Podcasts about agency university

In this episode, we'll cover goals and what you can do to push yourself when you're already in the top spot. Plus, we'll talk about the differences between the fear of failure and the regret of not trying at all. I had a conversation with my 12 year old son about his accomplishments in swimming and track. He's about to qualify for Junior Olympics for track, and I told him I was proud of him. I also challenged him to a 1-mile swim race. (I know he can DESTROY me in the pool, by the way!) But much to my surprise he hesitated.... Remember when you're low man on the totem pole, you're hungry for the top spot and willing to do whatever it takes. Most aren't afraid of failure because they have nowhere to go but up. However, the reverse is true when you're at the top, like my son. When you're at the top you have something to lose. Losing and failure become a real fear. If you "play down" and lose, it can take a toll on your reputation and morale. It's natural therefore to be more afraid failure and hesitate to even try because you've got more to lose. The same theory holds true in business. As you start to rise up and be on top, you've got more to lose so it might seem safer not to try at all. But that mentality is not going to grow your business. You have to push yourself even at the risk of failure. So how can you stay competitive when you're already on top? How can you make sure you stay in the lead? Stay focused, don't look in the rear view at the competition. Instead, chance your future self. Think about how much better you can be and go after it! Are you chasing your future self? Are you going to stop being afraid of failure? What kind of regrets do you have for not trying something, and are you ready to give them a try now? Tell me your story by commenting below. ******EXCLUSIVE AGENCY OWNER MASTERMIND****** Are you overwhelmed by all the information out there on various ways to grow your agency? Do you want direction on how you can grow your agency faster and easier? Then you’re in luck! I created an innovative mentorship called Agency University. Agency University is a program which provides the 1-on-1 mentorship and ongoing support that is crucial to the success of your agency. Check out http://Agency.University to see if its the right fit for you. ======================================================= SUBSCRIBE NOW to follow my entrepreneurial journey. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDvZHFVeqEMq58q6tMoyMK-ufpp0ysoVP ======================================================= Thanks for watching. I hope you keep up with the daily videos I post on my channel. Make sure you subscribe and share your learnings with others. Your comments are why I do this, so please take a second and say hello.  JASON SWENK IS AN AGENCY ADVISOR THAT GUIDES MARKETING AGENCIES THROUGH A PROVEN FRAMEWORK FOR GROWING THEIR AGENCY FASTER & EASIER. Fresh out of college Jason was off to work for Arthur Anderson, one of the big 5 consulting firms. He quickly realized that he could never work for anyone other than himself. He decided to change direction, launch a digital agency that quickly grew to a multi-million dollar operation working with brands such as AT&T, Hitachi and Lotus Cars. After 12 years of steady growth, the agency caught the attention of bigger agencies and Jason sold it in 2012. Now, Jason leads http://JasonSwenk.com, a unique media company & consultancy helping marketing agencies grow & scale their agencies faster by applying the framework that he used to grow, scale and eventually sell his agency. Jason has helped over 10,000 agencies in 23 countries meet or exceed their business goals. Jason currently hosts two shows that are available for download… The Smart Agency Master Class Podcast, dedicated to providing tactics and strategies to agency owners and decision makers that cut through the BS, focus on exactly what works and what doesn’t; and SwenkToday a daily VLOG that documents the entrepreneur journey of building another multimillion dollar business, where he share the latest strategies, and answers the most burning questions entrepreneurs have.  SCHEDULE MON-THUR VLOG #SwenkToday Q&A from my digital agency audience Ask me A Question http://jasonswenk.com/askswenk Podcast Wednesday: (Digital Agency Interviews) https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/smart-agency-masterclass-marketing/id870206013?mt=2&ls=1 or http://smartagencymasterclass.com Follow me here: Website: http://jasonswenk.com  Podcast: http://smartagencymasterclass.com  Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jasonswenk    Twitter: https://twitter.com/jswenk   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jswenk   Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonswenk   Medium: https://medium.com/@jswenk/  Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jasonswenk Music by epidemicsound.com

#2 in a series on Agency Sales Objection Handling: How do you respond to agency prospects when they say "send me more information"? In this video we'll cover ways to respond and how to ensure you don't waste your time and only work with the right prospects. Is it a put off or a sales objection when a prospect says "send me more information"? Hard to tell... so I always ask: WHAT, WHEN and WHY? WHAT - What would you like me to send to you? WHEN - When would you like me to send it? WHY - Why do you want more information? If they're blowing you off they won't have good answers to these questions. But, if they're legit then they will have a very specific piece of information, reason and timing. That's how you see if they're the real deal and decide whether they're worth you time. Next: agree to send the information and SET UP THE NEXT MEETING right then and there. That's how you're going to close more business and stop wasting time on the wrong prospects. Comment below and tell me what sales objections you're hearing out there. I'm doing a series of videos on handling objections and maybe I'll feature your question or complaint. RELATED: https://youtu.be/vI2EL323ze0 ******EXCLUSIVE AGENCY OWNER MASTERMIND****** Are you overwhelmed by all the information out there on various ways to grow your agency? Do you want direction on how you can grow your agency faster and easier? Then you’re in luck! I created an innovative mentorship called Agency University. Agency University is a program which provides the 1-on-1 mentorship and ongoing support that is crucial to the success of your agency. Check out http://Agency.University to see if its the right fit for you. ======================================================= SUBSCRIBE NOW to follow my entrepreneurial journey. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDvZHFVeqEMq58q6tMoyMK-ufpp0ysoVP ======================================================= Thanks for watching. I hope you keep up with the daily videos I post on my channel. Make sure you subscribe and share your learnings with others. Your comments are why I do this, so please take a second and say hello.  JASON SWENK IS AN AGENCY ADVISOR THAT GUIDES MARKETING AGENCIES THROUGH A PROVEN FRAMEWORK FOR GROWING THEIR AGENCY FASTER & EASIER. Fresh out of college Jason was off to work for Arthur Anderson, one of the big 5 consulting firms. He quickly realized that he could never work for anyone other than himself. He decided to change direction, launch a digital agency that quickly grew to a multi-million dollar operation working with brands such as AT&T, Hitachi and Lotus Cars. After 12 years of steady growth, the agency caught the attention of bigger agencies and Jason sold it in 2012. Now, Jason leads http://JasonSwenk.com, a unique media company & consultancy helping marketing agencies grow & scale their agencies faster by applying the framework that he used to grow, scale and eventually sell his agency. Jason has helped over 10,000 agencies in 23 countries meet or exceed their business goals. Jason currently hosts two shows that are available for download… The Smart Agency Master Class Podcast, dedicated to providing tactics and strategies to agency owners and decision makers that cut through the BS, focus on exactly what works and what doesn’t; and SwenkToday a daily VLOG that documents the entrepreneur journey of building another multimillion dollar business, where he share the latest strategies, and answers the most burning questions entrepreneurs have.  SCHEDULE MON-THUR VLOG #SwenkToday Q&A from my digital agency audience Ask me A Question http://jasonswenk.com/askswenk Podcast Wednesday: (Digital Agency Interviews) https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/smart-agency-masterclass-marketing/id870206013?mt=2&ls=1 or http://smartagencymasterclass.com Follow me here: Website: http://jasonswenk.com  Podcast: http://smartagencymasterclass.com  Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jasonswenk    Twitter: https://twitter.com/jswenk   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jswenk   Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonswenk   Medium: https://medium.com/@jswenk/  Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jasonswenk Music by epidemicsound.com

You know video marketing is where it's at right now, but are you struggling to get started? Do you want to generate leads using video but not sure how to get the right viewers? Wondering how to grow a YouTube channel and leverage it for your new business pipeline? It's time to learn how to utilize YouTube to grow new relationships, make connections, and build your authority. In this episode, we'll cover: #1 thing to grow your YouTube Channel. How to leverage YouTube as a search engine. How is YouTube ranking videos? 3 steps to a successful video. Today I chatted with Sean Cannell, YouTuber at Think Media and Video Influencers, international speaker and coach. Sean spends his time helping entrepreneurs build their influence through online video. Today he is providing us with insight and tips on building a YouTube channel and generating leads with video. #1 Thing To Grow Your YouTube Channel Clarity -  your agency needs to know: Where your agency wants to go. Who your agency is, in the marketplace. Who your agency wants to reach. To find this clarity, answer these 2 questions before posting videos: 1- Who is your target audience? Remember, broader is not better The riches are in the niches (yes, really!). 2- What is your value proposition to the target audience? What consistent value are you going to deliver? Articulated messages to get viewers to think: "Wow, this is exactly what I am looking for!" How often will your agency deliver content? Start out with at least a weekly video, then increase from there. How To Leverage YouTube As A Search Engine YouTube is less crowded than Google, as a search engine, so there is a lot of white space and opportunity. Just like with Google, the search bar in YouTube will predict phrases, based on common searches. So position your agency videos on the other side of people's questions. This will set your agency up to get "views while you snooze." How do you do this? It's simple: Take the top 20-30 FAQ's your agency gets and make a video answering each question. Position the videos to leverage search by embedding them in your agency blog or linking to your agency website. Create a library within YouTube, for easy linking access. By pushing people to YouTube, this encourages 'likes' and subscribers. Video content is powerful. It builds the important Know, Like, and Trust Factor. And Sean says it is 53% more likely to rank on the first page of Google (than written content is). Video is most people's preferred content format, which leads to a higher level of engagement and can help grow your agency! How is YouTube Ranking Videos? Minutes Matter Most! Originally YouTube would track views as a success metric. But, as click-bait started popping up, YouTube started to see the benefit of measuring minutes. YouTube learned that just because viewers where clicking on a video, it didn't mean that they were actually viewing the content. Impressions don't necessarily mean impact. However, a minute of someone's time, is a big deal. So, when you go into the metrics on your agency's YouTube channel, you will see analytics of minutes, views, and subscribers. YouTube values these metrics because, first and foremost, it is a business and makes money from advertising. So, they reward people and businesses that create lengthy content that get viewers to linger longer on their platform. 3 Steps To A Successful Video Step 1- The beginning. There are 3 parts to the beginning and should all work in unison. Title - this is what gets viewers to stop scrolling. Keep it straightforward. Having numbers is powerful, so consider things like: 5 Tips, 3 Reasons, etc. Thumbnail - this is what gets viewers to click on your video. The biggest mistake Sean sees is thumbnails with too much text. Hook - this is what gets viewers to stay and watch. The first couple minutes of your video should make them want to keep watching. Another great tactic is to include a teaser for a "bonus tip" at the end, to ensure longevity. Remember: online interaction is linear and progressive. Step 2 - the middle. Videos should be as long as they need to be, but as short as possible. Data has shown that the ideal video length is between 7-16 minutes. A video within this length performs 50% better than videos shorter or longer. But remember, minutes matter, so you want to get viewers to watch to the end. (That's where those "bonus" teasers become helpful.) If your agency wants to use "i" cards, you will not be penalized if you link away. On the other hand, YouTube will note the end of the viewing session. So be sure this use is intentional and strategic. Don't link away in every video. If viewers watch your videos to the end and increase the amount of minutes in your channel's metrics, YouTube will help grow your channel by suggesting it more often. YouTube analyzes the ultimate impact of what your agency's channel is putting out, but also understands that some viewing is programmatic (like with a TV network). It will not penalize if one "show" performs better than another. YouTube also rewards for an additional metric. This one is hard to achieve, but... When you get over 50% of your audience watching to the end of your videos (the "end" is considered to be anything >80%), YouTube will provide an algorithmic advantage to your channel. Step 3 - the end. Every video should include a call-to-action that keeps the viewer engaged.  There are 2 ways you can approach your CTA. Create a call-to-action, such as a lead magnet, that takes the viewer off platform but grows your agency email list. Utilize YouTube's free end cards to create clickable buttons that link to other relevant videos. Hint:  Create 2 clickable buttons... the first birst button links the viewer to a relevant video of your choice and the second button uses a back-end feature that lets YouTube decide what video the viewer should watch next based on viewing habits and relevancy. To learn more strategies, check out Sean's Tube Influence masterclass replay. Related:  https://jasonswenk.com/video-marketing/ Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency 3X Faster? Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency 3X Faster? Are you overwhelmed by all the information out there on various ways to grow your agency? Do you want direction on how you can grow your agency faster and easier? Then you’re in luck! I've created an innovative agency owner mastermind called Agency University. Agency University is a program which provides 1-on-1 mentorship, coupled with the ongoing group support that is crucial to the success of your agency. Click here to see if it’s the right fit for you!  

