worry, I have all you need to get through these obstacles. I have covered topics from how to handle a recession or expanding your brand awareness with a social media community. Or maybe you want to know the four phases of growth within your agency and want extra help in easing through agency growing pains

Do you really need to have a big agency experience to truly be successful as an agency owner? In this episode, we'll cover: What it's like working at a big agency. Why a CCO would leave a large, publicly traded agency. Does size matter? How you can determine your purpose and use it to build your brand. For anyone who has questions or doubts in their own abilities to startup a digital agency and run better than the big dogs, you'll have to check out this interview. My guest, Kerri Konik, has worked at some pretty huge agencies, and left her latest as Chief Creative Officer in order to start her own agency. She tells us what it's like at the big agencies and why she left to do her own thing. The grass isn't any greener at the big agencies… it's greener on the side that you water:) What it's like at a big agency (...and why leave)? After years of working at big agencies Kerri started her agency, Brandscape Atelier, five years ago because she felt like she wasn't making much of an impact on her clients' businesses. Like anything else, there's pros and cons, of course. First and foremost the resources are top-notch. You have a team full of people who are experts in their specific area - people don't wear more than one hat. This means, you can learn a lot and get exposure to the big picture. However, big agencies tend to sound very glamorous when in actuality, they are not. Sure a big agency can be very fast paced and they land 2-3 year agency of record contracts, however there are too many layers to be effective. A typical client/agency meeting often included 18-20 people… making execution very inefficient. Kerri left because she felt like she wasn't making much of an impact on her clients' businesses. She started Brandscape Atelier (translation: "artist workshop") to bring sophisticated, big agency strategies to small businesses who are looking to grow. Does size matter? No it does not. You don't need a huge team to do amazing work. Kerri's agency operates with just six core team members and they bring in subject matter specialists as needed. They are in their 5th year and Kerri has no plans to get too big. She feels it's too difficult to be nimble when you are too big. More benefits of staying small: You make decisions based on the long term. Large corporations look at making growth decisions based on the short term, which doesn't have lasting effects for sustainability. You can turn down the wrong clients or wrong jobs that distract from your long term goals. You can make build your brand equity by defining your purpose. Why you do what you do. How to select clients that set you up for a WIN. Brandscape Atelier works with startups, small businesses and entrepreneurs that are looking to grow and be competitive with bigger brands. They have a pretty specific criteria on who they will (and will not) work with, including: Businesses that are focused and clear. They want to work with clients who want to make a big impact in their industry. Businesses the agency views as viable and sellable. Businesses the agency can bring to life by bringing the owner's unique and genuine personality into the mix. Set yourself up for a WIN by being selective in your prospecting. It's hard when you're starting out - sometimes you are hungry enough to take on any work that is thrown your way. If you can avoid making decisions based on short term gain, you will reap long term benefits. Remember: There's no such thing as a bad client. Only a bad prospect or a had process! Click here to learn what I mean. How can you determine your purpose? In Kerri's case, she kept finding herself beginning a lot of sentences with with "Someday, I'll..." She realized she had gotten to a point where she wasn't really doing what she wanted to be doing. She was just waiting for that "someday." If you want to find your purpose, figure out what you're passion about. Ask yourself questions like: "What can't I help doing?" "What do I want to see more of in the world?" "What do I want to see less of in the world?" Sometimes it's easier to start with what you don't want to do, then narrow down to what you DO want to do :) Use your findings to position your agency (and yourself) for success. When you're working on something that moves and inspires you, it also empowers you to be successful. Bottom line is, you do not need big agency experience to be a successful owner. My best advice is to stay in the game of learning. Stay on top of trends and technology and avoid being viewed as a commodity by your clients by continuing to take your level of knowledge and service up a notch. No matter what your size, there are five levels of agency service - check out another interview about them here. Comment below and tell me which level of service you provide? Which one are you be striving for? Building Your Agency I have more than likely experienced all if not most of the different struggles an agency owner experiences through my own experience and I can help you from wha

Do you know how to ensure you are guaranteeing leads for your business? If you are struggling with this as well as growing your team or how to prevent time lost to bad clients, this episode of Ask Swenk is the one you need. In this video, I'll cover: What to do when a prospect wants you to guarantee leads. My #1 struggle in growing my agency team and 3 ways we overcame it. How to fire a terrible client so you can quit wasting time. Guaranteeing Leads in a Proposal (0:23) Lawrence asks: "A prospect is asking for us to guarantee the number of sales leads our digital marketing will create -- which is impossible and could change over time. How would you go about putting this into the proposal?" Don't shy away from guaranteeing performance! Take pride and back your work. I have NO issue with guaranteeing leads... DO IT! But, you cannot guarantee sales. Lead generation in your control, converting leads and the sales process is not. 3 steps to guaranteeing leads: Determine a very specific criteria for qualified leads. Be very definitive on what a quality lead looks like. Look at similar, past clients as a benchmark for your past performance. Establish compensation at both a fixed level and performance level. For example, you get paid "X" rate for deliver "X" fixed amount of leads, and an additional "Y" rate for every lead thereafter. Here's an interview with an agency owner who runs his business totally on a performance-based pricing model. He has over a 50% margin and a 95% close rate. Talk about qualifying leads! #1 Struggle of Growing My Team (2:22) Christina asked: "What were your biggest pain points in growing your agency from a just few people to more and how did you overcome them?" The biggest struggle I had with growing my team was worrying about being able to afford them. Cash flow and making payroll was my #1 concern. 3 things that helped us overcome cash flow worries: Project receivables. We looked for holes to forecast where cash flow would be an issue and then we could be proactive instead of reactive. We use these "holes" as deadlines to motivate the sales and leadership teams. Change payment terms. We made recurring revenue (retainers) due upfront with incentives for prepayment for the entire contract period. Project payment terms changed to: 50% upfront, 25% due on a specific date or at a specific point in the project (whichever comes first), and 25% due upon completion or at a specific point in the project (whichever comes first). Increase pricing. We increased our prices for both our existing and new clients. Once you make the decision on what agency you want to be, make the moves to act and charge like it. Firing a Terrible Client (5:18) Glenn says: "We need to get rid of a terrible client. They're not taking the hint, so I need to formally drop them. A lot of thought went into this decision and they must go. How would you go about it?" Congratulations! I'm so proud that you've realized it time to get rid of this client. I have a motto: There's no such thing as a BAD agency client - just a bad prospect or bad process. It's OK that your process let a bad prospect sneak it and it's awesome that you're ready to get rid of them. Here's what you need to do: Check the language in your contract to see how much lead to time you need in order to end the relationship. Abide by the contract at all costs. Make a phone call, not an email and definitely not a text message, to talk to them. In the call explain that it's not working out and that your need to sever the relationship. End on good terms by giving them all their files and even a refund if you think it's necessary. Draw up a letter that details everything that was discussed on your call and all the assets you'll be releasing to them. Send this letter to them USPS Certified so that you can prove it's been received. And, keep a copy for yourself. Consider setting up an introduction between your newly fired client and your biggest competition :) After it's all said and done, forget it. Good riddance! You'll notice a huge difference in your team and your culture when you eliminate this baggage. In fact, take a look at the rest of your client roster. Are there other clients that are causing distractions or making it harder to become the agency you want to be? Quit wasting time on the wrong prospects and concentrate on the right ones. Do you like this NEW 3 question format? Give us some feedback below. And, make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel so you're getting the newest video advice each week! Build Your Agency Now that you know how to improve on guaranteeing leads, growing your team and more, this may be only the tip of the iceberg. But don't worry, I have all you need to get through these obstacles. I have covered topics from how to handle a recession or expanding your brand awareness with a social media community. Or maybe you want to know the four phases of growth within your agency and want extra help in easing through agency growing pains

When building an agency, having big brand clients can elevate your agency to a whole other level. This is where the challenge comes in of how do you grab the attention of those big brands? In this episode, we'll cover: Grabbing the attention of big brands. 5 Steps to creating a winning environment. The hierarchy of an agency with big brand clients. Don't be a "me too" agency Mike says the agency's Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Zak Mroueh, has always made it their mission to capture the attention of big brands and get to the next level. He says agencies are always telling their clients to stand out, be different, and do things that are uncomfortable. However, they don't "walk the walk" and follow their own advice. For example, ever notice how agency websites all look the same? That's why Zulu's website is one of the most entertaining agency site you'll see. It pokes fun at the agency industry's cliches and stereotypes. It's edgy, it's funny, and it's one example of Zulu walking the walk. (I'm telling you that you've got to check out their site - it's pretty awesome.) 5 Steps to creating a winning environment #SayNoToSpec At Zulu, they don't make decisions based on monetary gain. They're OK with turning down work that doesn't get them closer to their long-term goals. Spec work is a hinderance and an unfair expectation on the client's behalf. Just. Say. No. When they implemented this 5 years ago they were turning down 80%+ of their RFP's. Focus on long-term dominance. Zulu's website is just one example of their out-of-the-box creativity. Mike says the humor on the site isn't for everyone. It's a turnoff for some - and that's OK. They take risks in pursuit of new clients. Zulu's thinking: If a prospective client doesn't like their spoofy website, they're probably not the right fit anyway. Know why you do what you do. What's your agency's purpose? What are your core values? Why did you start an agency? (Don't say you're in it to make money. Money is an outcome, not a goal.) Determine your answers and communicate them from the top down. When you know your belief system it makes bigger decisions a lot easier to make. Be purposeful in your onboarding. Start day 1 with setting the right tone and helping a new employee adapt to the culture. At Zulu it's an orientation called "The Zulu Way" and it's a 90-minute one-on-one with the agency founder where a new hire learns expectations and do's/don'ts of the agency. It sets both parties up for a long and successful relationship. Hire senior people in key roles. This circles back to not making decisions based on money. You need some experienced people - ones who've already made their big career mistakes - in leadership roles. According to Mike, one of the best things they did was hire a seasoned CFO and an IT Director. Stop thinking about how these positions re non-billable. Having senior people in place sets a foundation for success and their value to the agency is priceless. As you grow, structure your agency for greatness So wait... the Founder is NOT the President? That's right. After about one year juggling the roles of Founder and President, Zak Mroueh, realized he'd rather be working IN the business than ON the business. Zak hired Mike Sutton as agency President to deal with all the "business stuff" that was getting in his way of being creative. Today Zak is the Chief Creative Officer and uses his experience and technical skills to oversee all aspects of creative, while Mike is the President overseeing contracts, billing, scopes, and other business details. Beneath the top tier of agency leadership, each department has 4-5 layers much like a traditionally structure agency. Moral of the story: know your strengths. Know your team's strengths. Be the best at one thing. Hire people to do what you can't (or don't want to) do. That's all great advice but what with the name? Why Zulu Alpha Kilo? It stems from the global Nato Phonetic Alphabet, the widely known language often used by pilots (aka: the "Alpha Bravo Charlie" alphabet). It's symbolic of the agency's dedication to clarity of communication. And it just so happens to spell Z-A-K, which is the founder's first name :) By the way - here's another super cool example of Zulu pushing themselves outside their comfort zone: http://creativity-online.com/work/zulu-alpha-kilo-zulu-blank-canvas/45173 Challenge: What are YOU doing to stand out? Comment below and share how you separate yourself from the pack. Discover the best Digital Agency Strategies today. Get Online Training to help you setup the right systems and strategies to help you grow faster. Bringing Your Agency to a New Level Landing big brands for clients can really bring your agency to a new level but also improve how you reach out to prospective clients moving forward. I hope you found this beneficial but I know there are other potential struggles you are experiencing in your agency and I can help. I can give you advice on recognising these new potential c

