EP 430: What agency employees said will make them stick around longer with Drew McLellan

There’s no other way to spin it — agency owners had it rough in 2023. And while we spent all year going over the struggles of agency ownership, one universal positive kept coming up with everyone.

Your teams are better than ever, and you want to learn how to keep your agency employees happy, so they stick around.

So this week, we’re turning to some of our Agency Edge research to dive into what agency employees said are the key factors that keep them happy and willing to stick around for the long haul.

While the assumption is that you’re already fairly compensating them and creating a fair and inclusive workplace, there are some less obvious things that really matter to agency employees. They could even be the difference between a star player staying for 10 to 15 years instead of three or four.

This episode will teach you the dos and don’ts of increasing employee retention and really going above and beyond to help your teams feel valued and cared for. It’s got a lot of valuable tips and tricks, so if you’re curious about how to keep your agency employees satisfied, don’t miss out on this episode.

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:

• Recognizing that not every agency employee will want to stick around forever, and it’s not personal
• The one thing you should not do to earn employee loyalty
• Why offering equity or partnership in the company is almost always a bad idea
• What agency employees actually want from agency owners
• Setting quarterly growth goals for employees
• Creating space to truly get to know your people beyond work
• Rewarding employees for their effort fairly, but not equally
• Getting agency employees involved in deciding their own perks for excellent work
• Simply ask your employees what will make them stay
• Get personal and thoughtful with your praise