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

Have you ever considered running a fully remote digital agency? Wondering the pros and cons of leading a virtual team? Like anything else, there are pluses and minuses -- and it can be hard to know if it's the right choice for you. One agency owner decided to ditch the office space in favor of running a remote business and she's not one bit sorry.

In today's episode, we'll cover:

• Working on the agency vs. working in it.
• 3 reasons to ditch your office space.
• #1 way to inspire remote agency teams.

Today, I talked with Jordan Lacenski — Chief Innovation Officer and the main boss at BrandBoss Creative. Jordan is also the Co-Founder of SheWolf Collaborative, an online association for high-achieving women. Here's the crazy thing... she just recently ditched her office space to work from her home and she hasn't looked back.

Being an agency owner can feel like a circus. You have to juggle clients' brands and marketing as well as your agency brand and marketing. So, how much time should you devote to your clients and how much should you devote to your agency?

If you're the founder, almost all of your time should be spent on your agency. Here's why...

You can hire people to handle the projects and clients. You can find someone to do taxes and finances. And, you can even have someone build killer processes for delivery. But, what you can't hire for is someone to define your brand. As CEO, you should spend your time working on your agency and not in it. In fact, you have 5 specific roles as CEO and setting the vision is #1 on the list!

Jordan has jumped the growing trend of agencies who are ditching the office space for an entirely remote agency. It may sound crazy but, it can work. While it's not for everyone and there are circumstances where it won't work, there's never been an easier time to work remotely.

I had office space for my agency, which housed over 100 employees. But if I had to do it over again, I'd do a hybrid model with office space and work-from-home opportunities to offer my team a better work/life balance.

Jordan gave us 3 reasons she ditched her office space:

1. No more rent. Why add to your overhead by paying rent? You can help your profits margin by ditching your rent payment. This is especially helpful in cities like NYC where rent and the cost of living is astronomical. If your entire team works from home, you'll save on the fixed costs associated with having an office. And your employes will probably thank you for it :)
2. Avoid traffic. In some cities, getting to work is its own nightmare. It can swallow up a few hours of your day. Those are hours you or your team could be working. Going remote means more billable hours in the day for you and your team.
3. Hire anyone. Having a physical location limits who you can hire to a specific geographic area. You are constrained by hiring local or someone willing to relocate. With a remote team, you can hire anyone from anywhere, which gives you a huge advantage over brick-and-mortar agencies.

It can be really, really great but, there's one massive con...

Interaction among remote teams is very limited. This can lead to issues with agency culture, team bonding, and even branding. Plus, it can make agency team management a little more tricky.

Finding ways to inspire a remote team can be tough, right? Regular video chat meetings are a must, but it really isn't the same as having them in the office. Daily engagement with one another builds camaraderie ...video chats are great for getting the work done, but most people are multitasking or focused on other things. What can you do?

Have a few in-person meetings every year ~ quarterly or even semi-quarterly. But, you should try to get your entire team gathered into a physical location. This will help the team bond, spread some of your culture around, and create a better remote culture.

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Do you have one mega client that would cripple your agency if you lost them? If you have a client that represents more than 40% or 50% of your total revenue, don't let them hold you hostage. Check out how one agency knew it was time to say goodbye and took a leap that helped build the agency he always wanted.

In this episode, we'll cover:

• Why walk again from a $750k mega client?
• What does productization look like for agencies?
• The biggest mistake an agency can make.

I'm talking to an agency owner who lost a mega-client and lived to tell about it. Jeff Conlon is the CEO of Ideas, Money, Art (IMA) the video marketing agency he started in 2004. He shares his story of actually walking away from a client that was over 50% of the agency's revenue, and how that decision has helped him grow the business into what he's always wanted.

Do you have a big but difficult client you're afraid to get rid?

It happens to the best of us, right? We work hard to land and keep amazing clients, but sometimes we get backed into a corner where we need them more than they need us. That's what *almost* happened with Jeff's agency.

Early on, IMA did a small project for a huge home services business worth over $100 million. That small project turned into a little SEO retainer and opened the door for them to work with 30+ franchises…. Well eventually, IMA was grossing $750K per year from this client. The agency always had other work, but this one remained more than 50% of their revenue stream.

