fbpx

Search results for: agency management

Business Development in a Digital Age, with Tom Martin.

[easy-social-share buttons=”facebook,twitter,google,linkedin,mail” counters=1 counter_pos=”topm” total_counter_pos=”leftbig” style=”icon_hover”] Tom Martin, author of “Invisible Sale,” has been in the agency life for many years. He has spent 20 years driving new business for agencies. In 2010, he created Converse Digital, an agency that focuses on doing business differently.   What you’ll learn about in this episode: How new business has changed over the years Why clients no longer believe in hiring just one agency How to define your value to your clients when delivering ideas instead of “stuff” Correctly positioning your agency in the days when your client first discovers you Painless Prospecting: how to get great leads to find you Can Painless Prospecting work for generalists? The risks of delegating the Painless Prospecting process What your content has to do for your Painless Prospecting process to work Why giving away your secret sauce is never going to implode your business Tom’s propinquity theory on marketing today What you can do right now to get started on the business development path discussed in this episode   The Golden Nugget: […]

May 16th, 2016|

Understanding Customer Value-Based Pricing as a Pricing Strategy with Ron Baker

Everyone in the agency business has a deep hatred for two aspects of your business. The billable hour and the timesheet. My podcast guest, Ron Baker, believes agencies should do away with both. (I disagree with him on the timesheet and you’ll hear why in our conversation). Ron’s philosophy is built around the concept of customer value-based pricing. He’s a huge value-based pricing advocate and a CPA but he’s no ordinary CPA. He and his team are committed to price certainty in all professions, including agencies.  He wants to help you have a conversation with your customer to determine the value of what you're creating, so that you're pricing the customer, not your services or the scope of work. Ron and I help you understand what your customers are trying to achieve and how to assign a value to the work you do to help them get there.  We answer many customer value-based pricing questions like:   Why Ron believes that the billable hour and the timesheet need to go Customer value-based pricing: the differences between different pricing plans Ways to add in additional value that isn’t more “stuff” How to start a value conversation The typical agency objections of value-based pricing and why they’re false How to succeed at the transition to value-based pricing Other kinds of mistakes agencies make when shifting towards value-based pricing The major benefits for focusing on value and the customer Action steps that agencies can take when deciding whether or not to utilize customer value-based pricing Ron Baker is the founder of VeraSage Institute, a leading think tank dedicated to educating professionals internationally, and a radio talk-show host called The Soul of Enterprise: Business in the Knowledge Economy. Ron [...]

May 9th, 2016|

Spend Time Doing Your Homework, with Mitch Joel.

[easy-social-share buttons=”facebook,twitter,google,linkedin,mail” counters=1 counter_pos=”topm” total_counter_pos=”leftbig” style=”icon_hover”] When Google wants to explain innovation and marketing to the top brands in the world, they bring Mitch Joel to the Googleplex in Mountain View, California. Marketing Magazine dubbed him the “Rock Star of Digital Marketing” and called him, “one of North America’s leading digital visionaries.” Mitch Joel is President of Mirum – a global digital marketing agency operating in 20 countries with over 2500 employees (although he prefers the title, Media Hacker). He has been named one of the top 100 online marketers in the world and was awarded the highly prestigious Canada’s Top 40 Under 40.   What you’ll learn about in this episode: Mirum’s unique structure Generalists vs specialists: the philosophical and financial reasons agencies should specialize instead of generalizing How to figure out if a client is a good fit for your agency Mad Men vs Math Men: how to blend creative and data Why it’s more important than ever to stay hungry and keep learning everything you can Do your homework: how to balance learning time with time spent on client work “Algorhythm”: Mitch’s upcoming book Tools Mitch uses for consistent learning   The Golden Nugget: […]