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

I'm going to go over a strategy that has brought in over $250,000 in revenue within a couple months. It's something I've been doing for over a year and I shared this with my mastermind group in April 2017. We're crushing it with Facebook Messenger Bots. Here's how: 1. Change your contact page to engage via Facebook Messenger. If you have a typical "contact form" that means you're stuck relying on email communication. So if a prospect is checking out your site and has questions you're unable to engage right away. In most cases, they move onto your competition or the issue becomes less urgent. When you follow-up with an email they open rate is significantly lower that an instant message, like Facebook Messenger. 2. Don't try to trick anyone into thinking your Bot is a human. Be upfront that you are using the bot to help get them get answers right away. Most people don't mind a couple screening questions before they actually get to be in touch with a human. Think about what questions you always ask, or what criteria you like your prospects to meet then create your Bot questions based on those. 3. At some point, a human needs to take over and have a real chat. The beauty is that the open rate for Messenger is significantly higher than email. People are carrying their phones in their pockets 24/7 and they're looking at it all the time. Once you've connected (via Bot) in Messenger, you'll stay connected to them. 4. When I take over for my Bot, I like to send someone a quick voice message. It usually surprises them and it's much more personal. And isn't that the whole point? So to recap, we're using a Messenger Bot to increase engagement and open rates. I'm letting the Bot do some of the screening work by letting them pick their own journey. Then I'm continuing the conversation as a real person, and usually with a my own voice (instead of text). Above all, I'm just helping people out.... and I'm seeing the results in sales revenue! My Agency Owner Mastermind group members having been using this strategy for over a year. Maybe you should check it out.... **** EXCLUSIVE AGENCY OWNER MASTERMIND **** Are you overwhelmed by all the information out there on various ways to grow your agency? Do you want direction on how you can grow your agency faster and easier? Then you’re in luck! I created an innovative mentorship called Agency University. Agency University is a program which provides the 1-on-1 mentorship and ongoing support that is crucial to the success of your agency. Check out http://Agency.University to see if its the right fit for you. =========================================== SUBSCRIBE NOW to follow my entrepreneurial journey. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDvZHFVeqEMq58q6tMoyMK-ufpp0ysoVP =========================================== JASON SWENK IS AN AGENCY ADVISOR THAT GUIDES MARKETING AGENCIES THROUGH A PROVEN FRAMEWORK FOR GROWING THEIR AGENCY FASTER & EASIER. Fresh out of college Jason was off to work for Arthur Anderson, one of the big 5 consulting firms. He quickly realized that he could never work for anyone other than himself. He decided to change direction, launch a digital agency that quickly grew to a multi-million dollar operation working with brands such as AT&T, Hitachi and Lotus Cars. After 12 years of steady growth, the agency caught the attention of bigger agencies and Jason sold it in 2012. Now, Jason leads http://JasonSwenk.com, a unique media company & consultancy helping marketing agencies grow & scale their agencies faster by applying the framework that he used to grow, scale and eventually sell his agency. Jason has helped over 10,000 agencies in 23 countries meet or exceed their business goals. Jason currently hosts two shows that are available for download… The Smart Agency Master Class Podcast, dedicated to providing tactics and strategies to agency owners and decision makers that cut through the BS, focus on exactly what works and what doesn’t; and SwenkToday a daily VLOG that documents the entrepreneur journey of building another multimillion dollar business, where he share the latest strategies, and answers the most burning questions entrepreneurs have.  SCHEDULE MON-THUR VLOG #SwenkToday Q&A from my digital agency audience Ask me A Question http://jasonswenk.com/askswenk Podcast Wednesday: (Digital Agency Interviews) https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/smart-agency-masterclass-marketing/id870206013?mt=2&ls=1 or http://smartagencymasterclass.com Follow me here: Website: http://jasonswenk.com  Podcast: http://smartagencymasterclass.com  Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jasonswenk    Twitter: https://twitter.com/jswenk   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jswenk   Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonswenk   Medium: https://medium.com/@jswenk/  Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jasonswenk Music by epidemicsound.com

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

Are you looking to become the authority in your agency’s niche? Writing a book can have a tremendous affect on your business by helping you build authority. You can also use your book to start conversations with potential clients and generate new agency business. Check out this simple strategy that is getting one digital agency owner some amazing results. In this episode, we’ll cover: Who has time to write a book? 3 easy steps to writing a book. 4 tips for using your book to generate new business. I had the opportunity to chat with Marty McDonald, co-founder and CEO of the full-service social media marketing agency, Bad Rhino. Marty has also authored the book, Great Beer Is NOT Enough. With over 12 years industry experience Marty found his agency's niche at a speaking engagement, where he realized the craft beer industry was underserved in the marketing arena. After building relationships (and a craft beer brand himself which he used as a testing ground), Marty found that he had acquired a ton of information. He decided to use this information to build authority within the niche by simply writing a book. On today's show he shares how he tackled this seemingly daunting task and how he uses it for lead generation, and relationship building. (P.S. It's not as daunting as you might think!) Who Has Time To Write A Book? The quick answer is, you do. (Yes, you!) Does your agency already produce e-books, and you think that’s good enough? It’s not. Using an e-book as a lead magnet is crap. No one digests them and they are easily overlooked or avoided. BUT an actual book, that a potential client can hold in their hands, that is something. It brings with it a sense of credibility and authority that no e-book can give you or your agency. 3 Easy Steps to Writing A Book The process can be broken down in a few easy steps: The longest part of the process comes in the front end, answering lots of questions in order to acquire enough content. Marty did his on audio, that he broke up into two hour chunks. If writing isn’t your thing, then get yourself a ghostwriter. Determine what size of book you are looking to create and hand over the audio with an outline to your writer. Edit the ghostwriter's copy making sure it matches your style and voice after each chapter, until your book is complete. 4 Tips for Using Your Book To Generate New Business Know your niche. When you find potential clients, send them a copy of your book. Do your mailings in short, little bursts. Do your research. Learn about the company your agency is going after and let them know you did your homework. Marty will place his business card in the chapter where he wants the potential client to start reading. The chapter he selects is based on the information he gathers beforehand. Build relationships. Use your book to start a conversation and be sure to add a personal touch. Marty includes a Bad Rhino branded thank you card in the book, with a hand written note. He also very rarely sends a book out if he isn’t familiar with the targeted prospect. Be reachable. Consider including your cell phone number on your business cards, if you don’t already, so book recipients can shoot you a text, if they are more comfortable. (Because even a text message can open up a conversation - and that's all you need :) ) These three easy tips has netted Marty with an approx. 70% response rate! Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency 3X Faster? Are you overwhelmed by all the information out there on various ways to grow your agency? Do you want direction on how you can grow your agency faster and easier? Then you’re in luck! I created an innovative mentorship called Agency University. Agency University is a program which provides the 1-on-1 mentorship and ongoing support that is crucial to the success of your agency. Click here to see if it’s the right fit for you.

Wondering how you can use Instagram to generate awareness and build your agency's brand? Look, not all social media platforms are the same, so don't treat them all the same. Are you struggling to build a following and find Instagram success for your agency brand? Then it's probably because you're committing some of the biggest Instagram mistakes. In this episode, learn some tips and tricks on how to utilize Instagram to build a culture and drive new business for your agency. In this episode, we'll cover: The #1 mistake agencies make with social media. 2 Strategies for Finding Success on Instagram. Rules for using direct message on Instagram. What to post and share for Instagram success. Today I chatted with Sue B. Zimmerman, entrepreneur and Instagram expert who consults others on upping their Instagram game. With 18 businesses under her belt and having taught social media, Sue has unlocked and embraced the power of Instagram for your marketing agency.  Today she shares with us how your agency can have success in order to start building a culture that cultivates relationships, with both prospective clients and potential employees. The #1 Mistake Agencies Make With Social Media Every platform is NOT the same and should not be treated as such. Your agency should be choosing platforms that serve your audience and which you enjoy engaging in. Social media, as a tool, should not be a "post and dash," scenario. For success with social platforms, your agency must hang out, show up and engage. Automating posts might seem efficient, but it can be your biggest downfall. Interactions need to be personal in order to start building relationships. 2 Strategies for Finding Success On Instagram The magic of Instagram are the micro-communities that exist within. When you invest the time to seek out these micro-communities you'll find more and better opportunities to engage. 1- Search Hashtags Use the explore tab (magnifying glass icon) and type in a word or phrase of relevance for your prospective clients. Tap on 'People' to see who is using that word and view the profiles of people your agency or client would want to do business with. Check out their posting habits and what hashtags are they using. Find out what they want, not what your agency thinks they want! 2- Follow Hashtags When you find hashtags that resonate, you should be following them so they show up in your agency newsfeed. Tap on the hashtag and then hit 'Follow.' Event or conference hashtags are important because it opens a door to connecting ahead of time. You can then use Instagram's direct message to make personal connections prior to an event. Rules for Using Direct Message On Instagram Direct message used to have a bad reputation with people thinking it was spammy, but not anymore. Instagram direct message is an intimate way to connect to people. But, it shouldn't be the first place you go. First, engage. Tap 'Photos' and then like photos and comment on photos. Be sure that your agency is interacting with relevant content you enjoy. Start the conversation in the feed. Then, if you've earned trust and can provide something of value, then engage via direct message. Direct message is where you can get personal by sharing links or sending a video. Add a personal message and, most important, no automated messages! There are two ways your agency can share a video via direct message: On the Left - Record a video message using the camera icon, from 8 seconds up to 1 minute. This video can be viewed once or twice and then it goes away On the Right- Upload a video using the picture icon, from a camera roll. The person receiving the video can then download the video to their camera roll. What To Post and Share For Instagram Success If your agency has built a solid reputation on another platform and is an authority or thought leader, then you have more freedom on what you can share. There still needs to be consistency and the content should align with your core values. The benefit is your agency can reference the account, and what to expect from the content, from the other platforms, where you have credibility. If your agency wants to have Instagram success and doesn't have another platform where you're crushing it, then you will need to start with a more polished look and feel. Build the account around content that showcases your agency and it's point of differentiation. Think of buckets and put what people say about your agency into separate buckets, like:  customer service, your processes, and even your culture or humor. Then show all of this on Instagram so followers can get a taste of who you are and what you do. Remember, the photos don't have to be a literal match to the description. Get creative. The images you share need to capture attention and be relevant to the description. And don't forget about the description, if relevant, it can be treated as a micro-blog. Use the hashtag search function for agencies, and check out what other businesses are doing, get inspiration. Figure out what is and isn't working or what your agency likes or doesn't like. The search function is a great place to do market research. Remember, there is SEO on Instagram, in your bio, so be sure you are using "agency" in your name. Your agency can use its Instagram account to build a culture. If your agency has a physical location, this is an advantage. Be sure you're using geotags in your stories and Instagram posts. Use geolocations can score up to 72% more engagement... and social media success is all about engagement. Speaking of engagement, hit me on on Instagram @jswenk Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency 3X Faster? Are you overwhelmed by all the information out there on various ways to grow your agency? Do you want direction on how you can grow your agency faster and easier? Then you’re in luck! I've created an innovative agency owner mastermind called Agency University. Agency University is a program which provides 1-on-1 mentorship, coupled with the ongoing group support that is crucial to the success of your agency. Click here to see if it’s the right fit for you!  

Wondering how you can use LinkedIn to generate new business? Are you sending out generic connection requests that lead with a pitch? Disappointed that you're not getting the results you expected? LinkedIn can be an amazing platform for capturing the attention of your ideal clients if you do it right. Here's what your agency is probably doing wrong and the three simple steps to turn-it around right away. In this episode, we’ll cover: 3 step strategy to LinkedIn success. One simple lead generation hack for gaining new prospects. Today I chatted with Dennis Brown founder of Ask Dennis Brown, a LinkedIn marketing and social selling agency. As a serial entrepreneur, Dennis was admittedly a social media naysayer. While starting his third company he decided to try out LinkedIn and with some persistence, he landed a 6-figure client and became a believer. Today he shares his simple and successful strategy for LinkedIn that you can implement for marketing agency immediately. 3 Step Strategy To LinkedIn Success The most important thing with any social media strategy is to have a system and be consistent with it. Dennis’s strategy is simple: The 3 C’s: Create, Connect and Convert. 1- CREATE First create a profile or customer avatar for the perfect prospect. Then, create a compelling LinkedIn profile. Don’t treat this like a resume, instead this should be built like a personal or agency branding page. Follow these 5 steps for creating your agency's LinkedIn profile. 2- CONNECT Use your agency’s customer avatar to find new clients and then use the advanced search options in LinkedIn. Research, research, research. Compile sales intelligence, such as personal information, what are their ping points, where do they get their information? Use this sales intelligence to create a customized connection request and make it personal. The key here, is in customizing this connection request, which can double or triple the response rate vs. a blind, automated connection request. 3- CONVERT Do not think of this as converting to a sale but instead convert them into a fan. Get the prospective clients to engage with you, either through content your agency is publishing or through LinkedIn messenger. Put together hyper-focused content and remember, this is not a sales pitch. Your agency wants to create content relative to the prospect, or directly related to that market, so use language the client speaks, and provide information they care about. Think of it in the lines of a drip sequence, without the automation. Lastly, provide value and offer to connect your prospect with someone of value to them and their business. Leverage your agency’s network, while ultimately giving value to both parties. Remember: It's not about you, it’s about them. One Simple Lead Gen Hack For Gaining New Prospects Do you find when you ask for referrals they don't usually pan out? This can be for one of two reason. Either the client is uncomfortable because you put them on the spot. Or, they are not ready to start referring your agency because you haven't proved yourself yet. That's OK because referrals are not scalable! But, if you have a premium LinkedIn account try this simple lead generation hack. With a premium account: Take a look at your clients LinkedIn connections and see who they know, that you wish you knew :) Search for decision makers of other brands, based on what your agency is looking for and who you hope to work with. Next, create a list of prospects you're interested in and share the list with your client. Then, ask for an intro/referral. By doing the work for them and bringing them specifics it increases your  chances of your client passing along the referral or helping make the connection. Mine for the connections --> Create relevance --> Ask for the introduction Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency 3X Faster? Are you overwhelmed by all the information out there on various ways to grow your agency? Do you want direction on how you can grow your agency faster and easier? Then you’re in luck! I created an innovative mentorship called Agency University. Agency University is a program which provides the 1-on-1 mentorship and ongoing support that is crucial to the success of your agency. Click here to see if it’s the right fit for you.

