Ben Zettler - Pricing Tactics For Digital Agencies
Jul 23, 2024
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Ben Zettler, owner of Zettler Digital, discusses value pricing for agencies with Jonathan Stark. Topics include client conversations, free work offers, using data to quantify impact, challenges of pricing for smaller businesses, ideal client relationships, shifting to retained services, difficulties of ongoing service fees, and utilizing LinkedIn for marketing.
Understanding client needs is crucial for proposal creation.
Transitioning to value-based pricing is key for agency success.
Shifting towards retained services brings stability and value.
Deep dives
Business Background and Services Offered
Ben Zetler, the owner and founder of Zettler Digital, discusses his agency's focus on digital marketing and e-commerce services, particularly for Shopify-based businesses. He provides a wide range of services, from site development to email and SMS management, as well as advertising on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Google Ads.
Personal Journey and Career Path
Ben reflects on his sports background and early career experiences, including working with college baseball teams and a large sports memorabilia company. He shares how starting a sunglasses business led him to the world of e-commerce and digital marketing, where his diverse experiences now inform his agency's offerings.
Transition to Value Pricing
Ben details his shift from hourly pricing to value-based pricing after a pivotal realization. He highlights the ineffectiveness of hourly rates in reflecting the true value of services provided, emphasizing the importance of pitching value and moving away from traditional billing models.
Client Engagement and Proposal Strategies
Ben explains his approach to initial client conversations and proposal structuring, particularly focusing on email marketing services. He discusses conducting high-level audits and screen sharing sessions to assess client needs and provide tailored proposals with various service tiers.
Challenges and Benefits of Retained Services
Ben discusses the shift towards offering retained services over project-based work, highlighting the stability and value these ongoing engagements bring to his agency. He emphasizes the need for continuous client acquisition efforts, recognizing the transient nature of client relationships in the digital marketing industry.
Ben Zettler, owner and founder of Zettler Digital, joins Jonathan Stark to discuss value pricing for agencies. Ben shares his background in sports and how he transitioned into building his agency. They discuss the initial conversations with potential clients, the importance of understanding their needs and goals, and how to convert those conversations into proposals. Ben also talks about the value of offering free work, conducting audits, and providing strategy sessions to build trust with clients. They explore the use of data to quantify the potential impact of their services and the challenges of pricing for smaller businesses. Ben Zettler discusses the ideal clients for his agency and the different options he offers them. He emphasizes the importance of working with decision-makers and the challenges of communicating value in proposals. Ben also talks about the shift in his business from project-oriented work to retained services. He shares his experience with client churn and the need to constantly find new opportunities. Ben provides insights into pricing and the difficulties of structuring fees for ongoing services. He concludes by highlighting the value of LinkedIn for marketing and networking.
TAKEAWAYS
Understanding the client's needs and goals is crucial in creating a proposal for value pricing.
Offering free work, such as audits and strategy sessions, can help build trust with potential clients.
Quantifying the potential impact of services using data can help justify pricing.
Smaller businesses may be more hesitant to share revenue information, but it is important to understand the potential impact of services.
The market has shifted towards longer decision timelines and more evaluation of service providers. Working with decision-makers is ideal in most situations, regardless of the size of the business.
Communicating value in proposals can be challenging, especially when clients compare prices to other services.
Shifting from project-oriented work to retained services can provide stability and consistent revenue.
Client churn is inevitable, so it's important to constantly find new opportunities and maintain a marketing engine.
Pricing ongoing services can be difficult, and it's important to consider the value provided and the client's budget.
LinkedIn is a valuable platform for marketing and networking in the services industry.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction and Background
08:14 Offering Free Work to Build Trust
17:17 Converting Conversations into Proposals
23:03 Quantifying the Potential Impact of Services
27:26 Challenges of Pricing for Smaller Businesses
31:07 The Shifting Market for Service Providers
35:44 Shifting to Retained Services
41:15 Dealing with Client Churn
46:19 Pricing Ongoing Services
53:11 Leveraging LinkedIn
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What if your ideal buyers looked forward to getting an email from you. every. single. day?
That’d be pretty sweet, right? But how would you get started...