Smart Agency Masterclass with Jason Swenk: Podcast for Digital Marketing Agencies

How to Land Big Name Clients For Your Agency

Want to know how out how a Digital Agency (TwentySix2 Marketing) agency went on to land big name clients ranging from Coke, AutoTrader, Microsoft, and Verizon Wireless.

TwentySix2 Marketing has been a leader in the online marketing industry for over a decade, providing services in search engine optimization, paid search, social media marketing, and content marketing.

This Internet thing is going to be huge.

John remembers starting out at a cheap wooden desk, making cold calls and contemplating the enormity of this new thing called the Internet. He and his company have come a long way since then and have been able to land big name clients but he shares some of the biggest challenges he had starting out.

He talks about how creating momentum was a problem, "There was a time when I wanted to quit everyday." Thankfully he didn't quit and attributes a lot to the people around him who encouraged him to keep going.

He also points out that networking can be a challenge, but the struggle is worth it. "You get a lot of results from your relationships," John says. He encourages people starting out to join boards and network with peers. These peers can end up as partners, and later help you land bigger clients.

John's biggest tip for all business relationships -

"Make a deposit before you make a withdrawal."

In other words, do something for someone before asking them for something. They're more likely to remember you down the road.

Passionate People.

Good people are key to getting through obstacles. But John admits that - at times - finding the right people was a problem. Occasionally, the people that started with him weren't the right fit once his company grew. Over the years he says he's found his best people have a passion, as well as the right balance of salesmanship and technical expertise.

[quote] There's always something in business. There's always a challenge [/quote]

Because technology and tools on the Internet change so quickly, John looks for people who strive to keep learning. Staying well informed by reading blogs and following industry thought leaders is key.

John also points out the importance of finding people that compliment your style. Are you the salesperson? Then find an operations person to balance you. Or, if you're great at closing the deal, find someone great at creating opportunities and building the relationships that score meetings. You can then finalize the deals together. It's a partnership, not a competition.

"Getting the right people in place is how you can be assured the business can operate without you. "

If you want a day off once in awhile, you need to establish processes so that the team knows what to do when you're not there. Then go revel in your newfound free time!

Keeping the Big Clients.

Let's face it - there are a lot of people knocking on the doors of these big name companies. Once you've landed a big one, it's not the time to rest on your laurels!

John talks about how staff turnover within the client's company can be a real issue. New guy comes in and decides to go with an agency he knows. He suggests making sure you're continuously talking to your client about the results you're getting for them. If you're proving your ROI, they're less likely to seek someone else.

Little fish need love too.

John's company has big clients as well as small clients, and that it's this diversification that has helped make them successful. After all, it's not just the big clients that get attention. John points out that every client, every person is different. "You have to ask a lot of questions and listen a lot," he says. "Then ask more questions and listen some more."

Work on your business, not just in it.

Stop running just your business! John recommends focusing at least an hour a day on your business. Work on improving aspects of your processes little by little so growth and infrastructure keep getting better.

How to Improve

So I have shared from other experts how you can land big name clients but don't just stop there. To improve your agency, you should take a step back and really look struggles you need to focus on to improve your business. I have all you need to get through these obstacles.

I have advice on topics from gaining agency exposure in the news, how to build authority for your agency or even ways to use facebook marketing strategies to expand your brand awareness. If growth is your focus, I've discussed the four phases of growth within your agency and how website issues could be holding your business back from reach your potential.

You can learn more about my life and my experience as well as lots of tips, tricks and insights by reading my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics.

If videos are more your thing, don't worry, i've got you covered! You can check out more from my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my Youtube channel. There you will find advice from myself and other agency experts.

Land Big Clients

Want to know how you can land big clients and take your agency to the next level? In this episode I'm happy to welcome Del Ross. He was the Vice President of Sales & Marketing of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG).

• Del gives his perspective on the do's and don'ts to land big clients and tells us the #1 thing an agency needs to do to land the big accounts.
• We talk in length about what he looked for in picking an agency to work with and how to land a big account like IHG.
• More specifically, during our chat you'll find out... As a big brand, what did you look for when choosing an agency?

Expertise and specialization in certain type of media or types of engagements. Del says he wanted agencies that could define what they were best at versus agencies that claimed they could do everything. He was never in the market for everything - he needed certain things at certain times.

How can you get your foot in the door of a major brand?

• Pitch the new and disruptive stuff that a brand might be thinking of, but hasn't tackled yet.
• INSIDER SCOOP - IHG would invest $5,000 - $50,000 to see if it would work.

What should you not do?

Don't say "I can do it better than the agency already in place because you have to be relatively unhappy."

The agency of record doesn't matter anymore.

• Focus on being the go to partner.
• Yow want to be in the strategy and planning meetings.
• You need to be in the "oh-no, what do we do now?" meetings.

Best process or pitch:

• Be an advisor rather than an order taker.
• Have a point of view or belief based on some data and proven results, that a certain activity X, leads to result Y. Then be able to engineer it for them.
• State, "Here is the way you need to do this, and if you do it this way, these are the results you will get."
• Help determine what a customer is worth.
• Help calculate the customer's lifetime value.