What pricing model are you using in your agency? If you didn't know the benefits of using a performance-based pricing model within your agency, I can show you how to implement it and why it will be worth it in the long run. In today's episode, we'll cover: The benefits of performance-based pricing. Maximizing agency revenue using performance-based pricing. Tips for turning your videos into low cost, high quality lead generators. Today's episode is by far one of my very favorite -- and no, I don't say that about every interview:) Tom Breeze not only trains people on getting more leads for their business using video, but he's also so confident in his agency's skill to do the same, that Viewability operates on performance-based pricing. With undergraduate and master's degrees in psychology, Tom launched his agency only after learning to successful market his private anxiety counseling practice using video on his website. This was back when video for web was pretty new. (We're talking pre-smartphone era... Tom carried a camera-less PDAs and recorded his videos old-school, with a camcorder!) He discovered his videos had a great conversion rate and cost far less than he was spending on Google Adwords. This transformed his business and eventually launched a whole new career into business video training and digital advertising. What are the benefits of performance-based pricing? Tom compared his business model to a trojan horse story. On the outside it appears his agency takes on all the risk and fronts all the costs. In reality, they've got a killer process for qualifying their leads, they're very picky with who they'll work with and they know how to crush it when it comes to fulfillment. Performance-based pricing is packaged with the notion that it must work, otherwise the agency wouldn't be doing it... This means the agency's inbound leads are "pre-sold" on the idea of working this way - there's very little convincing or converting. So exactly how do they get paid? At the onset of a new relationship, they have a frank discussion with about the breakeven CPA (cost per acquisition). They create a script, edit footage and run the ads in a 4-6 week test. Then analyze, tweak and repeat a second month. Tom's agency usually absorb the first month's costs, breaks even the second month and is profitable by the third month. Once the campaign is up and running successfully, they can "set it and forget it" - so there's a greater profit margin. About 4 out of every 5 clients are a win. And, when the client is seeing results they're happy to pay, even though this structure ends up costing more than a traditional agency's pricing model. Viewability's qualification process is so efficient and effective - they've never been stiffed on fees. Setting up success for agency performance-based pricing. Thinking of a performance-based pricing model for your agency? Here's some of Tom's very best advice for minimizing risk and maximizing revenue potential: Do not act as an agent, act as an affiliate. Rather than structuring client relationships like most service-based businesses, Viewability establishes a partner relationship where they work with their clients instead of for them. Know the formula for what makes a good client. Tom's agency has a super specific list of questions and criteria that determines who they'll work with - selecting quality over quantity. They take on fewer clients, but they have more time to spend with them. Work directly with the decision-maker. For Viewability, that's the business owner who can provide specific direction as well as maintains accountability for payment. Maintain realistic expectations. Goals need to be measurable and attainable. Ask and answer these questions first: Do they know their current cost per lead and what they'd like it to be? (If not, that's a major red flag.) Is it an evergreen offer that just needs more promotion? Has the funnel already been tested? How can you predict cash flow with a performance-based model? In a sense, the revenue from current clients funds the activity for future clients. However, within a couple months they're self-sustaining. It takes a shift in mindset. As a results-driven agency they're dedicated to only taking on clients with a greater lifetime value. The drawbacks, of course, are the upfront cost and the lack of predictability that retainer clients provide. However, as highly effective specialists in a narrow niche with a great profit margin the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Turn your agency YouTube videos into lead generators. Tom says to look at the 4 P's to lower the cost per lead, maintain or increase the volume of leads and improve the quality of the leads, Here's a few simple hacks to make your existing video content lead generators: 1- Platform - learn where your leads hang out and put your video in front of them. He says you should connect on YouTube and convert on Google. 2- Person - connect with your organic traffic by linking your YouTub

Have you ever considered live streaming as part of your marketing strategy for your business? Not sure how to get started? In this episode, we'll cover: Why live streaming video is so HOT right now. How you can use live streaming video for generating new agency business. One new technology that will keep you ahead of current trends. Former agency owner Kim Garst is totally on top of the social media game. She's been named on a couple pretty prestigious lists, including Forbes' Top 50 Social Media Influencers and Top 20 Women Influencers. She's a serial entrepreneur who has spent the last two decades forging her way with online startups - including a digital agency. Kim's business, Boom Social began as an agency which has now morphed into a social media training resource for entrepreneurs. She's finding more success and satisfaction in helping entrepreneurs find and develop their social media voice. Here's what she shared about this year's hottest trend: live streaming video. What's the big deal with live streaming video? Live streaming video isn't new. What is new, is the accessibility and convenience of it. Apps like Meerkat and Periscope brought live stream to handheld devices and their popularity soared. This is the year for Live Streaming Video. Already this year, we've seen Facebook and YouTube jump onboard. As a society, we've spent the better part of a decade on social media. Status updates and Tweets are the norm. But as humans we crave more personal contact. When we consume in video form we find it more personal. When it's a live feed, it's more authentic, raw and real. If you're apprehensive about recording live video, you're not alone. It definitely exposes you and makes you more vulnerable. The upside is, you're not alone! How to use live streaming video for business: Remember people are craving that personal element that video provides? Use it to your advantage! Pick a platform and use it for things like - Recruiting Top Talent - if you've got a great company culture, spotlight it on video. Showcase the people and environment of your agency and let viewers get a glimpse. Client Retention - showcase who's doing what. This lets your clients see some of the "behind the scenes" work that goes on. Generate Leads - consider it a "video blog". You're already creating content that solves a problem or eases a pain point for your prospects. Turn on the video camera and talk through it instead of writing it. Create that know-like-trust factor a lot sooner by giving it a personal touch. If you're personable and providing valuable information you will convert faster using live streaming video. The effects of live streaming video moves much faster than blogging or tweeting. Kim says she's even converting some leads after just one touchpoint! Clients expect you to bring them emerging trends. You're an agency so you've got to be on top of the latest technologies. In our Future Outlook Report for 2016, we discovered the #1 thing brands want from agencies is new business building strategies and solutions. Even if you aren't using some of the latest social media technologies for your own business, your clients are expecting you to be skilled at using them. One new, cutting edge technology. One super NEW social app is Anchor. It's an audio app described as "radio by real people". Anchor is a free iPhone app that let's you broadcast short (2 mins or less) audio clips to global followers. Listeners can talk back which is something live streaming video doesn't allow. Kim and I agree that Anchor is the next BIG THING. Anchor encourages more engagement and satisfies our human craving for personal contact. She does say, however, that Anchor can become time consuming because it requires attention and constant follow-up to develop relationships. 2 creative ways to use live video and audio for business: Work smarter, not harder. Think of ways to stack your social media efforts. Get this -- Kim hosts live Q&A's on Anchor while broadcasting on TWO live streaming video platforms - Periscope and Facebook Live. Then she embeds the Anchor broadcasts into blog posts to repurpose and give it a longer life. Don't know about you, but my mind is officially blown. Start your own Q&A. You don't have to score a triple-pointer like Kim, but answering your client's biggest questions is the easiest and most effective ways to use these live video or radio apps. Find out what people want to know, let them ask and you answer. Establish authority and nurture the relationship into trust and eventual sales. Speaking of... ever heard of #AskSwenk? :) Kim's best advice: Jump over the fear hurdle and hit the "start broadcast" button! Take action NOW ...because ACTIONS lead to TRANSACTIONS! How Can I Help You? I hope you found this beneficial and it gave you an insight into using live streaming video for your business and marketing strategy. If you have more questions about how you can improve your agency, I can help. Whether you are an experienced

Are you reaping the benefits of monetizing agency content? If not, in my 6 step guide, I will show you how and elevate your business through monetizing agency content moving forward. In this episode we discuss: How to build a CONTENT EMPIRE that converts and retain clients. Two tips you need for successful content marketing. What you need to do with your content right now. How you can begin monetizing your agency content by following this simple, proven strategy. My guest on this episode is Joe Pulizzi. He has spent his entire career in the content world… He got his start in publishing in 2000 where he spent 7 years, until founding and growing Content Marketing Institute in 2007. Since establishing CMI he's been educating marketers on the use of content to build an audience that knows, likes and trusts their brand and how to turn that audience into customers. Here's the one thing you need to make sure you're doing with your content marketing. Take a look at your content and determine how it's different than everyone else's. Ask yourself: What is different about my story? How am I causing a disruption against the other content that is out there? Joe calls this differentiation your content tilt (more on that in a minute). In his book, Content Inc., Joe interviewed several different entrepreneurs and startup founders to uncover their process for building a successful content marketing strategy. What he discovered was a pattern in each business' success story. He realized every successful content marketing strategy followed the same 6 step process. Joe breaks down that process so other marketers can learn from it and replicate it. Monetizing Agency Content: My 6 Step Guide The 6 step process for building your Content Empire: The key is to initially set aside your products/services and make your content useful, reliable and dependable to build an audience. Then, after establishing trust and authority, you can cash in on your content investment through monetizing agency content moving forward. Step 1 - Find the Sweet Spot The sweet spot is the point where your knowledge and skill set intersect with your passion. For me, that's my knowledge and skill set in owning a digital agency coupled with my passion for helping other agency owners reach their goals. Step 2 - Determine your Content Tilt Your content tilt is what separates you from everyone else in your market area. It's your unique perspective on your content niche. Without content tilt you risk blending into the rest of the noise and being forgotten. Step 3 - Build the Base It takes time to build your base audience. And it requires a commitment to a specific content type via one main platform at a consistent day/time for a long term period of time. Own one type of media, delivered on one channel at a specific and predictable time. Joe says there is no perfect time or frequency - the best interval is just a consistent one, whether that's daily, weekly, or whatever your resources allow. Step 4 - Harvest the Audience Don't sew the seeds without harvesting the fruits of your labor! Building the base audience is great, but Joe tells us that most visitors will only come to your site once. need to capture their subscriber information to keep reaching them. Include a call to action in everything you do and seize every opportunity to have them opt-in to your content. Step 5 - Diversification The diversification step comes in when you've mastered one type of media on one platform. Joe says the best way to measure this is by having a predetermined goal for the number of subscribers you want (back in step 3). When you reach that goal, set a new goal and begin a new form of reaching another type of audience by diversifying your content vehicle and platform. He says you should become a media octopus by wrapping many arms around your audience in many different ways. Step 6 - Monetization Up until this point, the objective of your content marketing has been to generate interest and be sought out for knowledge and expertise. In the monetization step, you're trying to achieve 1 of 2 objectives: convert leads into new opportunities or retain existing customers by upselling or cross-selling. To achieve this you must identify how a subscriber behaves differently than an audience member. Here are Joe's 2 best tips to being successful with content marketing: The real goal is to produce the minimal amount of content with the maximum amount of impact. Focus on owning one type of media and one platform. Whether it's text, audio or visual - pick just one and be really great at it. Also, select one platform for distributing your content (iTunes, blog, YouTube, etc.) and own it. Consider yourself like a media company building a loyal audience over time. It's not easy and requires patience but it's the key to success in your content marketing efforts. Be consistent so your audience knows how, where and when to find your new content. By having a predictable schedule you are setting up an a

The Future Agency Outlook We have compiled a FREE AGENCY RESOURCE on the FUTURE AGENCY OUTLOOK of DIGITAL AGENCIES in 2016 and would like to share these great insights with you. This is data that we compiled from over 10,000 agencies, and we are going to share with you so you can navigate this new landscape and plan your new year with clarity and direction. Here's what you are going to discover: Why Brands Pick Agencies and What Brands Expect from Them How to Increase Opportunities for Agency Growth How to Increase Agency Margins and Better Scoping How to Increase Client Retention for Agencies If Agencies Should Develop a New Product and Why What Technologies Agencies Are Using Heading into 2016 What is an Agency's Lifetime Value of a Client and Why It's Important

