EP 460: Four things we need to make sales easier as agency owners with Drew McLellan

35 snips

Jul 29, 2024

Drew McLellan, a seasoned expert with over 30 years in the advertising industry, discusses the critical role of trust in agency sales. He highlights how agency owners can leverage client referrals to make sales easier. Drew shares four essential strategies, including the power of community and ethical engagement to build stronger client relationships. He also explores the significance of social proof and emphasizes that genuine helpfulness can lead to effortless sales. Tune in for valuable insights on navigating the sales landscape!

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INSIGHT

Agency Sales Challenges

Agency sales are hard because we are a considered purchase, often expensive and intangible.
Clients risk professional embarrassment or job loss if they hire the wrong agency.

INSIGHT

Risk and Motivation

Risk and buying motivation have an inverse relationship: high risk leads to hesitation.
Reduce risk to increase the likelihood and speed of purchase.

INSIGHT

Power of Referrals

Referrals work because they create familiarity and reduce risk by leveraging trust.
Referrers provide credibility, assurance, social proof, and personalize the sales approach.

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As agency owners, one of the things we fundamentally get wrong in sales is how heavily trust plays a role in the process. We’re selling intangible services and solutions to people with a high price tag, and we expect prospects to trust that we’ll deliver on our promises.

It’s a risky proposition, especially for the ones putting their trust (and wallets) in our hands.

This week, I’m sharing how agency owners can earn and leverage their trust with client referrals to increase sales. When you sit back and watch the sales come in simply because someone knows, likes, and trusts you enough to recommend you to others, it’s a beautiful thing.

I’ll share the four things we need in any sales process: the etiquette of social proof and earning client referrals, and how to ethically become part of a community without becoming a billboard for your agency.

When you earn people’s trust by being genuinely helpful, knowledgeable, and a pleasure to do business with, you won’t have to lift a finger to make a sale.

For 30+ years, Drew McLellan has been in the advertising industry. He started his career at Y&R, worked in boutique-sized agencies, and then started his own (which he still owns and runs) agency in 1995. Additionally, Drew owns and leads the Agency Management Institute, which advises hundreds of small to mid-sized agencies on how to grow their agency and its profitability through agency owner peer groups, consulting, coaching, workshops and more.

A big thank you to our podcast’s presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They’re an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev, or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here.

In This Episode:

Putting ourselves in the shoes of the buyers
The role of psychological discomfort and decision fatigue in the buying process
4 things we need in any sales process to be successful
The pros and cons of waiting on referrals
The etiquette behind social proof and referrals
What does it mean to belong?
What it takes to earn someone’s trust enough to earn a referral from them