So, why would Jeff walk away from that kind of revenue? Over the years, there had been too much turnaround on the client side. After many years with one VP of Marketing, he retired and the position has been a revolving door ever since. The synergy was gone and could not be recaptured. Working with that client was more stressful than it was worth.

When their contract came up for renewal, Jeff decided to walk away. The move was big, bold, and scary. But the agency has come out the other side and Jeff says it has been a huge relief.

Of course, the downside was letting go of the account team dedicated to that client. But on the flip side, it forced IMA to work on their own business. They created their own lead generation system and developed a way to productize their agency services.

And the new rule is… no one client can represent more than 20% of the agency's revenue.

With their newfound clarity and not wanting to be lumped together with all the other "full-service video agencies" (AKA "me too agencies"), Jeff and his team took a long look at their differentiating factor. That's how they developed the Digital Marketing Quadrant.

Instead of selling multiple services, IMA offers their Digital Marketing Quadrant as a strategy which paves the pathway for clients to achieve their revenue goals. Instead of offering tactics (SEO, PPC, etc.) the Digital Marketing Quadrant starts with a small engagement and then advances toward larger projects that lead the client toward their goals.

Remember, your clients don't care what you do, just as long as you get the results they want.

Related: https://jasonswenk.com/seth-godin/

With over fifteen years in the business, Jeff says he's made every mistake in the book. The biggest, though, was not understanding the value his agency provides and not going after clients who understand it.

This caused major strife… despite the fact that the agency had been growing rapidly for 3 years, profitability was in the single-digits. (This gives me nightmares, btw!)

At the time IMA was at nearly $2 million in gross revenue, yet Jeff's income had flatlined and the agency's margins were dipping. Why? The agency was in a growth phase, so of course, they were adding staff and paying out benefit but otherwise spending unwisely...

That experience, of single-digit margins, totally cured him! Jeff's sights are set on 20% profit -- which is still way too low, but at least he's aiming for double-digits :)

Are you having trouble handling your day-to-day agency operations while also growing your digital agency? Looking for an easy solution to management issues? It might be time to hire a CEO. Wait. What? That's right - hiring the right support as part of your leadership team can actually help transform an owner's role enough to grow the agency easier and faster.

In today's episode, we'll cover:

• Why it might be time to hire a CEO.
• Why your agency needs a social media funnel.
• 4 steps to creating a killer social funnel.

Today, I talked with Audra Brehm founder and CEO of Brehm Media — a social media agency with a focus on health and beauty brands. Audra is also a member of my Digital Agency Elite Mastermind and she's here to share some tips and strategies she has used to realize some amazing growth at her agency. She's one of the few agency owners who actually hired leadership a CEO for her agency. She's also a guru at social media and gives us some golden nuggets on using social channels to find agency new business prospects.

Being an agency owner is tough... And, it's all much tougher when you're trying to handle everything yourself. The entrepreneur mindset attracts hustlers, movers, and shakers. We often think we can handle everything ourselves. But, the really smart ones hire and outsource for the things they don't enjoy or are not good at.

That's what makes Audra such a smart cookie. She didn't love handling the day-to-day employee stuff, setting the culture, putting out fires, etc. Admittedly, it's just not her thing. As I like to say, "whatever you suck at - eliminate, delegate or automate." So Audra hired a CEO to handle all that stuff she doesn't enjoy and it's been a breath of fresh air. Now she can focus on things she enjoys and is really good at.

Instead of constantly tending to crises, managing the team, or monitoring financials she has the space to grow the agency and take the business in the direction she wants, on her terms.

Just because you're capable of doing certain things within your agency doesn't mean you should be doing them. There are ways you might be spending your time that could be spent more effectively, or more enjoyably. Celebrate your strengths and stop worrying about your weaknesses.

The lesson here is to get out of your own way, leverage your strengths, and hire for your weaknesses.

One of the biggest issues with social media is that too many marketers approach it without a plan. Audra says social media is actually more of a funnel. We should be developing a strategy with our social media that takes our prospects through the stages of the funnel.

