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

Are you looking for advice on improving your agency's growth strategy? Are the systems you have in place just not working for you and feeling like you've hit a plateau in your business growth?

Why Buying or Selling A Digital Agency is EASIER Than You Think.

In this episode we cover:

• Why buying an agency isn't as expensive or as hard as you'd think.
• How rolling-in another agency can be a killer agency growth strategy.
• 5 ways to improve your digital agency's valuation to be acquired.
• What to look at if you're looking to acquire another agency.

Today's guest, Eric Keiles was doing inbound before inbound was even a thing. Eric and his partner founded Square 2 Marketing in 2003 with the intention of helping brands revamp their old-school marketing to the way people are buying in the new millennium. In 2009, they partnered with Hubspot and took their business to a new level.

I met Eric at Hubspot's 2015 Inbound Conference and quickly learned he is pretty serious about making a plan and sticking to it. He has one major B.H.A.G. (big, hairy, audacious goal) and that is for Square 2 to be the #1 inbound agency. They've been growing organically for a few years at 30%+ but that just wasn't aggressive enough... so they accelerated it with a layer of acquisitions. Actually, 3 acquisitions in just 18 months with 2 more in the pipeline.

Why would you BUY another Marketing agency… or several?

Eric says there are two reasons this is Square 2's agency growth strategy. They're looking to either acquire an agency with a specialization they don't have (like social media or an agency that works on a different platform) or to acquire another inbound agency in order to benefit from economies of scale. Size doesn't matter - 4 people or 20 - stability and profitability are key.

It doesn't take a huge pile of cash to acquire another agency.

Eric says it really doesn't. There is, of course, an initial layout of cash on the front end of the deal but his team feels pretty strongly about keeping the existing leadership in place and structuring an attainable earn-out for them. They've found this situation to be a win-win. Square 2 sees the growth and profitability they're seeking while the agency leader of the acquired firm eliminates the stresses of ownership and gets to focus on an area of the business they're passionate about while hitting earn-out goals.

Use these to improve your agency valuation and as a guideline for vetting one you're looking to acquire.

1. Systems & Processes that Prevent Bottlenecking

A great target for a potential merger is an agency that has great systems and processes in place. Everything cannot revolve around the owner. Eric says it's a major deal breaker if you're the only "go-to" person. It's important to have established systems and processes in place so the business can run without you. I say, "systems outperform talent every time."

2. Long Term Client Relationships

When someone is looking at buying you, they are looking at what kind of profit they can generate in the near future. As Eric and his team are looking at agencies to acquire, they're looking at ones that have retainer clients or long-term (12-18 month) project, clients. Shorter-term projects or one-and-done clients don't make a viable agency. A mix of both is OK too, but they find that agencies that are 100% project-based are not viable. A buyer a well-established business with predictable revenue.

3. Common Personalities and Culture

It's more than just buying a business, it's marrying two entities: meshing teams, workflow, ideas… so it's important the owners have the same core beliefs and the culture of the offices will gel. There's success where there's synergy. The guys at Square 2 Marketing look for like-minded individuals to go into business with, so before going too far into a merger they like to hang out together.

4. Healthy Margins Without Underpricing or Over Servicing

You can have amazing clients and top talent on your team, but if you don't have positive profit margins then you're too risky to merge with. A lot of agencies want so badly to keep their clients happy they will over service without tracking the time. Or, they just want to win the deal so badly, they will undercharge. Sounds like a no-brainer, but agency profit margins aren't usually calculated accurately. Time tracking and scoping are huge. Eric says when he's looking at an agency to buy he not only looks at an hourly rate but also excessive rounds of revisions and out-of-scope requests. An agency with healthy (and accurately accounted) margins has a much higher value than one that only thinks they do.

5. A Variety of Different Sized Accounts

It's like the old adage goes, "don't have all your eggs in one basket." The same is true for agency clients. It's not good to have just 1 key account. Eric says he categorizes clients in 3 ways: Acorns (have the ability to grow), Cornerstone (solid, long term), and Shit Box (tons of work, low profit, pain in the ass). He places a higher value on agencies that have plenty of Acorns and Cornerstones, with minimal or no Shit Boxes.

