Smart Agency Masterclass With Jason Swenk: Podcast For Digital Marketing Agencies

Facing Challenges as a New Agency Owner? Answers to some great questions from a new agency owner about starting and growing an agency still in it's infancy stage. We'll cover everything from knowing when and how to hire, to generating leads and setting up all the right systems when you are still a very small agency. Gillian asks... {1:50}  "Right now I'm doing everything (lead generation, sales, project management, design, development, etc). How big should I get before I start hiring, and what are the first steps I need to take to replace myself?" {6:20}  "I'm primarily a developer and I don't have as much experience in sales or lead generation. Do I need to reach some level of competency in these areas before taking the plunge, or should I "fake it 'til I make it"?" {8:46}  "You talk a lot about having set up the right systems in place, and it's fascinating to hear you talk about roles of the CEO, sales people, etc. but what kind of systems do I need to have in place right now as I get started? How far ahead

If one of your goals for your agency this year is to have doubled business and client numbers, this is the advice you need. In this episode we’ll cover: How one agency doubled business in just six months by giving work to other agencies. Building a network and being a trusted client resource. Why you should join a mastermind group to help you grow. My guest today, Ian Garlic is one of very few two-time guests on The Smart Agency Master Class. He’s the owner of authenticWEB, which he founded 8 year ago. You might also know him from my “I Will Never Do This” Agency Pledge video as the naked ukulele guy. (Don’t worry, he’s not actually naked :) ) In this interview, Ian shares how his agency business doubled in 6 months… check it out. How to Achieve Doubled Business: Not All Competition Is Bad I don’t know about you but when I owned my agency I was always very guarded about who and what we were working on. I would never have even considered working with other agencies, let alone idea sharing with them and espec

Whether you are starting an agency or you're an established agency that has potentially hit a plateau, finding the best team especially your sales team is important. In this episode of Ask Swenk, I discuss everything you need to know about finding, hiring, paying and managing great sales reps to CRUSH IT in your agency new business. I talk about everything from skill criteria and previous experience to salary and commission. {1:42} Ramzi asked: “I was wondering if you have any great strategies to get referrals from current clients?” {4:15} Myles asked: "Should I let my full time staff freelance in their own time? If so, what measures do I need to put in place to protect myself and my business?" {7:02} Blake asked: "I am a big fan of your content. I own a 6 man agency and we’re going through that process right now. We’re trying to build our following with video marketing but it’s just tough getting started! Any advice you could share would be appreciated." Discover the best Digital Agency Strategies today. Get

Many agencies make the mistake in believing they just need to report on their analytics rather than monitoring them consistently. I am going to explain why you need to monitor analytics in order to build your business. In today’s episode, we’ll cover: What agencies are doing wrong with analytics reporting. 4 steps you need to improve client analytics. Ways to monitor analytics to grow your agency business. My guest on today’s episode is Mychelle Mollot from Klipfolio. She’s got a background in engineering, analytics and marketing… which makes her perfect in her role as CMO for marketing analytics software. Mychelle talks to us about the major differences in reporting vs. monitoring analytics, plus ways you can use analytics to grow your agency. In our 2016 Future Outlook of Digital Agencies, we reported that brands are hiring 85% of brands are selecting agencies based on their ability to report and react to analytics. Unfortunately most agencies believe they’re being hired for their marketing and creativity

Whether you are starting an agency or you're an established agency that has potentially hit a plateau, finding the best team especially your sales team is important. In this episode of Ask Swenk, I discuss everything you need to know about finding, hiring, paying and managing great sales reps to CRUSH IT in your agency new business. I talk about everything from skill criteria and previous experience to salary and commission. Finding, Hiring, Paying & Managing Agency Sales Reps {1:03} Simohammed asked: “I’m thinking of hiring a sales rep for my agency. I know it's good to make the salary based on the representative's performance but from your experiences do you give a small salary as a base if there is no performance or is it always based on performance like project commissions and percentages?" {3:48}  “What are other criteria that you look into a sales rep, besides being good in communication and a good sales person?” {7:39}  “Is it possible to look for people with an existing network or previous experie

