The Agency Accelerator

How niche is too niche? And, how niche are you?  I know that's a lot of niches in one sentence! But it’s such an important topic that it deserves that many ‘niches’! Any of you who listen to my podcast regularly or read my content will know that I am a massive fan of niching. But it strikes me that a lot of people think they have a clear niche, but when I check them out, they don't. They tell me about their niche but when I check their website or social media content, they don’t show up as clearly focused on the niche they claim to be in. Why is this? Well, I think they are hedging their bets. So, let me remind you why I think having and committing to your niche is so important. Time Stamp [1:01] What does it mean to have a clear niche? [1:54] Why understanding your niche is important [2:46] Advantages of having a clearly defined niche [4:06] Tips in figuring out your niche [5:26] How to stand out from the crowd to more easily reach your target audience [7:09] Reasons why you must stay committed to your niche [7:37] The impact of broadening or narrowing down a niche [8:40] The difference between a generalist and a specialist [9:52] How my niche has ebbed and flowed over the years [11:49] Four ways you can segment your niche Quotations “When you have a clear niche. It means you can produce products and services that you know your audience wants, rather than making a huge mistake of selling products that you think they need.” - Rob Da Costa “When you have a clearly defined niche, you can also REALLY understand your ideal target customer and their specific needs, challenges, pains that your product or service can solve.” - Rob Da Costa “..niching is definitely one of the ways where you can minimise the pool of your competition and get much more laser-focused on who your ideal target customer is.” - Rob Da Costa Rate, Review, & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts “I enjoy listening to The Agency Accelerator Podcast. I always learn something from every episode.” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people — just like you — move towards a Self-Running Agency. Scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed and, if you’re not subscribed, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Subscribe now! Useful links mentioned in this episode: CloudwaysHow to Define Your Niche (free eBook)The Self-Running Agency BookThe Self-Running Agency Implementation GroupRob Da Costa’s YouTube Channel Get in touch with Rob at robert@dacostacoaching.co.uk

How can building online communities help your agency’s marketing strategy?  In this episode of The Agency Accelerator Podcast, I am joined by Anthony Burke, the Owner of “Brits in Dubai”, as he shares his journey building and monetising online communities as well as his story of living in Dubai and what inspired him to start  his community. Brits in Dubai is a private Facebook Group that originated in 2014 and is dedicated to helping British expats settle and thrive in the UAE. A great place to get advice, support and network.  Since then, the group has grown into the number one British expat group with more than 25,000 members and over half a million posts in the last six months alone!  How can you apply what Anthony has learned and achieved in your agency business?  That is what we set out to explore in this episode. Time Stamp [1:29] Anthony’s journey to building a number 1 Facebook community  [6:00] Tips on how to build momentum in your group [9:11] How much time is needed to invest in managing an online community? [11:21] Why delivering great value is important in monetising a Facebook Group [13:55] What is the best and cost-effective way to build professional partnerships [15:44] Why you should ‘go unique’ [16:50] Building landing pages and searching the best keywords [18:37] How to find the balance in delivering the value and selling your products/ services [20:18] The importance of building your email list [21:20] Tips in marketing your products/services to the members of the group [26:50] The impact of Covid in business decision making [28:33] Living the ‘digital nomad lifestyle’ [31:44] What is Anthony’s advice to his younger self  Quotations “The thing that I always tell my audience is that when you are creating outbound communications, whether it be through a Facebook group, email marketing, social media, videos or whatever, you need to get this balance of 80% providing value and only 20% selling. ” - Rob Da Costa “It's about being human, and it's about being real and authentic. If you have a community, listen to what your community needs, then you make sure you produce products and services that they want as opposed to thinking about what's better for them, and you're going to create something that nobody ever buys because they don't actually need it.” - Rob Da Costa “I'd always say, ‘go with your gut. If it works fantastic, if it doesn't, there are more options.’” - Anthony Burke Rate, Review, & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts “I enjoy listening to The Agency Accelerator Podcast. I always learn something from every episode.” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people — just like you — move towards a Self-Running Agency. Scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed and, if you’re not subscribed, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Subscribe now! Useful links mentioned in this episode: Anthony Burke -  Facebook, Brits in Dubai Facebook GroupGot questions for Anthony? Email him at info@anthonyburke.co.ukRob Da Costa’s YouTube Channel The Self-Running Agency BookGet in touch with Rob at robert@dacostacoaching.co.uk 