Are you avoiding third party apps for social media posting? Do you want a better, faster, and easier way to schedule your social media marketing? Do you feel automated social post scheduling negatively affects your reach? Then it’s time to hear some surprising and encouraging results from the guy who knows all the ins and outs. Don’t stop scheduling, reposting, and automating until you hear all about it. In today’s episode, we’ll cover: Should your agency repost your content marketing? 3 tests on the big 3: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Does automating your posts hurt your agency’s reach? Today I chatted with Emeric Ernoult, Co-founder and CEO of Agorapulse, an international social media management software company, serving over 3500 clients around the world. With over 17 years experience working within communities and social media, as well as SAAS, Emeric brings interesting data and insight into how we should be managing our agency’s and/or clients social media accounts. Should Your Agency Repost Your Content Marketing? That is the question, and you’re going to hear arguments on both sides of the discussion. Some say reposting content makes sense and keeps a more recent engagement. Some say it is totally worthless and not the point of social media. So what’s the right answer? There isn’t one. But, that doesn’t mean there aren’t tests that can be done and data to be had, so that’s what Emeric and his team at Agorapulse did, they tested. 3 Tests On The Big 3 Social Media Platforms Facebook Test: Repeat a specific piece of content, 7 times across a 6-7 week period. Findings: The level of engagement on the posts in weeks 6 and 7, were the same as the posts in weeks 1, 2 and 3. Twitter Test: Analyze 3 months worth of data on a Twitter user, who has an extensive schedule of tweeting every 15 minutes and repeating those tweets, every 4 days. Findings: The average number of impressions, the average number for engagement and the average amount of link links were very steady, so much so, that if you look at the data over the span of a year, there was no decrease and the variations being minimal. LinkedIn Test: Take an insightful post, written by Emeric, and repeat the content at the exact same time every 5 days. Findings: The amount of engagement was small at first, but over the course of weeks, the numbers for engagement would spike. The post could go from 139 clicks on day 2, to 1995 clicks on day 5. This just reinforced that you never know when someone will bump into your agency’s post on LinkedIn. Do Third Party Posting Applications Hurt Your Agency’s Reach? After getting feedback from a group of social media managers, and having 80% of them confirm their fears of utilizing third party vendors for posting, it was time to run another test: Emeric decided to run a test through the Social Media Lab by Agorapulse, with the end result being that a third party management application does NOT affect reach. You can read about his findings here and here. Knowing that kind of information definitely helps put a mind at ease and allows you to start exploring a third party application, like Agorapulse, to help simplify your social media posting needs and so much more. Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency 3X Faster? Are you overwhelmed by all the information out there on various ways to grow your agency? Do you want direction on how you can grow your agency faster and easier? Then you’re in luck! I created an innovative mentorship called Agency University. Agency University is a program which provides the 1-on-1 mentorship and ongoing support that is crucial to the success of your agency. Click here to see if it’s the right fit for you.

Wondering how you can use Instagram to drum up new business? Want to break through social media clutter and build your agency’s brand and authority? Then it’s not too late to get on the Instagram train. This is one simple, easy inbound marketing strategy you can start implementing right now to build your community and fill your new business pipeline. In this episode, we’ll cover: One easy approach to niching down. Can Instagram work for marketing agencies? A simple Instagram content formula. Today I chatted with Steve Larosiliere, founder and president of the non-profit, Stoked, as well as founder and owner of SawmillBusiness.com, a super-niched marketing agency. With an extremely focused industry specialization, Steve has been able to become the authority in the portable sawmill, wood and lumber industry. He has an easy tactic to find the niche for his agency and a simple Instagram strategy to build a community that comes to him for their marketing needs. Steve shares tips with us on building authority, community and brand through Instagram. One Easy Approach to Niching Down We’ve discussed niches before and we’ll probably discuss this again. Does your agency have a niche? Do you know why you need one? Is your agency holding out, because you just don’t know where to start? Steve has an easy approach: Think about an industry that is important to you or your family/friends - something you can relate to. Pick a niche that people are fanatically obsessed with. Encourage great user-generated content. Start calling people, lots of people, in that industry, CEO’s, marketing directors, etc Gather information about the #1 problem they are facing. Build your agency’s business around solving that problem. Stay super focused on the industry - learn their special nuances, terms of the trade, etc. Think of your agency as the media outlet for this specific field. Make it your agency’s business to promote, celebrate and highlight that industry. Can Instagram Work for Marketing Agencies? YES! Building a brand takes a lot of work. Be patient. Your agency can build a lot of authority on Instagram. Combine different mediums and cross-promote, such as use posts Instagram to support your podcast. Use that to filter down into the niche and supplement with back channel conversations, either through direct message in order to find out how you can help people. Use DM to build relationships and trust. Share the best work, the most beautiful things. Repost and use the hashtags your audience is using so they can find you. This will help build a community and a brand. 3 Simple Steps to Growing Instagram Followers To encourage growth, connect with influencers in the niche. Go to a certain set of hashtags and start engaging with the top followed. Put out goodwill content first and foremost. Engage, converse, share/repost. Occasionally drive traffic to a landing page. Grow your lists with a lead magnet to capture the leads you’re generating. Put out an offer that solves a problem. A low-ticket foot in the door offer works best. Remember, with Instagram you’re creating a story to share. Create memories. Highlight the things that mean something. Be where your agency’s clients are. Put out good stuff. Be innovative. Don’t compare your agency to what others are doing. Instead build upon what you think is right and create your own path to success. Check out Steve’s on Instagram at @stevelaros Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency 3X Faster? Are you overwhelmed by all the information out there on various ways to grow your agency? Do you want direction on how you can grow your agency faster and easier? Then you’re in luck! I created an innovative mentorship called Agency University. Agency University is a program which provides the 1-on-1 mentorship and ongoing support that is crucial to the success of your agency. Click here to see if it’s the right fit for you.

Ready for your agency sales to takeoff? Want to drive traffic, generate leads, and create new opportunities that will grow and scale your agency? Digital marketing agency guru Neil Patel shares his #1 outbound strategy for scoring the clients you want to work with. In this episode, we’ll cover: 3 Steps to growing new agency business. One big growth challenge and advice to overcome it. Neil Patel is a serial entrepreneur focused on helping businesses grow through digital marketing. He is well-known in the digital marketing space as an author, speaker, and agency co-founder at Neil Patel. I’m honored to have him as a guest on the show so he can share his experience as a startup agency owner. Today Neil shares some really valuable tips on getting scrappy so you can scale your agency. Beginning as a self-taught marketer at the age of 16, Neil has become one of the best digital marketing. Like many of us, he’s an accidental agency owner who knew how to do something cool that people are willing to pay for, and turned it into a business. In Neil’s case, he “something cool” is SEO. 3 Steps to Grow New Agency Business #1- Make your hit list. Make a list of your ideal clients and be specific with who you want to work with. Who can you help that is within your niche and area of expertise? Then use a source like Crunchbase to find out the CEO, investors and decision-makers. #2 - Do targeted research. Use industry resources to know what they’re spending on the services you provide. Neil suggested tools such as: Google keyword planner, SEMrush, and his own UberSuggest to research spend amounts. #3 - Reach out. Once you’ve done the research on your prospect, then make contact. Neil says it’s important not to sell services, but instead sell a solution. To do this, explain what they’re doing wrong, what could be done better and how you would fix it. I know it’s hard, but go old school and PICK. UP. THE. PHONE. Cold calling as an outbound strategy can be a total game changer. Advice for Digital Agency Owners “It’s not easy to grow an agency. If you’re willing to do the grind, great. If not, you’re not going to do well.” ~ Neil Patel It’s all about the hard work and the hustle. I always tell agency owners that if you’re building an agency just to create a job for yourself, you’ll struggle the entire time. You’ve got to be passionate about the agency space, the niche you’re in and the clients you’re helping. That’s the only way you’ll succeed and thrive. Neil says his biggest challenge in the beginning was knowing how to scale with a team. He felt the entire hiring and training process was completely trial and error. In hindsight he would advise his old self to hire people who know how to fill their role instead of training up. Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency 3X Faster? Are you overwhelmed by all the information out there on various ways to grow your agency? Do you want direction on how you can grow your agency faster and easier? Then you’re in luck! I created an innovative mentorship called Agency University. Agency University is a program which provides the 1-on-1 mentorship and ongoing support that is crucial to the success of your agency. Click here to see if it’s the right fit for you.

Are you worried about your digital agency's competition? Don't be! Instead focus that energy on building your agency brand and improving your authority. Learn how to become a major influencer, so you can eliminate the competition and develop collaborative relationships with them instead. In today’s episode, we’ll cover: Which type of agency owner are you? 4 benefits of building your agency’s authority. 3 things you should be doing to increase your agency’s authority. Why you need to stop competing and start collaborating. Today I talked with Josh Elledge, consumer expert, speaker and Founder/CEO of his PR program Up My Influence. He understood the importance of the media and harnessed that to $6 million in revenue for his other startup venture, Savings Angel, while spending less than $500 in advertising. He talked with me about some tips and insight to upping your influencer game so your agency can build its brand and authority in the your niche. Which Type of Agency Owner Are You? Artists... These are the agency owners who love to solve problems and create solutions. Leader/Manager... These are the agency owners who love the operations of business. They have an ability to lead people. True Entrepreneur... These are the agency owners who love venture capital and money. They love the ups and downs of owning a business. To find out what type of agency owner you are, Josh recommends this simple litmus test inspired by Tony Robbins: Ask yourself, if you had all the money you needed and you had to pick something to do with your agency/business, what would your gravitate toward? Nearly 80-85% of people will gravitate toward Artist, but it is good to have that Leader/Manager and Entrepreneurial characteristic within your agency. 4 Benefits of Increasing Your Agency’s Authority Improves your agency’s conversion rate. Decreases the amount of time your clients are in the sales pipeline. Attracts more people/clients to the top of the sales funnel. Builds trust quicker with clients. 3 Things You Should Be Doing To Increase Your Agency’s Authority Be helpful on the internet to up your searchability. Blog, do podcasts, have a social media presence, and get involved. Clients will search your agency to gauge its relevance and status in the industry. Get active on Twitter and LinkedIn. It is most important to build up your agency’s position in the industry. Do it organically (don’t buy followers). Having a limited social media footprint can affect your agency’s image in the the eyes of prospective clients. Vanity metrics are important, so you need followers as social proof. Build an impressive website. Make it look amazing - even though you're really busy with client work. It needs to be impactful in the first 3 seconds and indicates your agency is professional. According to Josh, the most valuable currency for agency owners is authority. If you aren’t sure where your agency stands, Google yourself and gauge it. Stop Competing and Start Collaborating In the competition game, you’ll never win. Your agency can’t be all things to all clients and getting OK with that is healthy. Focus on you. When you’re busy focusing on the competition, you’re not focused on your agency’s strength and growth. Concentrate on making your business, team and clients shine without giving a second thought to the competition. You don’t need to add additional agency services to grow. Ask yourself: What’s the purpose of your services? Who is your agency trying to help?  Then, once you know what your agency is all about and have become the authority in that niche you are in a great position to collaborate with agencies also in that space. Partner with other agencies who are strong in areas your agency doesn’t cover, to make your services appear more valuable. Find collaborators who offer complimentary services and become strategic partners. When you learn to collaborate, you stop the competition. As you work with agencies, ask if you can refer them. When you build up those contacts, you become very resourceful and clients love that! Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency 3X Faster? Are you overwhelmed by all the information out there on various ways to grow your agency? Do you want direction on how you can grow your agency faster and easier? Then you’re in luck! I created an innovative mentorship called Agency University. Agency University is a program which provides the 1-on-1 mentorship and ongoing support that is crucial to the success of your agency. Click here to see if it’s the right fit for you. Related:  Using Influencer Marketing to Win New Agency Clients

