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

By Jason SwenkBusiness Entrepreneurship Marketing

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

August 06, 2015 How Can You Become a Great Presenter Like Steve Jobs?
Today I was thinking about how to sell ideas effectively. A person can have the best idea in the world, but if that person cannot convince enough people, it doesn’t matter.
One of the best presenters was Steve Jobs. What made him the best was he started with the BIG PICTURE rather than the details.
When the iPhone came out, he started with the following: “Apple reinvents the phone.” He could have started with: “We have developed the first smartphone by Apple that is easy to use, an iPod and a phone. The big pictures gets us drawn in and interested to here more. People crave meaning before details.
In every presentation Steve did, he was able to inform, educate and entertained us. He knew the problems he wanted to solve and the benefits of the solutions he provided. Most importantly he connected with his customer by explaining to them why they should care.
One of the other great things he did was bring numbers to life. When Apple launched the iPod, Steve Jobs could have focused on the 5GB hard drive, but he came out saying that you could store 1,000 songs in your pocket.
He also used great imagery. When the Macbook Air came out, he could have said that the Macbook Air was fast, easy to use, small and cover all the hardware specs, but Steve Jobs said this is “the world’s thinnest laptop” and showed an image of the laptop that was smaller than an envelope.
Steve Jobs sold dreams, not products. He believed that he was selling a solution that allowed everyone to be creative and explore. He just happened to be selling computers. He knew his customers didn’t care about his company, but they cared about themselves. That is why he focused on the big picture, informing, educating, entertaining, bringing numbers to life and great imagery.

6 min
August 05, 2015 How Can You Become a Great Presenter Like Steve Jobs? | Ep #73
How to Become the Best Presenter

Today I was thinking about how to sell ideas effectively. A person can have the best idea in the world, but if that person cannot convince enough people, it doesn't matter. But what if they could be the best presenter of their ideas?

One of the best presenters was Steve Jobs. What made him the best was he started with the BIG PICTURE rather than the details.

When the iPhone came out, he started with the following: "Apple reinvents the phone." He could have started with: "We have developed the first smartphone by Apple that is easy to use, an iPod and a phone. The big pictures get us drawn in and interested to here more. People crave meaning before details.

In every presentation Steve did, he was able to inform, educate and entertain us. He knew the problems he wanted to solve and the benefits of the solutions he provided. Most importantly he connected with his customers by explaining to them why they should care.

One of the other great things he did was bring numbers to life. When Apple launched the iPod, Steve Jobs could have focused on the 5GB hard drive, but he came out saying that you could store 1,000 songs in your pocket.

He also used great imagery. When the Macbook Air came out, he could have said that the Macbook Air was fast, easy to use, small, and cover all the hardware specs, but Steve Jobs said this is "the world's thinnest laptop" and showed an image of the laptop that was smaller than an envelope.

Steve Jobs sold dreams, not products. He believed that he was selling a solution that allowed everyone to be creative and explore. He just happened to be selling computers. He knew his customers didn't care about his company, but they cared about themselves. That is why he focused on the big picture, informing, educating, entertaining, bringing numbers to life and great imagery.

Discover the best Digital Agency Strategies today. Get Online Training to help you setup the right systems and strategies to help you grow faster.
Become a Great in Your Agency
Becoming the best presenter could open you up to opportunities in giving talks and presentations which could leads to bringing in new clients. This could bring your digital agency to the next level in growth and authority.

By looking at the bigger picture of your agency, you can focus on areas you haven't explored yet as well as struggles you need to focus on to improve your business and then check out how I have all you need to get through these obstacles.

I have a bank of advice to share with you from my own experiences. This can be how to increase conversions on your website, ways to implement Facebook in your marketing strategy, why building authority to improve your agency is important and the best way to pitch to big brand clients.

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

You can 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.
6 min
August 05, 2015 How Can I Capture More Leads?… #AskSwenk Episode 18