Want some tax-saving tips for your agency that will help you save money and avoid an audit being carried out on your digital agency? In this episode, we discuss: How to protect your business, financially and legally. Ways to lower your taxes and other tax-saving tips. The IRS's big secret on audits. This is HUGE! Super-fun CPA and friend to U.S. agencies, Jason Blumer of Blumer CPA's chatted with me about several tax-saving tips along with a few words of caution, and one big IRS secret on this episode of The Smart Agency Master Class. Blumer founded and runs a virtual CPA firm with a team of 8 around the country who are specifically geared toward accounting for design, web and marketing agencies. (See? He's niching his firm and you should be, too. But that's another topic for another day :)) Keep in mind the advice here is just general. Your specific situation and questions about your agency should be discussed in detail with your own CPA. What type of business classification is best for your agency? Best advice: protect yourself and be something other than simply "self-employed." A sole proprietor should set up a limited liability corporation (LLC). This designation provides legal protection and operational flexibility, however there are no tax benefits. An LLC pays twice the self-employment tax since regular employees have the benefit of the self-employment tax being matched by their employer. An S Corp can save you a lot in terms of tax dollars, however, the hoops to jump can be pain. You must have a system for payroll and deductions, including paying yourself a salary. That means paying payroll taxes, too. Therefore, what you save in taxes can be swallowed up quickly by paying out professional fees to a payroll service. Keep in mind, that an LLC can transition into an S Corp as they grow. Blumer says he advises his clients netting $80-90k+ to go the S Corp route. Tax Saving Tips: What's the best way to lower my taxes? This is always a hard one. If you make money, you're going to pay taxes. The best tax-saving tip and way to lower taxes is to spend money reinvesting in your business which ultimately lowers your net profit, meaning less taxable income. Retail or manufacturing businesses have it a little easier. They can buy equipment to invest back into their business. Service-based businesses are a little difficult to advise in this area. And agencies? We're the worst. All we sell are our ideas. Blumer says your best bet is investing cash in a retirement plan for yourself. Depending on the type of plan you set up you'll benefit your taxes and your team. Other ways to save include training/educating your team. Small businesses like to lower their tax burden with these 2 tactics: You might think you are saving a ton on taxes if you're doing one or both of these things. That's only true if you're doing them right. Here's the real deal on the best tax-saving options... 1.Being a virtual agency Technically, if you have a team that's spread out around the country you should be paying taxes in every state where you've got people. There are states with no state tax such as Florida, Texas, and Washington. There are also states that make it a major pain in the ass to be self-employed, like California, New York, and Pennsylvania. Tax laws vary by state, so be sure to check things out for the state(s) your in. And, if you're not sure if you've got all your bases covered, talk to your account about it. Blumer CPA's offers an Exposure Tax Analysis. This is a discovery of your tax liability to see if you're compliant and in what areas you might be exposed. If your tax firm doesn't offer something similar, I know a guy… :) 2. Having all (or mostly all) freelancers If you're doing it correctly this is a good way to avoid paying employer taxes. But your freelancers have to actually play the part of a freelancer. The term "freelancer" or "contractor," in regard to taxes, is determined by the IRS. To be legit, your freelancers must be able to answer "yes" to all of these questions: Is there actually a contract in place? Do they invoice you for their time? Are they using their own equipment (computer, phone)? Are they available to work for others? This tax saving tip is simple. If they don't look like a contractor on paper, you need to have payroll systems in place and pay taxes on them. Want to know the IRS's biggest secret on audits? They don't really want us to know, but the IRS is in real trouble. They don't have the ability to enforce things like they once did.... A possible impeachment of the Commissioner coupled with losing budget dollars means they don't have the leverage to effectively audit. It's somewhat of a vicious cycle -- they're losing tax dollars because they can't run audits, and they can't run audits because they can afford to. So, that's kinda good for us. But, they DO still audit and audit selections are done totally at random. The good news: less than ⅓ of 1% of businesses get audited. In fact, with 20

What is the Secret to Rapid Agency Scaling? If a goal for your business is to achieve rapid agency scaling, in this episode I talk with Paul Higgins and discuss what you can do to achieve rapid agency scaling as well as what not to do to make sure you don't fall into any agency scaling pitfalls. In this episode we discuss: 5 levels you'll reach when scaling your agency How to know what level your agency is at and where it's going next 3 ways to avoid growth and scaling pitfalls As a business growth expert, Paul Higgins knows a thing or two about entrepreneurship and scaling businesses. After all, he spent nearly two decades on the client side, climbing up the executive ladder with Coca-Cola before founding an agency that serves as a partnership resource to small businesses. He's also a Director and Empire Builder at Bollo Empire, which helps agencies scale. In this interview we talk about best practices for rapidly scaling your agency. There are 5 steps to climb on the stairway to success. Which step are you on? Which step is next? How are you going to climb from one step to the next? Here are the 5 Levels of Scaling Your Agency Startup This is like the honeymoon phase of agency ownership. You're in love with everything about being in business for yourself. You are fired up and ready to make your mark on the industry. Rapid Growth In this stage, things are really heating up. You've got lots of client and are adding team members. Your agency is really taking off! You're hustling hard and you're satisfied with your growth. The Grind This is just what is sounds like. You feel stuck working in your business instead of on it. You're bogged down by administrative duties, putting out fires and handling client issues. It's easy to feel like you're being buried by The Grind. Freedom This is where you're acting as more of a stakeholder than an agency employee. You're working on business development and strategies for future direction. The day-to-day business can run without you… as it should! Cashout This phase is your exit strategy. It's your ability to walk away with cash to retire or start something new. The timing is up to you. (You can plan it out, or it could sneak up on you like it did for me after I ran my agency for 12 years.) Status quo will not help you grow. As an entrepreneur, it's easy to get bogged down by running the business and never take the time to do what's required to grow your business. Your inbox is too full, existing clients need you, your team needs you… There are a million reasons but the biggest one is probably that you just don't have enough time. However, if you're too busy that's an indication that you are either: not charging enough, or you need to hire someone so you can re-focus your attention. (Or, maybe the problem is BOTH?!) 3 Ways to Avoid the Pitfalls that Prevent You From Scaling Don't get stuck in The Grind or worse.... slip backward from Freedom into The Grind! Escape being stuck in a rut by making these 3 things a priority: Stay on top of industry changes, trends, and innovation. Your clients expect you to be on top of emerging trends - so walk the walk. Don't be afraid of change, embrace it![ Spend time with agency leadership peers or a coach. These people see things from an objective point of view and have relevant experience that you can learn from Use platforms and technology that are efficient for running and scaling your business. Make sure that the systems you're using are current and most effective. Remember to always work on your business, even in the early stages when you are working in it, too. These 3 strategies will keep you relevant in the industry and help you climb the agency-scaling staircase to the Freedom you deserve. Tip from the Agency Trenches What's the best advice for rapid agency growth? Paul has a two-part answer for rapid growth: People and Platform. He says it's super important to keep your people happy and use the right systems. That means making sure your team is not overloaded all the time and maintaining a pleasant culture/ environment. As for systems, Paul uses and recommends Podio, a CRM software that evolves with the needs of your business as it grows and changes. He says that it scales as you scale, so you aren't paying for lots of software bells and whistles that you aren't using, but they're available to add on when you're ready to use them. Are you ready to work with peers to help you with your rapid agency scaling? I have led a lot of successful Agency Mastermind groups over the past couple of years. There are a few more spots to fill in the upcoming group. We meet every two weeks so it's not a huge time commitment yet the benefits are immeasurable. You can read more details here and if you're interested there is a brief application process. You'll fill out a quick form and then I'll let you know if the group is a good fit for you. Building Your Digital Agency There is no rule fits all to rapid agency scaling but the best thing you can

Are you looking for advice on improving your agency's growth strategy? Are the systems you have in place just not working for you and feeling like you've hit a plateau in your business growth? Why Buying or Selling A Digital Agency is EASIER Than You Think. In this episode we cover: Why buying an agency isn't as expensive or as hard as you'd think. How rolling-in another agency can be a killer agency growth strategy. 5 ways to improve your digital agency's valuation to be acquired. What to look at if you're looking to acquire another agency. Today's guest, Eric Keiles was doing inbound before inbound was even a thing. Eric and his partner founded Square 2 Marketing in 2003 with the intention of helping brands revamp their old-school marketing to the way people are buying in the new millennium. In 2009, they partnered with Hubspot and took their business to a new level. I met Eric at Hubspot's 2015 Inbound Conference and quickly learned he is pretty serious about making a plan and sticking to it. He has one major B.H.A.G. (big, hairy, audacious goal) and that is for Square 2 to be the #1 inbound agency. They've been growing organically for a few years at 30%+ but that just wasn't aggressive enough... so they accelerated it with a layer of acquisitions. Actually, 3 acquisitions in just 18 months with 2 more in the pipeline. Why would you BUY another Marketing agency… or several? Eric says there are two reasons this is Square 2's agency growth strategy. They're looking to either acquire an agency with a specialization they don't have (like social media or an agency that works on a different platform) or to acquire another inbound agency in order to benefit from economies of scale. Size doesn't matter - 4 people or 20 - stability and profitability are key. It doesn't take a huge pile of cash to acquire another agency. Eric says it really doesn't. There is, of course, an initial layout of cash on the front end of the deal but his team feels pretty strongly about keeping the existing leadership in place and structuring an attainable earn-out for them. They've found this situation to be a win-win. Square 2 sees the growth and profitability they're seeking while the agency leader of the acquired firm eliminates the stresses of ownership and gets to focus on an area of the business they're passionate about while hitting earn-out goals. Use these to improve your agency valuation and as a guideline for vetting one you're looking to acquire. 1. Systems & Processes that Prevent Bottlenecking A great target for a potential merger is an agency that has great systems and processes in place. Everything cannot revolve around the owner. Eric says it's a major deal breaker if you're the only "go-to" person. It's important to have established systems and processes in place so the business can run without you. I say, "systems outperform talent every time." 2. Long Term Client Relationships When someone is looking at buying you, they are looking at what kind of profit they can generate in the near future. As Eric and his team are looking at agencies to acquire, they're looking at ones that have retainer clients or long-term (12-18 month) project, clients. Shorter-term projects or one-and-done clients don't make a viable agency. A mix of both is OK too, but they find that agencies that are 100% project-based are not viable. A buyer a well-established business with predictable revenue. 3. Common Personalities and Culture It's more than just buying a business, it's marrying two entities: meshing teams, workflow, ideas… so it's important the owners have the same core beliefs and the culture of the offices will gel. There's success where there's synergy. The guys at Square 2 Marketing look for like-minded individuals to go into business with, so before going too far into a merger they like to hang out together. 4. Healthy Margins Without Underpricing or Over Servicing You can have amazing clients and top talent on your team, but if you don't have positive profit margins then you're too risky to merge with. A lot of agencies want so badly to keep their clients happy they will over service without tracking the time. Or, they just want to win the deal so badly, they will undercharge. Sounds like a no-brainer, but agency profit margins aren't usually calculated accurately. Time tracking and scoping are huge. Eric says when he's looking at an agency to buy he not only looks at an hourly rate but also excessive rounds of revisions and out-of-scope requests. An agency with healthy (and accurately accounted) margins has a much higher value than one that only thinks they do. 5. A Variety of Different Sized Accounts It's like the old adage goes, "don't have all your eggs in one basket." The same is true for agency clients. It's not good to have just 1 key account. Eric says he categorizes clients in 3 ways: Acorns (have the ability to grow), Cornerstone (solid, long term), and Shit Box (tons of work, low profit, pain in the ass). He places a hi