Have you ever considered starting a podcast to connect with your customers and create an audience for yourself and your brand? In this episode, we’ll cover: 4 big reasons every agency should have a podcast. Common fears of podcasting and how to overcome them. Starting a podcast and building an audience of new business prospects. I’m super psyched to have Pat Flynn as my guest on today’s show. He’s the successful guy behind Smart Passive Income - a major resource for entrepreneurs looking to scale their business. He’s also the podcasting guru and is sharing tips with us about the benefits of podcasting, as well as how to get started - including ways to get over your fear of recording your own voice! Pat got his start as an entrepreneur when he was laid off from the architecture industry in 2008. He started an online study program for architecture’s LEED exam, called GreenExamAcademy.com and it took off. He learned a ton about quickly scaling an online business and over time turned that smart, passive income

Curious about selling your agency? In this episode of Ask Swenk, I cover how to determine your agency's current value and what you can do to increase it. I also take a real look at the process to eventually sell your agency and gain profit. {0:48} Tim asked: "What is my digital agency worth if I sold it today?" {4:10} Bree asked: "What does the process look like when you sell your agency?" {7:32} Tony asked: "How can you increase your agency valuation?" Tim asked: "What is my digital agency worth if I sold it today?" The short answer is it's worth whatever someone will give you money for it, and whatever you're willing to take. The thing I want to debunk right now is if you can get over $5 million, that you'll get tons and tons of money, or get over a million. It doesn't matter on your gross. I know agencies that are over $10 million in revenue, and they're like at 4% profit, which is horrible. Your goal for a profit margin should be 40% and more than that. If it's not, you're doing something wrong. There's

What To Do When A Client Files a Business Lawsuit Against Your Agency When a project begins to go south, you run the risk of a client filing a business lawsuit against you which can be detrimental to your agency's reputation and future. In this episode, we’ll cover: The warning signs of a project that’s going south. Why it’s so important to have documented processes for your agency. 3 ways to handle a business lawsuit from a client. This week’s podcast is a little bit of a different format. Instead of interviewing a guest who shares great strategies to help you grow your agency, you get to listen in on a coaching call with a client who is facing a client business lawsuit. I recorded the call with his permission and we chat about how to handle it without wasting outrageous amounts of time, money and emotion. Before we dive any further, you should know a couple things: This is not legal advice. I’m not an attorney :) In the interest of privacy, names have been changed/omitted. The Backstory So today, I’m ta

Employee Profit Sharing, Referral Commission & Hourly to Retainer Is employee profit sharing a good idea? In this episode of Ask Swenk, I answer your questions about if and how to compensate clients for referral business, how you can convert a longtime hourly client to monthly retainer and profit sharing for your team of employees. {1:58} Geoff asked: "What are your thoughts on profit sharing for key employees?" {4:50} Ryan asked: "I know you've talked about sales people and compensation before but, what about referrals? Flat fee or percentage? One time or for the life of the project/client?" {7:28} Kirk asked: "I have a great client we do work for at an hourly rate -- this is the only client we have like this. We want to transition that client to a long term contract for a flat rate. Any suggestion on the best way to have that conversation about making the transition?" Improving Your Agency To bring your agency to the next level, finding ways to improve is always important. Through my years of experience

Creating Fast Track Revenue for Your Agency If you want to know how to be up there with the big name agencies through fast track revenue, then my interview with Brad Martineau has everything you need to know. In this episode, we’ll cover: 2 secrets to building multi-million dollar through fast track revenue. 2 things agency owners should quit being afraid of. A cool strategy for qualifying and educating new prospects. My guest on this episode of The Smart Agency Master Class is Brad Martineau, co-founder and Chief Baller (best title EVER!) at SixthDivision. He started his digital agency after leaving a seven year career at Infusionsoft. He shares with us the secret on how he built a $3 million agency in just a few years. Brad started at Infusionsoft in 2004, as their sixth employee. When he left in 2011 they had 650(ish)! What he discovered over that time is that Infusionsoft is a very powerful tool that very few people can actually use. When he left, he began consulting and eventually founded an agency for