What do agencies do wrong?

• They focus more on how to spend the budget, rather than on the desired results.
• A lot of agencies make the conversation about how great they are instead of listening to the prospect.
• They sell what they want the client to want, not what the client needs.
• Most agencies fear metrics.
• Agencies typically just focus on the ROI but should also calculate the Customer Lifetime Value.
• They push their way in with, "Can we spend 20 minutes to see how we can help?"

How to position yourself for big brands to call you.

• Speak at a conference that provides value and a solution to possibly solving a problem they are having right now.
• Demonstrate your expertise and establish yourself as an authority.

And finally, #1 thing that an agency needs to do to get to the next level.

Have a point of view and back it up with data, research and tell your client what they need to do instead asking them what they want to do.

Discover the best Digital Agency Strategies today. Get Online Training to help you setup the right systems and strategies to help you grow faster.

Take Your Agency to the Next Level

So we have just covered how you can land big clients for your agency but what are the other business struggles you need to focus on for your agency? I have all you need to get through these obstacles.

No matter what you need advice on, I have more than likely covered it. From topics such as how a poor website design can affect your leads to how your agency can cope while you work through a recession. Or maybe you want to know the four phases of growth within your agency and want extra help in easing through agency growing pains? I have all the information you need to help you through it.

You can learn more about my life and business experience as well as lots of tips, tricks and insights by check out my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics.

And if videos are more your thing, i've got you covered! Check out more from my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my Youtube channel. There you will find advice from myself and other agency experts.

In this episode, I chat with Richard Warner. Richard is the founder and CEO of What's Up Interactive, a business he started 24 years ago and took from "high tech" fax company to successful digital agency. He is also a nationally syndicated broadcaster, entrepreneur, and business expert. If you want to know how to build long lasting agency business in a competitive industry, this is the advice you need.

First who, then what.

The "first who, then what" principle from the James Collins book Good to Great, spoke volumes (no pun intended) to Richard. This principle is all about getting the right people on board. Who is going to fit in best with your culture and who is right for the company at the time? Then figure out where they fit within the company. "As we maneuvered, it turned out they weren't the right people. But some people who couldn't find success here, almost always found it somewhere else."

He also warns against hiring for growth, a trap many fall into, especially in their early days of business.

You need a board.

Richard wants you to have a Board of Directors. More specifically, he says "Go, go, go! No matter who you are, you need a board."

A board is key to avoiding certain mistakes and an opportunity to solicit the opinions of people who are more accomplished.

How do you go about convincing people to be part of your board? Reach out, take them to lunch, explain the level of commitment, payment, and full-on woo them.

He also recommends you find yourself a mentor, regardless of where you are at in your career. Why?

"No matter what, you need someone to push you and help you learn from their mistakes so you can hopefully avoid making the same ones."

Building a great business means, removing yourself from working in the business. It is hard when that day comes and your people do not need you in the day-to-day operations. There is an emotional low but you need to realize that your role needs to change to setting the vision and direction of the company. Only then can you have scale and extreme growth.

Rates to cash flow.

When asked about assessing his pricing structure, Richard recalls that when they mixed up what they were selling and looked at their pipeline, they realized it was time for rate changes.

Take a look at your competitors, and set your rate off of the result, the value, and not off of how long it will take you to complete the project. Otherwise, you run the risk of mucking up your cash flow.

But cash flow problems are a real issue for many of us. How can that be avoided? Richard attributes good cash flow maintenance to discipline and healthy margins. He also advises having a good money person either on your board or on your team.

Why am I here?

"Part of what makes you who you are is the fact that you've blazed your own path."

You've had the vision of how to make your company a success, and now you're there. Except, you're suddenly feeling confused; maybe even angry. As the CEO, Richard remembers realizing that his team was so good they didn't need him in every meeting or making every decision. He felt lost and somewhat resentful.

His advice for those finding themselves in the same state of confusion, "Once you grow beyond 'I have to do everything and be in control,' that's when you grow."

You Know How to Build Long-Lasting Agency Business - Now What?

We have covered all you need to build long-lasting agency practices but what else do you need? When it comes to your agency, what better advice is there than from a range of experts who have been in your shoes?

Whether you need advice on increasing website traffic , what you need to do as an agency owner or learn how to plan who you hire for your agency, I can help.

I hope you found this helpful and can adapt your existing agency and build long-lasting agency business as well as relationships with clients. Please find all my tips, tricks, and insights in my blog section that covers a wide variety of topics. Videos more your thing? You can check out the videos on my Youtube channel for agency advice from myself and many other agency experts.

Whether you are starting an agency or you have an established digital agency, growing your business is usually always a goal. In this article, I share all the tips you need to know to achieve business growth from your agency from an agency owner who grew his agency to one of the best in the country.