Let me ask you a question: What is your website for?  Is it just ‘brochureware’ (a place to learn more about your business) or are you aiming for it to be something more, such as a way of generating a consistent pipeline of new leads? The answer is that it should be the latter. So in this episode of The Agency Accelerator Podcast, I share my thoughts around some of the fundamental do’s and don't about getting your website to work more effectively for you and also some key strategies to consistently generate leads from it. Time Stamp [1:09] Why you should make sure your website isn’t full of ‘we’!! [2:01] The importance of quickly building empathy with your readers [2:46] What is the anatomy of a successful website, what does a great website look like? [5:03] Tips on how to drive traffic to your website [8:58] How to convert leads [9:23] Four stages to drive traffic to your website [10:51] Tips in creating your ‘killer content’ [11:46] Killer content Myth #1: ‘I need lots of gated content on my website’  [12:14] Killer content Myth #2: ‘It needs to be long to deliver value.’ Quotations “..remember that your ultimate goal with your website is to generate leads. The way you're going to generate leads is by getting people to sign up to your email list, and then you're going to nurture them through the buyer's journey.” - Rob Da Costa “..drive traffic from all your different channels, where your target audience hangs out, to your website and then, once they are there, get them to take action, which means them giving you their email address (in return for your killer content).” - Rob Da Costa Rate, Review, & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts “I enjoy listening to The Agency Accelerator Podcast. I always learn something from every episode.” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people — just like you — move towards a Self-Running Agency. Scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed and, if you’re not subscribed, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Subscribe now! Useful links mentioned in this episode: Related podcast: Episode 79 - Using A Lead Magnet To Get New Subscribers To Your Mailing ListRelated podcast: Episode 55 - The do's and don'ts of using email marketing to generate new businessTool: Work out your Time To Conversion Ebook: Define your Ideal Target Customer Video: Rob Da Costa’s YouTube Channel Get in touch with Rob at robert@dacostacoaching.co.uk 

What happens when you win a big client that makes up a significant proportion of your monthly revenue, and consequently demands a disproportionate amount of your time? Well, excitement can quickly turn to long hours, and that, in turn, can detract your attention away from your other paying clients.  In this episode of The Agency Accelerator Podcast, I share some of my thoughts about the pros and the cons of winning and relying on a large client for your agency.  If you are in this situation (and many have been) then I will also explore how to mitigate your risks. Time Stamp [1:06] The excitement of winning a big client [1:26] How to avoid over-servicing your clients [2:11] Importance of getting your team clear about service levels [2:33] Tips in handling big clients [3:28] How to win new clients (so you are not just dependent on 1 or 2 big clients) [4:13] What is the biggest challenge in running an agency? [5:12] Importance of identifying the risk as early as possible [5:40] How to anticipate famine on your agency [7:39] The importance of having your business development and plan in place [9:12] Why you should not focus on one big client Quotations “..my advice to anybody that is thinking about putting all their client eggs into one basket because they've won one really big client is you need to spread your risk one way or another. And I would ask you to ask yourself what would be the impact to my agency on my business if I lost this one big client..” - Rob Da Costa “Something else to bear in mind is that larger clients can often be worse payers and can have a significant impact on your revenue and your cash flow. Just make sure that you are getting really clear around payment terms.” - Rob Da Costa “Just remember that having the lion's share of your business tied to another company also means your fortunes are tied to theirs if their business flounders, if they change tact or they decide to move supplier, you could find yourself out in the cold through no fault of your own without sufficient alternative sources of revenue.” - Rob Da Costa Rate, Review, & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts “I enjoy listening to The Agency Accelerator Podcast. I always learn something from every episode.” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people — just like you — move towards a Self-Running Agency. Scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed and, if you’re not subscribed, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Subscribe now! Useful links mentioned in this episode: eBook: How to avoid feast or famine in your agencyVideo: Rob Da Costa’s YouTube Channel Get in touch with Rob at robert@dacostacoaching.co.uk 