Is your employee training process non-existent or too cumbersome? Do you want your team, contractors and clients to understand the fundamentals of what makes your agency unique? Then don’t overlook the power of a solid training process! With these three easy steps you can start onboarding your digital agency’s new hires and provide them with a consistent set of experiences and expectations on how you want to work with them. In this episode, we’ll cover: Helping your new hires with systemized onboarding. 3 easy steps to build your agency’s training process. Measuring the success of your agency’s training process. Today I chatted with Tom Kulzer, CEO and founder of AWeber, the successful email marketing platform agency he started over 20 years ago. Tom has built his business to over 100 employees and has helped over 100,000 clients.He is a well-respect expert in building a strong business with core values that are ingrained in every employee. Today he shares three quick tips for building your agency’s employee training process so you can grow. Helping Your New Hires By Onboarding Making that first hire, or tenth hire, or beyond, can be scary but it’s totally doable! Implementing a solid onboarding process is important to get your new hire(s) acclimated from day 1. This is a way to get everyone on the same page with the value your agency delivers to people. And, since AWeber is an email platform guess what they use for onboarding new hires? That right - a sequence of welcome emails with bite-sized nuggets of information, placed in the right order and sent at the right time. Tom also has all of his new hires participate in a two-week training program. The focus is mainly on customer service but it also allows new employees to understand the fundamentals of what makes AWeber unique. It’s similar to the training methods of Zappos.com who’s known and globally recognized for their company culture and core values. 3 Easy Steps to Build Your Agency’s Training Process 1. Identify your agency's biggest problem. You need to figure out where your agency has hang-ups or issues most regularly. Think of a checklist, like airplane pilots have their preflight check. What would need to be on your agency checklist, so everything runs smoothly? 2. Come up with the training around the identified problem. When you figure out your agency’s biggest trip-ups, start documenting a process on how to avoid tripping over them again. It can be as simple as a Word document, or whatever internal tool your agency uses. Your agency just needs to start somewhere. You can’t change anything if you don’t start somewhere. Then as you gain time and experience, layer on more expertise. 3. Create “bite size” content that is given slowly, over a period of time. A new employee isn’t going to read a one hundred page manual, and even if they do, how much will they really retain? You want to break down processes into easily digestible nuggets of information. Then feed them this information over a period of time, be it 2 weeks or 6 months, just NOT all at once. This “small and slow” method is more likely to be read, retained, and allow your agency employees to grow from it. Also, you can use this type of onboarding for your agency’s clients as well. Is Your Training Process Successful? Your agency will need to look at each job function separately. Different roles will have a different measurement for success. Use internal metrics to develop a quality score. Then have your agency team leaders review calls, emails, conversions, quality assurance, etc. and actually assign a grade. As you track this information and see how the grades change over time. Wherever you see improvement needed, then you know where there may be holes in your training and you can adjust accordingly. Assessment areas could include: Customer Service - Consider product knowledge and customer interactions Engineers - Escape defects found through quality assurance. Marketing - Conversions, success of split-test launches, etc. Remember, measuring the success of your agency’s training process is not a one-size fits all approach. Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency 3X Faster? Are you overwhelmed by all the information out there on various ways to grow your agency? Do you want direction on how you can grow your agency faster and easier? Then you’re in luck! I created an innovative mentorship called Agency University. Agency University is a program which provides the 1-on-1 mentorship and ongoing support that is crucial to the success of your agency. Click here to see if it’s the right fit for you.

Do you lack the knowledge on how to grow and scale your digital agency? Overwhelmed by not knowing what role to hire first? Afraid to niche down, and afraid what might happen if you don't? You're not alone! Learn how to tackle these very important tasks in order to grow and scale your digital agency. In this episode, we’ll cover: Overcoming common challenges of starting an agency. Hiring based on your agency’s needs. Why and how to choose your agency’s niche. Benefits of an agency mastermind. On today’s show, I talked with Jeremiah Smith, President and CEO of Simple Tiger, a digital agency which focuses on SEO for SAAS clients. With over 12 years of SEO experience, Jeremiah has watched Simple Tiger go through many changes and has had to face the difficult decisions we all face with our agencies. He shares some of his big challenges and decisions with us and some guidance on how he knew, it was time to act. He is, admittedly, still working on some aspects, so don’t beat yourself up if your agency has some tough calls to make. Let’s just get your agency to a place, where you start making the right calls. Overcoming Common Challenges Starting Your Own Agency Jeremiah shared his two main challenges starting Simple Tiger and what you can do to overcome or avoid them... 1- Starting out as self-taught SEO consultant and then moving on to build an agency was difficult. It’s tough going from a “lone wolf” freelancer to building a team. It was a transition that took time and has grown the agency because of smart hiring choices. 2- It can be hard to separating your personal life from your business. When you work for yourself you can spend your money on what you want. When you start a business, this isn’t the case. It’s important to be careful and keep business income and expenses separate, particularly in regards to taxes. (You can even check out this podcast with Jason Blumer CPAs.) Hiring Based On Your Agency’s Needs Understanding what your agency’s needs are, will then point you in the direction of who your agency needs to hire and when. In most cases, you will hear consultants recommend hiring a sales team first. (Although I tell my clients to hire a Project Manager first!) However, Jeremiah’s main role is sales, and the sales role is his baby. He says SEO sales can get scammy and shady, so selling it in a truthful manner is the most important thing. He wants his agency to be seen with integrity and that starts with sales. That’s why Jeremiah’s first hire was someone who could produce the work he was selling. Hiring the right people can be the difference between feeling like you’re a prisoner to your agency, or enjoying running your agency. Why and How to Choose Your Agency’s Niche There are many benefits of niching down. Jeremiah says he finally did it because: Your agency’s marketing gets easier. You will attract more of other types of businesses. The beauty is you can still say ‘yes’ and service clients outside your niche if you choose. But, your marketing is targeted at just one specific audience. Instead of casting a wide net, you’re getting really specific. Picking a horizontal niche should be based on your background and pretty easy. With Jeremiah, SEO was a no-brainer. Selecting a vertical niche can prove more difficult and can even be terrifying. What got Jeremiah thinking was a client who couldn’t identify their target market and instead said “we service everyone.” It made him start looking inwardly at his own agency. When you specialize in a particular niche, you become an authority in that segment of business. By becoming a member of my Agency University Jeremiah learned the value in declaring a niche. He starting by asking himself these 3 questions: Who are my agency’s most profitable clients? Which clients were an easy sell, they just get you? Who do I love working with? Benefits of an Agency Mastermind Speaking of Agency University…. :) Jeremiah felt like he knew a lot about agencies and how they operate, so he was apprehensive to join Agency University. However, by participating in our mentorship program he realized he was making things harder and more complex than they needed to be. And, he realized he had a lack of focus. He says he learned some real game changing strategies that helped his agency grow and scale. And hey, that’s why I do this - so it’s a win-win. What’s Agency University All About? Are you overwhelmed by all the information out there on various ways to grow your agency? Do you want direction on how you can grow your agency faster and easier? Then you’re in luck! I created an innovative mentorship called Agency University. Agency University is a program which provides the 1-on-1 mentorship and ongoing support that is crucial to the success of your agency. Click here to see if it’s the right fit for you.

Want to know the key to finding and retaining the best agency employees? Looking for ways to find and hire top talent? Your team is your agency's #1 most valuable asset. Turnover and training is difficult and expensive. So in this episode, you'll discover some simple tips to hiring, managing and keeping loyal employees who want to stay and grow with your business. In this episode, we’ll cover: Hiring top agency talent. 3 Steps to developing loyal employees. How to retain talent that wants to grow with your agency. Today I talked with Scott Love, former Navy leadership trainer (thank you for your service) and current high-stakes headhunter. With over two decades experience recruiting professionals, Scott shares some simple tips you can take build and continue to retain your team. You can start implementing his tips immediately and start building a loyal team that will never want to leave. Hiring Top Agency Talent When going through the hiring process the main thing that you want to think of is hiring based outcomes vs. duties and responsibilities. Ask candidates questions on how they have accomplished outcomes in the past and how they will in the future. Once you find someone that exhibits outcomes you’re looking for, remember that there is an emotional context to a potential employee’s decision making process. As they decide to work with you, consider two things: What does your agency have that is unique or distinct? We’re not talking about desirable culture or team collaboration - every agency has those things. But what really makes you different and desirable? How does this uniqueness improve their situation on an emotional/personal level? To help get these two questions answered go into sales mode. (But not “our agency is so great, let me tell you all about us” sales mode!) Try these 2 sales tricks: Ask the candidate about their current situation and current company. Find out their complaints, challenges or problems. Ask what an ideal situation looks like to alleviate their stated concerns? You are trying to find their intrinsic motivations and speak to those… make it about them! BONUS: Here are the 3 core competencies to look for in an eligible candidate: Influence: How do they effectively influence others? Resilience: How do they bounce back from adversity? Achievement: What makes them keep going? 3 Steps to Developing Loyal Employees #1. Make them feel good by being true and sincere. Nothing puts up walls faster than negative comments and/or criticism. #2. Build up their emotional equity. Do this by making them feel like they have a stake in the agency business. (Not a financial stake, but help them feel some ownership of their projects and clients.) #3. Utilize insights and feedback by obtaining cross-departmental ideas. Allow your employees to not only feel like, but also actually BE part of the solution. How to Retain Amazing Employees Meet their needs! Ask yourself how you can help them achieve fulfillment in what it is you are doing as an agency. How can you show them their work makes a difference in your agency’s goal… the noble goal, that goal that goes beyond profit? Find the emotional context of your agency’s goal and then show them how they contribute. Remember: As Agency CEO, you are in the business of leadership. Be followable. Your employees need to trust you, so don’t let allow walls to go up. These two simple exercises will set you on the path of building a loyal team: Get clear on your core values. Get clear on your personal mission. Figure those out first, write them down, then strive to be that person every day. Check out Scott’s book: Why They Follow Related: Where to Find the Right Digital Agency Talent & Creating a Vision and Culture to Attract Top Agency Talent Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency 3X Faster? Are you overwhelmed by all the information out there on various ways to grow your agency? Do you want direction on how you can grow your agency faster and easier? Then you’re in luck! I created an innovative mentorship called Agency University. Agency University is a program which provides the 1-on-1 mentorship and ongoing support that is crucial to the success of your agency. Click here to see if it’s the right fit for you.

Are you frustrated working with freelancers? Does your agency experience high freelancer turnover that leaves you stuck, or sometimes screwed? The struggle is real! Learn the 5 big mistakes agencies make using freelancers and what you can do to avoid frustration. In this episode, we’ll cover: 5 big mistakes agencies make using freelancers. How to avoid pitfalls of working with freelancers. Today I talked with Nathan Hirsch, CEO and founder of FreeeUp, the agency he formed after numerous frustrating accounts with the freelance/hiring process. FreeeUp connects businesses, of all sizes, with vetted freelancers. Today he shares the five mistakes he sees agencies make when using freelancers and is here to help us avoid those pitfalls. 5 Big Mistakes Agencies Working With Freelancers MISTAKE 1: Hiring one freelancer to do a multitude of tasks. It can seem like a great idea to hire one talented person with a large skill set to manage a large portion of the agency work, but what happens when they leave? You are left scrambling. INSTEAD: Diversify. This is important with your clients, finances and also with your freelancers. Split things up and diversify your delegation of tasks as much as possible. This will make replacement costs minimal when a turnover does happen. MISTAKE 2: Sticking with one freelancer for all things. It is easy to get comfortable with employees but freelancers do not hold loyalties. They are working for others so their availability and loyalty varies with their workload. INSTEAD: Build up your agency’s freelancer rolodex. It is beneficial to have two to three freelancers available to your agency. That way if a large project comes down the shoot, you can request time from whomever has the bandwidth. When you rely on just one freelancer, you could be left scrambling if he/she is booked when you need them. MISTAKE 3: Treating a freelancer like an inessential outsider. It can be easy in the bustle of agency life to hand over projects to freelancers, get them back and move on; treating the freelancer like a commodity. INSTEAD: You should have a goal of bringing them on full-time. Freelancers are, usually, freelancing until they can get something more stable. So when that opportunity comes along, they’re going to say yes to a permanent position. You’re goal should be let your agency be the one they say yes to. Turnover is expensive and painful. Anything you can do to reduce it is in your agency’s best interest. Until you able to offer a freelancer permanent employment, keep them engaged. Treat your freelancers well and let them know how they’re contributing. Keep freelancers involved and a member of your agency community so they want to stay with your agency. MISTAKE 4:  Being vague with timing and due dates. A lot of times we unintentionally leave deadlines up to interpretation. Ten hours be one ten hour day, or ten one hours days. You can’t know the freelancers current workload when receiving their estimates and sometimes it's unclear which leads to disaster. INSTEAD: Manage expectations up front. Get these two numbers from your agency’s freelancers when estimating a project for you: Estimated hours. How many hours it will take to complete and at what hourly rate? Due date and time. Make sure you’re clear with the client’s due date and build in your buffer. Make sure the date is clear and what time of day you should expect the work to be handed over. MISTAKE 5:  Assuming the freelancer knows what you want. Just because they are a freelancer in the agency industry, does not mean they know what your agency or clients expect. Remember, most freelancers are working with multiple agencies, all with different processes and procedures. INSTEAD: Set expectations right off the bat. Days and hours of availability, preferred method of communication,etc… all those things your agency expects to see in it’s employees. Have these expectations written down and get the freelancer’s sign off. Related: Solving Sucky Staffing Issues Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency 3X Faster? Are you overwhelmed by all the information out there on various ways to grow your agency? Do you want direction on how you can grow your agency faster and easier? Then you’re in luck! I created an innovative mentorship called Agency University. Agency University is a program which provides the 1-on-1 mentorship and ongoing support that is crucial to the success of your agency. Click here to see if it’s the right fit for you.