You have to plan ahead, develop a strategy, and constantly monitor results.

Have a plan but also be patient and let the funnel do its job.

Audra shared her 4 steps towards creating a lean, mean, conversion-machine social funnel.

1. Know your mission, vision & why. Whether you're creating social campaigns for you or your clients, you have to know who you (or they) are. What's the purpose of your brand? Don't just copycat other people's social campaigns. You have to create campaigns that reflect your brand and your purpose. From the tone, voice, imagery, and colors — your social content should reflect who you (or your clients) are and what you (they) stand for.
2. Have a strategy. Meaning, benchmark your goals so you can measure your progress. Consider how many sales do I want in 6 months? What about in one year? How many new clients? How much in revenue? This helps you develop the social media funnel and tweak if you aren't hitting those benchmarks.
3. Execute. It's so important not to just throw stuff out there on social media without any sort of call-to-action or next step. Are you driving to landing pages? Are you retargeting effectively? Retargeting is key and it's often a missed step or executed poorly. Remember who you're going after and why. Continue to speak their language even in your retargeting efforts.
4. Analyze. Analyze. Analyze. Are your campaigns working? Look at your numbers regularly and figure out what's working, what's not working. Numbers don't lie. If your analytics are in the red or flatlined that means people don't know, like, and trust you as much as you think. So it's time to change things up. If you're constantly in the green that's great but are those numbers consistent with your new business? Is your growing social popularity translating into sales?

We all know a lot of this, but we don't do it for ourselves as much as we do it for our clients. Treat your agency as well as you treat your clients :) Don't just execute without a strategy.

Wish you could eliminate the growing pains of running a digital agency? Wonder what pitfalls you could avoid if you knew in advance? With 3 big lessons from starting, growing, scaling, and exiting multiple agencies today's guest shares a ton of knowledge on everything from business partners to building a team to merging with a bigger agency.

In this episode, we'll cover:

• Merging with a bigger agency.
• Building an agency team based on culture.
• 3 misconceptions on bringing in a business partner.

Today's interview is with a four-time agency owner, William Harper who's the CEO of WM Harper, and former owner of three other agencies which he has successfully grown and exited. It's been a hell of a ride for William, so I've brought him on the show to share the lessons he's learned along the way.

The grass isn't greener, but William says he and his partner learned this lesson the hard way. They took grew their agency (William's first of four), Underground, lean and mean. They started winning industry awards and getting noticed. They were landing more and bigger clients, which got them noticed by other agencies. Eventually, an offer came from a 100-person agency, Eisner Communications and William's agency, Underground, merged with Eisner.

On the outside, it appears that a merger will open new doors to resources and technology not otherwise available to a smaller agency. However, William and his partner quickly learned those big corporate resources come with a price.

Underground lost the ability to be nimble with their clients and projects. Their processes were quickly changed, existing clients prices were increased, and the agency was forced to fit into a corporate mold.

My advice is, do not merge with a bigger agency. If you do, keep your eyes wide open to what it will look like. The grass is not greener. If you're looking for an exit strategy - just sell, don't merge.

When William went on to build another agency, he took with him the knowledge of the former and decided to grow his team based on culture. Instead of hiring talent, he viewed it as curating people.

Talent and skill are important, but he says his interview questions would also include things like:

• Why do you love this business?
• What do you want to achieve next on your career path?
• What are your overall goals?
• Do you want to lead? Create? Work independently?

We agree that hiring based on culture fit is more important than hiring based on talent. Specific skills are teachable, but matches of personality, values, and beliefs must be present from the start. William quoted a statistic that something like a mere 13% of people are engaged in their job. You need your agency team to reflect the 13%, not the remaining 87%.

I often advise people against bringing in a partner. As I say, "you either know the bad partner or you are the bad partner." After about one year, I brought in a partner to my digital agency. And, over the years, William says he's had great partners along the way in each of his agencies. But he too advises against it now that he's been through a variety of scenarios.

There are a few misconceptions about bringing on a business partner:

1- You need a partner in order to convince clients to work with you.

FALSE. A partner does not provide instant credibility. You can be an authority on your own. Build your team based on values and you can count on the culture to provide checks and balances.