It's the owner's job to be the agency's steward to the future, not involved to be in everyday operations. Here's a great post about the 5 roles of an agency owner. Guess what? Working IN the business isn't one of them :)

Tips to Grow Your Digital Marketing Agency from the Agency Trenches Best Advice Ever Received for Building your Digital Agency:

Fire the shit box accounts. At a time of struggle and despair, Eric was advised by a mentor to review and fire all the accounts that were a drain on hours and resources with little to zero profit margin. He listened and he got rid of ALL SIX… He says it was the best advice he's ever received and saw an improvement by adding this to his agency growth strategy.

Best Business Building Tip for Building your Digital Agency:

Eric's answer is three-fold… (1.) Set aside time that is dedicated to focusing on growing your business. For Square 2, Eric and his partner have a standing 90 minute Monday morning meeting that is non-negotiable. (2.) Get involved in events and conferences that are focused on learning and new ideas. Eric says this forces them to clear their schedule and get their heads wrapped around leadership, and only leadership. (3.) Peer to peer coaching is great for bouncing ideas off someone who's been there and done it.

Is My Agency Mastermind Right for You?

Looking to improve your business and enhance your agency growth strategy? I have led a lot of successful Agency Mastermind groups over the past couple of years. There are a few more spots to fill in the upcoming group. We meet every two weeks so it's not a huge time commitment yet the benefits are immeasurable. You can read more details here and if you're interested there is a brief application process. You'll fill out a quick form and then I'll let you know if the group is a good fit for you.

In this episode we cover:

* The most common challenge a new digital agency faces, and what to do about it.

* 4 traits you might have that are standing in your own way.

* How to find the clarity you need to grow and scale your marketing agency.

Today’s guest, Gray MacKenzie, and his partner started their Inbound Agency out of their college dorm room five years ago. As Seniors on the Grove City College Lacrosse team, they created a website and social campaign for the team. Their marketing efforts off the field coincided with on-field success and they realized the skills they had used for on something “just for fun” had the potential for much more. And thus, GuavaBox was born.

In their first year, Gray says they weren’t really all in and had a shot gun approach to the business. One big challenge they ran into as young entrepreneurs, fresh out of college was their lack of experience. It seemed clients trusted them for their technical skills but not for consulting and business building strategy. They were doing a lot of tactical work but not much more… This was covered in last week’s podcast about the 5 levels of agency service. Check it out here.

They spent those first years doing a lot of hands-on work while trying to build a reputation and educating clients about strategy. Gray says it was this learning curve that made them realize that in order to build a sustaining business for themselves with positive cash flow, they needed 2 things: bigger clients and retainers. But those two things don’t come without some obstacles along the way…

[ctt title=”There are 4 BIG things causing the challenges most agencies face” tweet=”Do you want to the 4 traits you have that are standing in the way of your agency’s success? http://ctt.ec/UhaTf+ via @jswenk” coverup=”UhaTf”]

Gray knows first hand the many challenges a startup Inbound Agency faces because he’s faced them ALL. Over the years he’s discovered there are 4 underlying reasons why most startup agency owners stand in their own way of growing and scaling.

Here are the 4 Traits That Are Standing in the Way of Growing Your Digital Agency:

1. Lack of Confidence – If you aren’t convinced in the potential for your ideas to succeed, how can you sell them to your prospects and clients? Be your own best case study. Self test before you roll out a strategy and document the success so you can use the data as evidence.

2. Lack of Focus – When you aren’t clear about exactly what your agency’s specialty is (and what it isn’t) it’s easy to lose focus. Many of us want to be everything to everyone (or most things to most people). But learning to say “no” to one thing opens you up to being able to say “yes” to something else. Choose to focus on one type of client, one industry, one core service and do really, really well at it. Know who you won’t work with and what you won’t do. Then, stick to it.

3. Lack of Balance – It’s easy to think that working harder will make you more money, but it’s not a long term fix. Working tons of hours doesn’t make you successful and it doesn’t help you build a solid foundation for you or your team. Putting in tons of hours can’t last forever – everyone needs a work/life balance.

4. Lack of Efficiency – We tend to gravitate towards tasks that are easy rather than those that are more challenging. Often times it’s the difficult or time consuming tasks that have the most impact on growing your business. Be aware of how you’re spending your time and be honest with yourself as whether what you’re doing is the most efficient and effective way to spend it. If you need some pointers to get you on the right track, check out my post about Productivity and download my Productivity Fun...