4 Steps to Snagging More Leads… Hook, Line and Sinker
There’s a big difference between generating leads and capturing leads… and it’s a lot like fishing. Think about the term “fishing” for a moment. Do you actually want to “go fishing” or do you really want to “go catching”? To be successful, it’s the latter.
You can go fishing by dropping a pole in a random location with random bait and you might get lucky, but usually you just spend tons of time and come up empty. BUT, if you have some strategy in place: the right location, the right bait and the right tools you will have greater chances for success.
[ctt title=”4 steps to CAPTURING more leads and why it’s like catching fish” tweet=”4 steps to CAPTURING more leads and why it’s like catching fish: http://ctt.ec/p8U4Y+ via @jswenk #leads” coverup=”p8U4Y”]
1. Know WHO you’re fishing for:
Be very specific on who your ideal client is. You know who you can help, so don’t be afraid of reaching out to that very particular target. For example, when you start out fishing you already know what type of fish you’re going out for, like red snapper or blue marlin. Be THAT specific in your business.
2. Know WHERE the fish are:
Red snapper are near the reef at the bottom of the sea while blue marlin are at the weed line and found while trolling. Learn where your fish are congregating and capture them there. Is it Facebook, Linkedin? Do they use specific technology. “Fish where the fish are biting!”
3. Know WHAT bait attract your fish:
When you’re fishing, it might be lures or live bait, which could be worms, crickets or even other fish. In business, your bait is your lead magnet. What is something of value that you can provide for free that solves a problem or fills a need your prospects have? Prove you are valuable right away by giving them something they love in exchange for their contact information and they’ll be hooked!
4. Know WHEN to pull the line in:
You can be in the right place and bait the right fish but you can still lose the catch if you try reeling in the line too soon. Avoid having your prospects jump the line by using a nurture campaign that educates while building a relationship of trust and establishing your authority.
In fishing and in business, if you don’t know the who, where, what and when of the catch you’re going after you’ll end up unprepared and empty-handed.
12 min
August 02, 2015 4 Steps to Capturing Leads... Snagging Them Hook, Line and Sinker | AskSwenk | Ep #72
4 Steps to Capturing Leads... Snagging Them Hook, Line and Sinker
If your biggest issue right now within your agency is capturing leads, especially from big clients, then you are probably going about it the wrong way.

There's a big difference between generating leads and capturing leads… and it's a lot like fishing. Think about the term "fishing" for a moment. Do you actually want to "go fishing" or do you really want to "go catching"? To be successful, it's the latter.

You can go fishing by dropping a pole in a random location with random bait and you might get lucky, but usually you just spend tons of time and come up empty. BUT, if you have some strategy in place: the right location, the right bait and the right tools you will have greater chances for success.

[ctt title="4 steps to CAPTURING more leads and why it's like catching fish" tweet="4 steps to CAPTURING more leads and why it's like catching fish: http://ctt.ec/p8U4Y+ via @jswenk #leads" coverup="p8U4Y"]
1. Know WHO you're fishing for:
Be very specific on who your ideal client is. You know who you can help, so don't be afraid of reaching out to that very particular target. For example, when you start out fishing you already know what type of fish you're going out for, like red snapper or blue marlin. Be THAT specific in your business.
2. Know WHERE the fish are:
Red snapper are near the reef at the bottom of the sea while blue marlin are at the weed line and found while trolling. Learn where your fish are congregating and capture them there. Is it Facebook, Linkedin? Do they use specific technology. "Fish where the fish are biting!"
3. Know WHAT bait attract your fish:
When you're fishing, it might be lures or live bait, which could be worms, crickets or even other fish. In business, your bait is your lead magnet. What is something of value that you can provide for free that solves a problem or fills a need your prospects have? Prove you are valuable right away by giving them something they love in exchange for their contact information and they'll be hooked!
4. Know WHEN to pull the line in:
You can be in the right place and bait the right fish but you can still lose the catch if you try reeling in the line too soon. Avoid having your prospects jump the line by using a nurture campaign that educates while building a relationship of trust and establishing your authority.

In fishing and in business, if you don't know the who, where, what and when of the catch you're going after you'll end up unprepared and empty-handed.
How to Improve
So I have shared the best ways of capturing leads for your agency 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 reaching 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 me and other agency experts.
12 min
July 29, 2015 7 Steps to Making Your ‘About’ Page a MAJOR Lead Generator
How Can I Generate More Leads without Spending More Money?
Believe it or not, your website’s About Page is not about YOU – it is about THEM.
Face it, your leads find your site because they need something. They don’t necessarily want to hear all about you, your awards, your clients or your story but rather why you can provide what they need.
[ctt title=”If you build your About Page in this order, you will GENERATE LEADS by focusing on the site VISITOR.” tweet=”If you build your About Page in this order you will GENERATE LEADS by focusing on the site VISITOR. http://ctt.ec/iOYAp+ via @jswenk” coverup=”iOYAp”]
Step #1 Don’t Tell Your Story Right Away
Give them a statement – not a story – on WHAT you do. Focus on them first by explaining what you do and how it can help them. For example, my About Page starts out with “I’m your Bridge to a Successful Agency”

Step #2 Confirm They’re In the Right Place
Let them know you understand their needs and struggles by asking questions. This demonstrates your knowledge on the topic and conveys empathy for their situation. Here’s how I let new leads know they’re in the right place:

Step #3 Provide Brief Credentials
This is where you should explain why you are experienced and qualified to deliver the goods or services they need. You should also identify what separates you from the others. You should not launch into your story yet. Kinda like:

Step #4 Offer the Alternative
Explain how else they can achieve their desired result. On my About Page, I explain other ways to learn to grow and scale an agency but I explain why subscribing to my newsletter is the better alternative.
Step #5 Add an Opt-In
Rarely done, but super effective! Include a call-to-action for opting in to your newsletter, blog, etc.… my About Page is my second best lead generating page.
Here’s #4 & #5 on my About Page:

Step #6 Tell Your Story
If they’ve made it this far, they actually do want to hear your story. Tell them about yourself, how and why you started, and your mission or goals. Here’s my creative approach, but remember we can’t all be a SUPERHERO
5 min
July 22, 2015 Feeling Overwhelmed & Overworked Running Your Agency? Here’s What to Do!

How to Focus on Growing Your Agency Instead of Just Running It
It’s common for every entrepreneur to feel bogged down by tasks and buried by a growing to do list. We are always so busy being reactive instead of proactive and there’s never a chance to get ahead.
[ctt title=”Your focus should always be on the big impact items that make a difference in your business. ” tweet=”Your focus should always be on the big impact items that make a difference in your business. http://ctt.ec/p0ol3+ via @jswenk ” coverup=”p0ol3″]
It’s like that client that is never happy and constantly calling or emailing… the squeaky wheel gets the oil, right? But that doesn’t add any horsepower to your business. You need to work on the modifications to the engine before you oil the squeaky wheel. Don’t focus on the little things that have no impact on the growth of the business and concentrate more on the high impact items.
It’s Too Hard to See the Forest for the Trees
That’s OK! I’ve created a worksheet that you can use when you are feeling overwhelmed. Start by making a list of everything that needs done. Then determine whether it absolutely must be done by you. Decide if its something that can be solved by technology or if you can delegate it to a team member or outsource it. (For example, before I had a team I outsourced show notes to a virtual assistant.) Consider the cost vs. the time it will take and what else you could be doing in that your time. After you know which tasks must be done by you, then you can rate them: high impact long term, high impact short term and low impact. If you aren’t sure how to rank your tasks, check out my blog post about the Productivity Funnel. High impact items include growth opportunities, revenue and client generating tasks. Low impact items include checking emails, one-off project work, etc.
With few exceptions, you should always work on the high impact long term items first. There are times I’ve put high impact short term tasks as a higher priority. An example might be during a cash flow crunch and a high impact short term task will bring in revenue.
Always Give Priority to High Impact Action Items
If you’re spending time on low impact, low priority tasks you are unable to focus on your biggest and best opportunities for growth.
Decide what gets you closer to your BIG goals then backfill with the lower impact tasks. Get started prioritizing now by downloading my worksheet and start crossing some of that SH*T off your list!
6 min
July 10, 2015 Feeling Overwhelmed & Overworked Running Your Agency? Here's What to Do! | Ep #70
Are you finding it overwhelming in your agency working out what are priority tasks and what are tasks you can give to your team? Feeling overworked is a very easy rut to fall into as an agency owner and here's how you can get out of it.
How to Focus on Growing Your Agency Instead of Just Running It
It's common for every entrepreneur to feel bogged down by tasks and buried by a growing to do list. We are always so busy being reactive instead of proactive and there's never a chance to get ahead.

It's like that client that is never happy and constantly calling or emailing… the squeaky wheel gets the oil, right? But that doesn't add any horsepower to your business. You need to work on the modifications to the engine before you oil the squeaky wheel. Don't focus on the little things that have no impact on the growth of the business and concentrate more on the high impact items.
It's Too Hard to See the Forest for the Trees
That's OK! I've created a worksheet that you can use when you are feeling overwhelmed. Start by making a list of everything that needs done. Then determine whether it absolutely must be done by you. Decide if its something that can be solved by technology or if you can delegate it to a team member or outsource it. (For example, before I had a team I outsourced show notes to a virtual assistant.) Consider the cost vs. the time it will take and what else you could be doing in that your time. After you know which tasks must be done by you, then you can rate them: high impact long term, high impact short term and low impact. If you aren't sure how to rank your tasks, check out my blog post about the Productivity Funnel. High impact items include growth opportunities, revenue and client generating tasks. Low impact items include checking emails, one-off project work, etc.
Recognizing Priority Tasks
With few exceptions, you should always work on the high-impact long-term items first. There are times I've put high-impact short-term tasks as a higher priority. An example might be during a cash flow crunch and a high-impact short-term task will bring in revenue.
Always Give Priority to High Impact Action Items
If you're spending time on low-impact, low priority tasks you are unable to focus on your biggest and best opportunities for growth.

Decide what gets you closer to your BIG goals then backfill with the lower impact tasks.