Does the thought of committing your agency to a niche market makes you nervous? Are you worried your agency will lose clients and miss out on revenue? Stop the madness of trying to be everything to everyone and start focusing on what it is your agency does best. You will reap major benefits of having a niche market, including increased clients and revenue. In this episode, we’ll cover: Finding your agency’s niche market and niches within niches. 3 benefits of choosing a niche. Is your agency charging enough? Today I spoke with Raman Sehgal, founder and managing director of the super niche agency, Ramarketing. With over a decade of experience in his agency’s niche market, Ramarketing is still servicing their very first retainer client, eight years later. Raman provides great insight into the importance of niching down and the benefits it can bring to your agency. Is It Time To Declare A Niche Market? Has your agency had a painful project with an unrealistic client ultimately ending in dissatisfaction? Were you able to walk away with insights on how to move forward? If  not, you need to learn from these experiences and start to understand: How to spec a project properly. How to manage client expectations. How to value what your agency does and communicate that to prospects. Raman offered up a great idea of a “red flag system” that his agency uses when prospecting clients. It could be criteria such as demographic or size, it could be attitudinal or behavioral. Whatever it is, figure out what will and not will not work with your agency and be prepared to say no. Don’t force the fit just to make a buck. Most of the time it'll bite you in the ass. Go with you gut when something doesn't feel like a good fit. This just reinforces that you cannot be everything to everyone successfully. Your agency can’t know every sector. So find the sector you DO know and stick with it. Learn the ins and outs. Money isn’t the best indicator for taking on clients, even if the amount is large, the costs to properly manage the account will probably be large as well. Remember: Once you get your niche market, you can always expand. And, choosing a niche only means targeting your agency's marketing to a specific audience. You are still free to take on work outside of the niche. Therefore, it's a win-win. When Do You Know It’s Time To Expand? Finding clarity is key. When your agency is focused, finding clients and hiring talent will all start to click because you will be doing these things with purpose and intention. Expanding can happen within your niche market - you will find niches within niches. Raman uses an 80/20 model, dedicating 80% of agency resources to their niche market and 20% of resources are for fun projects outside the niche. This model allows for some flexibility and keeps things fresh with the ability to change things up once in a while. 3 Benefits of Finding Your Agency’s Niche Market Free up time for opportunities that closer align to your agency’s expertise. Stop being afraid to niche down because you might push one or two clients away. Losing those clients will free up time to work on better ones. Providing focus allows you to become an expert. If you totally get your clients business, they’ll trust you more and when they trust you, it makes it very easy for them to choose to work with you. Finding your niche market will help keep your competition at bay. If you become the authority in one segment of the market, then your competition of "generalists" will be left in the dust. Are You Charging Enough? Having a niche market raises your stock in what you can charge. Being competitive with your rates is important. If you are too cheap, this could cause the client to worry that there will be something wrong with your work. When you know what the market is expecting, you can adjust your agency rates accordingly. Pricing models will vary based on who you are talking to… and that’s ok. You probably aren’t charging enough. This is the case with most of the agencies I work with, and it’s because they don’t fully understand the value they provide. My challenge to all listeners is to consider increasing your rates by 25% right now! Related: Start With One Niche At A Time,  Being A Leader In Your Agency's Niche Grow Your Agency 3X Faster! Are you overwhelmed by all the information out there on various ways to grow your agency? Do you want direction on how you can grow your agency faster and easier? Then you’re in luck! I created an innovative mentorship called Agency University. Agency University is a program which provides the 1-on-1 mentorship and ongoing support that is crucial to the success of your agency. Click here to see if it’s the right fit for you.

How can you make sure your digital marketing agency sales person is successful? It's a combination of the right pay structure and the right training. In this video, I'm advising one of our Agency University members who is trying to hire their first sales person. They are going to pay 100% off the bat. And hey, I understand that... Most marketing agency startups don't have the cashflow to bring in a sales person and pay them a salary right off the bat. But, the problem with that is they have no loyalty and because they don't have any skin in the game. Most times they sell one or two deals and they're onto the next thing. My advice is to offer a base salary plus commission. BUT - if you must compensate on commission-only, here's 4 key pieces of advice to setup success: 1. Have a great training program. Make sure expectation are clear, keep providing them ammunition to land great clients, make yourself available to them, assist on sales, and provide all the resources they need to make their commission. 2. Have a high commission structure to keep them hungry. If you aren't providing a base salary, benefits, etc. then you should expect to pay 10% - 20% in commission off the bat. It has to be worthwhile for them and a big commission check is what'll keep them interested. (And, if they're really good - they might start making more money than your take-home pay.... that's a GOOD problem to have, so get OK with it :) 3. Hire someone who is already employed. In most cases, the best people already have jobs. (There are some exceptions, I know.) So you don't necessarily want the unemployed person who's just hungry for a paycheck and willing to work for $0 base salary because chances are, they're just killing time with you until they find the next better job offer. If they quit after a month or two, that is tons of time wasted training. 4. Hire 2 sales people at the same time. Find two, hire two, train two agency sales people at once. This is not only more efficient for you but chances are better that at least one of them will work out. In other words, don't put all your eggs in one basket! Are you ready to hire for digital marketing agency sales? Whether you're doing 100% commission or base + commission you can apply these tactics to help grow your agency. What challenges do you have in agency sales? Comment below and tell me. Helping YOU is my WHY. Foot in the Door: https://youtu.be/8Fw_GseAsiQ https://youtu.be/gZqQVZheLPk Sales Commission: https://youtu.be/Wx5IxpV4EXg ======================================================= SUBSCRIBE NOW to follow my entrepreneurial journey.https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDvZHFVeqEMq58q6tMoyMK-ufpp0ysoVP =======================================================.  JASON SWENK IS AN AGENCY ADVISOR THAT GUIDES MARKETING AGENCIES THROUGH A PROVEN FRAMEWORK FOR GROWING THEIR AGENCY FASTER & EASIER. Fresh out of college Jason was off to work for Arthur Anderson, one of the big 5 consulting firms. He quickly realized that he could never work for anyone other than himself. He decided to change direction, launch a digital agency that quickly grew to a multi-million dollar operation working with brands such as AT&T, Hitachi and Lotus Cars. After 12 years of steady growth, the agency caught the attention of bigger agencies and Jason sold it in 2012. Now, Jason leads http://JasonSwenk.com, a unique media company & consultancy helping marketing agencies grow & scale their agencies faster by applying the framework that he used to grow, scale and eventually sell his agency. Jason has helped over 10,000 agencies in 23 countries meet or exceed their business goals. Jason currently hosts two shows that are available for download… The Smart Agency Master Class Podcast, dedicated to providing tactics and strategies to agency owners and decision makers that cut through the BS, focus on exactly what works and what doesn’t; and SwenkToday a daily VLOG that documents the entrepreneur journey of building another multimillion dollar business, where he share the latest strategies, and answers the most burning questions entrepreneurs have.  DONATE to help us continue to provide you amazing content. https://jasonswenk.com/donate/ SCHEDULE MON-THUR VLOG #SwenkToday Q&A from my digital agency audience Ask me A Question http://jasonswenk.com/askswenk Podcast Wednesday: (Digital Agency Interviews) https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/smart-agency-masterclass-marketing/id870206013?mt=2&ls=1 or http://smartagencymasterclass.com Follow me here: Website: http://jasonswenk.com  Podcast: http://smartagencymasterclass.com  Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jasonswenk    Twitter: https://twitter.com/jswenk   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jswenk   Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonswenk   Medium: https://medium.com/@jswenk/  Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jasonswenk  

How can your digital marketing agency be the best and attract the best clients? Get totally focused like Tom! I get it! It's hard to get focused and stay focused. Entrepreneurs have the motivation and the determination but usually end up having a hard time getting/staying focused. It's the "shiny object" syndrome that most of us suffer from... but there IS a solution! Look at New England Patriots Quarterback, Tom Brady. At age 40, he should be retired from this game but instead he's just totally focused on being the #1 quarterback in the NFL. Look, I'm not a fan of his (at all). But, I do give him credit. He does yoga and stretching, even meditation. He is so focused on being the #1 quarterback in the league and so he IS. A lot of marketing agency owners I coach don't know what drives them, who they service, or where their focus should be. If you're struggling with focus and making the right decisions I humbly suggest my Agency University mentorship program. We're a group of agency owners who help each other and hold each other accountable. It comes naturally because we've all been there and can relate with the challenges of agency life! University members also get to work with me 1-ON-1 every day 90 days so I can mentor you on a personal level and help you achieve your agency goals faster. Check out http://Agency.University Comment below and tell me about your biggest challenges running your marketing agency. Agency life is HARD but working with people who get it can make it easier. Subscribe now and follow my entrepreneurial journey here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... Thanks for watching. I hope you keep up with the daily videos I post on my channel. Make sure you subscribe and share your learnings with others. You comments are why I do this, so please take a second and say hello. JASON SWENK IS AN AGENCY ADVISOR THAT GUIDES MARKETING AGENCIES THROUGH A PROVEN FRAMEWORK FOR GROWING THEIR AGENCY FASTER & EASIER. Fresh out of college Jason was off to work for Arthur Anderson, one of the big 5 consulting firms. He quickly realized that he could never work for anyone other than himself. He decided to change direction, launch a digital agency that quickly grew to a multi-million dollar operation working with brands such as AT&T, Hitachi and Lotus Cars. After 12 years of steady growth, the agency caught the attention of bigger agencies and Jason sold it in 2012. Now, Jason leads http://JasonSwenk.com, a unique media company & consultancy helping marketing agencies grow & scale their agencies faster by applying the framework that he used to grow, scale and eventually sell his agency. Jason has helped over 10,000 agencies in 23 countries meet or exceed their business goals. Jason currently hosts two shows that are available for download… The Smart Agency Master Class Podcast, dedicated to providing tactics and strategies to agency owners and decision makers that cut through the BS, focus on exactly what works and what doesn’t; and SwenkToday is a daily VLOG that documents the entrepreneur journey of building another multimillion dollar business, where he share the latest strategies, and answers the most burning questions entrepreneurs have. DONATE to help us continue to provide you amazing content. https://jasonswenk.com/donate/ SCHEDULE MON-THUR VLOG #SwenkToday Q&A from my digital agency audience Ask me A Question http://jasonswenk.com/askswenk Podcast Thursday: (Digital Agency Interviews) https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/s... or http://smartagencymasterclass.com Follow me here: Website: http://jasonswenk.com Podcast: http://smartagencymasterclass.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jasonswenk Twitter: https://twitter.com/jswenk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jswenk Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonswenk Medium: https://medium.com/@jswenk/ Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jasonswenk  