Are you growing your digital agency the best way or are you facing hurdles you need to overcome and don't know the best techniques to overcome them?

In this episode we cover:

• The most common challenge a new digital agency faces, and what to do about it.
• 4 traits you might have that are standing in your own way of growing your digital agency.
• How to find the clarity you need to grow and scale your marketing agency.

Today's guest, Gray MacKenzie, and his partner started their Inbound Agency out of their college dorm room five years ago. As Seniors on the Grove City College Lacrosse team, they created a website and social campaign for the team. Their marketing efforts off the field coincided with on-field success and they realized the skills they had used for on something "just for fun" had the potential for much more. And thus, GuavaBox was born.

In their first year, Gray says they weren't really all in and had a shot gun approach to the business. One big challenge they ran into as young entrepreneurs, fresh out of college was their lack of experience. It seemed clients trusted them for their technical skills but not for consulting and business building strategy. They were doing a lot of tactical work but not much more... This was covered in last week's podcast about the 5 levels of agency service. Check it out here.

They spent those first years doing a lot of hands-on work while trying to build a reputation and educating clients about strategy. Gray says it was this learning curve that made them realize that in order to build a sustaining business for themselves with positive cash flow, they needed 2 things: bigger clients and retainers. But those two things don't come without some obstacles along the way...

"There are 4 BIG things causing the challenges most agencies face"

Gray knows first hand the many challenges a startup Inbound Agency faces because he's faced them ALL. Over the years he's discovered there are 4 underlying reasons why most startup agency owners stand in their own way of growing and scaling.

4 Traits Standing in the Way of Growing Your Digital Agency:

1. Lack of Confidence - If you aren't convinced in the potential for your ideas to succeed, how can you sell them to your prospects and clients? Be your own best case study. Self-test before you roll out a strategy and document the success so you can use the data as evidence.

2. Lack of Focus - When you aren't clear about exactly what your agency's specialty is (and what it isn't) it's easy to lose focus. Many of us want to be everything to everyone (or most things to most people). But learning to say "no" to one thing opens you up to being able to say "yes" to something else. Choose to focus on one type of client, one industry, one core service and do really, really well at it. Know who you won't work with and what you won't do. Then, stick to it.

3. Lack of Balance - It's easy to think that working harder will make you more money, but it's not a long-term fix. Working tons of hours doesn't make you successful and it doesn't help you build a solid foundation for yourself or your team. Putting in tons of hours can't last forever - everyone needs a work/life balance.

4. Lack of Efficiency - We tend to gravitate towards tasks that are easy rather than those that are more challenging. Often times it's the difficult or time-consuming tasks that have the most impact on growing your business. Be aware of how you're spending your time and be honest with yourself as whether what you're doing is the most efficient and effective way to spend it. If you need some pointers to get you on the right track, check out my post about Productivity and download my Productivity Funnel.

You'll be amazed at the clarity you discover when you identify and work through these weaknesses.

In fact, it was a moment of clarity that brought the guys at GuavaBox to the decision to develop project management software for Inbound Agencies. Two years ago, they realized their agency was really struggling with a process for managing deliverables. After trying every sort of technology out there, they developed DoInbound, which is software for Inbound Agencies to track and manage inbound marketing campaigns.

Growing Your Digital Agency

Growing your digital agency is no easy process but I hope this helps and gives you the tips you need. However, if not I am here to help. I have more than likely experienced all if not most of the different struggles an agency owner experiences through my own experience and I can help you from what I learned. I have covered many topics from what to do with your sales processes to improve them, how you can increase your agency profit margins or how you can build authority for your agency.

I have the best ways for your business to stop losing money on projects, how performance-based pricing models can be the best strategy for your agency and why including remote teams or freelancers in your team can be beneficial in the long run.

Learn more about my career as well as tips, tricks and insights by checking out my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics.

Find 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 we’ll cover:

How you can prevent your agency from being viewed as a commodity.

How you can charge more & why clients will pay for it.

What you need to do to increase the lifetime value of a client.

Do consultancies have an advantage over digital agencies?