Discover the best Digital Agency Strategies today. Get Online Training to help you setup the right systems and strategies to help you grow faster.
Building Your Business
You can build your business by identifying priority tasks that need your attention and when you get out of the overworked and overwhelmed rut, you are on the way to building the best digital agency possible.

Through my own career and professional life, 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, to 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 and 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.
6 min
July 07, 2015 How to Use Periscope to Make Money in Your Business | Ep #69
How can you create more video for your agency content? In this brief episode, Jason shares his tips and tricks for live streaming and video marketing.
4 min
July 01, 2015 Here’s What You Need to Do With Your eBook

Someone wrote in and asked what they can do with their eBook that is not performing as expected. They’re feeling like they’ve wasted a lot of time and money… NOT TRUE!
If you have separate sections or chapters in your eBook, slice those up into video content. Videos are powerful and engaging. You can choose to do the “face-on-camera” style videos (like mine) or webinar style, where it’s text and a voice over. The important thing is to get that content out there in a different way!
Videos Are Easier to Consume Than eBooks
We live in a busy world and people will download your book with the best intention of reading it, but they may never get to the end where you’ve got the call to action. An eBook has one conversion point. If you can divide the content into sections and deliver it in smaller chunks, it’s easier to digest and you get to end each video with a call to action…. which means multiple conversion points. I think we can agree that more conversion points will yield more sales.
Shorter Videos Have Bigger Results
Everyone is short on time – so keep your videos informative but brief. Be helpful and provide value. You need your viewer to digest the information, take action and see immediate results. This establishes you as an authority and builds a relationship of trust.
Create your videos in a short series building on one another. I use LeadPages (click here for more info), which has some really cool templates and a feature for timing in a call to action button during the video. There’s lots of great software out there, so find the program that works best for your needs.
When you launch the video series make sure you explain what will be learned in each one to create some intrigue. I send my videos out a few days apart and set it up so they have to be watched in order and there is a call to action on EVERY VIDEO.
2 Things You Can Do with your eBook Right Now
1- Slice up the eBook content into 3-4 chunks of information and turn them into videos

* Shoot your videos either face-on-camera or webinar style
* Sequence your videos in a series that builds on one another
* Have a call to action on each video for more conversion points

2- Create a lead magnet to launch the first video

* Develop or re-work your eBook landing page to describe it as video training
* Explain the takeaways for in each video

If you enjoyed this video, please SHARE it and help others. If you want to learn even more about growing your agency, SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube Channel and get weekly videos with valuable information.

5 min
June 24, 2015 3 Steps to Optimize Use of Your CRM #AskSwenk Episode 15

What is the best way to use CRM to track leads and project cashflow?
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is HUGE in any industry where you’ve got multiple leads at various stages in the sales process. CRM software is a must in keeping organized and optimizing every opportunity. The best way to use CRM is to create levels and use the levels to get a handle on cash projections.
[ctt title=”Here are 3 steps you can take to manage your relationships and get a snapshot of revenue. ” tweet=”Here are 3 steps you can take to manage your relationships and get a snapshot of revenue. http://ctt.ec/j_kgW+ via @jswenk #agencycrm” coverup=”j_kgW”]
Step 1: Create Levels
My agency had four levels in our CRM system for prospects who requested to be contacted.
Level 1 – This level is people we needed to chat with and qualify. Remember to use my NBAT technique to qualify leads quickly. If you don’t know about NBAT, watch this quick video about assessing Need, Budget, Authority and Timing.
Level 2 – These people were qualified and needed a meeting to sell our foot in the door offer, such as a discovery or audit. (More on that in this post.)
Level 3 – Leads at this level were ones in the proposal stage. We had qualified them and established a relationship in levels 1 and 2.
Level 4 – This level was only for the done deal, after we got approvals and sign offs to proceed.
Remember when you set up your levels, these are just for potential customers who ASKED to be contacted. People who enter your system through a lead magnet, should stay in the “lead bucket” until they indicate otherwise.
Step 2: Assign Percentages to Your Levels
For revenue forecasting purposes, we assigned percentages to each level. You can start by using my numbers below and fine tune them once you have a good handle on your own rates.
Level 1 – About 10% of the people in this level will turn into sales.
Level 2 – Roughly 25% in this level convert to sales.
Level 3 – Between 50-75% of these prospects will become clients.
Level 4 – Anywhere from 75-100% will close the deal.
Step 3: Plug In the Numbers
Use the percentages and get a great snapshot of your cash projection. Use this to analyze your accounting systems, accounts receivable, recurring revenue and more.

5 min

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

From the publisher's feed

Growing an agency is very difficult, and you might feel unclear what to do next in order to grow and scale your agency. The Smart Agency Masterclass is a weekly podcast for agencies that are wanting…