Let's face it, many of us started our own business because we're control freaks - we want to be in control!  We may have worked for a business before where we didn't like the way they ran things or thought we could do it better. And that's often the catalyst to start our own business.  But what happens when control comes at the expense of the flexibility and freedom that we hoped we would get when we started out on our own?  In today's episode of The Agency Accelerator Podcast, I share my thoughts about achieving flexibility, freedom AND control, why creating a plan is so important and some of my own personal successes and failures in my entrepreneurial journey. Also, I talk about the importance of efficiency in how you use your time, my future aspirations to work a 4-day work week, and how I am achieving this by hiring the right team. Time Stamp [1:56] Early struggles and challenges in my marketing career [2:37] How to be in control of your own destiny [3:01] What’s my belief about success and failure?  [3:55] Tips in achieving flexibility, control, and freedom as an agency owner [4:43] The importance of creating a plan [5:11] Why you should start hiring (the right) people [6:19] Three (3) ways on how you can spend your time [7:25] The importance of having solid foundations in place [8:01] How to focus on your marketing strategy [8:34] Why I believe creating a succession plan is important [9:59] What are my future aspirations [12:26] How to work a 4-day quality work  [13:21] How the pandemic removes roadblocks from our plans and stories [14:05] Importance of delegation and having the right team [15:15] Why you should always keep going back to the reason you started your business Quotations “I still believe that my successes are my successes, and my failures are my failures, and that's one of the reasons why I love running my own business.” - Rob Da Costa “..If you're very intentional about your direction, you have much more chance of retaining control but also getting the flexibility and freedom in place as well.” - Rob Da Costa “You have to put the infrastructure of the foundations in place to grow to the next level and then put the next set of foundations to grow to the next level again.” - Rob Da Costa Rate, Review, & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts “I enjoy listening to The Agency Accelerator Podcast. I always learn something from every episode.” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people — just like you — move towards a Self-Running Agency. Scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed and, if you’re not subscribed, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Subscribe now! Useful links mentioned in this episode: Live Masterclass: “How to Easily Fill Your Sales Pipeline With High Quality Leads in The Next 90-Days or Less!”eBook: Winning Back Time - Productivity Tools & TipsVideo: Rob Da Costa’s YouTube Channel Get in touch with Rob at robert@dacostacoaching.co.uk

How long does it take for a new lead that comes into your agency to be converted into a client?  This is such an important number to know (yet few do) so in this episode, I'm going to explain why understanding this time to conversion is so important and what you should do once you know this number. I think that you're going to be really surprised at how long the typical sales cycle is so I'm going to give you a tool to help you work this number out for your agency. So, in today’s episode of The Agency Accelerator Podcast, I will answer one of the most important questions to know: How long does it take to convert a lead to a loyal customer? And what are the tools, techniques and marketing strategies that you can implement to help move people through your sales funnel?  Time Stamp [2:08] The most common marketing mistake for agency owners [3:18] Why you need to nurture and educate your leads [4:01] The importance of knowing your time to conversion number [4:59] Using your marketing to stay front of the mind with your target audience  [6:54] Three stages in developing a relationship with your leads [8:09] Why building your email list is important in reducing your time to conversion [8:57] Rob’s advice to his younger self [9:37] What is education-based marketing? [10:41] Tips to focus and add value in your content [12:29] How to come up with ‘killer content’ for your agency [13:39] The real reasons why clients come to you Quotations “You need to have a way of consistently being in front of your target customers so that when they have a need, they know that you're the person to talk to because they understand who you are.” - Rob Da Costa “80% of your content should be all about providing value. And, of course, to do that you need to really understand exactly who your ideal target customer is” - Rob Da Costa Rate, Review, & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts “I enjoy listening to The Agency Accelerator Podcast. I always learn something from every episode.” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people — just like you — move towards a Self-Running Agency. Scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed and, if you’re not subscribed, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Subscribe now! Useful links mentioned in this episode: Time to Conversion free tool & videoLive Masterclass: “How to Easily Fill Your Sales Pipeline With High Quality Leads in The Next 90-Days or Less!”eBook: Turning Cold Contacts Into Loyal Customers - How to Define Your Sales Funnel and Increase ConversionsPodcast: The Agency Accelerator Podcast Ep. 5 - The Importance of Building Your Mailing ListPodcast: The Agency Accelerator Podcast Ep. 79 - Using a Lead Magnet to Get New Subscribers to your Mailing ListVideo: Rob Da Costa’s YouTube Channel Get in touch with Rob at robert@dacostacoaching.co.uk 