With over 30 years experience in the agency world – many of them owning and running his own agencies – my guest Jamie Turner brings us some serious black box knowledge. Spoiler alert: remember that phrase, it’ll be important later:)  Jamie has worked for agency giants in New York and Atlanta and today is the Founder and CEO of 60SecondMarketer.com and 60 Second Communications. He’s an author and international speaker specializing in social media and mobile marketing.

I read a couple recent blog posts of Jamie’s where he explained how you can save your agency from being left in the dust. I loved reading this post so much I that I knew I needed to get Jamie on my podcast so he could share his wisdom with you, too.

Jamie says he was like the typical agency owner, with a ton of ideas but a short attention span to see them through. He was always chasing the new bright, shiny object. However, once he learned to focus it enabled growth and expertise. And he says, “the more expert you are at something, the more you can charge.” Isn’t that the ultimate goal?

We can all agree that there is no shortage of agencies that do what we do. Even consulting companies are beginning to offer competitive services. So, how can your agency survive and thrive in this climate?

First and foremost you need to understand the 5 categories that agencies fall into so you can identify where you are and where you need to go in order to stay competitive while also growing and scaling your business.

Do you want to know the 5 different levels of an agency’s services?

The goal of agencies is to work up the chain of these 5 categories for more staying power and a greater client lifetime value.

1. Hands Work

Most small- and mid-sized agencies fall into this category and stay here. They win new business by pitching tactical work. They create assets like websites, logos, etc. and sell that type of work. Problem is, this work is one-off project work that typically doesn’t lead to much more. Over the course of a client relationship these opportunities tend to decrease. The client views you as an easily replaceable commodity. Clients can bring jobs in-house or find another agency that can do things “faster or cheaper”.

It’s OK to reel in new business this way but you should spend less than 6 months in the Hands Work phase. Show them you can do more that churn out work by moving into the next category.

2. Central Hub

You can start to get in the driver’s seat by being the Central Hub. Most clients have multiple agencies to meet their needs: digital, media, creative, direct, etc. When your agency acts as the Central Hub and the other agencies act as the spokes, it positions you at the center of the workflow.

Jamie’s agency puts themselves in this spot by creating and maintaining the status reports, managing the status calls, etc. In the Central Hub role you can build trust with the client, but you are really only viewed as an extension of the team. To be highly valued by clients and charge more for your services you need to be considered an advisor, not an order-taker. That is why the next category is so important.

3. Lightbulb

When you have bright ideas and can provide original campaigns and business building solutions your clients will see more value in your work. In a recent survey we conducted, we asked brands why they started working with an agency. The #1 answer was that they were looking for guidance/advice on emerging trend...

There are different levels of digital agency services that can support your business in staying competitive with others in the industry. The real question is do you know what they are?

In this episode we'll cover:

• How you can prevent your agency from being viewed as a commodity.
• How you can charge more for your digital agency services & why clients will pay for it.
• What you need to do to increase the lifetime value of a client.
• Do consultancies have an advantage over digital agencies?

[smart_track_player url="http://traffic.libsyn.com/jasonswenk/Do_you_want_to_know_the_5_different_categories_of_agency_services_.mp3"]

With over 30 years experience in the agency world - many of them owning and running his own agencies - my guest Jamie Turner brings us some serious black box knowledge. Spoiler alert: remember that phrase, it'll be important later:) Jamie has worked for agency giants in New York and Atlanta and today is the Founder and CEO of 60SecondMarketer.com and 60 Second Communications. He's an author and international speaker specializing in social media and mobile marketing.

I read a couple recent blog posts of Jamie's where he explained how you can save your agency from being left in the dust. I loved reading this post so much I that I knew I needed to get Jamie on my podcast so he could share his wisdom with you, too.

Jamie says he was like the typical agency owner, with a ton of ideas but a short attention span to see them through. He was always chasing the new bright, shiny object. However, once he learned to focus it enabled growth and expertise. And he says, "the more expert you are at something, the more you can charge." Isn't that the ultimate goal?

We can all agree that there is no shortage of agencies that do what we do. Even consulting companies are beginning to offer competitive services. So, how can your agency survive and thrive in this climate?

First and foremost you need to understand the 5 categories that agencies fall into so you can identify where you are and where you need to go in order to stay competitive while also growing and scaling your business.