Are you growing your digital agency the best way or are you facing hurdles you need to overcome and don't know the best techniques to overcome them? In this episode we cover: The most common challenge a new digital agency faces, and what to do about it. 4 traits you might have that are standing in your own way of growing your digital agency. How to find the clarity you need to grow and scale your marketing agency. Today's guest, Gray MacKenzie, and his partner started their Inbound Agency out of their college dorm room five years ago. As Seniors on the Grove City College Lacrosse team, they created a website and social campaign for the team. Their marketing efforts off the field coincided with on-field success and they realized the skills they had used for on something "just for fun" had the potential for much more. And thus, GuavaBox was born. In their first year, Gray says they weren't really all in and had a shot gun approach to the business. One big challenge they ran into as young entrepreneurs, fresh out of college was their lack of experience. It seemed clients trusted them for their technical skills but not for consulting and business building strategy. They were doing a lot of tactical work but not much more... This was covered in last week's podcast about the 5 levels of agency service. Check it out here. They spent those first years doing a lot of hands-on work while trying to build a reputation and educating clients about strategy. Gray says it was this learning curve that made them realize that in order to build a sustaining business for themselves with positive cash flow, they needed 2 things: bigger clients and retainers. But those two things don't come without some obstacles along the way... "There are 4 BIG things causing the challenges most agencies face" Gray knows first hand the many challenges a startup Inbound Agency faces because he's faced them ALL. Over the years he's discovered there are 4 underlying reasons why most startup agency owners stand in their own way of growing and scaling. 4 Traits Standing in the Way of Growing Your Digital Agency: 1. Lack of Confidence - If you aren't convinced in the potential for your ideas to succeed, how can you sell them to your prospects and clients? Be your own best case study. Self-test before you roll out a strategy and document the success so you can use the data as evidence. 2. Lack of Focus - When you aren't clear about exactly what your agency's specialty is (and what it isn't) it's easy to lose focus. Many of us want to be everything to everyone (or most things to most people). But learning to say "no" to one thing opens you up to being able to say "yes" to something else. Choose to focus on one type of client, one industry, one core service and do really, really well at it. Know who you won't work with and what you won't do. Then, stick to it. 3. Lack of Balance - It's easy to think that working harder will make you more money, but it's not a long-term fix. Working tons of hours doesn't make you successful and it doesn't help you build a solid foundation for yourself or your team. Putting in tons of hours can't last forever - everyone needs a work/life balance. 4. Lack of Efficiency - We tend to gravitate towards tasks that are easy rather than those that are more challenging. Often times it's the difficult or time-consuming tasks that have the most impact on growing your business. Be aware of how you're spending your time and be honest with yourself as whether what you're doing is the most efficient and effective way to spend it. If you need some pointers to get you on the right track, check out my post about Productivity and download my Productivity Funnel. You'll be amazed at the clarity you discover when you identify and work through these weaknesses. In fact, it was a moment of clarity that brought the guys at GuavaBox to the decision to develop project management software for Inbound Agencies. Two years ago, they realized their agency was really struggling with a process for managing deliverables. After trying every sort of technology out there, they developed DoInbound, which is software for Inbound Agencies to track and manage inbound marketing campaigns. Growing Your Digital Agency Growing your digital agency is no easy process but I hope this helps and gives you the tips you need. However, if not I am here to help. I have more than likely experienced all if not most of the different struggles an agency owner experiences through my own experience and I can help you from what I learned. I have covered many topics from what to do with your sales processes to improve them, how you can increase your agency profit margins or how you can build authority for your agency. I have the best ways for your business to stop losing money on projects, how performance-based pricing models can be the best strategy for your agency and why including remote teams or freelancers in your team can be beneficial in the long run. Learn more about my car

There are different levels of digital agency services that can support your business in staying competitive with others in the industry. The real question is do you know what they are? In this episode we'll cover: How you can prevent your agency from being viewed as a commodity. How you can charge more for your digital agency services & why clients will pay for it. What you need to do to increase the lifetime value of a client. Do consultancies have an advantage over digital agencies? [smart_track_player url="http://traffic.libsyn.com/jasonswenk/Do_you_want_to_know_the_5_different_categories_of_agency_services_.mp3"] With over 30 years experience in the agency world - many of them owning and running his own agencies - my guest Jamie Turner brings us some serious black box knowledge. Spoiler alert: remember that phrase, it'll be important later:) Jamie has worked for agency giants in New York and Atlanta and today is the Founder and CEO of 60SecondMarketer.com and 60 Second Communications. He's an author and international speaker specializing in social media and mobile marketing. I read a couple recent blog posts of Jamie's where he explained how you can save your agency from being left in the dust. I loved reading this post so much I that I knew I needed to get Jamie on my podcast so he could share his wisdom with you, too. Jamie says he was like the typical agency owner, with a ton of ideas but a short attention span to see them through. He was always chasing the new bright, shiny object. However, once he learned to focus it enabled growth and expertise. And he says, "the more expert you are at something, the more you can charge." Isn't that the ultimate goal? We can all agree that there is no shortage of agencies that do what we do. Even consulting companies are beginning to offer competitive services. So, how can your agency survive and thrive in this climate? First and foremost you need to understand the 5 categories that agencies fall into so you can identify where you are and where you need to go in order to stay competitive while also growing and scaling your business. Do you want to know the 5 different levels of digital agency services? The goal of agencies is to work up the chain of these 5 categories of their digital agency services for more staying power and a greater client lifetime value. 1. Hands Work Most small- and mid-sized agencies fall into this category and stay here. They win new business by pitching tactical work. They create assets like websites, logos, etc. and sell that type of work. Problem is, this work is one-off project work that typically doesn't lead to much more. Over the course of a client relationship these opportunities tend to decrease. The client views you as an easily replaceable commodity. Clients can bring jobs in-house or find another agency that can do things "faster or cheaper". It's OK to reel in new business this way but you should spend less than 6 months in the Hands Work phase. Show them you can do more that churn out work by moving into the next category. 2. Central Hub You can start to get in the driver's seat by being the Central Hub. Most clients have multiple agencies to meet their needs: digital, media, creative, direct, etc. When your agency acts as the Central Hub and the other agencies act as the spokes, it positions you at the center of the workflow. Jamie's agency puts themselves in this spot by creating and maintaining the status reports, managing the status calls, etc. In the Central Hub role you can build trust with the client, but you are really only viewed as an extension of the team. To be highly valued by clients and charge more for your services you need to be considered an advisor, not an order-taker. That is why the next category is so important. 3. Lightbulb When you have bright ideas and can provide original campaigns and business building solutions your clients will see more value in your work. In a recent survey we conducted, we asked brands why they started working with an agency. The #1 answer was that they were looking for guidance/advice on emerging trends and the insights on what to do next. An agency that can bring original ideas to the table will establish authority. Clients are more apt to listen and give your ideas a try when you're already acting as the Lightbulb. What's even better is that they will be willing to pay more for them. 4. Wisdom & Experience In this position, the client recognizes your agency as an authority in their industry. You share case studies and data to back up your ideas. You understand your client's needs and challenges as well as those of your client's clients. You are able to identify and help them avoid potential landmines. You see the big picture. Click here for my interview with Del Ross, Director of Sales and Marketing for Intercontinental Hotels Group. Del says the best way for someone to score a meeting with him is to "have a point of view and back it up with data and research." When your big

In this episode we'll discuss: Why you should fire yourself, and when 2 challenges most agencies face early on & how to overcome them 1 super smart tip about knowing your clients' clients Take it from a guy who has started and grown multiple multi-million dollar businesses, you must "give your job away at least once per year." That's exactly what my guest, J Cornelius, has been doing for much of his 20 years in digital space. From his startup software company to his startup agency, J shares with us philosophies and strategies that will help you scale and grow your business. A serial entrepreneur, J started his first business in 1996 when he founded and grew an international web design software company. When his entrepreneurial spirit got the 13 year itch, he began web-design consulting on the side. He eventually founded Nine Labs, a user experience and brand strategy agency, in 2012. Within those first couple years, he was partnering often with Brad Weaver at Suckerpunch Studios. The two realized they possessed complementary skills and were the missing piece to one another's agencies. They merged in 2014 and today have 11 employees. [clickToTweet tweet="What makes a successful merger or partnership?" quote="What makes a successful merger or partnership?"] It depends on the relationship between the partners, but #1 is TRUST. You have to belief that both partners have the same vision, goals and growth mindset. You also have to take the time to talk about all the worst case scenarios and write those into an Operating Agreement - this covers everything from injury or death, to buyouts or selling the agency. It's your insurance policy and a way to create a backup plan so the organization can survive without one of you. Fire Yourself! J says the best way to move your business forward is to concentrate on the large impact items that will allow your business to grow. Figure out which low impact items are holding you back, fire yourself from doing those things and delegate them to someone else. Quoting Jim Collins, J says "get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats." (From Jim Collins' "Good to Great".) [clickToTweet tweet="2 challenges agencies face early on" quote="2 challenges agencies face early on"] 1. Not knowing who you are: J says you have to find your identity and be able to tell a clear and compelling story about it. Promote who you are, what you do and why you're the best at it. He says the best way to get past this challenge is by having a narrowly focus specialization. Go after a very specific target right away. 2. Associating size with success: A lot of agency owners think they need to model the behavior of bigger agencies so they can grow and secure bigger clients. Not true! Often times it's the smaller clients that are easier to land, easier to work with and have the budgets. Also, more employees usually means more problems, which changes the leader's focus. J is always careful about who and how he hires, using a skill matrix to determine which skills sets are in-house and which might be missing. He says today, more than ever before, you can scale a business without necessarily having more people - and that's a good thing! Think about it… Would you rather have a $20 million business with 10 employees or a $10 million business with 20 employees? Best advice for a young agency Study businesses adjacent to those of your clients. After you figure out who your ideal client is, learn about their ideal client. You have to fully understand your client's business, who they serve and what their client's expect. When you understand how to help your clients' clients you are innately helping your client as well. If you love all J's advice you can connect with him or read more on his blog here. What's Next? Growing the best agency requires you to, well fire yourself if it's the right decision but also take a step back and look at the bigger picture of your agency for what you need to do next. From my own experiences, I can provide advice on many topics from how you can increase your agency profit margins to how you can build authority for your agency. That's not all, I have the best ways for your business to stop losing money on projects, how performance based pricing models can be the best strategy for your agency and why including remote teams or freelancers in your team can be beneficial in the long run. Learn more about my career as well as tips, tricks and insights by checking out my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics. Find more from me like advice from other successful agency experts in my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my YouTube channel.