Do you feel like your agency sales needs to grow beyond you, the owner? Are you having a hard time recruiting and training successful salespeople? Then it’s time to start putting the right systems in place in order to build a scalable agency sales team. In this episode, we’ll cover: 2 things to be aware of before a sales hire. Is it the right time to hire for agency sales? Key traits to look for when hiring a salesperson. How long until a new salesperson is successful? Top 7 take away tips. Today I got to talk with Wayne Herring, owner of Herring Coach, where he specializes in coaching and consulting business owners who are looking to scale their agency sales team. Wayne is the guy who teaches business owners to hire, train, hold accountable, and basically build their sales team. Today he’s giving us tips on how you can do the same for your agency. 2 Important Things To Be Aware Of Before You Hire Owner’s advantage. Even if you aren’t stating it when you’re selling, if you’re the owner and you’re selling - you have an advantage. Remember that your salespeople will not have this advantage. There are very few superhero salespeople. It is unrealistic to think you’re going to hire someone who is going to come in and kill it, right off the bat. Don’t look for it, you may never find it. Is It The Right Time To Hire? It’s hard to know when it’s the right time to hire for agency sales, as all agencies are in different situations. But, I can tell you when not to: DON’T hire your first sales rep if you’re already overwhelmed. If you can’t spend time with a new sales hire and you’re not prepared to invest a significant amount of time into their on-boarding, coaching, role playing, etc. then you aren’t ready to hire. DON’T hire a sales rep if you don’t have systems in place. If you're not prepared to hire, train and retain good salespeople you're setting up for failure. What You Need In Place If It Is The Right Time To Hire: You need to have a strong foundation, including a definition of who you are as an agency and where you are going. You need to know this so you can give direction and keep everyone on the same page. Have a set audience for them to sell to. Every business is not your ideal customer, define this for your new salesperson and set them up for success. Start small... Give them one thing, one goal, to focus on. Don’t overwhelm by throwing the whole shebang at them. Getting someone oriented and quickly on-boarding them to sell a small first step (such as your foot in the door offer) does a couple of things: It helps to prove if this person is going to make it within your agency. It helps them feel successful quickly and give them a win to start off. Traits to Look for When Hiring for Agency Sales Again, don’t go looking for a sales superhero. Instead, help them grow into one. Another trip-up can be hiring based on gut, without really defining the type of person you are looking for. Think ahead about qualities you need, and don’t completely focus on likability and personality, this can get you stuck. Pay attention to how they interview. Are they running the show? Are they asking a lot of questions? A good salesperson will do both these things! A lot of times we feel like we need to sell our agency to the candidate by telling them how wonderful it is. This is where there needs to be a shift in mindset... Treat yourself and the interview process as a prospect you would want them to go after. Let them run the conversation, see how they lead and if they follow-up. Let the process demonstrate how they would work with a prospective client. Then decide if there's a fit and a future. Salesperson recruiting is a marketing activity. It is something that deserves serious attention. How Long Until a New Salesperson is Successful? Everyone needs a little time to prove their worth, but for agency sales it usually depends on two things: The length of your sales cycle. Past experience and observations. If you have a long sales cycle then you might benefit from creating “ramp up" report, which breaks down the early steps of the sales process, (contacts, meetings, audits, etc.) and charts them in a grid format and plots progress over time. With this data, eventually you’ll discover that salesperson’s “ramp up curve” which indicates whether they’re following a path you know is going to lead to long term success. Measuring activity can tell you a lot. If they don’t start off coming out the gate fast and hard, it’s a tell tale sign they’re going to struggle. Be sure to avoid “happy ears” or overly optimistic situations. I’ve been guilty of hanging on to someone because of all the big deals they have “in the works” but never actually come to fruition. See things for what they are and measure the activity. Ask your salespeople the questions: who, what, where why, and when… “What’s the next step?” or “When’s that going to happen?” When you’re consistently coaching it will become abundantly clear whether they’re going to be successful. Top 7 Take Aways When you’re going to start building a sales team: Remember owner’s advantage and there are no sales superheroes. Clearly define work that needs to be done. Clearly define the role, key accountabilities. Be willing to work hard through the entire hiring phase and have a process for phone calls, interviews, assessment, etc. Be prepared to spend time to onboard intentionally, track the activity/progress, and help sell the smallest engagement first. Using a CRM isn’t optional. Understand the importance of coaching and role playing, even if it’s uncomfortable. Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency 3X Faster? Are you overwhelmed by all the information out there on various ways to grow your agency? Do you want direction on how you can grow your agency faster and easier? Then you’re in luck! I created an innovative mentorship called Agency University. Agency University is a program which provides the 1-on-1 mentorship and ongoing support that is crucial to the success of your agency. Click here to see if it’s the right fit for you.

Ever had a client that just didn’t feel like a good fit right off the bat? Ever taken on the wrong agency projects out of desperation to pay bills and meet payroll? If it doesn’t feel right or there are some red flags, pay attention and go with your gut. Listen to the hard lesson this 25 year agency owner learned, how it knocked him down, and how he got back up again. In this episode, we’ll cover: How to avoid the wrong agency projects or clients. Setting up a successful agency structure. Tips on improving your search for inbound leads. Today I got to talk with Jim Stewart, industry pioneer and CEO of StewArt Media and SEO/Digital Marketing Evangelist on his YouTube channel, Jimboot. With more than 25 years experience, Jim has good insight into both the struggles on the business side as well as great information on maximizing search. Avoiding the Wrong Agency Projects or Clients Jim’s biggest piece of advice is: Trust your gut instincts! If something doesn’t feel right or there are some red flags, pay attention, listen to your gut. If your gut says run - then run! And if you're white labeling or on the receiving end of an outsourcing situation, beware: Being white labeled is tough and you get little to no credit for your work. You don’t get direct interaction with the client and receive information through a third party. You’re being sourced for your processes, yet the larger agencies don’t want to follow your processes. Getting the work done on time can be challenging when your agency isn’t the main point of contact. Determining how to charge isn’t clear cut when white labeling. Using this type of structure in the beginning for small agencies is not uncommon, I did it. Just make it work for you by: Letting the big agency know up front that you will credit them as a client name. You will have direct contact with the client. Sometimes in these situations, the big agency will start failing on the project and the client could start approaching your agency directly. Don’t burn any bridges. Being up front with the big agency is key, but you will find that sometimes, they are aware of their shortcomings and tell you to just go ahead and help the client with what’s needed. This can be a great opportunity to build your client base. Creating a Successful Structure You can’t change your first hire but if you could, would you? I sure would. Bringing someone into the fold that has the skill set to handle all the stuff you can’t, or aren’t very good at, is key... So, who should you hire first? It really starts with self awareness. What are you good at? What do you like doing? Where do you want to  take the agency? Take all that info and hiring accordingly. Then... Invest in those people. Train those people. Educate those people. As the agency CEO it is important to know your five roles - and daily operations isn't one of them. And, if you have you been thinking of yourself more as an owner than a CEO, it might be time to transition from Owner to CEO. Be the leader. Communicate the plan. Make sure everyone knows the direction the agency is headed. Set goals and clearly outline them. This provides the team the freedom to work within their goal structures and figure out the best tools to utilize to achieve those goals. Even though ours can be a transient industry, we still have to invest in good people. With the client, clearly outline the plan for them as well. Many clients have been burned before which is why outlining and communicating goals is crucial. Tell them what you’re going to do, when they can expect it and follow through. Improving Search for Inbound Agency New Business There is one major factor in Search: Trust The way to build trust is by having a strong brand. The best thing you can do for search and your overall business is: Build That Brand. There is no silver bullet when it comes to building your brand. It takes hard work and consistency. You need to be putting out valuable content that either educates or entertains. This content creates an impression of you and your brand; it is what your brand becomes. The ultimate goal is to get people to associate your content, or brand, with keywords in your category and viewed as the authority in the industry. Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency 3X Faster? Are you overwhelmed by all the information out there on various ways to grow your agency? Do you want direction on how you can grow your agency faster and easier? Then you’re in luck! I created an innovative mentorship called Agency University. Agency University is a program which provides the 1-on-1 mentorship and ongoing support that is crucial to the success of your agency. Click here to see if it’s the right fit for you.

Are you avoiding video? Afraid you’re not interesting enough or don’t have enough content to produce? Does it look too hard or are you worrying about production quality? Find out how to build your digital communication with a video presence. It’s more accessible and approachable than you think! In this episode, we’ll cover: Understanding the importance of vlogging. Finding a style that works for you and/or your client. How to avoid getting discouraged. How to turn viewers into subscribers. Today I’m chatting with Amy Schmittauer, a media triple threat as a successful YouTuber, with her channel Savvy Sexy Social, best selling author of Vlog Like A Boss and keynote speaker. If anyone understands the power and importance of video in digital communication it’s Amy. She's looked to as the authority in the how-to vlogging space and actually one of the influencers of my vlog, SwenkToday. Understanding the Importance of Vlogging Digital communications is becoming a big need for businesses, both large and small. This need started with social media but is now moving towards video. It is difficult to survive online communications or digital marketing without some form of video. Understanding the way people are consuming content is going to decide your digital communication. People are trying to find the better, faster way of what they want… video accommodates that need. Video and vlogs are growing because they make the host seem approachable. The platforms, such as YouTube, Instagram Stories, Snapchat, etc. are growing and video is becoming more accessible. Because of this, it’s time to step outside your box and start asking, “How can we, as an agency, better consider what our customer wants when it comes to video?” Sit down and have a conversation with clients because using the visual of video is going to make a much deeper connection. This will help your agency make more money and serve your clients better, because this is a necessity in business today. Finding a Style That Works for You People can get caught up in feeling uninteresting, but that is the beauty of video… you can make ANYTHING look and sound interesting with video, IF you think about what it’s like for the end user! So when you think about your video style you need to ask yourself these 3 questions: 1. What is the Brand of You? How do you want people to be talking about you? Get creative. Stay consistent so your audience can get to know you and care about you. 2. Who are You Talking To? Know your audience. Know what your audience wants. This will make you more interesting and keep them watching! 3. What is Your Audience Size and Loyalty Level? If you are new to vlogging and have little or no audience, you have a lot of work to do to earn trust and interest. This will help you build a solid base audience, which can allow you to take things to another level and take some liberties with your content. If you are more concerned with the number of views than the quality of viewer… you’re in trouble. How to Build a Solid Video Presence Don’t get discouraged! I get it, entrepreneurs are impatient (myself included!). Remember: It’s not about the number of views or number of people you reach, because it just takes one person -- the perfect customer. Don’t lose focus on who that person is. It’s tough, vanity metrics on Facebook can make it hard to choose a platform. Facebook feels like your content is getting more views, but in reality, the context of that view is not as valuable as on, say, YouTube. Facebook pushes content into a newsfeed, can come without audio, and is logged as a view if it's watched for 3 seconds or more. So of course, views can look higher on Facebook. YouTube viewers are more intentional. They come looking for the content you are providing and a view isn’t ticked off until 30 seconds is viewed. Every platform has a different algorithm to make more money and keep people happy. But remember, you are working with the same algorithm as top YouTubers. If you get that one person, that perfect customer to watch you and can build a connection through advising them on something that will help them in a positive way… that’s all that matters. Keep ‘Em Coming Back The BEST thing to do to get people to come back is: Ask them. DO ask for them to subscribe - the ask makes them more likely to do it. DON'T assume if they watch your video they will subscribe. DON'T assume if you put a visual, without actually calling it out, they’ll subscribe. Technology is always trying to get better for the viewer and also the vlogger, but sometimes they conflict. You have to be explicit. Lead off with it, but make it short. You don’t want to spend too much time or you will lose them. You want to keep your viewer until the end. If you get them to watch your video all the way to the end, you are considered their thought leader. So tell them what to do next, whatever the natural next step might be (i.e. subscribe, opt-in with email, or visit your site). Say it. You have to say it. Use visuals and create features that make for a nice user experience. This also encourages more action. Related: Want to get better at producing video? Check out this episode: https://jasonswenk.com/video-marketing/ Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency 3X Faster? Are you overwhelmed by all the information out there on various ways to grow your agency? Do you want direction on how you can grow your agency faster and easier? Then you’re in luck! I created an innovative mentorship called Agency University. Agency University is a program which provides the 1-on-1 mentorship and ongoing support that is crucial to the success of your agency. Click here to see if it’s the right fit for you.