2- You need a partner to fill in your own gaps.

FALSE. Surround yourself with people smarter than you in certain areas without giving up ownership. It is possible to get that yin and yang flow in your agency without a partner.

3- You need a partner to call BS when necessary.

FALSE. A lot of agency owners wish they had a sounding board for making decisions. Instead of giving up a piece of ownership to a partner you can hire a mentor, join a mastermind, or create your own board of advisors.

While it might seem like a good idea to bring in a partner, oftentimes issues arise when the partners need different things out of the company for different reasons.

Are you looking for a creative way to reward your agency team? Ever considered giving your key employees a stock option? This can be a great way to incentivize and reward your loyal and hardworking team. The real key is to do it the right way so you don't lose ownership or control.

In this episode, we'll cover:

• How profit-sharing can boost your agency's value.
• What is an ESOP and why have one?
• Should you be offering free services to gain new business?

Today, I talked with Matt Fickin, Sales Partner at Techwood Consulting, an SEO and paid ads agency. I love having salespeople on my podcast. They can help give agency owners a unique perspective. Matt's agency's culture is all about value. So, when it comes to providing employee value, he decided to set up a profit-sharing model. The more success employees achieve, the more money goes into their wallets. He's on the show to explain the benefits of using profit sharing to incentive your agency's team.

Here's the question — why should you think about profit-sharing? Let me ask you this: how do you currently motivate your employees? Is it your culture? Or, are you offering promotion incentives? Maybe bonuses? Hey! Those are all great! But, what if you could directly reward employees based on your entire agency's success? That means employees aren't getting rewarded based solely on their projects — the whole agency needs to succeed.

That is baking success into your agency's DNA! It's a great way to get all your team members collaborative and accountable while spreading responsibility throughout the agency... when everyone succeeds, everyone wins.

I'm not saying this will work for every agency model. And, you can definitely find ways to bake value into your agency without giving your employees a financial stake. But, it can help boost the team as a whole and incentive your key players.

Matt set up an employee profit-sharing based on the ESOP model. ESOP stands for "employee stock ownership plan." Basically, it means giving employees stock as an incentive. So, the better the agency performs, the more money the team makes! When your agency's value increases, their wallets get fatter!

Usually, an ESOP involves a vesting period. So, employees may not be able to cash out their shares until they've worked for you for at least 3 - 5 years. This means your most loyal employees are going to be benefiting the most. If an employee leaves, your agency simply purchases their stocks. It's cash for agency-wide wins. Matt also says that you can fast-track executive staff or key employees. In fact, you can even give execs partial ownership using the same methods — which I advise against.

Even better, an ESOP comes with some pretty hefty tax benefits. You should definitely talk with your tax person first — these are going to vary by business, state, etc.

Of course, I couldn't have a salesperson on the show and not ask about the sales pipeline. Matt says one of the best ways to get clients in the door is to offer up free audits. Sure, some of your prospects take your audit and do the fixes in-house or with another agency. But, by and large, most prospects are going to stick with you once you give them a free audit. If you establish trust up front and prove your authority with audit itself, there's no reason they'd need to look elsewhere.

Audits are a great way to impress your prospects and help you get your foot-in-the-door. Now, a caveat here -- Matt admits that he doesn't offer free audits when clients want complex circumstances. But, you can figure out when and where a free audit would be appropriate.

Payroll and benefits are hard. Especially when you're a small business. Gusto is making payroll, benefits and HR easy for small businesses. You no longer have to be a big company to get great technology, great benefits and great service to take care of your team.

For a limited time, Gusto is offering a deal to Smart Agency Master Class listeners. Check out Gusto.com/agency for 3-months FREE once you run your first payroll with them.

Are you having trouble filling roles in your agency with the right people? Is your team having trouble building relationships with the client and each other? Building the right team isn't easy! Don't let your agency business suffer because of making the wrong hiring choices. Building a successful agency team might be easier than you might think.

