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Hey agency owner – your culture is a big deal!

If you’re like most business owners, you focus on your accounts and clients.  The bottom line, after all, is important.  But have you considered the impact your agency’s culture has on that bottom line?  What kind of culture do you think you have?  What would your clients say? Your employees? Entrepreneur asked me to write about agency culture and the things you can do to take charge of your culture and create an employee engagement strategy that will do more than improve the bottom line.  Do you have a strategy to not only improve your culture but that is a continual challenge to keep improving it?  I’d love to hear your stories!

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Build a better agency with better hires

Are you tired of thinking you've found a great new employee only to be disappointed again?  You can definitely build a better agency with better hires. An advertising agency can be a tough place to work: We live in a world of high pressure, tight deadlines, and demanding clients.  Let's face it, they're all part of the daily grind.  The truth is, not everyone can hack the environment. But employees who thrive under pressure, day in and day out, prosper at advertising agencies – and can drive your agency's bottom line as well. That’s why an agency is truly only as good as its people. And that’s also why one of the biggest risks an agency can take is hiring someone new. One hiring mistake – especially in a small- or medium-sized agency – can dramatically influence performance, profitability, and sustainability for the entire company. I explored this topic for Digital Marketer and shared with their readers the 4 ways to build a better agency with better hires.  (And there's even a bonus tip!)

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Hey agency owner – is every person on your staff a good writer?

Social media has had a real impact on not only our ability to communicate but how we communicate.  Emoticons, twitter sized 140 character thoughts, tiny urls, etc.  The “ease” of communication has also led to a decline in how to communicate.  How prepared is your team when it comes to sending an email, writing a report, or giving written feedback?  And how often can you lay miscommunication at the feet of just plain bad writing? I wrote the following article for Under 30 CEO about why good writing matters and how to ensure every person on your team is a good writer.  Is this a focus for your team?  Is this something you just assume? Or have you taken steps to incorporate it into your staff training?  Tell me your stories!

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Hey agency owner – are you taking care of your largest asset?

Your people are your agency’s largest asset.  They’re also your biggest investment.  Despite that — most agencies do not have an actual plan for attracting, retaining and growing the right people.  And they certainly don’t have guidelines for how to know when someone isn’t making the cut. I wrote an article for the Washington Post to give some guidelines for creating and maintaining a plan for staffing that will allow you to maintain your work flow without putting your business at risk. What about your business?  Do you have a way to keep your staffing needs in line with your business goals?  I’d love to hear your experiences.  

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Ten Ways To Motivate Agency Employees

Here are some questions you should be asking yourself when wondering how to motivate your employees: Can you name ten ways in which you motivate your agency employees?  Can you name one? Or are you too busy putting out fires to consciously think about keeping your team fired up and working at a peak performance level? It’s all too easy to complain about an employee’s perceived lack of performance on the job. Sometimes, performance can be dramatically improved just by paying a little attention to all your employees. Too often we end up taking good performers and the ones we like for granted and grumble about the ones that need to improve. Having a strategy to motivate, grow and retain your biggest and most expensive asset is just good business. It’s part of working ON the business, and not just IN it! Here’s a list of my top ten tips when you are wondering how to motivate your employees: Consciously try to say “hello” or “good morning” or “good night” or “good job” to everyone, every day. Notice them and acknowledge them.  It sounds simple but how many days do you walk through the office and just walk right by people because you're on your phone or deep in thought? Personally thank employees for doing a good job - face to face, in writing, and in front of others. Do it often and sincerely.  You cannot be too grateful. Be willing to take the time to meet with and listen to employees - as much as they need or want. Provide employees specific and frequent feedback about their performance. Support them in improving performance.  Ask for their opinion too. Recognize, reward and promote high performers; deal [...]