April 25th, 2016|

Win More Business

"This was without a doubt the best agency-focused new business workshop I have ever attended.  We implemented what we learned in 2018 and our win ratio has more than doubled! Please register me for both of the 2019 workshops -- I know I can't afford to miss them!" One two day workshop was not enough so in 2019 -- we've got two! If you've attended in the past -- this is new content that will build on what you've already learned.  If you've never attended before, you're in for a mind-blowing, notebook-filling, win ratio crushing few days.  You can register for either workshop or take advantage of the combo discount and attend both. These workshops are taught by Robin and Steve Boehler from Mercer Island Group, agency search consultants who review thousands of RFP responses and sit through hundreds of agency pitches as they help their clients select the right agency and Drew McLellan from AMI, who works closely with over 250 agencies every year, coaching them on how to differentiate themselves. Adding to why you should attend -- we will be onsite at the Grand Floridian Resort with an incredible $299/night rate! Who should attend: Agency owners, leadership teams and business development directors who are charged with growing the agency by landing new clients and growing the clients you have. Selling has never been tougher! In both of these two-day workshops, you will learn skills that will enhance all of your sales interactions – and win more new business! Workshop #1: Win More Business 2019: Turning Incoming into Income Tuesday, January 15 & Wednesday, January 16 Day One: What to do with a prospect’s request for a meeting, proposal or pitch How to quickly build a prospect business profile Best [...]

April 19th, 2016|

Why the Written Word is More Important than Ever in Business with Jody Sutter

Words matter. They’re often an agency’s go to tool for clients and biz dev. Your prospects spend time on your website, follow you on social media, and read your content long before they ever reach out to you – so your written word is critical. It’s the first thing that your prospects see, so it better be up to snuff.   My podcast guest, Jody Sutter has a long history with the written word. Jody works with agencies helping them develop a more proactive approach to growing their business, with a special emphasis around how they communicate - getting jargon, generalizations, wordiness, and sloppy writing out of their proposals and everything else they use to promote their agency. Through your writing, Jody helps you to differentiate yourself, so that your work stands out from the others by being clear about who you are and what you do best. Jody and I help you find your unique voice by showing you: Why strong writing is more important than ever in our digital age The major mistakes that agencies make when presenting themselves in writing How to avoid making the big mistakes agencies make when responding to RFPs Why editing is so important for improving your team’s writing, how to get good at it, and what you should keep in mind if you are outsourcing the editing How agencies can differentiate themselves through storytelling The Pixar pitch The “5 things that you can do to make your writing better right away” checklist What you need to do to assess whether or not your writing needs improvement Jody Sutter started her career in sales and ended up working in agencies leading the new business teams. Today she runs [...]

April 18th, 2016|

Strategic Account Planning

It's time to transform your agency speak Into the language of business. Agencies that are fluent in the metrics of their client’s business have a competitive edge. It’s a common complaint of clients. “Our agency doesn’t understand our business.” Now is the time for agencies to develop a new language that resonates with their clients. A language that signals they understand more than branding and marketing … they understand business. Imagine beginning conversations with prospective clients centered on the client’s sales funnel … probing to learn more about how the client is measuring marketing efficiency and effectiveness in terms of cost-per-lead or sale. Immediately, the potential client recognizes your agency is different from any other they have worked with or talked to about their business. Who should attend: Agency owners, Account Directors and Account Executives who are charged with growing the agency’s business by delivering measurable ROI to clients. It’s time to change the way your agency talks with clients. This two-day workshop will give you and your team tools you’ll use to transform conversations to win and keep more business. Here’s what we’ll cover: How to walk your client through an exercise that will “self generate” a budget How to apply customer lifetime value to project ROI Formulas to develop targets for an acceptable blended cost-per-lead and cost-per-sale/conversion/acquisition How to use client data for profiling and segmentation to drive acquisition efficiencies How you can increase AGI by understanding the role of digital communications in what happens after a lead is captured – the processes for nurturing the lead to conversion Additional AGI opportunities by building out a lost lead-reengagement program to maximize client ROI Why having an integrated media planning and buying team is key to [...]

April 13th, 2016|

How to Develop a More Profitable New Business Process with Lee McKnight Jr.

“We're a full service integrated marketing agency.” Sound familiar? Trying to be everything to everybody is just one of the big mistakes that agencies today are making when it comes to attracting new business. Agencies hate to leave money on the table, even if it’s “bad money.” But we all know what happens when you chase after or work with clients who aren’t in your sweet spot. They clog your new business processes and cost you time and money. My podcast guest, Lee McKnight, Jr. helps agencies solve this conundrum and many more in the dreaded agency quest for new business. He helps agencies get out of their own way and identify what makes them a unique option and just what certain prospects need. We cover a lot of ground in this podcast including the following: How to prevent your agency from making the major mistakes that agencies make all the time Why agencies need to specialize instead of generalize New business: how to develop a better, simpler new business process How to use a delicately balanced process that uses all different kinds of marketing Why patience is so key in closing on new business The importance of having one person who is the leader on a project Why there needs to be a balance between showcasing the figurehead and the agency The tools you’re going to need to put into practice the objectives discussed in this episode Lee McKnight Jr. is the Director of Business Development for RSW/US in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are a new business development firm that works solely with agencies and marketing services firms. After graduating law school, he ran away as fast possible from that profession and worked for an [...]

