In this session of The Smart Agency Master Class, I chat with Gene Hammett about how to get unstuck so we can each reach that next level. Gene is a business coach who loves working with businesses to find new strategies to move forward. He is also the host of Leaders in the Trenches, a podcast where he offers insights and tips from leaders and today’s entrepreneurs. You should definitely check it out, especially episode 6, featuring me.

Getting your business unstuck.

You probably do a lot of marketing for your clients but hardly any for yourself. Sure, referrals come in because you’re great at what you do, but it doesn’t happen frequently enough to help move to the next level. And the clients coming in aren’t always the right kind of clients.

Being really intentional about the kind of agency you want to be gives you the freedom to create amazing solutions and land those high-profit projects. You want big names; the ones that really allow you to be creative. But you’re not going to get there if you don’t start marketing yourself.

If your website isn’t enticing to you, how is it going to attract anyone else?

Stop making the time excuse.

If the reason you haven’t been marketing yourself is that you don’t have the time, it’s because you’re doing too much. You need to be building your team out and delegating. If you’re putting the right people and the right processes into place, you’ll be able to get out there and grow your business.

You simply can’t do everything, everyday. You need to outsource! Find people with more expertise than you to do the things that they do best, so you can go out and do what you do best – sell your business.

If you’re not doing what you want to be doing because you’re too bogged down in the details, then something is wrong. Try this exercise from episode 22 of Gene’s podcast: write down everything you want to create and then write down what you’re willing to give up in order to do it.

It’s all about finding your passion. It may seem counterintuitive, but taking on a broad spectrum of clients isn’t going to make you money or help you grow. Niching gets you the kind of work you want and positions you for long-term growth.

Foot in the door approach.

Okay, so you’ve found your niche – now how do you get the clients? Gene offers these two points:

* Think of where you can create more opportunity with the people that already know and like you. Remember, people are 20 times more likely to do business with you if they are already a paying customer.

* Look at the people who have been in your pipeline for a long time and identify some small service that can get your foot in the door. It’s not about making a profit at this point. It’s about changing the relationship and turning a prospect into a client.

The good news, according to Gene, is that digital agencies can do the second point really well. Use your niche to find businesses that are absolutely hungry for what you have. Figure out what you can give away to get their attention and then identify the service you can provide to convert them to a paying customer. After that you can introduce your core services.

Get your foot in the door first, and the rest will follow.