Leverage Media Opportunities to Achieve Agency Business Growth Looking to use new media opportunities to build momentum for your digital agency and gain new agency business growth? In this episode we cover: How to create a media pitch that scores an interview Ways to prepare for the interview, and how to knock it out of the park When and how to promote your media opportunity to promote agency business growth A feature in the media can be a killer lead generator! My guest, Dana Barrett has got a ton of tips for us on getting media attention - and she should know! Dana hosts a daily business talk show on Atlanta 1190AM radio and is a panelist on Tech Edge, a local TV show. She typically interviews 1-2 companies across different sectors every single day! In this episode of The Smart Agency Master Class she talks with me about how a small business can get media attention, what to do once you score an interview and how to keep the momentum going when it's over. Make a Pitch Reach out with a simple and direct email pitch. Be clear on what you do, why it's different and who you serve. You must capture the reader's attention in the first 2-3 sentences! Also, show you've done your homework by stating why you are a good fit with this audience of listeners, viewers or readers. Don't throw in a bunch of stats, figures, or "hoopla", as Dana calls it. The subject line should be equally as direct, like "Possible Show Guest". Prepare for the Interview Know your stuff and be ready to talk about it freely. Dana's pet peeve: being given a list of topics or questions to avoid. Instead, she says, learn how to address those things even if you have to put on a politician hat and just say during the interview, "I'm not willing to discuss that today." Local media want to help you tell your story, so give them the talking points you do want to address. Dana also says you must able to speak about your business in an unrehearsed way. Be confident and genuine. Radio interviews are probably easier than TV interviews because there are less people watching you during the interview but regardless of who's in the room remember you are there to build relationships both the audience and the interviewer. People want to know who you are, what you stand for, and why you are special. If they can get behind you for those things, then sales will result from it. Lastly, don't be boring! Interacting with the media gives your brand a personality that will either resonate with the audience or... it won't. But, no pressure! :) Promote the Heck Out of It to Generate Agency Business Growth Before, during and after…. post it, tweet it and promote it. Whatever your social media platforms, give a it's imperative to make sure your social followers know about it prior to the interview, the day of, the hour before and for weeks afterwards. Today, everything lives digitally for all of eternity - use that to your benefit! Also, treat your interviewer as you would any other networking contact. It's not "one and done"... you can continue to help each other out. Remember, they're getting something out of this, too. You are providing them with good content and delivering an audience. It's a win-win. Media exposure can be an awesome way to generate leads! And, if you want to learn even more ways to generate leads check out my Generate Leads Everyday program with invaluable tactics and strategies you can implement for immediate results. My clients are generating 25-50+ leads every day using this program. Discover the best Digital Agency Strategies today. Get Online Training to help you setup the right systems and strategies to help you grow faster. What's Next for your Agency? Through leveraging media opportunities, you could see a large increase in agency business growth but this could be detrimental to your business if you aren't prepared to handle it. To create the best business possible, you need to look at your agency in the bigger picture to find your strong areas as well as weak spots and then think of how you can fix them. No matter what challenge your agency is facing, I can help you get through all of it. Through my experience running my own digital agency and helping other digital agency owners, there are many topics I can offer guidance on whether you are an established agency facing struggles to new agencies unsure of what the different phases of growth you will experience will look like. Growing your agency team can also be a major struggle for any agency owner and I can show from knowing when it's time to hire a sales manager or expand your sales team to perfecting your business strategy with creating a process for performance based pricing and how to keep your big name clients happy. Are you ready to create something cool and want more advice? Learn about my career and different experiences as well as tips, tricks and insights by checking out my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics. Check out more from my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on m

How Can I Handle Training New Employees and Set Up Success? Do you want new employees to be successful from day one? Training new employees effectively and providing proper onboarding are the keys to success from their first day on your team! 4 Things You Can Do To Get New Employees Ready Before Their First Day Day #1 on any job is overwhelming for everyone. It's information overload! But by tackling these four things prior to their first day, you can set up your new employees for success. 1. Share your company vision and goals with them right off the bat. With a clear understanding of where the path leads, your employees can help pave it. 2. Write down the 30, 60 and 90-day goals you have for them and ask them to do the same. This manages hopes and expectations for both parties. 3. Ask "What do you need from me in order to be successful?" and then provide the tools and information they've requested. 4. Create screencasts or videos of some routine tasks, procedures or processes. Not only can this be used for reference by this new employee but it they move up or on, you'll have it for future employees. * Have all these items prepared and ready to go PRIOR to a new employee's first day on the job.* We don't always hire the perfect employees but when expectations are clearly communicated and tools are in place there is a greater chance for success. How can you help your new employees be successful? Whether you're hiring right now or not, what processes can you record and archive? Don't wait until you need it - start now! Related: https://jasonswenk.com/training-process More From Jason Swenk We've discussed why training new employees is essential for success from day one of joining your team but did this cover what you need to improve your agency? Do you need more advice? Don't worry, I have all you need to get through these obstacles. No matter what you need advice on, I have more than likely covered it. From topics such as handling a recession to ways of using your social media community to expand your brand awareness. Or maybe you want to know the four phases of growth within your agency? I have all the information you need to help you through it. Learn more about my life and my experience as well as lots of tips, tricks and insights by reading my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics. If videos are more your thing, don't worry, i've got you covered! You can check out more from my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my YouTube channel. There you will find advice from me and other agency experts.

Today's guest, Jake Hare, has tons to share about overcoming struggles in the first year of agency ownership. He got his start developing apps while serving as Lead Intelligence Analyst in the military. Today he is co-founder of Launchpeer, a digital agency serving startups and entrepreneurs in the South. Learn how he generated niche leads for his agency. Why Start an Agency? After spending 3 ½ years in 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Jake went on to do government contract work in software development. Once he realized he wasn't passionate about his work, he started taking on side jobs developing apps. In late 2014 he and his two partners decided it was time to go all in, so they founded Launchpeer. As a husband, father and part-time grad school student this was a giant leap of faith! Struggles in Early Agency Days For Jake and his partners the hardest part of maintaining the agency this first year has been generating leads outside of their personal contacts. After working with friends (who naturally expected special pricing) The 3 co-founders brainstormed ways to drum up new business outside their circle. They tried to white label their services for larger agencies which didn't work out because other agencies weren't receptive to the idea. (They had not read my take on white labeling!) They tried networking events, which did bring in some business but takes tons of time and yields little results. They also got some referral business but word of mouth is not a scalable way to grow business. Finding Ways to Capture and Convert Niche Leads When they got to a point where they had no new jobs and no new niche leads, Jake did some online searching and discovered my Generate Leads Everyday program. They bought the program and made the decision to niche and focus on marketing to just one type of business -- startups and entrepreneurs in the South. Jake admits it was super scary but the guys were forced to either take action or look at shutting down. How a 0.3% Opt-In Rate Grew to 32% in 6 Weeks With a 0.3% opt-in rate, Launchpeer had nowhere to go but up. Jake and his partners got themselves out of the mindset that their website was a showpiece. They scrapped their entire site and changed the content to focus on the prospect and not themselves. They created landing pages focused on the lead and how Launchpeer can solve their problems. They created a Foot In the Door offer to drive traffic to their landing pages and marketed on Facebook. Jake says there was a lot of testing and tweaking involved in getting everything just right. In fact, he laughs about one of the biggest tweaks that happened when he was investigating why their Facebook ad click-through rate was lower than expected. He realized he had chosen to advertise to "southern-based entrepreneurs who speak English-UK". One silly slip-up and he was aiming his ads at Brits in the U.S. South! :) Trial and error plays a big role in getting results, too. They did split testing on their Foot In the Door landing pages and discovered a simpler ad converts more than a wordier one... This analysis and experimenting is what resulted in Launchpeer's 0.3% opt-in rate to reach 10% and eventually to 32%+ over a 6-week period. On interview date, Launchpeer was spending $20 per day and getting 6-10 leads per day. The exponential growth and potential opportunity far exceed their daily cost! Best Advice from a New Agency Owner "Don't be afraid to take action. I know it can be scary," says Jake. But, if what you're doing isn't working then the best thing you can do is something else. And as I always say, action leads to transactions. Being a business owner is tough and scary, no matter who you are… but doing nothing and closing your doors will be tougher and scarier. Ready to Take Action? Referrals are not scalable. So, if you are ready to take action that will lead to more leads every day, head over to GenerateLeadsEverday.com. This is the exact system I use, Jake uses and my clients use to grow and scale their businesses. Want More Advice? I hope you found this beneficial and it helps you generate niche leads for your agency. If you have more questions about your agency from the good to the bad like how you can get through hard times in your agency, I can help. Through my many years of experience, I can share advice on topics including how to start an agency from scratch to reasons you should sell. You can check out all my tips, tricks, and everything you need to know in my blogs. I have covered a wide variety of topics as well as answered your questions in more from my Ask Swenk series. Are videos more your thing? You can check out my AskSwenk series and more of my videos on my YouTube channel for advice from myself and other agency experts.

How Do You Scale Facebook Ads Once You Have Some Success? There are different ways to improve your Facebook marketing to increase your audience reach and brand awareness. Some agency owners aren't aware of the correct way to scale Facebook ads to reach these potential leads and are ultimately damaging their marketing efforts. I explain how you can scale Facebook ads for your agency once you have started to gain some success. There are 3 types of scaling you can do to increase your reach of your Facebook marketing. Most people are scaling their ads the wrong way which will hurt their results. Discover the right way to scale your ads. Tier 1 Scaling Duplicate the ad set and trying increasing the budget on the duplicate ad set. Don't just increase the budget of the ad set that is working. I determine what I should budget per ad set by how big the audience is. Audience usually support about $10/day per 10,000 in the audience. Tier 2 Scaling Upload your subscribers as custom audiences, then create look alike audiences (Test with winning ads) Upload your buyers as custom audiences, then create look alike audiences. (Test with winning ads.) Create look alike audiences from conversion pixels (Do not create until you have 1000 conversions) Install a retargeting pixel on all pages including your funnel, then create a look alike based on the retargeting pixel. (Do not create until you have 1000 conversions.) Repeat the process with different countries. Tier 3 Scaling Take your winning campaign that is a Website conversion goal, and create a Website click campaign to the look a like audiences Do the same thing to the other types of campaigns, and test. Want to go deeper into Facebook marketing, as well as lead generation? You need to check out the 5 systems I use for generating over 25+ leads a day. http://generateleadseveryday.com Take Your Agency to the Next Level I have shared with you how to scale your Facebook ads and reach potential leads you need to take it to the next level but this may not be the only struggles you need to focus on. Don't worry, I have all you need to get through these obstacles. No matter what you need advice on, I have more than likely covered it. From topics such as handling a recession to ways of using your social media community to expand your brand awareness. Or maybe you want to know the four phases of growth within your agency and want extra help in easing through agency growing pains? I have all the information you need to help you through it. You can learn more about my life and my experience as well as lots of tips, tricks and insights by reading my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics. If videos are more your thing, don't worry, I've got you covered! You can check out more from my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my YouTube channel. There you will find advice from myself and other agency experts.

In this episode learn the 12 things you can do to make your live stream more interactive, which is the next big thing in social media marketing.

If you are struggling to convert your leads into client opportunities, you might not understand your traffic and this is where you lose them. I am going to show you how to avoid losing these essential client opportunities. Understanding your traffic and how to convert more leads into opportunities I get questions all the time about how to drive more traffic to an agency website. I've developed a great program for generating leads but first I think it's important to really understand the three types of traffic and how to talk to them in order to convert them from being just traffic to being an opportunity. Here are the 3 types of site traffic and what you need to know about each. Traffic You Own - this traffic has opted in and asked for you to market to them. You have contact information such as email address, and phone number, and they belong to your list. Traffic You Control - this is the traffic you are steering toward your website or landing page using AdWords, PPC, Facebook ads, etc. You are in control of how they found you and what they know about you. Traffic You Don't Control - things like search engines and PR drive this type of traffic to your site but you don't have any control of it. Once you understand where your traffic is and isn't coming from, you can categorize them as cold, warm and hot leads, then determine how to talk to them. Cold Traffic Cold traffic has little to no idea who you are or what you have to offer. The best way to educate them further is to identify a problem they have and direct them to a landing page for solving it. Using this question and payoff as your lead magnet is a great way to turn cold traffic into traffic you control. (My JasonSwenk.com example: "Are you constantly relying on word of mouth and referrals to generate leads?") Warm Traffic Warm traffic has heard of you and is somewhat familiar with who you are and what you do. You can convert warm traffic to Traffic You Control by leading with a question about an outcome they desire. (My JasonSwenk.com example: "Do you want to grow your agency to 7 or 8 figures?") Hot Traffic Hot traffic knows who you are, understands what you do, and how you can help solve their problem or deliver something they desire. You can lead off with your sales proposition because they already know, like, and trust you. Using this information you should now be able to gauge the temperature of your different types of traffic and where they're coming from, then move forward with speaking to them in a way that increases conversions. You can read more about how I generate leads, including the 5 systems I use (for free) by heading over to Generateleadseveryday.com. And, if you like this advice you can watch my live broadcasts on Periscope or subscribe to my YouTube channel where I post regular videos to help you learn to grow and scale your business. Discover the best Digital Agency Strategies today. Get Online Training to help you set up the right systems and strategies to help you grow faster. What Does Your Agency Do With More Client Opportunities? With more client opportunities, this means you could be bringing in bigger clients which will bring your agency to the next level in growth and authority. However, if you don't have all your other struggles smoothed out, it will be a disaster. So now is the chance to fix it. By looking at the bigger picture of your agency, you can focus on areas you haven't explored yet as well as struggles you need to focus on to improve your business, and then check out how I have all you need to get through these obstacles. I have a bank of advice to share with you from my own experiences. This can be how to increase conversions on your website, ways to implement Facebook in your marketing strategy, why building authority to improve your agency is important, and the best way to pitch to big brand clients. If growth is your focus, I've discussed the different phases of growth within your agency and the three questions you need to ask yourself to sell your services to more customers. You can learn more about my career and experiences as well as lots of tips, tricks, and insights by reading my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics. Check out more from my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my YouTube channel. There you will find advice from me and other agency experts.