How powerful are customer video testimonials in helping win new clients? In today's episode of The Agency Accelerator Podcast, I'm joined by Adam O'Leary from TrustScout. We talked about both his entrepreneurial journey and also the value of getting video testimonials from existing customers to help you win new customers.  Adam shares some of his experiences and key learnings as he has grown his agencies, including what he believes every entrepreneur should focus on and how to get rid of all that other stuff that can be just a distraction! We also talked about video testimonials: how to get video testimonials from your customer, when you should ask your customer and why video testimonials are such a powerful way to quickly build trust and credibility. Time Stamp [3:38] Adam’s journey in the entrepreneurial world [5:11] The importance of testimonials videos in the buyer’s journey [6:03] The difference between written testimonials and video testimonials [7:19] The best time to ask your client for a video testimonial [8:59] Tips on what kind of questions to ask in video testimonials [10:22] How to maximise the use of video testimonials in your marketing [11:59] How to make video testimonials authentic [13:07] How you can use TrustScout software in your agency [16:23] The good and bad of running an agency [19:29] How Adam finds the balance in running two businesses [22:01] The importance of fully automating as much of your business processes as possible [24:17] Tips in running an agency [27:51] Adam O'Leary’s advice to his younger self Quotations “ I think what puts people off is they think they have to create highly produced videos. But sometimes the rawer, the more real it looks and therefore people are more likely to believe it.” - Rob Da Costa “ There are really only two things in your business that you should focus on:  traffic or sales.” - Adam O'Leary “..try fast and fail fast” - Adam O'Leary Rate, Review, & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts “I enjoy listening to The Agency Accelerator Podcast. I always learn something from every episode.” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people — just like you — move towards a Self-Running Agency. Scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed and, if you’re not subscribed, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Subscribe now! Useful links mentioned in this episode: Live Masterclass: “How to Easily Fill Your Sales Pipeline With High Quality Leads in The Next 90-Days or Less!”Get in touch with Adam O'Leary: LinkedIn, TrustScoutVideo: Rob Da Costa’s YouTube Channel Get in touch with Rob at robert@dacostacoaching.co.uk

I was sitting with a client last month and we were discussing business development. They are in the fortunate position to be generating between 20 and 30 new inquiries each month because they've really worked on making their website generate new leads.  However, whilst some of these inquiries looked promising at the start, they seem to follow a similar pattern that results in the client working long hours to get the proposals written and then the prospect disappears!  So this week's episode of The Agency Accelerator Podcast focuses on the topic of qualifying leads BEFORE you spend a ton of time on them. This means that you're investing your limited time on the hot prospects and rooting out those enquiries that are just information gatherers.  Also, you will learn six (6) tips and strategies that you can start applying immediately in your agency to implement a faster lead qualification process. Time Stamp [2:54] Funnel marketing activities [3:18] The consequence of focusing your time on the wrong prospects [6:45] #1 You must get a sense of a prospect’s budget and if they won’t give you that, then it’s a good indication that it’s early in their buying process and they might just be on a fact-finding expedition! [7:35] #2 There are some techniques you can use to ‘encourage’ them to give you a budget or at least an idea of their budget range (this is something I teach my Self-Running Agency Implementation Group Members how to do) [9:04] #3 How to know if it's time to walk away from a prospect  [10:35] #4 For most of us, time is our most valuable commodity, so you want to invest as little time as possible in early discussions with prospects – use pre-written email templates to quickly follow-up leads to filter them ‘in’ or ‘out’ [10:44] #5 The further down the sales funnel the prospects go, the more time you should be willing to invest [11:54] #6 Once you agree to a meeting and then agree to write a proposal, get a date in the diary (during that meeting) for the follow-up conversation.  This gives you the best chance of keeping momentum once you’ve sent the proposal Quotations “..there's nothing wrong with people who are in information-gathering mode, and they may well one day become your perfect client, and they're not ready now. But you should not be using your time to educate them.” - Rob Da  Costa “..the secret here is to identify the hot prospects that you're going to invest your time in and get rid of those others as quickly as possible..” - Rob Da Costa “This is why having these pre-written email templates is a great idea because they may not be a fit for you today, but they may be the right kind of client for you in the future..”- Rob Da Costa Rate, Review, & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts “I enjoy listening to The Agency Accelerator Podcast. I always learn something from every episode.” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people — just like you — move towards a Self-Running Agency. Scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed and, if you’re not subscribed, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Subscribe now! Useful links mentioned in this episode: Training: FREE 60-minute Sales Pipeline TrainingeBook: How to define your ideal target customer or customer avatarPodcast: The Agency Accelerator Podcast Episode 41: Business Development Strategies Part 1Podcast: The Agency Accelerator Podcast Episode 43: Business Development Strategies Part 2 Podcast: The Agency Accelerator Podcast Episode 44: Business Development Strategies Part 3Video: Rob Da Costa’s YouTube Channel Get in touch with Rob at robert@dacostacoaching.co.uk 

