When it comes to your agency, are you confusing marketing and sales?
Most agencies struggle with sales. Honestly, I think one of the challenges of business development is that many agencies blur the lines between marketing and sales. Many agencies are getting better at marketing. Technology and social media, and all of [...]
Are you protected from your partnership?
No one buys homeowners insurance because they actually expect to have a fire at their house. But they know if they wait until there’s a fire, it’s too late. So, on the very first day of homeownership — they buy [...]
As an agency, how nosy are you?
When I talk to agency owners about their employees, one of the common frustrations I hear is that they’re not strategic enough. Many owners feel like they have to stay in the day to day mix with clients because they’re [...]
Investing in Love
You might be wondering if love really adds value to a business.” Warren Buffett sure thinks it does. You’ve probably heard of him. He’s done pretty well financially by making a few wise investments in companies. Indeed, he’s generally regarded [...]
How to spark creativity on demand
I believe that one of the most challenging aspects of our work is the forced creativity. We have no time to wait around for a muse or to stand in the shower all day, hoping that inspiration will strike. Every [...]
Should you change beliefs or behavior?
The world was supposed to end in 1954. It didn't, obviously. But that didn't seem to matter much to the people who believed it would. Remember that. It's important, especially if you want to change people's opinions or behavior. Looking [...]
If you’re going to go pro bono, at least get credit
I have yet to meet an agency owner who did not have a generous spirit. Whether your clients live in your community or not, every agency I know does a ton of pro bono work for the non-profits in their [...]
Agency Value In a Digital World – Purchase Price Structures
When digital was a novel offering, we saw agencies with that narrow focus receive extravagant valuations. Today, digital expertise has become a given rather than a point of differentiation. I heard the comment at an AMI event that basic online [...]
Consistency triumphs over bursts of brilliance
Last week, one of my mornings was consumed with podcast recordings and interviews. In some cases, I was the subject matter expert but in most, I was the host, asking questions of other agency- centric subject matter experts. By sheer [...]
Your employees are hungry to learn
A couple of months ago I spent two days sequestered in a conference room with 45 agency employees that all have “digital” in their job description, their daily work or on their long list of responsibilities. They were from 20+ [...]