First Pitch to a Client On the first pitch to a client, it can create different obstacles for you as an agency owner as well as your team. Understanding your agency, resources you have and those you can bluff can make the difference in any first pitch with a potential client. In this episode of Ask Swenk, I talk about understanding cash reserves for your agency, why clients leave and how to avoid it, PLUS how to respond when prospects ask for an success story that you don't have yet. {3:01} Alina asked: "How much money should we have in reserve for a rainy day to run our agency successfully?" {6:12} George asked: "We just lost a major long term client. We never saw this coming because we've won a lot of awards on their work and they've seen traffic and sales growth every year we've worked together. Why do you think they left and what could we have done differently?" {9:11} Phill asked: "When you're pitching for that first big project that you have not done for anyone yet, what is a good approach when the pro

Is your goal for your digital agency to increase your agency profit but are finding leaks within that are preventing you from achieving your goal? In today’s episode, we’ll cover: Why scope creep happens and how to put a stop to it. 5 ways to scale your agency and eliminate the leaks that drain agency profit. Today’s guest on The Smart Agency Master Class is Charles Studt from Redbooth, which is a project management tool and so much more. Charles shares some amazing advice on ways to make your agency run more efficiently so you can maximize time and profit. He also talks about ways to eliminate the biggest profit drain of ‘em all... SCOPE CREEP. Why Scope Creep Happens Charles says most cases of scope creep is not due to an over zealous project team or a super demanding client. In most cases, it’s an agency’s lack of documented processes and lack of client education. Without a clear definition of the project and deliverables, there’s too much gray area. So, when a client asks for a little something extra an

Do you want to learn more about the best way to build relationships, streamline your deliveries and the best way to critique proposals? In this episode of Ask Swenk, I answer these questions and share more insight into how you can improve your agency. In this episode I discuss: How to streamline processes without being too cookie cutter. What to do when you're new in town and need to build relationships. PLUS, watch my critique of another agency's actual proposal. {1:52} Tara asked: "I feel like every time we get a new client we are on '50 First Dates.' How can we change this problem?" {4:16} David asked: My biggest challenge is that I've moved from Atlanta from New York and I have to build my network from the ground up. I've been able to do this over the past year, however I still don't have enough relationships to bring on the net worth clients where I can build an agency." {6:44} Aman asked: "Can you review my marketing proposal and tell me what I am doing right and wrong?" Discover the best Digital Agen

Have you ever considered direct mail marketing for your digital agency? Not even sure how to develop a strategy for it? I talk with Justin Christianson and he shares how his agency has gained huge success from using direct mail marketing strategies. In this episode, we’ll cover: How to define your target market. 1 old-school outbound tactic that is getting massive 25% response. 4 steps to successful direct mail. Today’s guest is 14-year veteran entrepreneur, Justin Christianson. After selling his previous business to his partners he began consulting and eventually created Conversion Fanatics, an SEO agency. Justin happens to also be a client of mine and is seeing some really great results with his outbound efforts. I invited him on the show to share his story, outbound strategy and the cool, old-school tactic that’s getting a up to a massive 25% response rate! Check it out… Defining Your Market is Crucial Justin says, at first they were completely non-selective about who they would work for - targeting just

Do you need help in untangling the many pieces of information and advice on how to use social media to elevate your agency and bring in more clients? In this episode, we’ll cover: Advice for keeping up with new social media trends and platforms. How to use social media for agency new business. 2 mistakes to avoid using social for your agency or your clients. How to sell social media management. If you’ve been wondering how to manage and optimize opportunities on all the various social networks – for you and for your clients – you must not miss this episode. Today’s guest is with Emeric Ernoult, founder and CEO at Agorapulse, a social media management tool. Pretty cool tool, and I recommend you check it out. Emeric is a longtime entrepreneur who spent the first part of his career in business law before dabbling in SAAS startups. He says he landed in software and social media because it’s fast-paced and ever-changing, which keeps things fresh and challenging. Emeric developed Agorapulse as an answer to managi