Do you want to know the 5 different levels of digital agency services?

The goal of agencies is to work up the chain of these 5 categories of their digital agency services for more staying power and a greater client lifetime value.

1. Hands Work

Most small- and mid-sized agencies fall into this category and stay here. They win new business by pitching tactical work. They create assets like websites, logos, etc. and sell that type of work. Problem is, this work is one-off project work that typically doesn't lead to much more. Over the course of a client relationship these opportunities tend to decrease. The client views you as an easily replaceable commodity. Clients can bring jobs in-house or find another agency that can do things "faster or cheaper".

It's OK to reel in new business this way but you should spend less than 6 months in the Hands Work phase. Show them you can do more that churn out work by moving into the next category.

2. Central Hub

You can start to get in the driver's seat by being the Central Hub. Most clients have multiple agencies to meet their needs: digital, media, creative, direct, etc. When your agency acts as the Central Hub and the other agencies act as the spokes, it positions you at the center of the workflow.

Jamie's agency puts themselves in this spot by creating and maintaining the status reports, managing the status calls, etc. In the Central Hub role you can build trust with the client, but you are really only viewed as an extension of the team. To be highly valued by clients and charge more for your services you need to be considered an advisor, not an order-taker. That is why the next category is so important.

3. Lightbulb

When you have bright ideas and can provide original campaigns and business building solutions your clients will see more value in your work. In a recent survey we conducted, we asked brands why they started working with an agency. The #1 answer was that they were looking for guidance/advice on emerging trends and the insights on what to do next.

An agency that can bring original ideas to the table will establish authority. Clients are more apt to listen and give your ideas a try when you're already acting as the Lightbulb. What's even better is that they will be willing to pay more for them.

4. Wisdom & Experience

In this position, the client recognizes your agency as an authority in their industry. You share case studies and data to back up your ideas. You understand your client's needs and challenges as well as those of your client's clients. You are able to identify and help them avoid potential landmines. You see the big picture.

Click here for my interview with Del Ross, Director of Sales and Marketing for Intercontinental Hotels Group. Del says the best way for someone to score a meeting with him is to "have a point of view and back it up with data and research." When your big ideas have proven results and it's reflected in the client's ROI they are more than happy to spend their budget on it.

He also said the #1 way to get a meeting with a high powered executive at a major brand or any company you are targeting is to lead with something something new and cutting edge that is innovative and helps grow their business. Projects like these are what scores $50,000 of test project budget. When your agency falls into this category you are viewed as more than just an agent - your role is as a trusted advisor for growing their business.

5. Black Box

This category of agency is indispensable and it's what EVERY agency should be aiming for. If your agency can provide technology or people that the client doesn't have, can't access or can't afford you are able to provide value they can't get elsewhere. This needs to be something proprietary and measurable - something the client can see in the resulting ROI. This also applies to the types of digital agency services you offer over your competitors.

When you can provide something exclusive that yield sales or growth results, you can charge more and your clients won't mind paying for it.

So, where does your digital agency fall on the list?

As an agency, your job is to meet the client's needs and address their pain points. It's a challenge to get to the Wisdom & Experience or Black Box level.

Jamie says almost all agencies bring their clients in at a low tier and then you, as an agency leader, must challenge your team to move up the ladder. Secure your footing on the Black Box rung and you're GOLDEN. Don't get comfortable - never stop innovating. Take time to get ahead once and be sure to stay ahead always.

Do Consultancies have a Black Box Advantage?

It's easy to get discouraged knowing consultancies are walking in at the Black Box level and getting away with charging a ton.

Don't let that get you down. Consultants solve problems based on case studies and what they've learned in textbooks. They looked at what's worked in similar situations and help their clients get results using a tried and true method.

As agency leaders with creative minds, we approach problems with unique, innovative solutions and develop business building ideas. This gives us an edge over consultancies. It's the Lightbulb phase that protects agencies and gives us our staying power.

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

Next Level Agency

Defining the different levels of your digital agency services is only the first step in elevating your agency to the next level within your industry. Focussing on areas you haven't explored yet as well as struggles you need to focus on will help to improve your business. Check out how I have all you need to get through these obstacles.

I can give you advice on how to increase conversions on your website, implementing Facebook marketing as well as ways to build authority to improve your agency.