How to Become the Best Presenter Today I was thinking about how to sell ideas effectively. A person can have the best idea in the world, but if that person cannot convince enough people, it doesn't matter. But what if they could be the best presenter of their ideas? One of the best presenters was Steve Jobs. What made him the best was he started with the BIG PICTURE rather than the details. When the iPhone came out, he started with the following: "Apple reinvents the phone." He could have started with: "We have developed the first smartphone by Apple that is easy to use, an iPod and a phone. The big pictures get us drawn in and interested to here more. People crave meaning before details. In every presentation Steve did, he was able to inform, educate and entertain us. He knew the problems he wanted to solve and the benefits of the solutions he provided. Most importantly he connected with his customers by explaining to them why they should care. One of the other great things he did was bring numbers to life. When Apple launched the iPod, Steve Jobs could have focused on the 5GB hard drive, but he came out saying that you could store 1,000 songs in your pocket. He also used great imagery. When the Macbook Air came out, he could have said that the Macbook Air was fast, easy to use, small, and cover all the hardware specs, but Steve Jobs said this is "the world's thinnest laptop" and showed an image of the laptop that was smaller than an envelope. Steve Jobs sold dreams, not products. He believed that he was selling a solution that allowed everyone to be creative and explore. He just happened to be selling computers. He knew his customers didn't care about his company, but they cared about themselves. That is why he focused on the big picture, informing, educating, entertaining, bringing numbers to life and great imagery. Discover the best Digital Agency Strategies today. Get Online Training to help you setup the right systems and strategies to help you grow faster. Become a Great in Your Agency Becoming the best presenter could open you up to opportunities in giving talks and presentations which could leads to bringing in new clients. This could bring your digital agency to the next level in growth and authority. By looking at the bigger picture of your agency, you can focus on areas you haven't explored yet as well as struggles you need to focus on to improve your business and then check out how I have all you need to get through these obstacles. I have a bank of advice to share with you from my own experiences. This can be how to increase conversions on your website, ways to implement Facebook in your marketing strategy, why building authority to improve your agency is important and the best way to pitch to big brand clients. If growth is your focus, I've discussed the different phases of growth within your agency and the three questions you need to ask yourself to sell your services to more customers. You can learn more about my career and experiences as well as lots of tips, tricks and insights by reading my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics. Check out more from my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my YouTube channel. There you will find advice from myself and other agency experts.

4 Steps to Capturing Leads... Snagging Them Hook, Line and Sinker If your biggest issue right now within your agency is capturing leads, especially from big clients, then you are probably going about it the wrong way. There's a big difference between generating leads and capturing leads… and it's a lot like fishing. Think about the term "fishing" for a moment. Do you actually want to "go fishing" or do you really want to "go catching"? To be successful, it's the latter. You can go fishing by dropping a pole in a random location with random bait and you might get lucky, but usually you just spend tons of time and come up empty. BUT, if you have some strategy in place: the right location, the right bait and the right tools you will have greater chances for success. [ctt title="4 steps to CAPTURING more leads and why it's like catching fish" tweet="4 steps to CAPTURING more leads and why it's like catching fish: http://ctt.ec/p8U4Y+ via @jswenk #leads" coverup="p8U4Y"] 1. Know WHO you're fishing for: Be very specific on who your ideal client is. You know who you can help, so don't be afraid of reaching out to that very particular target. For example, when you start out fishing you already know what type of fish you're going out for, like red snapper or blue marlin. Be THAT specific in your business. 2. Know WHERE the fish are: Red snapper are near the reef at the bottom of the sea while blue marlin are at the weed line and found while trolling. Learn where your fish are congregating and capture them there. Is it Facebook, Linkedin? Do they use specific technology. "Fish where the fish are biting!" 3. Know WHAT bait attract your fish: When you're fishing, it might be lures or live bait, which could be worms, crickets or even other fish. In business, your bait is your lead magnet. What is something of value that you can provide for free that solves a problem or fills a need your prospects have? Prove you are valuable right away by giving them something they love in exchange for their contact information and they'll be hooked! 4. Know WHEN to pull the line in: You can be in the right place and bait the right fish but you can still lose the catch if you try reeling in the line too soon. Avoid having your prospects jump the line by using a nurture campaign that educates while building a relationship of trust and establishing your authority. In fishing and in business, if you don't know the who, where, what and when of the catch you're going after you'll end up unprepared and empty-handed. How to Improve So I have shared the best ways of capturing leads for your agency but don't just stop there. To improve your agency, you should take a step back and really look struggles you need to focus on to improve your business. I have all you need to get through these obstacles. I have advice on topics from gaining agency exposure in the news, how to build authority for your agency, or even ways to use facebook marketing strategies to expand your brand awareness. If growth is your focus, I've discussed the four phases of growth within your agency and how website issues could be holding your business back from reaching your potential. You can learn more about my life and my experience as well as lots of tips, tricks, and insights by reading my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics. If videos are more your thing, don't worry, i've got you covered! You can check out more from my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my YouTube channel. There you will find advice from me and other agency experts.

Are you finding it overwhelming in your agency working out what are priority tasks and what are tasks you can give to your team? Feeling overworked is a very easy rut to fall into as an agency owner and here's how you can get out of it. How to Focus on Growing Your Agency Instead of Just Running It It's common for every entrepreneur to feel bogged down by tasks and buried by a growing to do list. We are always so busy being reactive instead of proactive and there's never a chance to get ahead. It's like that client that is never happy and constantly calling or emailing… the squeaky wheel gets the oil, right? But that doesn't add any horsepower to your business. You need to work on the modifications to the engine before you oil the squeaky wheel. Don't focus on the little things that have no impact on the growth of the business and concentrate more on the high impact items. It's Too Hard to See the Forest for the Trees That's OK! I've created a worksheet that you can use when you are feeling overwhelmed. Start by making a list of everything that needs done. Then determine whether it absolutely must be done by you. Decide if its something that can be solved by technology or if you can delegate it to a team member or outsource it. (For example, before I had a team I outsourced show notes to a virtual assistant.) Consider the cost vs. the time it will take and what else you could be doing in that your time. After you know which tasks must be done by you, then you can rate them: high impact long term, high impact short term and low impact. If you aren't sure how to rank your tasks, check out my blog post about the Productivity Funnel. High impact items include growth opportunities, revenue and client generating tasks. Low impact items include checking emails, one-off project work, etc. Recognizing Priority Tasks With few exceptions, you should always work on the high-impact long-term items first. There are times I've put high-impact short-term tasks as a higher priority. An example might be during a cash flow crunch and a high-impact short-term task will bring in revenue. Always Give Priority to High Impact Action Items If you're spending time on low-impact, low priority tasks you are unable to focus on your biggest and best opportunities for growth. Decide what gets you closer to your BIG goals then backfill with the lower impact tasks. Discover the best Digital Agency Strategies today. Get Online Training to help you setup the right systems and strategies to help you grow faster. Building Your Business You can build your business by identifying priority tasks that need your attention and when you get out of the overworked and overwhelmed rut, you are on the way to building the best digital agency possible. Through my own career and professional life, I have more than likely experienced all if not most of the different struggles you have and can help you with what I have learned. From bad agency clients, to developing agency products as well as how you can build authority for your agency. If you want to grow your agency even further, I have agency growth hacks, the best ways to improve management of your business as well and why building a remote team can be beneficial in the long run. As well as this, you can learn more about my career as well as tips, tricks, and insights by checking out my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics. I also hear the experience and advice from other successful agency experts in my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my YouTube channel.

How can you create more video for your agency content? In this brief episode, Jason shares his tips and tricks for live streaming and video marketing.

A lot of entrepreneurs like to create an e-book but they don't multi-purpose this content as well as they could. Check out this short #AskSwenk episode for some tips and tricks on creating micro content, across many different platforms to get more life from it.

Are you using CRM software the best way to track leads for your business? If you are facing some challenges, I can help. What are the best ways of using CRM Software to track leads and project cashflow? Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is HUGE in any industry where you've got multiple leads at various stages in the sales process. CRM software is a must in keeping organized and optimizing every opportunity. The best way to use CRM is to create levels and use the levels to get a handle on cash projections. [ctt title="Here are 3 steps you can take to manage your relationships and get a snapshot of revenue. " tweet="Here are 3 steps you can take to manage your relationships and get a snapshot of revenue. http://ctt.ec/j_kgW+ via @jswenk #agencycrm" coverup="j_kgW"] Step 1: Create Levels My agency had four levels in our CRM system for prospects who requested to be contacted. Level 1 - This level is people we needed to chat with and qualify. Remember to use my NBAT technique to qualify leads quickly. If you don't know about NBAT, watch this quick video about assessing Need, Budget, Authority and Timing. Level 2 - These people were qualified and needed a meeting to sell our foot in the door offer, such as a discovery or audit. (More on that in this post.) Level 3 - Leads at this level were ones in the proposal stage. We had qualified them and established a relationship in levels 1 and 2. Level 4 - This level was only for the done deal, after we got approvals and sign offs to proceed. Remember when you set up your levels, these are just for potential customers who ASKED to be contacted. People who enter your system through a lead magnet, should stay in the "lead bucket" until they indicate otherwise. Step 2: Assign Percentages to Your Levels For revenue forecasting purposes, we assigned percentages to each level. You can start by using my numbers below and fine tune them once you have a good handle on your own rates. Level 1 - About 10% of the people in this level will turn into sales. Level 2 - Roughly 25% in this level convert to sales. Level 3 - Between 50-75% of these prospects will become clients. Level 4 - Anywhere from 75-100% will close the deal. Step 3: Plug In the Numbers Use the percentages and get a great snapshot of your cash projection. Use this to analyze your accounting systems, accounts receivable, recurring revenue and more. Grow Your Digital Agency Once you know how to optimise your cash projections using CRM software, it's now time to look at the bigger picture of your agency, you can focus on areas you haven't explored yet as well as struggles you need to focus on to improve your business and then check out how I have all you need to get through these obstacles. I have covered everything from increasing website conversions, how to implement Facebook in your marketing strategy as well as why building authority to improve your agency is important. If growth is your focus, I've discussed the different phases of growth within your agency and the three questions you need to ask yourself to sell your services to more customers. You can learn more about my career and experiences as well as lots of tips, tricks and insights by reading my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics. Check out more from my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my Youtube channel. There you will find advice from myself and other agency experts.

