RetainFM – Build your Digital Agency on Recurring Revenue

Main talking points include:

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Most common reasons why  projects go wrong:

• Scope Creep
• Misaligned Expectations
• Misaligned Budget
• Inaccurate or insufficient discovery
• Even long term retainers have a life span

 

The importance of thinking how to get our of something, before you get into it...

 

The difference between quotes and estimates...

 

For Projects:

• Have a specification linked to the estimate – reserve the right to change the quote if the specification changes
• Be clear where the intellectual property lies at different stages of the project
• Have a termination process from BOTH sides in your Contract / Agreement:
• If the client terminates the project
• If you terminate the project
• Have the payment schedule linked to stages YOU control
• Have a documented process for packaging up files, sending them to the client and offboarding the client from your systems

 

For Retainers:

• Have a termination process outlined in your Contract / Agreement
• Include a notice period – and detail from both sides
• Detail how and when final payments will be expected and what they will cover
• Have a documented process for completing work, sending data to the client and offboarding the client from your systems

 

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• Key metrics to track
• Targets to aim for & industry benchmarks
• Exactly what formulas to use to calculate them

Example metrics:

• Financials (Revenue, AGI, Gross Profit, Net Profit, Overhead Spending)
• Utilization Rates
• Average Billable Rates
• Labor Efficiency Ratio

 

Marcel's Bio: 

Marcel Petitpas is the CEO & Co-Founder of Parakeeto, a company dedicated to helping agencies measure and improve their profitability by streamlining their operations and reporting systems, a problem he discovered while running his own agency.

He’s also the head strategic coach at SaaS Academy by Dan Martell, the #1 coaching program for B2B SaaS businesses in the world.

In his work as a speaker, podcast host, and consultant, specializing in Agency Profitability Optimization, he's helped hundreds of agencies around the world measure the right metrics and improve their operations and profitability.

When he’s not helping agencies make more money, he’s probably watching “The Office” or “Parks and Rec” on a never-ending loop and eating breakfast foods for every meal of the day.

 

 

Links: 

Twitter / X: @Parakeeto

Website: www.parakeeto.com (👈 you can also get the Toolkit from here)

Podcast: The Agency Profit Podcast

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My 5 minute SEO Assessment of any client website! 

Disclaimer: this isn't a process for running a full SEO Audit on a website. Instead, this is the process I go through when a lead comes in to talk about SEO. Before any project has been confirmed, or any money has exchanged hands, this is the process I go through before the initial call to give me context. 

• Website structure
• User experience
• Current Rankings
• Competitor Websites & Rankings
• Website Speed / Core Webs Vitals

This leads on to two gated products... 

• SEO Health Check
• Keyword Research & Mapping

... and from here I can present a retained proposal.

 

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Main talking points include:

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#1 – look inwards – "What do YOU want?"

• What type of lifestyle do you want?
• What interests you?
• How much money do you want to make?
• Do you want to be in a location?
• Do you want staff?
• How will it serve you?

 

#2 – where can I make a difference?

• What is your skill set, and how can that commercial impact on businesses?

 

#3 – do any of my points above line up?

• If no, what industries are cash rich?
• Legal
• Jewellery
• Financial Services
• Events
• (Industries that are used to spending money to make money)

 

#4 – create my proposition (and my product / service)

• How can I help you, and why thats a benefit to you
• How we work together over time (recurring and non-recurring options)
• Do this to MVP level

 

#5 – network

• Content creation, SEO, email funnels are all good, but they're not fast
• Meeting people face-to-face IS fast
• Be clear about what you do (and do NOT) do

 

#6 - make sales

• So far, everything is just theory – an idea doesn't work until someone buys it.
• With 5 customers I can start to make improvements
• With 10 customers I can start to make processes
• With 20 customers I can start to delegate (if I want)
• Do something towards making a sale EVERY DAY.

 

#7 - review, refine, rescope, repeat

• When it feels right
• Does it deliver?
• Does it work for me?
• Does it work for them?
• Is my price right?
• Can I be more efficient?
• How do I serve more people?
• When do I review again? <- This is my target

 

#8 - keep an eye on company value

• Will I EVER want to sell it?
• If so, this needs to operate away from me – always keep that in mind

 

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Main talking points include:

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Why did I start this?

• Leaving previous employer
• No Leads
• Contractual Obligations

 

How do I do it?