In this episode, we'll cover:

• 4 ways to empower your team.
• #1 best candidate to hire for growing your agency.
• Why you need to always be hiring

Today, I talked with Brett Sirianni — surfer, agency owner, graphic design enthusiast, and relationship builder extraordinaire. Brett and his partner own Social Supply Co. What originally started as a means to hit the beach when the surf was just right, developed into an agency that specializes in content, SEO, social and high-fives (+193,000.) Brett has built his successful agency team on the basis of effective communication, and he's here to share some insight so you can do the same.

Want to know how to create a team that develops robust client relationships? We all want to keep clients around longer and the best way is with solid communication. That's what builds relationships! People do business with people - so empower your team to be great communicators and you'll retain clients longer.

1. Hire the right staff. I know you know, but it's worth repeating. Get the right people in the right seats first. If you want to find staff that understands how to build solid relationships, bake relationship-building into your hiring process - it's a skill that you need to assess very early on.
2. Build a personable team. Make sure your staff has the natural abilities to handle clients. That means hiring people who handle stress well, have a little charm, and have the right amount of extroversion. You can teach skills, but a great personality cannot be learned.
3. Create a culture of employee success. Want your team to care about the agency's success? Care about theirs! If your employees feel like your agency is "just another stepping stone in their career" they aren't going to care about the business's success. They will make decisions based on what's best for them. But by breeding a culture of success everyone wins.
4. Get involved in the introduction. When you first introduce new team members to clients, do it right. Give your team the ability to own the room. Position them as a rockstar. Make them the experts very early and give them the freedom to really dominate the relationship.
5. Emphasize person-to-person communication. Give your team the freedom to know clients on a personal basis. Encourage genuine and honest relationships. Let them be personable and real - clients want to do business with people, not businesses.

Who works for free, wants to prove themselves, and tries extra hard to succeed? Interns!

Here's a tip for hiring interns, though. Don't think of them as "free work." Instead, think of them as try-before-you-buy team members. You can see whether or not they have what it takes up close and personal.

If you're looking to start an intern program, try local college campuses which are filled with quality candidates. These students are eager to learn and hungry for real-world experience. Talk to a department chair or administrator and let them know you want to help them with their programs. Then, follow through and actually provide a meaningful experience for the student while also making the relationship beneficial for you, too.

Take it from me - intern programs can produce some of the savviest, hardest-working team members. Plus, you don't have to deal with team management logistics with interns :)

Here's a question. Are you hiring? Better yet, does your website say your hiring? Tons of agencies think they actually need to be hiring before they add it to their homepage. You don't! Putting up a "we're hiring" banner on your website (next to your logo works best) does two things...

1. Helps attract great talent. Sure, you may not need them right away. But, when it does come time to hire, you're going to have a list of candidates right at your fingertips.
2. Helps attract and reassure clients. If your prospects think you're hiring, it helps them think you're in high demand and very busy. It also gives your existing clients a sense of security and adds some peace of mind that you probably didn't even know they needed.

Do you wish you could future-proof your agency? Want to land more agency clients and retain them longer? The agency industry is ever-changing but you can create an evergreen marketing agency by going back to the basics. Some of the best practices from the Mad Men era still apply today! Check out these strategies from an agency founder who's been in the business since the 1980's.

In today's episode, we'll cover:

• Why you should focus on the client's internal storytelling.
• 2 ways to land big accounts and retain them longer.
• The best way to future-proof your marketing agency.

Today, I talked with Peter Cimoroni — Founder and CEO of Razor Marketing with 3 offices across the country. Peter has been in the agency space for over 4 decades! It was a completely different world back then. So, how did Peter keep growing and scaling year-after-year? How does an old-school marketer survive the digital age? With strategy and persistence, of course...

As an agency, you're a storyteller. We do that for our clients' brands all the time. Whether you do video, paid ads, or SEO or whatever the case may be; you're trying to tell the story of the brand. But, what about the client's internal story? All of those ads and SEO tricks help tell prospects a brand's story. But, who is telling their employees the story?

Peter believes that not only does adding internal storytelling boost your deliverables, but it can be a huge boost for businesses.

How can you package those video services to make them valuable internally? Sure, you shoot paid ad videos, but what about shooting internal team-building videos for your clients? If you can find a way to offer brands internal and external storytelling, you'll be able to service two of their needs and boost your bottom-line. That's a win-win!