Is your agency using the Foot in the Door strategy? Are you keeping all the clients you want to? Learn the three core parts of a proven sales process that is working to renew client contracts and improve recurring revenue. In this episode, we’ll cover: The 3 core parts to every agency sales process. How to create a successful renewal process. How to get out of your agency so it can be a successful agency. Today my guests are Rob Murray and Paul Demarco, cofounders of Intrigue Media, a full-service digital agency servicing B2C clients. In the 11 years they have been working together, they’ve grown their agency from a $50 project fee to $3 million in revenue this year. They credit their growth to a proven sales process and to always sticking with the process. 3 Core Parts of a Proven Sales Process 1- The Sales Process Itself The key to this part is how you interact with people, i.e. your client or customer. There are two main philosophies to consider: Two ears, one mouth, use accordingly. Listening to your clients, let them do the majority of the talking. Ask lots of questions, your client wants to be understood. Avoid writing a prescription without a diagnosis; that is malpractice. You cannot properly pitch them a successful idea without understanding them. Be mindful and open to needing help. Your sales is what drives agency growth. Rob and Paul realized early on that they couldn’t afford not to get help. If you are in the same boat, then check out my Agency Sales Makeover. 2- Financial Commitment for Proposals Traditionally, Intrigue’s proposals or plans had been provided up front for free, or virtually free. However, this is where you want to implement the Foot in the Door strategy, and create a fee-based proposal that is clearly outlined. This is the first step in the direction of a long-lasting client relationship. Proposals require work, outlining this work with your fee is totally acceptable. Intrigue's Marketing Action Plan (MAP) includes the research and education necessary to understand what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, how it will be done and creating a plan around that. Thinking the proposal “seals the deal” is looking at it the wrong way. Charging a low, set fee will: Help you win the deal faster. Make the deal less risky. Provide you incentive and enjoyment through the process. Help make it an easier decision for the client to trust you. Can be a qualifier on your merit. Using the Foot in the Door strategy will also help define the type of clients you want to be working with. If the partnership doesn’t feel right, you can walk away with little loss, rather than taking on a large retainer and becoming stuck. 3- Provide a Plan that Defines Expectations You need to develop a crystal clear plan that defines crystal clear expectations. Something like: "This is exactly what we are promising you." "This is exactly how we will go do it." This plan needs to be shared with your CLIENT as well as your TEAM so that it can be properly executed. With this thinking, you need to make sure that the team you intend on doing the work is the team you are having scope the work up front. This can prove to be a huge win. Creating a Successful Renewal Process Keeping your clients satisfied can be achieved with making sure they are delighted on a regular basis. They implemented “delightful client moments,” where they get to know their clients better. It’s those soft touches that make the business relationship more personal. Taking a binary look at satisfaction creates a more black & white answer: If they don’t renew they aren’t satisfied. If they do renew they are satisfied. Everyone can say your stuff is great, but if they pay you for it, then you know it is great. Using the Foot in the Door method is a stepping stone towards a 1-year retainer. A month or two before the retainer is up, bring the client back in for a renewal. This is when you go for the longer term because you have built up a relationship of trust. How to Get Out of Your Agency So It Can Be a Successful Agency Consider a successful business being a business that can run without you. Leave the details to the team who specialize in the details. Success is all about: The focus you provide for the team. The focus you put on the team. Bring consistency in what they do everyday: Create structure inside the organization. Put your priorities in focus. Get those priorities accomplished. Do updates frequently so everyone is in the know. Providing clarity and context to team members ensures that everyone knows what is going on and can roll in the same direction... sticking to the process and growing your client base. Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency 3X Faster? Are you overwhelmed by all the information out there on various ways to grow your agency? Do you want direction on how you can grow your agency faster and easier? Then you’re in luck! I created an innovative mentorship called Agency University. Agency University is a program which provides the 1-on-1 mentorship and ongoing support that is crucial to the success of your agency. Click here to see if it’s the right fit for you.

How does your agency fit into your life? Are you being very honest and clear on what it is that you want and what success means to you? If you feel like a prisoner to your business or you're struggling with passion for your agency, it might be a time to look within. In this episode, we’ll cover: 3 simple questions to gut check whether your agency is working for you. How to reinvent your agency. How to understand your recurring revenue needs. Today I talk with Pia Silva, Founder and Brand Strategist at WorstofAll Designs, speaker, Forbes contributor and author of BadAss Your Brand. Pia and her partner (who also happens to be her husband) had their lightbulb moment over 6 years ago when they’d fallen into a huge funk and some serious business debt. She’s here to share with us how to avoid those same mistakes while being true to yourself and your business goals. It was then they realized their agency model wasn’t working and that they were trying to front an agency model and be something they weren’t and have now come to realize they have had so much more success just embracing what they did have that was different. 3 simple questions could change everything Do a gut check with these three simple questions: Is it UNIQUE? Do you ENJOY IT? Is it PROFITABLE? Does your current business model work for you? Pia uses these three questions as a foundational point of helping other small business owners with their branding issues. She believes your business should really be “the intersection of what you love and what’s most profitable.” It’s that outside-of-the-box thinking that will set you apart and put you on the path of a business model that will work. Is it time to reinvent your business? “If you’re gonna spend all your time on this, you better LOVE it!” ~ Pia Silva If the answers to any of those 3 questions are ‘no’ then it’s time to reinvent yourself. You need to attack this and look at it going: “This is us. This is what we want to do. This is what we enjoy doing. This is what we’re going to do”...and then figure out how to do it. For Pia and her partner, it meant letting go of employees and redefining their measure of success. Now, instead of being a traditional agency trying to play hardball with the big guys it’s just the two of them. By their choice. Instead of taking on lengthy projects and retainer clients their agency runs intense full day workshops with one client at a time where they “badass their brand” through a BrandUp session. How to Reinvent your Agency First, go back to the basics. Look within. You can’t compete with the big guys if you think the same as the big guys. Instead, think: What makes us unique? What do we want to do? Next break it down, step-by-step to go after it. If you look backwards, then you are just reacting to the market. Instead be proactive and break down your business growth into smaller decisions. Drill down by determining answers to these: How can I buy an ideal client? How can I buy a pitch? How can I get their attention? Who do I want to go after? Understand yourself and your core service Understanding Your Recurring Revenue Needs Honesty is key. Ask yourself why you're in this and possibly, what your end game looks like. Are you comfortable with a lifestyle business? Are you looking for enough revenue to live your life and afford you extra time to do other things you enjoy? Or, are you looking to catapult your business or eventually sell it? What do you want? What does success mean to you? Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency 3X Faster? Are you overwhelmed by all the information out there on various ways to grow your agency? Do you want direction on how you can grow your agency faster and easier? Then you’re in luck! I created an innovative mentorship called Agency University. Agency University is a program which provides the 1-on-1 mentorship and ongoing support that is crucial to the success of your agency. Click here to see if it’s the right fit for you. Related: A $3 Million Agency with a Unique Business Model

How can you create an agency culture that continually inspires your team? After all your team is your #1 asset, so keeping them energized and motivated is key. Agency culture and brand are two sides of the same coin. So, it all starts with defining your on core values. Easier said than done, right? In this week’s episode, we’ll cover: Who to hire first at your agency. How to create a desirable agency culture. One example of core values that set the tone for amazing agency culture. Today’s guest on the show is Brad Flowers, founder of Bullhorn Creative. Like many others, Brad and his partner “accidentally” founded their agency. What was just the two of them and some freelancers in 2008 has grown to 2 offices and 14 employees. They learned fast and hard in order to grow, and Brad is on the show to share his tips on creating a desirable agency culture. Who to Hire First at Your Agency Their first hire was a Project Manager which is ideal, because PM's: Pay attention to details and follow-up/follow-through. Create and implement agency systems and processes. Keep track of projects, keeping them on time and in budget. All this frees up the owner(s) for higher level, business growth activities. Things like: identifying your ideal clients and proactively going after the business you want in order to grow. How To Create a Desirable Agency Culture It clicked for Brad when he read a line in Tony Hsieh’s book, Delivering Happiness. “Our belief is that a company’s culture and a company’s brand are just two sides of the same coin. The brand is just a lagging indicator of the culture.” ~ Tony Hsieh Meaning, culture is the outside world’s perception of the people within your agency. And since the people on your team are a reflection of your agency’s core values you need to hire the right people in order to have the culture you want. So, it all starts with  setting core values. Here's how: Do honest inward reflection to determine your (and your partner’s) personal core values. Write your core values and live them by example every day. Begin hiring based on core values in order to mesh them into your culture. Consider incentives or awards in line with the core values. For more on Zappos' highly acclaimed company culture and core values check out: How to Define Your Agency’s Core Values and Set Up Your Team for Success Like Zappos. Core Values that Set the Tone for Agency Culture Bullhorn has 3 pairs of core values they bring to life in their agency’s culture. Like Zappos, these aren’t just a motto to aspire toward, they’re a way of life. 1. Empathy & Honesty Understand where someone else is coming from but be honest enough to keep things on track. Relevant both internally among the team and externally with clients. Empathy is a unique way of demonstrating authority to your prospects and clients. 2. Dissatisfaction & Improvement It’s OK to be unhappy but also important to help be part of the solution. Always look for ways to make things better. 3. Creativity & Decisiveness Agency teams are presumably creative, but creativity is encouraged and celebrated in every role - including bookkeeping, business development etc. Indecisiveness is the enemy of good work. Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency 3X Faster? Are you overwhelmed by all the information out there on various ways to grow your agency? Do you want direction on how you can grow your agency faster and easier? Then you’re in luck! I created an innovative mentorship called Agency University. Agency University is a program which provides the 1-on-1 mentorship and ongoing support that is crucial to the success of your agency. Click here to see if it’s the right fit for you.

Do you want to grow your digital agency with amazing talent, but worried you can’t pay top dollar? This unique “reverse recruitment model” for finding, training and keeping incredible talent might make it more doable than you think. In this episode, we’ll cover: Why and how to implement a reverse recruitment model. How to develop agency talent with an entry level team. 2 big benefits to reverse recruitment. Today’s guest is Morgan Lopes, CEO of Polar Notion, the web and mobile app development agency he co-founded 5 years ago. Like so many of us, he’s an accidental agency owner who shares with us some valuable advice about hiring a team to grow your agency. He has created and implemented a new recruitment model that’s netting fantastic results. Why Hiring Entry-Level People Can Grow Your Agency Morgan had an amazing mentor when he was young and new to the industry. He developed his craft through the generosity of an older, more experienced person who would not accept payment for his time. Instead, he asked Morgan to pay it forward. Years later, the solution is Polar Notion’s reverse recruitment model. How the Reverse Recruitment Model Works: Skills are teachable, personality is inherent. Hire entry level candidates, typically right out of school. Hiring process focused on personality and character instead of skill level. Character traits to look for: teachable, curious, thoughtful, actionable Skills are teachable, character is not. Train skills and develop the craft in people who are already a culture fit. How to Develop Agency Talent from the Ground Up At first Polar Notion had no process and it was messier than it should’ve been. Now there’s a process and curriculum in place. New hires are onboarded and trained based on specific guidelines. Employees follow process/steps and their appointed mentor makes daunting tasks more bearable. Expectations for new hires and existing team are clear so the program is more successful. 2 Big Benefits of Reverse Recruitment 1. A Company Mission Transitions to a Way of Life This isn’t a “thing” Morgan wants to talk about all the time or force his team do. They’re starting to create habits of mentoring and teaching each other - which is the ultimate goal. Instead of mentorship just being a company mission he aims for it to be something that is naturally ingrained in their culture and lived out. 2. A Super Low Employee Turnover Rate Morgan's agency has only ever let one person go. Ever. When you’re hiring based on personality and character everything clicks and people stick. Also, if/when issues arise the team is more apt to talk to leadership and work through a solution. Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency 3X Faster? Are you overwhelmed by all the information out there on various ways to grow your agency? Do you want direction on how you can grow your agency faster and easier? Then you’re in luck! I created an innovative mentorship called Agency University. Agency University is a program which provides the 1-on-1 mentorship and ongoing support that is crucial to the success of your agency. Click here to see if it’s the right fit for you.

The biggest mistake you can possibly do with growing your agency is bring on a partner. I get it, and I even did it :) I understand what you are going through when you hit a plateau in growth. You are unclear what to do next, and you doubt that you have the knowledge to scale the agency so you think bringing on someone else will help. Or possibly you feel isolated, and you can not be vulnerable to your team, because you are supposed to be the leader. Those are the most common reasons why businesses bring on partners. 9 out of 10 times the agency owner buys out the partner they brought on. Really. At first it’s all sunshine and rainbows and then the storm comes. The business out grows them, and they start pulling away and costing the business money, time, employees, etc… Happened to me and happened to almost every agency I have chatted with. Sure their are exceptions, but are you willing to take the risk. So now what is probably what you are thinking right now. What do I need to do? Well I would tell you to look for someone or a community that can provide you the resources and support you need. That is why I created Agency University, where you get to work directly with me, you get to ask the questions your are struggling with, and I lay you out a plan of what you need to do in order to grow your agency faster. You will also be surrounded by amazing agency owners that have gone through what you are dealing with now, that can show you what worked for them. And at anytime you think you are ready to spread your wings you can do it on your own without having to buy your partner out for the big bucks. Don’t you think that is a better option? When it comes to scaling your agency, many people are so close to their agency they don’t know where to start. Agency University helps agencies setup the right systems from how to position your agency, what your agency should be charging, who you should hire, and so much more.... So you don't have to do everything yourself. What Could You Create With The Right Support, Mentorship, Community & Resources? Go to http://agency.university now and request an invite and let’s help you transform your agency.