Are you starting to look into the opportunities available if you were to sell your agency? Are you unsure of how you can value your agency correctly and make it appealing to buyers? It can be super exciting when someone is interested in acquiring your agency… right up until the time that it gets super overwhelming. Here are the steps you need to take to make sure that when you sell your agency, it goes as smoothly as possible while also benefiting you and your employees the most. How to Sell Your Agency #1 Know what your agency is worth and the amount you need to have to walk away. Do you want to know the Agency Valuation Formula? These deals are done in a two-tier structure: cash amount and earn out. Come up with your cash amount figure, present it to the buyer and make sure you're happy with the amount. Most earn outs are structured in a way that make them unachievable, so don't get your heart set on earning it. #2 Resist the urge to celebrate. Celebrations and telling people too soon could seriously bite you in the ass. If someone is inquiring, they have interest but there is no deal in place. Keep it "business as usual" and try not to mentally spend all that money you think you're going to get in the buyout. #3 Be helpful without disclosing too much before you get the Letter of Intent. You'll feel the need to provide a ton of information to make sure the deal pans out. Stop yourself from tipping your hand too much. This buyer is probably a competitor, so why would you tell them all your secrets? They will want to know things like: margins, revenue, growth, client list, employees, and all that is alright to share. But don't start handing over documents, processes, or anything that is not necessary for them to get the full scope of the potential transaction. And, anything they ask you is fair game for you to ask them in return. Ask relevant questions to make sure they have the capability to buy. #4 The Letter of Intent LOIs resemble written contracts, but are usually not binding on what the purchaser evaluates your agency's worth. It is always good to know how to evaluate the worth of your agency, check out my Agency Valuation Chart as a starting point to see what your agency might be worth. The chart shows you the EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amoritization). #5 Due diligence phase. Keep things quiet and keep moving your business forward. Instead of daydreaming of ways to spend your new income, act like it's not going to happen. Reality check: it may not happen. These things collapse all the time and if you check out now, your business bottoms out and you're left with no deal and no agency. In the meantime, learn what you can about your buyer. What their intentions or reasons for the acquisition? Do they want your clients? Do they need you for your specialization? Are they trying to expand in your geographical location? Learn what you can to help make this is smooth transition for your employees IF (not when) the time comes. Are you ready to kick it into gear and grow your agency into something worth buying? You might want to check out my Agency Mastermind group. This is a group of like-minded individuals that meets every other week , so it's not a huge time commitment but the benefits are immeasurable. You can read more details here and if you're interested there is a brief application process. You'll fill out a quick form and I'll let you know if the group is a good fit for you. Improve Your Agency and Become a Better Agency Owner! Through my years of experience, It's allowed me to provide advice on many topics from the struggles you may face with failing economies and recessions to how accepting a speaking opportunity can create business and the four phases of growth you may experience within your agency. Want extra help in taking your agency to the next level and sell your agency for a larger profit? Or want to become a better agency owner? Learn more about me and my experience and find lots of tips, tricks and insights by reading our blogs that cover a wide variety of topics! If videos are more your thing, don't worry, i've got you covered! Check out my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my Youtube channel for advice from myself and other agency experts.

Agency Partner: How to Grow a Successful Agency with One Have you ever considered running your business with an agency partner? It's not easy being agency stakeholders and close friends but in this episode, these two ladies have it all figured out. Renee Warren and Heather Carson, co-founders of Onboardly, a demand marketing agency servicing clients in PR, content marketing, and social media talk with me about their secrets... Secrets to successful partnerships, secrets to their agency growth, and the one secret every new startup owner needs to know. What's the Secret to a Great Partnership? I usually tell people, "You either know the bad partner or you are the bad partner." Not true for Renee and Heather. They get along like besties and they tell me it's because they have rules for keeping business and friendship separate. They are careful to keep the lines drawn and clear about when they're wearing their "friend hat" or their "founder hat". They say this distinction has really made a lot of hard conversations go more smoothly than they might've otherwise. Heather and Renee also told me another key to their successful partnership is trust. Both ladies are totally confident that the other has the company's best interest at heart when making decisions or representing the business. There's no control freak in this duo! Another thing they've found helpful is bringing a mentor or advisor in when they've needed some guidance or third-party input. (Not to brag but they did give me some props here.) And, even if it's not me, I agree that an unbiased opinion from an outsider can really benefit an agency partner and solopreneurs. Learn from the mistakes and successes of those who have been there and done it. What are the Secrets to Agency Growth? Onboardly was established in 2011. Throughout those four years, Renee and Heather have learned a few things about growing their agency. Here are their 3 tips for actualizing growth: 1. Shared Goals For starters, these partners share the same goals and have a growth mindset. When their company reached a plateau in the third year, they decided to focus on removing the obstacles that were standing in their way. They articulate their goals to each other and their team, and don't let excuses get in the way. 2. Laser Focus Target Not only do they have a specific niche, but Heather and Renee are also very selective in which clients they will work with inside that niche. These ladies are clear that they will only work with clients that will allow them to produce good work. They won't spin their wheels on clients that require too much red tape or hand-holding. And over the past few years, Heather has honed her process for vetting clients which saves them a lot of time and energy in the long run. 3. Say No They've done it. Even when it was hard, Renee and Heather have turned down work from family and friends. They've turned away work from clients who couldn't afford them. They have had those awkward "thanks, but no thanks" conversations that keep the integrity of their business intact. What's One Secret for New Entrepreneurs? These ladies believe that if you get into business for any reason other than yourself, you're in it for the wrong reason. Knowing your "why" creates the playbook for your entire organization. It defines your culture, your employees, your clients... it becomes everything. In hindsight, if they'd known and articulated their purpose sooner it may have changed the trajectory of their entire business. Bottom line: be true to your story and don't lose sight of it. So, What Exactly Is 'Onboardly'? They are the startup for startups. Now, they're not in their early stages anymore but they still act like a startup. They model their clients by using the same systems and technology. They want to be able to relate to and provide value to their clients. Looking for a third-party opinion to help your agency grow? Would you like to meet other agency owners that have achieved what you're aspiring towards? That's what my Agency Mastermind group is all about. As a group and a team... we will work together to figure out the best sales, operations, and marketing strategies needed to exceed your goals. In other words, you will have all of the help you need to crush it! Learn more by clicking here... Become a Better Agency Owner Having an agency partner to run your business with you can bring many benefits but I suggest making sure to take my advice and find someone that is the best fit for you when you are ready to start your journey with an agency partner. Taking a step back and reviewing any other areas of weakness in your agency, how else I can help? During my time in the industry, I have had my own experience running my own digital agency and helping other digital agency owners so there are many topics where I can offer guidance. Whether you are experiencing challenges as an established agency or a new agency unsure of what the different phases of growth you will experience will

4 Quick Tips To Save You Time and Energy Prospecting Clients If you've ever spent time spinning your wheels on a pitch only to find out you weren't talking to the decision maker, they don't have the budget, or they have unrealistic time frame then here are four things you need to do right away. Think of N.B.A.T. before engaging in any new project conversation... N - Need: Ask what the specific needs are and what specific end results they're expecting. Ask how this project fits in with the overall company vision. If they need to pull in another person to answer that question, hold onto that nugget of information. B - Budget: Ask for the the budget. More often than not, you won't get an actual number so act like a reverse auctioneer… Start with a ridiculously high number saying, "Is your budget $500,000, or $400,000, maybe $300,000…?" They either give you a more realistic range or the name of someone who knows. Hold onto that nugget of information, too! A - Authority: Were they able to answer the questions about need and budget? If not, and they gave you an other name or two, then you know who you really need to be talking to. T - Timing: Only you know what you can do and how long it takes. You might really want or even need this project but, if the timing has unrealistic parameters you are setting yourself up for failure. Become an Agency Mastermind Prospecting clients can be a major pain but I hope these steps improve your processes and get your agency moving more smoothly. This may be only one of a number of processes you need to focus on within your agency to improve it as a whole but I can help you get through all of it. I can give you advice on what to do when you are presented with new client opportunities as well as the different ways of building agency authority. Growing your agency can be a major goal for many agency owners. I can show you the different phases of growth you will experience, how placing a process for performance based pricing can be the best pricing strategy for your business and the three questions you need to ask yourself to sell more! You can also learn about my career and different experiences as well as lots of tips, tricks and insights by checking out my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics. Check out more from my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my YouTube channel. There you will find advice from myself and other agency experts.

How to Be So Successful You Can Accelerate Business and Turn Clients Away Ever wonder what it would feel like to accelerate business to such a level you can turn down work? That's exactly what my client, Matthew Arndt, CEO of Turbo Medical Marketing is able to do with his business. In this episode of The Smart Agency Master Class, Matt shares exactly what he has done to get to his agency to that point. 3 Ways to Accelerate Business Right Now... 1. Be Super Specific: It Will Draw In the Right Clients Turbo Medical Marketing is a digital agency specializing in medical aesthetics (ie. cash pay medicine such a: plastic surgery, dermatology, ophthalmology, medical spas and their related industry partners who work with the same practitioners). Wow. Super specific, right? Matt says he's seen huge benefit from really laser focusing on a very specific market. Because the medical field is so huge, he had to pinpoint a particular audience to gear all his marketing efforts. He understands the challenges and issues they face and knows exactly who/how he can help. Also, since business today is about belonging, he has become a servant to the medical aesthetics community. Turbo has built a reputation of being the go-to agency with proven results which has helped to accelerate business. 2. Be Patient: Nurturing Your Leads is Key for Growth A key turning point in Turbo Medical Marketing's business was the development of an automated email campaign used to warm up leads. They already had a ton of content but getting into the right hands at the right time has made a huge impact on their business. Don't be tempted to go in for the kill right away. Nurturing leads is so key to long term relationships and agency growth. It starts conversations and provides the opportunity to understand which of your core offerings are the right fit for a particular client. 3. Be a Partner: It Triangulates a Win Partnering with a third-party who has mutual interest can reap huge rewards and score a win for everyone involved. Matt was able to cultivate relationships with medical equipment and non-prescription drug reps who sell high ticket products to his clients in the medical aesthetics field. These reps also have marketing budgets allocated to value added campaigns. That means these reps actually give doctors marketing dollars to spend on promoting the equipment or drug they just purchased. Triple win…. The rep scores a win by giving something back to their customer. It sets up the doctors for a win by bringing in new patients to offset the cost of their investment. And, of course Matt wins by bringing in new agency business... Win - Win - Win. Ask yourself what kind of partners can help propel your business? What can you do for them? Find mutual benefit and go after it. Why Even Consider Turning Down Business? It's counterintuitive to turn down work, isn't it? Matt struggled with it for awhile too, but when he took the time to identify what his ideal clients looked like he realized the opportunity cost of taking on the wrong ones was too big to ignore. Sure, the wrong clients will bring in a small amount of revenue and but they'll also bring a huge amount of headaches. The tradeoff is just not worth it. As a business owner you're watching the bills roll in and may even be worried about payroll. It's tempting to take on a project that isn't quite the right fit or to work with a borderline bad client just to pay the bills. Before you do it, weigh the costs and long term effects on your business. If a client or project isn't going to get you where you want to go - just don't. Stop 'Getting Ready to Get Ready' and Take Action! Matt credits podcasts as his main source of inspiration for accelerating his agency and clients' business. He has incorporated podcast listening into his daily routine as a way to learn passively and find new ways to accelerate his agency and/or his clients' business. But it's not just the listening that important -- its the implementation. As business owners we have a million little reasons not to take action, but one really BIG reason why we should. Actions lead to transactions. Check out this approach.... I've created a FREE video on Generating More Leads. It talks about the 5 Systems my clients and I use to generate 25 or more leads every day. I use this strategy as a goodwill offering and as a way to get new conversations started. Check it out here. Growing Your Digital Agency I've now shared my advice with you on how you can accelerate business for your digital agency but what other issues are within your agency that needs your attention? Take a step back, look for weak spots in your business and then think of how you can fix them. No matter what challenge your agency is facing, I can help you get through all of it. From my experience in the industry, there are many topics I can offer guidance from the different phases of growth you will experience to how you can build authority for your agency. Growing your agency can