Why do so many agency owners struggle to increase their prices?  Every January, I get a letter in the post from my utility companies telling me that their prices are increasing. We are used to receiving this kind of increase.  In fact, we expect it, so we don't question it and we just move on.  What can agencies learn from this? In this latest episode of The Agency Accelerated Podcast, I explore strategies to increase your prices in a way that you feel comfortable with and the client is more than happy to pay for (because they continue to see the value in what you're delivering). This applies to both existing clients and new clients.  I explore the different pricing models agencies use as well as some tips and strategies to ensure your clients value what you do. Finally I discuss why mindset is the key to increasing your prices and charging a fair fee for the work you deliver. Time Stamp [1:13] Why should agencies increase their price every year?  [2:02] The importance of having the right mindset in pricing   [2:34] Different pricing models [3:08] Reasons why you shouldn’t sell your time to clients [4:06] Understanding transformation of pricing from being in pain to not being in pain [5:13] An overview of value-based pricing  [5:43] Difference between value-based and time-based pricing [6:55] Tips in positioning yourself with clients  [8:06] The importance of having a niche Quotations “You need to focus on the thing that the client really cares about - which is the outcome and the transformation from being in pain to not being in pain.” - Rob Da Costa “..you all know that a niched agency is always gonna be able to charge more than a generalist. So having a clear niche will also help you increase your prices because you will be seen as a specialist, not a generalist.” - Rob Da Costa “50% of getting your pricing right is getting your mindset right.” - Rob Da Costa Rate, Review, & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts “I enjoy listening to The Agency Accelerator Podcast. I always learn something from every episode.” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people — just like you — move towards a Self-Running Agency. Scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed and, if you’re not subscribed, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Subscribe now! Useful links mentioned in this episode: Price Increase Template Learn more about pricing in my free upcoming training.  Save your seat here.Rob Da Costa’s YouTube Channel Get in touch with Rob at robert@dacostacoaching.co.uk 

Any of you who listen to my podcast regularly will know that when I have a guest, I ask them what advice they would give their younger selves just starting out in business if they could go back in time.  Now some of you have asked me, “well Rob what would you say to your younger self?” So, the piece of advice I would give my younger self is to start building my email list as soon as I started my business. If I had figured that out earlier, I would have a much bigger list now. And more importantly, I would have a much bigger pool of ideal target customers to nurture and ‘fish’ from.  So in today's episode of The Agency Accelerator podcast, I want to revisit one of my favourite topics because it's one of the most valuable things you can do in your agency and talk about the importance of building your mailing list, and more specifically, how to get new subscribers to join your list.  Now I've spoken about the importance of building your list before (in episodes 5 and 30), but today I want to dig in to specifically discuss how you can get more subscribers. Time Stamp [0:14] What advice would I give my younger self if I could go back in time? [2:43] The importance of building a mailing list [3:40] What is the best structure for an email? [4:04] How to win new clients [4:55] Understanding the value of a ‘lead magnet’ [8:00] What is the best place to get people to start engaging with your lead magnet? [8:56] An overview of how a sales page works [10:34] The components of an email automation system [14:39] How to set up a sequence of emails in an email automation system? Quotations “Every business will have two or three marketing activities that work well for them and deliver good results.” - Rob Da Costa “..the bigger the list, the more value you will get from it. And communicating regularly with your list means that you're keeping your list clean and you are keeping them connected with your agency.” - Rob Da Costa “Remember, your goal with these emails is to nurture them through the sales funnel so that you can identify your five-star prospects (your hot prospects) and start having a more personalised engagement with them.” - Rob Da Costa Rate, Review, & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts “I enjoy listening to The Agency Accelerator Podcast. I always learn something from every episode.” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people — just like you — move towards a Self-Running Agency. Scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed and, if you’re not subscribed, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Subscribe now! Useful links mentioned in this episode: MailchimpActiveCampaignWordPressThrive ArchitectKartraExample lead magnet: Your Email Welcome SequenceRob Da Costa’s YouTube Channel Get in touch with Rob at robert@dacostacoaching.co.uk