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Advertising agency owners take money out of their own pocket to stay overstaffed

I have found that most agency owners are very generous people. They love the people they work with and want to create an amazing working environment. They are also very slow when it comes to firing an employee – whether it’s because the person isn’t performing at the right level or because billings have dropped and they just don’t need that person any more. All of that is lovely. But, you are literally taking that money out of your own pocket when you make that decision. I can’t tell you how many times an agency owner has lamented to me, “I know I should let Carl go but he’s putting two kids through college.” Yup – and you are taking money that should be going into your kid’s college fund (or your retirement or investment account) and handing it to Carl’s kids. Even more than that – by not firing an employee, you are putting your entire agency at risk, for the sake of this one person. Your responsibility is to run the agency in a fiscally sound manner so that the agency survives the ups and downs of cash flow, clients coming and going and other economic factors. I saw way too many good agencies just close their doors in the last recession because the agency owner stubbornly held onto too many people and didn’t trim overhead expenses fast enough. One ratio that can help you stay in alignment is a rule of thumb we use at Agency Management Roundtable with our agency clients. On average, for every $100,000 - $125,000 in AGI (adjusted gross income = your gross billings minus your costs of goods sold) you should have one full time equivalent. If [...]

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What your agency employees want from their boss

Have you ever wondered what your agency employees want from their boss -- AKA you? I just spent two days with a room full of account executives, teaching them how to add more value to their agencies and their clients. As part of the conversation, we talked about improving employee relations and the difference between what they think their bosses want from them…and what you, agency owners, truly do want from them. It's an eye-opening experience for them to say the least.  But then I turn the tables and ask them what they want most from you -- their boss. What I always find fascinating is that "more money" is rarely mentioned. Here's a partial list of what your best AEs want from you: They want to learn from you, your past experiences and work They want to keep learning and for you to give them access to workshops, webinars, etc. They want to get smarter in terms of how business works, not just marketing They want to know you're running the business in a fiscally responsible way They want to work someplace that is vibrant and has a fun/cool factor They want the "this job isn't M-F, 9-5" to work both ways But the number one thing, time and time again that I hear they want most -- they want you to notice their work, their effort and express your appreciation for them going above and beyond.  They work hard and part of the reason they do it is because they want your trust and respect. We all know, as agency owners, that we get going so fast that sometimes we forget to say "thank you." This is a great place to start when [...]

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Hey agency owner – how do you build your team?

The staffing model for agencies has changed dramatically over the past decade.  It used to be that everyone has to be under one roof, working the same hours and available for face-to-face conversations at all times.  But now with remote employees, flex time and work from home options, how you build your team is very different.  How do you know when you’re ready for another full time team member or if it would be better to go part-time, freelance or partner with someone else? HR.com asked me to walk you through how to build your team in the both the most cost and work load effective ways.  Ultimately there is no one right answer, but developing a strategy for your hiring process can save you and your staff time and your business money. How do you evaluate your team hiring needs?  I’d love for you to read the article and let me know what you think.

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Advertising agency non-compete agreements

A non-compete agreement form is like fire insurance. It's a sickening feeling to see the smoldering ruins of your just-burned house, and wish you'd bought the insurance policy. The time to create your non-compete agreement is before you get burned. There's a widespread belief among the advertising agencies that we meet in our workshops and consulting that non-compete agreements are not enforceable. We do all we can to dispel that belief. We're not attorneys so we won't attempt to give you legal advice, other than say a properly written non-compete agreement form required by the agency and signed by the employee is binding upon both parties. Doing so could even save you a fortune on legal fees. Non-compete agreements do not fall under Federal jurisdiction. The covenants are governed by State law. With fifty states there are fifty sets of rules. This means you need to talk to your legal eagles and have them put one together for you that can be upheld in your state courts. You need to have ALL current and new employees sign the non-compete agreement form you and your attorneys have fashioned. Your attorney will tell you that you will probably have to compensate each employee in some way to sign the new agreement.  In my agency, we paid them all $1 -- which we literally handed to them. You may find that it may be simple to include a "section" on non-compete in the employment agreement. But the key is getting signatures on the document -- no matter which document you choose to include your non-compete language. While it's true that you can't prevent someone from making a living, you can prevent them from making a living at your [...]

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5 Mistakes that cost agency owners money.

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