Despite the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, some agencies such as the Creative MMS made it a point to get back up immediately and grow stronger, bigger, and even better than ever. Creative MMS’ CEO and Founder, Ben LeDonni, joins our episode today to share their stable company culture of empathy, understanding, and healthy work boundaries that they managed to foster and has become the anchor that pulls them back together in every challenge they have faced.

You’ve heard it all before. “Build rapport, be empathetic, and Always Be Closing.” But what if there was a better way? There are times when it makes sense to focus on building rapport and other times when it doesn’t. You need to know how and when to strike the right balance between relationship-building and value-propositioning, so your prospect can make an informed buying decision.

From the point of view of an employee, questions such as, ‘Am I valued here?’ or ‘Is this where I’m supposed to be?’ probably don’t sound Greek anymore especially in the context of workplace culture. As an employer, a team leader, or an agency owner, it is critical to not keep instructing your employees, but instead, recognize their value, empower them to improve on their niche, and open opportunities for them to serve in areas where they could give their best. In this episode, Neil Bedwell of LOCAL shares the best practices and culture-starters an employer could do to make employees love their job and their workplace.

How should you create your agency’s sales forecast for 2022? What’s the average cost per acquisition to aim for? What are you supposed to look for when hiring an SDR? What’s Joey’s favorite and least favorite part of sales? In this episode, we’ll answer these questions to help agency owners, CEOs, and sales leaders strengthen their sales teams.

As an agency owner, you know that one of the biggest challenges in running your business is leading and cultivating leaders. Without great leaders, it doesn’t matter how good your services are or how efficient your processes are – you won't be able to grow as quickly as you want to. And if your employees aren't motivated and engaged, they won't perform at their best. Joe McFerrin of IWD Agency shares how he’s been taking care of his people by creating a culture where they feel valued and empowered to lead.

Join us as we share nuggets of wisdom about running an agency, leading people, and most importantly – why you should be a part of The Best Damn Agency Mastermind, as soon as possible. We'll be talking about what we think is mostly the gap between what clients need and what they really want, how to start up and run campaigns, and mastering the art of delegating responsibilities and opportunities to the people you lead.

The adage that you need to take short-term losses to win long-term gains is true, but there's a caveat: You have to be patient enough for the long game. The problem with most agency owners and founders is they give in to the silver bullet syndrome to see profit right away rather than focus on building something sustainable over time. Andrew Morgans of Marknology drops wisdom on this episode by sharing what it really means to build wealth and a successful agency with the right mindset and more.

Don’t believe the hype. It doesn’t matter who you are, what industry you serve, or where you live—as a business owner, your success is largely determined by how well you can keep your head above water. The more successful entrepreneurs have learned that it takes more than just good ideas to drive growth and profitability; they also need to know how to work hard and think strategically about their business plans at all times. But if all you're doing is building a business and that's what you live for, you're gonna be living a pretty f*cking miserable life.

Do you ever wonder why some people seem to be naturally good at sales?

It’s not because they are more charming or smarter than the rest of us. They just know how to hyper-target promotions to deliver campaigns, offers, and content to the right people at the right time. Dan Spottsville of Valynt Digital is in the business of helping non-profits, churches and other organizations find the right investors and raise capital. Plus, he knows a thing or two about making sure all your marketing dollars go straight toward closing deals instead of getting lost in a sea of unqualified leads. Definitely a must-listen for any agency owner who wants to close deals faster and easier than ever before.

You’re probably not going to like what we have to say on this podcast, but you need to hear it anyway.

The economy is nearly in the tank and there are no signs of recovery any time soon. If you want your agency to survive, you need a plan for staying afloat in this tough climate. And that means making some sacrifices now so you can be more successful down the line when things start looking up again. In this episode, we talk about how you can prepare yourself for when the economy falls and prevent much headache and heartbreak in the future.