April 4th, 2016|

Moving Agencies Forward Through New Business Acquisition, with Lee McKnight Jr.

[easy-social-share buttons=”facebook,twitter,google,linkedin,mail” counters=1 counter_pos=”topm” total_counter_pos=”leftbig” style=”icon_hover”] Lee McKnight Jr. is the Director of Business Development for RSW/US in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are a new business development firm that works solely with agencies and marketing services firms. After graduating law school, he ran away as fast possible from that profession and worked for an internet healthcare start-up until the bubble burst and his magical stock options disappeared in the late 90s. Fast forward through some interesting marketing and sales positions to RSW/US where Lee has spent the last 8 years working with agencies of all types to help drive their new business efforts. A big fan of history, comics and horror novels, he’s currently in a few bands in Louisville and Cincinnati and likes to pretend that chicks dig married, 44-year-old guys with kids that play in cover bands.   What you’ll learn about in this episode: How to prevent your agency from making the major mistakes that agencies make all the time Why agencies need to specialize instead of generalize New business: how to develop a better, simpler process How to use a delicately balanced process that uses all different kinds of marketing Why patience is so key in closing on new business The importance of having one person who is the leader on a project Why there needs to be a balance between showcasing the figurehead and the agency The tools you’re going to need to put into practice the objectives discussed in this episode   The Golden Nugget: […]

April 4th, 2016|

Hiring for Keeps, with Art Boulay.

[easy-social-share buttons=”facebook,twitter,google,linkedin,mail” counters=1 counter_pos=”topm” total_counter_pos=”leftbig” style=”icon_hover”] Art Boulay is the owner of Strategic Talent Management and offers common sense solutions for hiring better employees and making current employees stronger. Art has partnered with AMI for years and has created (through testing A players) profiles for the ideal candidates for most agency specific positions.   What you’ll learn about in this episode: Assessment tools for hiring the right employee lead to more objective and effective hiring How Art’s tools can assess agencies, what makes them unique, and how that will help to find the right future employees From hire to retire: what employers and employees should do to ensure that employees don’t leave right away How to use assessments to counteract biases that we bring to the table during the hiring process Why asking specific types of questions and having at least two people conducting an interview will reveal what you actually need to know about interviewees Tips for making ads as attractive as possible to the people you want to hire and unappealing to people you don’t even want to interview Why age is not an indicator of knowledge and skill: hire leaders, not experience   The Golden Nugget: […]

March 21st, 2016|

How to Write and Create Valuable Content with Ann Handley

As agencies, we're constantly struggling with how to write and create good solid content for our clients while at the same time, doing it profitably enough so that we don’t lose our shirts in the process. We’re also trying to step up and take the role of helping clients make sure that their content is meaningful, useful and unique. That’s a tall order and sometimes we just don’t have the time or the skill level on our staff to get it done. This world of content is where my podcast guest, Ann Handley shines. As the Chief Content Officer at MarketingProfs, she has a handle on what it takes to get all of that accomplished as well as some invaluable strategies and resources to make us all better writers and content officers in our own right. In my podcast conversation, Ann and I really get down to the core of writing and writing well and why it is so important in content creation and the role all of that has in building your agency. Some highlights include: How agencies can educate their clients The MarketingProfs B2B Forum How to write valuable content that your clients will absolutely love Strategies for working on better content instead of lots of content Why you need to focus on writing during the hiring process and throughout your agency’s work Resources for editing whether you have the budget for a human editor or not Why you need to find writers with an audience-centric point of view (and the pros and cons of hiring journalists) Tips for creating spaces for creating your best writing Ann Handley speaks and writes about how you can rethink the way your business markets. Cited in [...]

March 14th, 2016|

Need a new search?

If you didn't find what you were looking for, try a new search!

Go to Top