If growth is your focus, I've the different phases of growth within your agency and the three questions you need to ask yourself to sell more of your digital agency services.

Learn more about my career and experiences as well as lots of tips, tricks and insights by reading my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics.

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 we’ll discuss:

* Why you should fire yourself, and when

* 2 challenges most agencies face early on & how to overcome them

* 1 super smart tip about knowing your clients’ clients

Take it from a guy who has started and grown multiple multi-million dollar businesses, you must “give your job away at least once per year.” That’s exactly what my guest, J Cornelius, has been doing for much of his 20 years in digital space. From his startup software company to his startup agency, J shares with us philosophies and strategies that will help you scale and grow your business.

A serial entrepreneur, J started his first business in 1996 when he founded and grew an international web design software company. When his entrepreneurial spirit got the 13 year itch, he began web-design consulting on the side. He eventually founded Nine Labs, a user experience and brand strategy agency, in 2012. Within those first couple years, he was partnering often with Brad Weaver at Suckerpunch Studios. The two realized they possessed complementary skills and were the missing piece to one another’s agencies. They merged in 2014 and today have 11 employees.

It depends on the relationship between the partners, but #1 is TRUST. You have to belief that both partners have the same vision, goals and growth mindset. You also have to take the time to talk about all the worst case scenarios and write those into an Operating Agreement – this covers everything from injury or death, to buyouts or selling the agency. It’s your insurance policy and a way to create a backup plan so the organization can survive without one of you.

Fire Yourself!

J says the best way to move your business forward is to concentrate on the large impact items that will allow your business to grow. Figure out which low impact items are holding you back, fire yourself from doing those things and delegate them to someone else. Quoting Jim Collins, J says “get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats.” (From Jim Collins’ “Good to Great”.)

1. Not knowing who you are:   J says you have to find your identity and be able to tell a clear and compelling story about it. Promote who you are, what you do and why you’re the best at it. He says the best way to get past this challenge is by having a narrowly focus specialization. Go after a very specific target right away.

2. Associating size with success:   A lot of agency owners think they need to model the behavior of bigger agencies so they can grow and secure bigger clients. Not true! Often times it’s the smaller clients that are easier to land, easier to work with and have the budgets. Also, more employees usually means more problems, which changes the leader’s focus. J is always careful about who and how he hires, using a skill matrix to determine which skills sets are in-house and which might be missing. He says today, more than ever before, you can scale a business without necessarily having more people – and that’s a good thing! Think about it… Would you rather have a $20 million business with 10 employees or a $10 million business with 20 employees?

Best advice for a young agency

Study businesses adjacent to those of your clients. After you figure out who your ideal client is, learn about their ideal client. You have to fully understand your client’s business, who they serve and what their client’s expect. When you understand how to help your clients’ clients you are innately helping your client as well.  

If you love all J’s advice you can connect with him or read more on his blog here.

In this episode we'll discuss:

• Why you should fire yourself, and when
• 2 challenges most agencies face early on & how to overcome them
• 1 super smart tip about knowing your clients' clients

Take it from a guy who has started and grown multiple multi-million dollar businesses, you must "give your job away at least once per year." That's exactly what my guest, J Cornelius, has been doing for much of his 20 years in digital space. From his startup software company to his startup agency, J shares with us philosophies and strategies that will help you scale and grow your business.

A serial entrepreneur, J started his first business in 1996 when he founded and grew an international web design software company. When his entrepreneurial spirit got the 13 year itch, he began web-design consulting on the side. He eventually founded Nine Labs, a user experience and brand strategy agency, in 2012. Within those first couple years, he was partnering often with Brad Weaver at Suckerpunch Studios. The two realized they possessed complementary skills and were the missing piece to one another's agencies. They merged in 2014 and today have 11 employees.

[clickToTweet tweet="What makes a successful merger or partnership?" quote="What makes a successful merger or partnership?"]

It depends on the relationship between the partners, but #1 is TRUST. You have to belief that both partners have the same vision, goals and growth mindset. You also have to take the time to talk about all the worst case scenarios and write those into an Operating Agreement - this covers everything from injury or death, to buyouts or selling the agency. It's your insurance policy and a way to create a backup plan so the organization can survive without one of you.

Fire Yourself!