Peter's agency has 8 full time people and they don't hustle looking for new clients all the time. How? They have landed and retained some big clients that provide consistent revenue. Here are Peter's two biggest tips to score big clients and keep them:

1. Have processes. The best way to keep cash flowing and retain big clients is to develop killer processes. Developing strategies can help you automate some of your client acquisition. If you have step-by-step methods for dealing with certain deliverables, you don't have to waste brain space on each client. Make it a no-brainer when it comes to deliverables so your team can focus on the areas they really need to -- such as retaining those big clients. Plus, with automations and systems you'll be able to offer predictability and consistency.
2. Help other entrepreneurs. As strange as it sounds, being helpful to other entrepreneurs can pay off. Not only does it build long-lasting relationships that could potentially flourish into partnerships, but it gives you a sense of self-worth or fulfillment you can't get elsewhere. Here's the best thing, helping entrepreneurs can build relationships and open doorways that may not be open otherwise.

Peter and I started our agencies in different eras of marketing but we both found ways to future-proof the business. So, how do you keep an agency growing strong for ten or event twenty years in the future? Persistence! I know, it sounds a little corny but, there are tons of strategies out there helping you become forward-thinking.

The truth is, you don't know what's around the corner. You have to be willing to fail and keep going.

Peter said he has learned more from his 6 startup failures than his 3 successes. The only real way to WIN is to keep at it. Sure, there may be times where throwing in the towel makes sense. But, if you can be persistent, you'll win eventually.

Additionally, Peter says to re-evaluate your processes on an annual basis. Don't settle for the "this is the way we've always done it" mantra. Instead, check-on and improve upon your systems and processes every year. Chances are, as technology and team members change your processes will need updated as well. There's always a better, faster, easier way of doing things -- and that itself is a great way to future-proof your agency.

Want to know where the agency industry is head? Check out our Future Outlook of Marketing Agencies in 2019

FreshBooks is the solution with their ridiculously easy­-to-­use cloud accounting software for agencies.

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Are you struggling to compete with other agencies in your niche? Are you tired of losing new business to your competition? You can stand out if you learn how to disrupt status quo. You just need to get a little scrappy and start thinking outside-of-the-box.

In today's episode, we'll cover:

• Why your agency needs to think differently.
• #1 way to achieve agency growth fast!
• How data can close more agency new business.

Today, I talked with Jay Samit — serial entrepreneur, former VP of Sony, Vice Chairman of Deloitte, and best selling author. Oh! And he grew an agency from 0 in revenue to $200 million is 18 months. He's basically a superstar. And Jay's new book "Disrupt You! Master Personal Transformation, Seize Opportunity, and Thrive in the Era of Endless Innovation" is all about how you can create agency growth by being a little different.

Jay talked about his experience coming into a marketing agency that had $0 in revenue and transforming it into a $200 million opportunity. How? He pivoted. The agency had a great idea, but they didn't know how to execute it properly. They had the framework of value exchange merchandising but didn't know what to do with it.

Jay's idea was to offering value exchange merchandise for brands around the world. So for example, instead of paying for your in-game app currency, you could just watch an ad instead. Here's the crazy part. Within one year, the agency was charging advertisers $1,000 CPM!

Maybe your agency has a great idea. And, maybe you're awesome at what you do. But, if you're not succeeding, it may be time to pivot. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Think about how you can apply those same services and skills to a broader or more nuanced user base.

How can you utilize what you already have in a different way?

No way to do things differently? Try adding some unique services that set you apart!

I've talked about niching in the past, but what about niching into an unknown space? If you can find a way to be the only agency offering services to a particular group of people, you're in the golden zone. Jay told a story about an agency owner going from homeless to $70k in his first month — and $1 million by the end of his first year.

How did he do it? He found a market no one else was serving. Sure, niching can be a great way to get hyper-specialized. But, if you can offer services to a market no one is paying attention to, you'll have a huge advantage.

Here's a tip... Research a couple niches you're passionate about and see if anyone else is serving them. Start searching for those unexplored opportunities. You never know what you might find.

