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Faster! Faster!
A couple of the key takeaways from some of the research we've recently done, where we talked to people who hire agencies: CMOs, directors of marketing, and other similar folks, is that when they are unhappy with us, they are often unhappy with us for one of two reasons. Number one is that things take too long. Our systems and processes are bloated, and we can't be as agile as they need us to be. And the second thing is that – of the research- from the time that they get aggravated with us until the time they decide to find another agency, it is less than a month. So, let's talk a little about this irritation we create when our systems and processes are too complicated, and we can't turn on a dime like they need us to. This is a great time of year for you to look at inside your project management system. Pull together your team. Talk to your project managers. Depending on how you're structured as an agency. The question is, are we being as efficient and effective as possible to get work in and out of the agency in as timely a fashion as we can at the quality level and the accuracy level that we need? The second part of that question is: what's in the way of us being more efficient, more effective, quicker to turn things around, and how do we solve those problems? So nobody wants to put out work, and that's not good. That's not well thought out. That's not accurate. That is, you know, void of mistakes or errors. Of course, we're not saying that. But sometimes, our systems and processes actually slow things down. Or it might be that a person is a bottleneck and has a role inside the agency that everything has to flow through. Oftentimes, an owner slows the process down. So, take a little time to look at both the actual process of your work and the roles inside the process, and figure out if there are ways you could be even more effective and more efficient in turning things around quickly. Watch »
How inclusive is your agency?
How can you continue to create a welcoming environment for all kinds of diversity, not just – not just sexual orientation or race or gender or faith, but also the way people think. There's a lot of talk today about neurodivergence and how different people's brains are wired and how they work. And I think there's a huge opportunity for us to think about that and create pathways inside our organization where we can tap into everybody's experiences, strengths, and uniqueness and make those part of what we offer our clients. So as always, I, I hope that we all believe this as people, but certainly as business owners, the more unique and diverse our ecosystem is inside our agency, the more we can connect with and be of service to clients and their audiences, who are also very diverse. Watch »
Your agency owner summer learning program
How are you going to use this summer to sharpen your saw? That might mean some downtime, some family time, some vacation, catching your breath, getting inspired again, and getting all of the minutiae of the day out of your brain so you have a chance to really think about the business. For others, it might be some digging into some classes or learning or books. For other folks, it might be watching some videos, some TED Talks, some educational materials, or some new podcasts. But one thing I do know is that we, as leaders and owners of agencies, cannot slow down in our focus on getting smarter and better. We have to keep adding to the repertoire of what we know, what we know how to do, what we wonder about, what makes us curious, and what we're learning about. Agency life is all about lifelong learning. And I always think of summer as a chance—remember when we were kids, and we did the book reading clubs through the summer, and you got credit for how many books you read? Maybe that's why. But I always think of summer as this opportunity for us to deep-dive into some learning. So my question for you is, should you spend some time this summer really elevating your game and sharpening your saw? Watch »
Butterflies are good
We have our big event, the Build A Better Agency Summit coming up. One of the things that makes me anxious about this event is that I have to do a keynote. Danyel and I teach workshops throughout the year, and I teach in videos like this and on the podcast, and I'm super comfortable with that. But a keynote: 45 minutes, no slides, it's supposed to be aspirational and inspirational. That makes me nervous. And somebody asked me today, does that make me feel like I'm not prepared? And I was like, no, actually, it's part of my prep process. I welcome the butterflies. So back when I was pitching, when I was playing baseball and pitching, before a big game, I got nervous, anxious, and had butterflies. Why? Because the game was important. Because my performance was important to me. I didn't want to let my team down. And I look at stepping on a stage exactly the same way. It's a team sport. Not just me on the stage. It's me and the audience. It's us working together to create an experience, and I want to do my part to ensure we win the game. Watch »
It’s our fault
See if this feels familiar -- "I'm so frustrated with the younger employees because their expectations and understanding about the work is very different. They set very firm boundaries around sort of their personal life and their personal time, and they're not willing to do the things that I need them to do. For example, I'm frustrated that they won't attend after-hours networking events. I'm frustrated that they won't travel to client meetings. I'm frustrated that they will not invest some of their own time and professional development." Does that sound like how you're feeling? I totally hear you on all of that. But the reality is this is not them. This is us. This is our fault. Watch »
How can I help my client?
One of my favorite questions for our account people to ask their point of contact inside the client – super simple, but delivers big results – is hey client, while we're building out the marketing plan, what we're thinking about the company's ROI and their goals, I'm curious for you personally what has been outlined for you at the end of the year? What activity, what ROI, and what accomplishment will earn you a raise, a bonus, or a promotion? Once they share that with you, bake it into the plan. Make sure it's part of what you want to deliver by the end of the year. It's going to do a couple of things. It's going to tell your client that you're on their side. Number two, it's going to elevate a conversation from being an order taker to being a thinking partner and a marketing partner. Number three, it's going to create a champion inside that organization for you, because everybody loves somebody who will help them get a raise, bonus or promotion. So it's a super simple way to have a more in-depth conversation with a client that demonstrates that we understand that their job is on the line, their success is on the line, and we're a huge part of whether or not they accomplish their goals, both professionally and personally, and that we want to contribute to that in every way we can. Watch »
Timesheet specifics
Let's talk to you about timesheet codes, the function codes you use to track and define how time is being spent when you do your timesheets. Many agencies have these big black holes, particularly around your non-billable time. It's uper important that you track both billable time and non-billable time. Why? Timesheets aren’t really about billing. They're about understanding what your team is doing. How long it takes. It's about looking for efficiencies and effectiveness. Who needs more training?Are our estimates accurate? It answers a ton of questions that actually have nothing to do with billing. But it starts with A) doing your timesheets every day and B) having the right function codes so you know how people spend their time. Watch »
What does an hour cost?
We don't talk as much as we should about what an hour costs our agency. Maybe that will help inspire you to look at raising your rates. So the poor man's way of figuring that out is you need four numbers. Number of hours, number of employees, total salary cost, and your overhead cost. Watch »
Internal growth goals
We believe that every agency employee should have a growth goal for every quarter. What we mean by that is that they should get better at something, they should learn something new, they should add to a skill set. They should invest in themselves to be better for themselves, the agency, and the clients. The first one is what am I going to learn that's going to benefit me? I'm going to get certified in Google AdWords. I'm going to take a presentation in class, or take an online webinar on how to use AI to take better notes, whatever it may be. Number two, what is my growth goal in terms of serving our clients better? So that might be that I'm going to sit in on a sales meeting for a client to learn more about their objectives and learn what the salespeople hear when they're on the road. Or I'm going to go to a part of a trade show day with a client and sit in their booth and listen. And then the third one is how am I going to get better? How am I going to grow to benefit the agency? So that might be I'm going to write an extra blog post for the agency. How am I going to help the agency grow? I'm going to contribute to our thought leadership. I will start spending time on LinkedIn, sharing and liking my colleagues’, my coworkers’, and my clients’ posts. Watch »
Breathe
One of the ways we can help our team, but we can also help ourselves is to think about what we need to do to ease some of that stress, ease some of that unrest, and give ourselves literally and figuratively, some breathing room. Drew McLellan, CEO of Agency Management Institute, offers a weekly agency management tip to agency owners. Watch »