J says the best way to move your business forward is to concentrate on the large impact items that will allow your business to grow. Figure out which low impact items are holding you back, fire yourself from doing those things and delegate them to someone else. Quoting Jim Collins, J says "get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats." (From Jim Collins' "Good to Great".)

[clickToTweet tweet="2 challenges agencies face early on" quote="2 challenges agencies face early on"]

1. Not knowing who you are: J says you have to find your identity and be able to tell a clear and compelling story about it. Promote who you are, what you do and why you're the best at it. He says the best way to get past this challenge is by having a narrowly focus specialization. Go after a very specific target right away.

2. Associating size with success: A lot of agency owners think they need to model the behavior of bigger agencies so they can grow and secure bigger clients. Not true! Often times it's the smaller clients that are easier to land, easier to work with and have the budgets. Also, more employees usually means more problems, which changes the leader's focus. J is always careful about who and how he hires, using a skill matrix to determine which skills sets are in-house and which might be missing. He says today, more than ever before, you can scale a business without necessarily having more people - and that's a good thing! Think about it… Would you rather have a $20 million business with 10 employees or a $10 million business with 20 employees?

Best advice for a young agency

Study businesses adjacent to those of your clients. After you figure out who your ideal client is, learn about their ideal client. You have to fully understand your client's business, who they serve and what their client's expect. When you understand how to help your clients' clients you are innately helping your client as well.

If you love all J's advice you can connect with him or read more on his blog here.

What's Next?

Growing the best agency requires you to, well fire yourself if it's the right decision but also take a step back and look at the bigger picture of your agency for what you need to do next.

From my own experiences, I can provide advice on many topics from how you can increase your agency profit margins to how you can build authority for your agency.

That's not all, I have the best ways for your business to stop losing money on projects, how performance based pricing models can be the best strategy for your agency and why including remote teams or freelancers in your team can be beneficial in the long run.

Learn more about my career as well as tips, tricks and insights by checking out my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics.

Find more from me like advice from other successful agency experts in my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my YouTube channel.

In this episode we cover:

* How to create a media pitch that scores an interview

* Ways to prepare for the interview, and how to knock it out of the park

* When and how to promote your media opportunity for agency new business

A feature in the media can be a killer lead generator! My guest, Dana Barrett has got a ton of tips for us on getting media attention – and she should know! Dana hosts a daily business talk show on Atlanta 1190AM radio and is a panelist on Tech Edge, a local TV show. She typically interviews 1-2 companies across different sectors every single day! In this episode of The Smart Agency Master Class she talks with me about how a small business can get media attention, what to do once you score an interview and how to keep the momentum going when it’s over.

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Make a Pitch

Reach out with a simple and direct email pitch. Be clear on what you do, why it’s different and who you serve. You must capture the reader’s attention in the first 2-3 sentences! Also, show you’ve done your homework by stating why you are a good fit with this audience of listeners, viewers or readers. Don’t throw in a bunch of stats, figures, or “hoopla”, as Dana calls it. The subject line should be equally as direct, like “Possible Show Guest”.

Prepare for the Interview

Know your stuff and be ready to talk about it freely. Dana’s pet peeve: being given a list of topics or questions to avoid. Instead, she says, learn how to address those things even if you have to put on a politician hat and just say during the interview, “I’m not willing to discuss that today.” Local media want to help you tell your story, so give them the talking points you do want to address.

Dana also says you must able to speak about your business in an unrehearsed way. Be confident and genuine. Radio interviews are probably easier than TV interviews because there are less people watching you during the interview but regardless of who’s in the room remember you are there to build relationships both the audience and the interviewer. People want to know who you are, what you stand for, and why you are special. If they can get behind you for those things, then sales will result from it.

Lastly, don’t be boring! Interacting with the media gives your brand a personality that will either resonate with the audience or… it won’t.  But, no pressure!

Leverage Media Opportunities to Achieve Agency Business Growth

Looking to use new media opportunities to build momentum for your digital agency and gain new agency business growth?