• It's in my to do list
• I have some habits that happen regularly
• I have one-offs that happen when they need to
• A lead is never ignored or left to stagnate
• Some days it takes 5 minutes, other days it takes all day (it might be the only thing I do that day)

 

How do I manage it?

• Trailblazer FM – How to Manage Leads
• I use ClickUp with a very similar approach to how Lee describes it.

 

How you can begin...

1. Make a list of all customers you haven't spoken to in the last 3 months – and get in touch with some of them.
2. Review your Google My Business Information
3. Review your website and make sure people CAN convert and contact you easily
4. Put your existing customers on an email list and start emailing them marketing / web type advice
5. Write all your corporate social media posts for the next 30 days

... Download the list of 50 from my website!

 

 

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Process:

Pre-Discovery Session

• Lead comes in
• Brief 20min phone call to validate lead / project – outcome is to present Discovery Session as next best step
• 1 Page Agreement / Checkout for Discovery Session

 

Post Discovery Session:

• SEO Health Audit
• Current Rankings Reports
• Backlink Toxicity Report
• Top Level KW Research
• Core Web Vitals / Speed Report
• SEO Proposal Prepared

 

Document Templates:

Proposal Template

• Cover Page
• Intro Letter (personalised)
• Where do you currently Rank?
• How fast is your website?
• How healthy is your website?
• How many links does your website have?
• What should your website be ranking for?
• How to start ranking?
• What are the next steps?
• Investment (inc payment schedule)
• How do we get started? (Project Agreement)
• Terms
• Appendices (to full reports)

 

Links:

• SEOHive Scout Reports
• SEOHive SEO Sales Presentation

 

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Main talking points include:

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Process:

Pre-Discovery Session

• Lead comes in
• Brief 20min phone call to validate lead / project – outcome is to present Discovery Session as next best step
• 1 Page Agreement / Checkout for Discovery Session

 

Post Discovery Session:

• Project Specification Document Prepared
• Project Proposal Prepared

 

Proposal Delivery:

• Proposal Call Booked AHEAD of sending proposal
• On the morning of the call, send the proposal through Adobe Sign
• Have the call, answer all questions, and ask for a signed document

 

 

Document Templates:

Proposal Template

• Cover Page
• Intro Letter (personalised)
• Snapshot
• Business Needs (aka Project Outcomes)
• Solution (overview – Spec document has full details)
• Timeline
• Investment (inc payment schedule)
• Future considerations
• How do we get started? (Project Agreement)
• Terms

 

Specification Document

• Cover Page
• The Brief (in detail)
• Business Requirements
• Project Outcomes
• Design Specification
• Development Specification
• Technical Requirements
• Milestones

 

 

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• The Importance of Internal Focus
• Treating Your Agency as Your Own Client: A Strategic Approach:
• Self-Assessment and Goal Setting
• Implementing Internal Marketing Strategies
• The Option of Outsourcing: When to Make Your Agency Someone Else's Client
• Balancing Internal Focus and Client Responsibilities 

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• As an agency, we need to take responsibility for the quality of leads we have coming through our doors.
• Having defined products and services is key to aligning yourself with the right clients
• Having a clear marketing process that guides clients is key to not wasting anyones time

 

Defining your products and services

1. What you do
2. Who you do it for

 

How does your marketing fit

Funnel Mentality

1. Can you filter out those that are not suitable automatically?
2. Can you filter out those that are not suitable quickly?
3. Find your lowest common denominator - start there
4. The create the filters that move in from that point
5. Try not to leave clients hanging... have referral partners in place

 

 

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There are multiple levels of service that an agency can work on...

1. Clients
2. Staff and their dependants
3. The owner
4. The wider world

A business is only really a sustainable force when it can serve all four (OK, if you're content at being a solo-agency, then maybe not number 2).

 

Why is service important?

 

Differences for clients:

• Personalized Service
• Proactive Service
• Responsive Service

 

Differences for staff:

• A safe place
• Security in knowing they are contributing to a bigger picture, that in turn contributes back to them
• Confidence in bringing life in to work and knowing that the balance is the last way round.

 

Differences for the owner:

• Freedom
• Security
• Wealth
• "Success" – whatever that looks like

 

Differences to the wider world:

• A legacy
• Community impact
• A positive footprint

 

Links: 

• Roger Edwards

 

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