Are you having trouble pitching? Can you get your foot-in-the-door, but you seem to have issues closing? Try putting data to work. You can tell a prospect anything. But, if you can show them substance, they're going to be interested.

You may have a killer strategy and a great idea that will help that prospect rake in customers. But if you can back it up with solid data, you're more likely to win the pitch.

Data doesn't lie. Think you can triple their ROI on Facebook? I believe you, but your prospects need more than just your word on it. Explain the plan, then show them how you can do it by sharing a case story and reporting data that backs up your claim.

The better the data, the better your chances.

FreshBooks is the solution with their ridiculously easy­-to-­use cloud accounting software for agencies.

Freshbooks helps you work smarter and become more organized. Most importantly, it gets you paid quicker. Check out FreshBooks.com/SmartAgency and enter SMARTAGENCY in the "How Did You Hear About Us?" section for a FREE 30-day, unrestricted trial.

Are you putting out tons of material but your conversion rates are poor? Do you wish that you could stay a step ahead of the competition? How do you even begin competing in a saturated market like SEO? Don't worry! These questions are normal! Are you putting out tons of material but your conversion rates are poor? Do you wish that you could stay a step ahead of the competition? How do you even begin competing in a saturated market like SEO? Don't worry! These questions are normal!

In this episode, we'll cover: * How to dominate by niching.

* 3 of the best conversion tools.

* #1 way to boost your agency's profile.

Today, I talked with Chris Ching CEO and Founder of ElectricEnjin — an eCommerce website design and SEO agency. Chris is a long-time fan of the podcast, and he's here to share some tips on how he catapulted his agency into adulthood. I love hearing from fans of the show, especially when they come on and share some killer strategies with me. Chris is insanely talented, and he has a few tips that will definitely help new and old agencies alike.

HOW TO DOMINATE BY NICHING Chris is definitely a hustling agency owner. He went through 3 iterations of his business before he found a winner. We've all pivoted before. But, his best tip on staying competitive in a dense market is this — niche down. I've talked about niching plenty on this podcast. But, this is a reminder — niching brings success (https://jasonswenk.com/niche/) .

There are a plethora of agencies that are going to be competing with you. You need to find what makes you different. Figure out what you're really just good at and use it. Don't focus on your weaknesses! Focus on your strengths! You cannot be the best at everything. So pick one and dominate it. Plus, when you're great in one industry or one skillset, you're more likely to get hired for your expertise. Think about it. Would you want to hire an agency that's good at digital marketing or amazing at SEO? It's a no-brainer.

3 OF THE BEST CONVERSION TOOLS One of the toughest parts of starting an agency is figuring out what kind of content converts. Do you start throwing up LinkedIn ads? Should you put out white papers? According to Chris, these are three of the best conversion tools in today's atmosphere. * #1 Lead Magnets: Chris's agency offers a free site audit as their lead magnet and they're totally crushing it with converting those free audits into paid clients. * # 2 Chatbots: I'm a big believer in chatbots (https://www.facebook.com/jasonswenk/videos/facebook-messenger-bot-best-practice-a-strategy-that-generated-250k-revenue/1045222472312264/) . In fact, I have one! Chatbots are 24/7 sales machines that grab leads, convert, and engage with minimal investment. It's silly not to have one at this point. * # 3 Personalized videos: I send personalized videos to ALL of my clients. They form a connection quick. Chris started using personalized videos on his free website audits. He said they made a huge difference. In fact, he says his audit conversion rate is 50%!

#1 WAY TO BOOST YOUR AGENCY'S PROFILE If your agency website is not converting the way you'd like, you can change that by making sure your content is ranking for the people who're searching for it. Run a content audit on your own website. Develop a customer avatar (or several of them) and make sure your content is directed to those avatars. Take a hard look at the value you're providing compared to your competitors. Write the content your prospects are actually looking for and maybe even delete old stuff that's cluttering up your site (https://jasonswenk.com/increase-website-traffic/) .