In this episode we cover:

• How to create a media pitch that scores an interview
• Ways to prepare for the interview, and how to knock it out of the park
• When and how to promote your media opportunity to promote agency business growth

A feature in the media can be a killer lead generator! My guest, Dana Barrett has got a ton of tips for us on getting media attention - and she should know! Dana hosts a daily business talk show on Atlanta 1190AM radio and is a panelist on Tech Edge, a local TV show. She typically interviews 1-2 companies across different sectors every single day! In this episode of The Smart Agency Master Class she talks with me about how a small business can get media attention, what to do once you score an interview and how to keep the momentum going when it's over.

Make a Pitch

Reach out with a simple and direct email pitch. Be clear on what you do, why it's different and who you serve. You must capture the reader's attention in the first 2-3 sentences! Also, show you've done your homework by stating why you are a good fit with this audience of listeners, viewers or readers. Don't throw in a bunch of stats, figures, or "hoopla", as Dana calls it. The subject line should be equally as direct, like "Possible Show Guest".

Prepare for the Interview

Know your stuff and be ready to talk about it freely. Dana's pet peeve: being given a list of topics or questions to avoid. Instead, she says, learn how to address those things even if you have to put on a politician hat and just say during the interview, "I'm not willing to discuss that today." Local media want to help you tell your story, so give them the talking points you do want to address.

Dana also says you must able to speak about your business in an unrehearsed way. Be confident and genuine. Radio interviews are probably easier than TV interviews because there are less people watching you during the interview but regardless of who's in the room remember you are there to build relationships both the audience and the interviewer. People want to know who you are, what you stand for, and why you are special. If they can get behind you for those things, then sales will result from it.

Lastly, don't be boring! Interacting with the media gives your brand a personality that will either resonate with the audience or... it won't. But, no pressure! :)

Promote the Heck Out of It to Generate Agency Business Growth

Before, during and after…. post it, tweet it and promote it. Whatever your social media platforms, give a it's imperative to make sure your social followers know about it prior to the interview, the day of, the hour before and for weeks afterwards. Today, everything lives digitally for all of eternity - use that to your benefit!

Also, treat your interviewer as you would any other networking contact. It's not "one and done"... you can continue to help each other out. Remember, they're getting something out of this, too. You are providing them with good content and delivering an audience. It's a win-win.

Media exposure can be an awesome way to generate leads! And, if you want to learn even more ways to generate leads check out my Generate Leads Everyday program with invaluable tactics and strategies you can implement for immediate results. My clients are generating 25-50+ leads every day using this program.

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

What's Next for your Agency?

Through leveraging media opportunities, you could see a large increase in agency business growth but this could be detrimental to your business if you aren't prepared to handle it.

To create the best business possible, you need to look at your agency in the bigger picture to find your strong areas as well as weak spots and then think of how you can fix them. No matter what challenge your agency is facing, I can help you get through all of it.

Through my experience running my own digital agency and helping other digital agency owners, there are many topics I can offer guidance on whether you are an established agency facing struggles to new agencies unsure of what the different phases of growth you will experience will look like.

Growing your agency team can also be a major struggle for any agency owner and I can show from knowing when it's time to hire a sales manager or expand your sales team to perfecting your business strategy with creating a process for performance based pricing and how to keep your big name clients happy.

Are you ready to create something cool and want more advice? Learn about my career and different experiences as well as tips, tricks and insights by checking out my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics.

Check out more from my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my YouTube channel. There you will find advice from me and other agency experts.

4 Things You Can Do To Get New Employees Ready Before Their First Day

Day #1 on any job is overwhelming for everyone. It’s information overload! But by tackling these four things prior to their first day, you can set up your new employees for success.

1.  Share your company vision and goals with them right off the bat. With a clear understanding of where the path leads, your employees can help pave it.

2.  Write down the 30, 60 and 90 day goals you have for them and ask them to do the same. This manages hopes and expectations for both parties.

3.  Ask “What do you need from me in order to be successful?” and then provide the tools and information they’ve requested.

4.  Create screencasts or videos of some routine tasks, procedures or processes. Not only can this be used for reference by this new employee but it they move up or on, you’ll have it for future employees.

* Have all these items prepared and ready to go PRIOR to a new employee’s first day on the job.*

We don’t always hire the perfect employees but when expectations are clearly communicated and tools are in place there is a greater chance for success.

How can you help your new employees be successful? Whether you’re hiring right now or not, what processes can you record and archive? Don’t wait until you need it – start now!