EP 339: Selling agency relationships in a virtual world with Tom Martin

Running an agency in a post-COVID world means growing more and more comfortable operating in a virtual environment. This collective shift in our industry has been happening for a while, but after navigating a global pandemic, agency owners have had to pivot more rapidly than in the past. As a result, agency owners are left wondering how they can genuinely connect with their prospects and invest in those relationships when the human aspect of interaction has shifted to a digital one. In this episode of Build a Better Agency, I talk with encore guest, Tom Martin. Tom is the Founder and CEO of Converse Digital, and he knows a thing or two about the collective shift into the digital world – a shift that isn’t going to reverse anytime soon. Tom and I discuss how sales strategies, pitches, and the dynamics of client interactions have been influenced by this digital shift.

You’ll probably be just as relieved as I was to hear Tom share why that shift, while uncomfortable for many of us, is actually a GOOD thing for agencies. We also delve into the importance of strategically creating your prospect lists and how you and your pitch teams can use social media, the internet, and other digital environments our clients rely on to your agency’s advantage. Tom gives expert advice on successfully attracting, building, and effectively selling agency relationships in a virtual world.

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.

What You Will Learn in This Episode:

• What sales, prospecting, and effective agency relationships look like in a post-COVID world
• How Tom went from being “unemployable” to owning his own agency
• Why Tom emphasizes the importance of strategically attracting your prospects
• What it means for your pitch teams to “do their homework” — and why it’s usually the key to winning a sale
• How sales strategies and client relationships have adapted to an increasingly digital environment
• Why Tom believes that your prospects list is ultimately worthless if it’s impersonal
• How investing the time in getting to know your prospects will place you leaps and bounds over your competitors
• What it means to be a “conversation catalyst,” and how you and your pitch teams can use what Tom calls “social reconnaissance” to offer more value to your prospects
• Why the industry-wide shift to virtual sales and virtual relationships is actually a GOOD thing for agencies