How to Grow Your Agency with a Target Audience of One Sounds a bit crazy but today's guest, Chris Brogan, says not only should you find your niche but why you should really drill down and create a target audience of a particular person to exert your marketing efforts. Chris is CEO of Owner Media Group as well as a long-time blogger, professional speaker, author and consultant on using media and engagement to build a better marketplace. He's worked with brands like Coke, Google, Comcast, and Pepsi but he's also been consulting with smaller businesses as well. Why Focus on an "Audience of One" Target Audience When There are So Many People to Reach? "We live in a world where even a toilet knows you've left and automatically flushes but a person in the same room as you can be so absorbed in their phone they hardly notice you," says Chris. Be the toilet. Help people feel seen and heard. To do this, identify a very specific target audience (don't worry about reaching everyone and don't worry about scaring people away). There are commonalities among individuals; find those and market to them in that way. Chris uses the example of Napa Auto Parts and Ace Hardware stores. Sure, they're in completely different industries but the common trait is that they're retailers for the Do-It-Yourself-er. The principle is the same for both - buy the parts, install them on your own. Find the similarities while treating them uniquely. And, to REALLY reach your Audience of One: DON'T try to be the next "Thought Leader". Flooding media with streams of content streams - which usually ends up just being links to articles - doesn't help or serve anyone. Don't add to the chaos. DO find a way to inform, entertain and equip your prospective clients for success. Make them the hero in their own story. Give away your ideas and the framework. They will still come to your for implementation and adding value. Think about it - even if they have the recipe most people still prefer sitting down to be served at a restaurant. DON'T think for a minute that everyone is reading everything you put out there. They aren't able to watch your every move. (But what a great problem to have if they were!) DO feel free to recycle your content by finding a different way to present it. If you are providing value and serving your audience, it's OK to repeat yourself or explain it in a different way to reach different people. [clickToTweet tweet="3 NEW Golden Rules of Business to Know Right Now: " quote="3 NEW Golden Rules of Business to Know Right Now: "] Business is about belonging. People want to be part of something, so make your business a servant to their community. Access is the new aloofness. Be available and reach out personally. People buy from people, not from brands or businesses. Connect and serve. Community and engagement go a long way. If you can connect people to each other and provide value for both, your extension of goodwill will gain their loyalty and trust. In terms of terms of tools, Chris believes we are done with multi-billion user platforms. People are trending toward community-based platforms that serve a purpose in their corner of the world. He feels applications like Bonfire and Whatsapp, the smaller group-based community platforms, are going to the upcoming trend. Above All, Just Be You Don't try to be like the big agencies. Chris and I both agree the key to a successful business is having great relationships. Be personal, be available, and take a genuine interest in your clients and community. The big agencies may have tons of clients but that only means they can afford to tick off a few. When you're being yourself you'll attract clients who are like-minded. Working with people you would actually hang out with socially makes for smoother, seamless work. Improve Your Agency and Become a Better Agency Owner! Want extra help in taking your agency to the next level and becoming a better agency owner? You can find lots of tips, tricks, and insights by reading our blogs that cover a wide variety of topics or if videos are more your thing, visit my YouTube channel!

4 Simple Steps to Generating More Agency Leads Immediately Ever find yourself churning out content but never seem to bring in more leads? In this episode of Ask Swenk, I show you how you can generate more agency leads without the need for more content from your team. Leads - we need them and they need us! Take a look at Google Analytics and find out which are your best performing blog posts. What content are you putting out there that is getting the most hits? Now, knowing what information your leads are seeking via your blog posts, revise your call to action on them… No more "Contact Me Now" crap. That is not a call to action, that is a passive cop out. Come up with a worksheet or template people can use to solve the problem or combat the issue that made them read your blog post in the first place. This should be something useful that you send after they opt-in with their email address ~ A.K.A. your lead magnet. Use the lead magnet as your call to action. Also, take another look at the headlines you're using. Add words that will get immediate attention, such as: "How to Do Something COOL and Not Do Stuff That SUCKS." Then get specific, like: "How to Do Something COOL and Not Do Stuff that SUCKS, If You're a Digital Agency. Take action like this and your leads will skyrocket right away. This is just a sneak peek at the advice in my Generate Leads Everyday program. This was once a live event but I'm releasing it now on video. My clients are seeing success by immediately implementing my strategies to generate 25+ leads every single day. If you want in on the action, head over to GenerateLeadsEveryday.com or click here to check it out. Be the Best Agency Owner You now know how generating agency leads without increasing your content is possible but what else do you need to do to become the best agency owner? You should take a step back and really look at areas you haven't explored yet as well as struggles you need to focus on to improve your business and then check out how I have all you need to get through these obstacles. I have advice to share with you from how to implement Facebook in your marketing strategy, ways of building authority to improve your agency or the best way to pitch to big brand clients. If growth is your focus, I've discussed the different phases of growth within your agency and how bad website issues could be holding your business back from reach your potential. You can learn more about my life and my experience as well as lots of tips, tricks and insights by reading my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics. If videos are more your thing, did you know I have a Youtube channel? You can check out more from my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my Youtube channel. There you will find advice from myself and other agency experts.

In this podcast, you'll get a peek into the habits, thoughts, and actions of a self-made millionaire as I talk with Jaime Tardy whose website, podcast and book all titled Eventual Millionaire have been guiding and inspiring entrepreneurs for years. She shares insights into what makes them tick and how you can position yourself into millionaire status. What Are Some Common Habits of a Millionaire? After interviewing over 200 millionaires Jaime says there are three common habits among them. Surprisingly, none of them have anything to do with daily routine such as diet or exercise however, she does find that they rarely watch much TV or movies - although, I am definitely the exception to the rule :) Instead, she has found common themes in their approach to business (and life): No Excuses Approach - To be prosperous you can't let your excuses stand in your way. We all have our reasons not to do something (no money, no time, etc.) but these are solvable. The millionaire gets it done despite their reasons or excuses. Continuous Forward Motion - Successful people aren't afraid to make a move - even if it's the wrong move. A lot of us are afraid to fail and let that hold us back. Some millionaires have had success right away but many fail 3 or 4 times before reaching success. Well, Jaime didn't actually get to divulge the third habit but you can read about it on her site. Fearing the Tall Poppy Syndrome It happens. When one person does really well people tend to wind up feeling bad about themselves. The typical reaction is resentment and oftentimes colleagues or peers will attack, criticize, or "cut down" the tall poppy among them. Don't let the fear of the tall poppy syndrome stop you. Succeed anyway. Jaime believes people with integrity should be the ones with money and influence as they're the ones who can do the most good with it. Jaime finds self-made millionaires are appreciative and humble. The stereotype is that the wealthy are also very greedy. However, the vast majority she talks to are some of the most giving and generous people she knows. Live the Life You Want Jaime learned the lesson the hard way with her own career. At a very early age she had a six-figure corporate career, expense account, big house and an expensive car. Sounds awesome! But she hated her job and dreaded Sunday nights because they marked the end of a weekend and start of a new work week. In time she changed all that but admits it can be difficult when you don't have much cushion in your budget. She implores us to have the life we want and then consider money. "I made one decision in my life based on money. And I swore I would never do it again." ~ Brad Pitt as Billy Beane in Moneyball Never make decisions based on money alone. I know what you're thinking: "Sure, it's easy to turn down money when you already have it." As an agency owner you have responsibilities and pressures like payroll and other fixed costs. You might be tempted to take on some of the wrong clients just to pay the bills. I strongly caution you against this. Bad clients may pay you but the long-term expense of having them will far exceed the short-term fix they give you in your cash flow. Bad clients drain your time, your resources, and your energy. No one can run a successful business in that state. Calculate the Opportunity Cost Instead of taking on the wrong clients, take time to determine the opportunity cost. I looked at my own opportunity cost in January. By eliminating the wrong clients, I brought in an additional $35,000 in revenue. Here's the breakdown: With my screening process, I turned down 20 "wrong clients" for a $1,000 program. At a 75% close rate, I could have closed 15 of them and made $15,000. I would have spent one hour with each of those 20, but I utilized those 20 hours differently. By reallocating those 20 hours I worked on a program that made $50,000. The difference in how I spent my time brought in an incremental $35,000! How Highly Successful People Face Challenges Demands On Your Time: Many business owners get stuck in the daily operations of the business - dealing with challenges and putting out fires. And, in many cases, the owner is also the salesperson. So if their time is focused on operations, sales tend to suffer. Jaime's advice? Hire a salesperson - or if sales is your passion, hire someone to handle the fires! Measuring Your Monetary Goals: Most CEO's set business goals but often get too busy working the business to check the numbers and measure against the goals. Jaime advises to set monthly goals and then break them down into daily tasks. For example: Goal: $500,000 annual revenue = $42,000 monthly revenue. Take $42,000 divided by the average sale = the number of clients you need to close each month. If you know your close rate, you'll even be able to determine the number of prospects needed to get you to your goal. Then, go do it! Staying Focused: Running a business is hard and there are a lot of demands on your time and energy.

What's the Best Website Homepage for Converting Leads? Well, today you're in luck because we are going to talk about the best lead generation agency website ever. Their home page converts 60%! The optimum guy in funnel optimization, Zach Johnson - founder of GameChanger Profits, talks with me about his unique approach to converting leads. This is a must-listen episode. Would you like to have your home page convert 30% or better yet... 60%? We've all seen those agency websites that brag on their own capabilities and show off an impressive client list. Not GameChangerProfits.com. Their visitors land on a webinar registration page. It's all about giving value and converting a visitor into a lead by attending a webinar. That's it. No bragging, no bells, no whistles. The coolest thing about this home page... It is a templated webinar registration page from Leadpages. It took them zero design hours, so they could focus on closing all those leads :) Why A Webinar? According to Zach, the cost of converting a prospect from a paid Facebook ad is increasingly more expensive, so he uses his ad spending to convert his leads to a webinar where he can control the selling. The results? GameChanger Profits is seeing a 60% conversion rate from warm prospects and 30% from paid traffic. No joke. As you pick your jaw up off the floor, I'll walk you through a funnel that is working extremely well for an agency: Offer free, content-based webinar (30-60% conversion rate!) Pre-webinar warm-up email sequence Webinar with high-value content Consultation (some are free / some are paid - this in in test) Close 90-day commitment Biggest Funneling Challenge Zach sees a lot of clients who have an existing funnel and know what is working and what's not. The biggest challenge he sees is that his clients don't know what to do with the pieces that aren't working. Knowing what to fix can be the biggest hurdle. He suggests looking at the big picture utilizing a dashboard tool to pinpoint the weaknesses and guide you toward a fix. Most Common Funnel Mistake When it comes to mistakes, the biggest Zach sees is overly aggressive tactics that scare away clients. You may have a great, higher price point product but strong-arming a client to get there is a big turnoff and a major deal killer. Need Help Generating Leads? I am getting ready to relaunch my program, Generate Leads Every Day, to the public as a self-course rather than a live program. The program has been earning my clients 25+ new leads every day. If you want to start generating leads, you need to check out Generate Leads Every Day. Want More about How You Can Improve Your Agency and Yourself as an Agency Owner? You can read our blogs that cover a wide variety of topics or if videos are more your thing, visit my Youtube channel!

In this episode, learn how to get over burn out by being intentional with your activities outside of work. Reset and recharge your brain so that you can be more focused. Also, how can you hire the right people that believe in your vision and help your agency grow.

Do You Struggle With DOING? Find Out What is Missing and Get UNSTUCK If you are having issues getting things done so you can grow your agency it's not about hustling harder.... it's identifying what's missing. In this AskSwenk episode, learn how you can gain clarity in order to get unstuck and stop being stalled out on just doing so you can start growing.