Are you frustrated about not growing your agency as fast as you wanted in gross revenue? I get it, I used to be the same way, where I compared our success year over year with how much we grew in gross revenue, but it should be all about profit. Also, just like climbing a mountain, sometimes you need to back track in order to reach the top. If you would like to talk to me about your software you are developing for your agency or the software idea, click here and fill out the form. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSchCz4cF26fLIIQPCO_j_uCx78rv4zv6kqgpnYe-AqRpth5PA/viewform If you would like help with growing your agency faster, make sure you check out Agency University. http://agency.university

So what can you do when a client refuses to pay? I mean, absolutely refuses! That’s the dilemma this new agency owner has with a nightmare client who owes him almost $10K. Listen to his story plus my advice on how to get through it and the processes he needs in order to prevent it from happening again. In this episode, we’ll cover: Why you need a prospect qualification process. What information to get in an initial client meeting. 2 ways to get the client’s budget every time. How to protect your agency against slow pay or no pay clients. Today’s guest is Mike Volkin, a long time freelancer turned agency owner when he founded 800lb Marketing in early 2017. Mike’s agency specializes in fractional CMO services for startups that don’t have marketing leadership. He was about 8 months into the business when I interviewed him. He caught my attention with a post in our Digital Agency Owners Facebook group about a client who wouldn’t pay. In this episode, Mike candidly shares his story about a client who stiffed him on almost $10K while I give him advice to make sure it doesn’t happen again. How a Good Client Turns Bad So here’s the gist of Mike’s horror story... His agency was working with a new client who was investor-funded. They assured him there was plenty of funding - they were even turning investors away. So money wasn't going to be a problem. The deal was going to be 800lb Marketing’s second largest contract with multiple-thousands of dollars in recurring revenue. Well, fast forward several months and now the client refuses to pay. Their reason for nonpayment is because they didn’t receive investor funding. And they didn’t get investor funding because ~ get this~ because, the agency didn’t meet their traffic goals. But wait… WHAT TRAFFIC GOALS? The agency was never given traffic goals yet their success and payment are tied to them? [clickToTweet tweet="There’s no such thing as a bag agency client. Just a bad prospect or a bad process" quote="There’s no such thing as a bag agency client. Just a bad prospect or a bad process"] Why You Need a Qualification Process You might have a similar story. Sooner or later, every agency owner has at least one nightmare client story. In hindsight, usually you look back and realize the signs were always there... Agency owners have to understand they have the right and duty to screen prospective clients. It’s not a one-sided process. Agencies need to ask the right questions and really dig deep to understand if the client is the right fit for them, and not just the other way around. Since Mike works with startups, he typically asks about the source of funds -- whether self-funded or investor-funded but rarely… hardly ever... will they give him a budget. In most cases he doesn’t budget info until the second meeting, after he presents a proposal. Mike says typically, in the first meeting, prospects ask him to create a plan and they’ll “find” the budget... Sound familiar? What Info Do You Need in the Initial Meeting? I always advise my clients to think of N.B.A.T. before engaging in a new project conversation with a new prospect. N- Need. Find out what the client’s desired goals are. What do they believe is the specific need in order to achieve the goal? What they think they need might not be what they actually do need. How does this goal tie into the company’s vision? And how will success be measured? B- Budget. 99% of your prospects know their budget but rarely will they share it. They don’t understand it makes a huge difference in knowing whether you can help them reach their goals or not. Below are my 2 strategies to get the budget from clients who aren’t forthcoming with the information. And the 1% who don’t know the budget? Those are usually the really big clients who have the money to spend -- you’ll know who they are :) A- Authority. Who’s involved in the decision-making? Make sure you’re working with that person or group of people. You don’t want to spin your wheel with people who don’t have the authority to give approvals or make decisions. T- Timing. What is the timeframe for this project and how soon does the client expect results? Is the time frame realistic? Can you achieve the desired results in the period of time they’re allowing? 2 Ways To Get the Client’s Budget Every Time In order to get the client’s budget I like to have a little fun… it depends on your personality as to which one of these strategies work best. You could even use: Jokester:  If a prospect tells you there is no budget, you can respond with a little sarcasm. Like, “No budget? That’s great! I love working with client’s who don’t have limits on what they can spend. Then we can do a bunch of testing and see what works!” Of course, there is a budget and they’ll soon end up giving you a ballpark of it. If not, you can try #2. Reverse Auctioneer:  Start with an obscenely high number and just keep dropping it until you land on a number they’re comfortable committing to. Say something like, “What’s the budget? $100,000? $50,000? $40,000?…” Just pause for a brief second between throwing out numbers until you can get them to lock in a range. How to CYA Against Clients Who Are Slow Or No Pay Mike says he’s going to binding arbitration to try and recoup the loss. I think he should chalk it up to a lesson learned. It’s just not worth investing his time and energy. Learn from it and spend that time building processing to make sure it can’t happen again. This will protect the agency from future potential issues and improve cash flow. Get paid in advance. Literally you should have the cash in hand before you start a project. Either 100% paid in full or, depending on the size of the project, at least 50% upfront. Your salesperson will probably want you to start as soon as there’s ink on the contract. Don’t do it! Cash first is the way to go. Change payment terms. A lot of agencies like to do 50% upfront and 50% on completion. That’s not the best idea because if the client drags out the project, you’re stuck. Instead, get the client’s credit card on file and let them know you’ll be billing on certain dates over the course of the project. Also, put language in your contract about a penalty for charge-backs (and of course, consult your attorney about your contract.) Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency 3X Faster? Are you overwhelmed by all the information out there on various ways to grow your agency? Do you want direction on how you can grow your agency faster and easier? Then you’re in luck! I created an innovative mentorship called Agency University. Agency University is a program which provides the 1-on-1 mentorship and ongoing support that is crucial to the success of your agency. Click here to see if it’s the right fit for you.

Looking for a new way to monetize your agency’s content marketing? Check out how you can use interactive content to personalize the user experience, engage with your prospects and gain trust by making the content more relevant. Learn what interactive content is all about and how you can use it to acquire new agency business. In this episode, we’ll cover: What is interactive content? How can agencies use interactive content? What types of interactive content works best for agencies? Today’s guest is Randy Reyess, cofounder of Outgrow, a growth marketing platform that enables marketers to build interactive content that increase customer engagement. He’s on the show to share strategies on how you can create interactive content that captures more leads and helps convert them into clients. What is Interactive Content? You know those clever quizzes on Facebook that test your movie knowledge? Or calculators you find online to recommend what type of mortgage loan you need? That’s interactive content. It content that requires the participants' active engagement -- more than simply reading a blog post or watching a video. It helps the creator gather information about the user and move them along within the funnel. How Can Agencies Use Interactive Content? Randy says agencies should reflect on all the common questions their sales and support teams always seem to get. The best interactive content usually answers those types of questions. They are the questions that take a lot of explanation, rely on several variables and could not be easily explained in something as simple as a blog post. These are the types of things agencies can handle with a quiz or calculator. [clickToTweet tweet="Everyone is unique but they have common criteria. Use interactive content to understand them quicker." quote="'Everyone is unique but they have common criteria. Use interactive content to understand them quicker.'"] When you offer all your options to prospects it can be overwhelming and confusing. And when you confuse - you lose. Interactive content helps you build a solution and make the recommendation that best suits a prospect’s specific needs. What Type of Interactive Content Works for Agencies? Agencies and SaaS companies are loving interactive content for capturing leads and acquiring new clients. Here’s how they’re using them: Calculators: ROI is huge for your prospects and clients. They want to see what kind of bang they’re going to get for their buck. Agencies can use ROI calculators to help clients determine where and how to spend their budgets. Calculators provide useful information and build authority by not only providing a result but also explaining it. Quiz: Agency prospects often think they need one thing, but in reality actually need something completely different. A short quiz can help them (and you) understand their goals and determine how to meet them. It eliminates the confusion and guesswork while also keeping the focus on the client and their needs. At the conclusion of the quiz, you can make a recommendation on which product or service they need based on quiz results. Mistakes to Avoid When Creating Interactive Content Not having a promotion strategy. Some marketers create calculators without any plan for getting it to it's users. Your interactive content can't generate leads if there's no plan for distributing the content. Not fully experimenting enough. If you want your content to be a lead generator it's important to test the effectiveness of the lead gen form. Run testing on having different numbers of fields on the form, as well as where, when and how much information you require from the user. Not understanding where the user is in the buyer's journey. Understand what type of person you're targeting and where they are in the funnel. Randy suggests starting with your end goal in mind and then determine your target and whether you want to be educational (calculator strategy) or entertaining (quiz strategy). Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency 3X Faster? Are you overwhelmed by all the information out there on various ways to grow your agency? Do you want direction on how you can grow your agency faster and easier? Then you’re in luck! I created an innovative mentorship called Agency University. Agency University is a program which provides the 1-on-1 mentorship and ongoing support that is crucial to the success of your agency. Click here to see if it’s the right fit for you.

Have you ever considered closing your agency because you feel like you’re failing? Cash flow problems, employee issues, bad clients… the struggle is real! You don’t have to throw in the towel. Just check out what this agency owner did to turn things around to become profitable and happy again.   In this episode, we’ll cover: How an agency goes from good to bad. 6 Steps to turning around a struggling agency. One regret from an agency owner.   Our guest today is Jack Jostes, President and CEO of Ramblin Jackson, the SEO agency he started in 2009. In his video The Good, The Bad and The Ugly he talks about his eight year journey as an agency owner and the valuable lessons he learned in order to go from almost close to thriving. Jack’s on the show to talk about the steps he took to turn around his agency so he and his team could enjoy it again. How Does an Agency Go from Good to Bad? Like many entrepreneurs, Jack fell into the business by accident. He was working in sales and started to learn SEO as a trade from someone in the business. He decided to start a digital agency to marry those two skills but he admits he had no idea what he was getting into. The Good At first, things were great and it was super fun taking on new clients, challenging new project and hiring contractors to help with all the new work. After a couple years, though, he decided to bring on a partner with 20 years experience in the agency business. It turned out to be a great decision because they grew 50% for several years after forming the partnership. The Bad & The Ugly Jack says it was fun and growth at great at first. But then things got bad - and ugly. Cash flow was terrible. Jack and his partner went months without getting paid and vendors were paid late. The team morale was low and clients were getting frustrated. Jack got to the point where he considered closing. That’s when he reached out to me the first time and told him not to give up!   I told Jack about the Navy Seal’s 40% rule which is, when your mind thinks you’re done, you’re really only 40% done. And that was Jack’s turning point. 6 Steps to Turning Around a Struggling Agency So how did Jack turn things around? Here are the six steps he took.   1- Get really clear about company vision. Jack was unhappy and ready to throw in the towel. I get it. I considered closing my agency when we were struggling too. When things are hard and it’s not fun it seems like giving up is the answer.   However, Jack said he took a step back and got really clear about what he wanted and didn’t want for the agency. Then he had an honest, respectful conversation with his partner where they realized they wanted different things. That’s when they made the mutual decision to part ways. Jack bought his partner out and since it was an amicable split, they still work on some projects together.   2- Understand and be transparent about financials. Jack says part of the reason they had such bad cash flow was because he was embarrassed of the state of the financials and kept it a secret. He used to feel as President, the accounts receivables and collections were his responsibility. No one was aware or incentivized to help achieve better cash flow.   After going through my Agency Playbook he discovered ways to incentive his team. Now there are key employees are get bonuses based on accounts receivables and attaining agency financial goals.   3- Change payment terms. Like most agencies, Ramblin Jackson’s payment terms were 50% to start and 50% upon completion. However, the problem with this payment structure is when the client stalls on a project the final amount can’t get billed. That means the agency is stuck holding the bag while the client drags their feet on providing information, feedback or approvals.   Now, they require full payment up front for smaller projects or use my date driven payment terms for larger engagements. As a result they’re they’ve reduced project cycles since prepaid clients are motivated to receive the value they’ve already paid for.     4- Hire slow. Fire fast. It’s imperative to have a A players on your team - even in roles that might not seem integral to the outward success of the agency. In Jack’s case, it was the bookkeeper who was awful and incompetent. He was always slow to send invoices and didn’t have a pulse on agency finances.   Once Jack fired the bookkeeper and hired a new one things turned around quickly. In fact, the new bookkeeper found over $10,000 of unsent invoices! She has also streamlined bookkeeping and created systems to make it easy.   5- Tie others to the same bomb. By holding everyone accountable to the same goals, there is more cohesiveness among the internal departments. For example, Sales doesn’t get commission until the client pays the invoice. With common goals everyone is motivated to work together to achieve them.   6- Invest in mentors. Agency ownership can be lonely! Jack says he has worked with some incredible coaches over the years who each specialize in different aspects of business. He had worked with a sales coach (at different job) and now pays that coach to help his sales team at Ramblin Jackson. He also works with a sales management coach and an executive coach to help him hone his skills in those areas. Jack also says it’s been key finding a coach who has owned and sold a successful agency. (Hint: it’s me)  The Agency Playbook and our Agency University have been invaluable resources for the mentorship from someone who’s been there and done it.