In this episode we cover:

• The steps needed to grow and/or sell your business - from hiring the right people to forming a board of directors to defining a niche in your market.
• How Jeff Hilimire grew his digital agency to one of the best agencies in the country with top clients such as Chick-fil-a, Coke and CISCO.
• How he sold the agency twice, and what he recommends for take your agency to the next level.
• What Jeff considers his biggest mistake and his the secrets to successfully growing a digital agency. And finally, learn about the sale process when Jeff sold both Spunlogic (2008) and Engauge (2013).

Setting a clear goal for the business.

In Jeff's case, the end goal was to be acquired and to make sure decisions were based on this goal. He knew they needed to be one of the biggest agencies in the southeast with a fast growth rate and big name clients. This meant taking on clients and projects that sometimes lost money in order to get the big brand clients. He believed that once they get one big name, they could leverage that name to get even more.

How to win big clients.

Jeff picked a niche he could own - user experience. In doing that, he was able to start targeting big clients and focused on doing whatever it took to get the first one.

He advises: Leveraging your past success once you get one big brand in order to attract more.

Should you setup an advisory board?

Yes, and you should set it up from the very beginning. Jeff wanted unsolicited advice and wanted to have different skill sets on the board. He picked one person from each discipline: Sales, Marketing, Finance, and Agency.

What are some keys to keeping your business growing?

1. You need to have at least one leader focused on growth.
2. Invest back into the business and keep your own salary low.
3. Learning to delegate is key to growing. Give power to your team.
4. Build a culture where people want to have fun. Start a company trip to bring everyone together.
5. Commit 100% to growing.

What are two pieces of advice when selling your business?

• Don't get distracted when you go through the selling process.
• When you get to the talks about buying, treat it like it won't happen.

Building and selling an agency, or any business, is a long, multifaceted process. Learning from those who have gone before you can ease and simplify the process if you are willing to learn.

Ready to Achieve Business Growth?

I hope you found this information helpful and inspiring for you to achieve those bigger clients and business growth you aspire to.

If you are looking for advice on what you need to do as an agency owner or learn how to fast track growth for your agency, I can help.

I have a bank of tips, tricks and insights that you can find checking out my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics. Or if videos are more your thing, you can check out the videos on my Youtube channel!

Are you experiencing with growing business goals for your digital agency?

In this episode we cover:

• What steps he took to propel his agency into one of the leading email-focused digital agencies in North America.
• Simms will share with us his experiences with what happens when your company begins to transition into that next level.
• Cover everything from hiring and growth management to letting go of what your role once was so you can embrace what it must become.

Getting Into Email Marketing

Sure, email marketing is popular now but how in the world did Simms get into it over a decade ago? He certainly found himself one heck of a niche. "We knew email would be important, but there wasn't any help with content. Pressing send is the easy part."

One of the keys to success was building thought leadership through creating great content.

Changing Phases

For BrightWave (well, every company really), it's all about hiring the right people at the right time. Once you've found your business niche, you need to have passionate individuals with you in the beginning to help you get started. But where do you find them?

Many of the people who started with Simms at BrightWave came from his personal or professional networks. Some even approached him, asking to be involved because they heard about what he was doing through conferences he where he had spoken, articles he had written, and other thought leadership forums. Simms calls this "blood, sweat, and tears" equity. Clearly, if you build it they will come.

[clickToTweet tweet="By hiring the right people with the right vision the company starts building itself from within." quote="By hiring the right people with the right vision the company starts building itself from within."]

And while no successful company could be where it was without those who were there in the beginning, making the transition from small, single entrepreneur or startup to bonafide digital agency can be tough. As his company began to grow, Simms realized he needed to look for people who understood growth and had agency experience. He admits growing business mistakes were made – occasionally people where hired too quickly to fill a business need and not because they were the right person for the job.

What does Simms think about how growth impacted the way they do business? "You don't want to be caught looking in the rearview mirror," he says, and be sure you are "laser-focusing on what you want to be."

About that laser focus…

Simms says to resist the temptation to get away from what you do best.

"We're here to do something special. We don't want to be just another digital agency. We want to do one thing and be world class at it."

He wants his team's first thought to be: 'what will make our clients successful?' It's this mentality that has given his company the reputation that it has today. How can you build the same reputation? Simms recommends putting out valuable content and establishing yourself as a market leader, "Blogs and social media have changed things so much. It's easier than ever to get yourself out there."

Discover the best Digital Agency Strategies today. Get Online Training to help you setup the right systems and strategies to help you grow faster.

Overcoming Challenges When Growing Business

There will always be times that you may face growing business struggles but what's important is knowing how to handle them when they appear in the best way possible.

Is this something you would need help with? I have more than likely experienced all if not most of the different struggles you have and can help you with what I have learned. From bad agency clients, developing agency products as well as how you can build authority for your agency.

If you want to grow your agency even further, I have agency growth hacks, the best ways to improve management of your business as well as why building a remote team can be beneficial in the long run.

As well as this, you can learn more about my career as well as tips, tricks and insights by checking out my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics.

I also hear the experience and advice from other successful agency experts in my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my Youtube channel.