We chat about landing your first client as a creative agency, how you go from initial contact to a paid consult, […] The post Landing 1st Client, Initial Contact to Paid Consult, & Charging to Restart a Project #AskSwenk ep 39 appeared first on Smart Agency Masterclass: Podcast for Digital Marketing Agencies.

Profitable Brand Building While Ignoring BS "Best Practices” Want to know the best ways for profitable brand building while ignoring all the BS best practices out there? In this episode, we’ll cover: 2 ideas for profitable brand building to effortlessly generate more leads without BS best practices. How to break the “me too” agency mold. The #1 thing to grow your business. Today’s guest is Matt Giovanisci and, I feel like he’s my brother from another mother… We have a similar quirky sense of humor, we’re both in the digital marketing space, we like to drop F-bombs in unlikely places, and to be honest, we both suck at writing! :) Matt’s the founder of Money Lab, a business he founded with the sole purpose of making money online. His business model involves some fresh, unique, and humorous attention-getting marketing that ignores all the “rules” of marketing. He shares his story with us and the #1 key to standing out. Matt got his start in the pool business. Yep, you read that right - pools and hot tubs. Afte

How to close a pitch and how to accurately calculate profit. Plus, managing your team priorities when it comes to training and continuing ed within the industry. Closing a Pitch {0:38} Yasser asked:  Just a quick question... how do you end a pitch? Calculating Agency Profits {2:02} Myles asked: I was wondering what your thoughts are on trying to work out the profit we make on a deal? I feel it’s a bit of a guess at the moment, as I’m not sure exactly what we should factor in to the cost of sale? Same goes for the monthly retainers, I’m not sure how we try and work out what it’s costing our business in terms of supporting the client? What are your team priorities? {4:23} Phil asked: Say you found a fantastic video course that offers in-depth training on one of your core services. You get excited about it, and purchase it for your team to watch. You can't wait for your team to watch it, so you can start a conversation about the course... But 7 days later, you find that no one on the team has "had time" to watch

How to End the Time Suck of Creating Proposals When it comes to creating proposals, you may find yourself spending hours upon hours trying to craft the best proposal you can to win that job. But if you are unsuccessful, you will find the time was wasteful. In this episode, we’ll cover: The #1 tip for winning a proposal. 3 key elements of a successful proposal. A super cool tool to put an end to the time suck of creating proposals Today’s guest on the show is Dylan Baskind, my first-ever guest from Down Under! (I think?!) He shares with us the key elements of creating killer proposals, as well as a way to save you time, energy and frustration on the whole process. After nearly a decade as a software design/engineer consultant, Dylan had a long list of the things he hated about creating proposals. His proposals had landed him work with all types clients, from small, local ones to large, multinational ones but not without a tons of work and frustration. He wanted something simple yet attractive that would be c

How to BONUS the Creative Team, Prospect Selection & Sales Process, Sales Team Model? #AskSwenk 37: How can you bonus and incentivize your creative team? What to do when the prospect is controlling the sales process and expects some "free" work. PLUS, how to structure your agency's sales team. {0:32} Meny asked: "How can we build an incentive program for our creative team members, and what would that look like?" {3:53} Jared asked: "How do you address prospects who want to control the sales process? We're talking to someone right now that is putting us through their selection process with very little regard to our process and getting the information we need to put together a proposal. Normally I would go through their motions, but some of the questions they're asking are very tactical and would almost cross over into the 'working for free' zone." {6:22} Jack asked: "Selling has always come natural to me. I know some agencies have the CEO do ALL the sales, but I don't think that's as scalable as having Acc