Chris and I talked about one of the most common problem areas for agencies — not branding an experience well. It's not enough to tell people you do x,y, and z. You have to form an emotional connection with your clients. Chris gave a great example. Clif Bars logo has the guy hiking up a mountain with a nature backdrop. They're chunky, unique, and rugged. PowerBars tell you what's in them. It's entirely functional.

Sure, PowerBars still sell. But, Clif bars were able to jump into a market and beat out the Goliaths by transforming themselves into more than the product. They're an experience. Same thing with Apple and Microsoft. Both of them have done tons of branding. But, one offers an experience, the other offers function. Both can succeed. The difference is this — Apple was able to outsell Microsoft and enter a saturated market. How? They branded an experience.

Want some killer tips to help you scale and score more new deals? Check out how one digital agency owner jumped from landing an $18K project to a $500K project by having the right framework in place. And by learning the systems you, too, can attract ideal clients who can pay what you're really worth. It just takes the right mindset and a solid growth strategy. It's all about doing more with less, hiring smart, knowing what to say 'no' to and attracting the right clients.

In today's episode, we'll cover:

• Getting clients to pay what you're worth.
• 3 ways to make your agency more marketable.
• How to grab those first clients.

Today, I talked with Dean LaGrange founder of LaGrange Digital the Facebook ad agency he grew from the ground up. Dean bought the Agency Playbook and he's been absolutely killing it with his agency. Dean actually applied the strategies in the Agency Playbook and shared this story with me about going from an $18k project to a $500k project. I knew I had to get him on the podcast to share this same story with my listeners so you know what's working.

For new agency owners, trying to decide on your first hire can be scary. Don't worry! It's easier than you think. Here's the secret. Hire someone who is good at either:

• Something you're not good at.
• Something you don't like doing.
• Something that's taking up too much of your time.

To figure out what that something is, you need to do a self-audit. Really look at yourself as an agency owner and figure out what you're good at and what you need a little help with. Then, hire the person that's going to give you that help. It could be sales, another marketer, someone who's good with finances, or anyone else.

I'm not going to lie -- there's a plug here -- but NO, I did not put Dean up to it :) He says he knew he had good processes in place, but also was self-aware enough to know what he doesn't know. The agency was "making it" but he realized what was missing what a mentor or adviser with the experience and knowledge to do what he was trying to do. That's when Dean decided to invest in my Agency Playbook so he could learn how to find clients, what to charge, how to position the agency, and most importantly how to determine the value of the agency's services.

After going through the Playbook, Dean took a proposal that he was going to charge at $18,000 and increased it to $500,000 because he better understood his agency's value. And, BOOM! And folks, that was within 3 days of purchasing the Agency Playbook.

The real lesson was that Dean learned clients are willing to pay a premium when you can demonstrate the value of your services. He just didn't know exactly how to connect the dots for them - until now.

New agencies are prone to the infamous client drought. You don't have the testimonials or street cred to back yourself up yet. So, how do you make your agency appealing to new prospects?

1. Niche. I've said it a million times, and yet there's still resistance. Finding a niche is an easy way to separate yourself from the pack. Figure out what granular value you can offer to clients. Do you have experience in healthcare? Are you really good at AdWords? Find out what makes you unique -- either a horizontal or a vertical -- and use it as the pillar for agency growth.
2. Have the right processes. You don't need a portfolio to start attracting the right clients. But, you do need the right systems. Tell your potential clients what you do better than your competitors. And, give them the framework for how you can help them. Make sure you walk them through the plan of what you do and how you will get them their desired results.
3. Work for free. If you're hurting for clients, start offering your services for free. It can help you build up testimonials and case stories. Plus, it gives you some experience for the paid gigs.

If you looked at that last section and thought "I get it, but where do I actually find clients?" I've got news for you. They're everywhere! Dean walked around the business district of a neighboring town and asked business owners door-to-door if they needed help. I've heard for owners who have sent emails, talked to family friends, gone door-to-door, and even some that pick up the phone.

TIP --> When you're looking for those first few clients, you need to do outbound. Inbound marketing will be your bread-and-butter once your agency is steady. But, outbound marketing can scale... fast! Even better, a advise a three-fold system of inbound, outbound, and strategic partnerships to make sure your pipeline stays constant.