The Agency Accelerator

In today’s episode of The Agency Accelerator Podcast, I am chatting with Steve Slotow from Globital Marketing. We are talking about everything to do with resourcing and working with white label partners: how to pick a partnerwhen you should outsource andwhy you should outsource. This is another actioned-packed episode with lots of practical tips and guidance. Show Notes  01:20 Steve introduces himself and Globital Marketing  05:14 What are the benefits of working with partners vs hiring in-house talent to grow your business? 10:40 How broad should your agency's offering be? 15:20 Why it's important to have clarity on the direction of your agency 16:40 How to ensure a white label partner provides quality deliverables; managing quality assurance  21:12 Tips for agencies to find outsourcing partners  26:21 Steve’s thoughts on upcoming trends for agencies  29:34 Steve’s business advice to his younger self  Useful links: Globital Marketing The Digital Marketing Dream Team The Digital Marketing Collective Steve's Instagram Contact steve: sslotow@globitalmarketing.com ***BRAND NEW AGENCY TRAINING*** 3 strategies to fill your pipeline with ideal leads in just 90-days Save Your Seat here: https://buff.ly/3p6lmeG Download The Self-Running Implementation Book Subscribe & Review Are you subscribed to my podcast yet? If you’re not, please do so to avoid missing out on any episodes! You can subscribe/follow on Apple, Spotify or directly from my website. I would be very grateful if you left me a review too as they will help other people to find my podcasts and it's also great to read your comments! Thanks so much and see you next week! Rob

In today's episode of The Agency Accelerator Podcast, I am talking about everything to do with delegation. This is an important topic, whether you have a one-person agency or have a team of 20+, and something so many leaders and managers do poorly - after all, we are rarely trained in the art of delegation! This episode is packed with practical and actionable tips to help you further your agency's development and success.  Time Stamp 01:52 The concept of a 'notional hourly rate'  02:49 The 4 D’s: Ditch, Delegate, Defer, Do it 03:42 Automating tasks  04:17 Why we don’t delegate  08:32 The 9-steps to effective delegation  Useful links: Download The Art of Delegation Book ***BRAND NEW AGENCY TRAINING*** 3 strategies to fill your pipeline with ideal leads in just 90-days Save Your Seat here: https://buff.ly/3p6lmeG Download The Self-Running Implementation Book Subscribe & Review Are you subscribed to my podcast yet? If you’re not, please do so to avoid missing out on any episodes! You can subscribe/follow on Apple, Spotify or directly from my website. I would be very grateful if you left me a review too as they will help other people to find my podcasts and it's also great to read your comments! Thanks so much and see you next week! Rob

In today's episode of 'The Agency Accelerator Podcast’, I get together with Miranda Birch, founder of Miranda Birch Media; a company helping business tell stories to better engage with their clients. Today we talk all about the importance of storytelling in your marketing and also the value of great customer testimonials. This episode is packed with actionable items, so I know you're going to find it really useful and insightful. Time Stamp 01:22 Miranda Birch introduces herself, her background, and why she loves stories  03:01 The power of storytelling for agencies wanting to connect with potential and existing clients  06:07 What makes a good story  08:17 The role of customer testimonials in an agency’s sales process  13:28 The best format for testimonials  14:50 How to maximise the value of a video testimonial  16:14 What point should an agency approach a client for a testimonial  21:25 What to do when a client does not want their name published in relation to a testimonial  24:20 The do’s and don’ts of getting, interviewing and creating testimonials  26:15 Miranda’s new online courses about testimonials and how to capture stories that convert  32:38 The benefits of getting in front of the camera  35:40 Miranda’s advice to her younger self starting out in business  Useful links: ***BRAND NEW AGENCY TRAINING*** 3 Sales Strategies That Work! ​​​​​​​How to fill your pipeline with ideal leads in just 90-days Save Your Seat here: https://buff.ly/3p6lmeG Useful links: Miranda Birch Media Attract more clients with 10 minute testimonials with Miranda Birch Miranda's email series: Pick My Brain Connect with Miranda on LinkedIn Download The Self-Running Implementation Book Download The Lead Generation System Book Download The Strategic Email Marketing That Gets Results Book Join my Facebook group ‘The Agency Accelerator’ Download the 'Creating A Sustainable & Profitable Agency' book Subscribe & Review Are you subscribed to my podcast yet? If you’re not, please do so to avoid missing out on any episodes! You can subscribe/follow on Apple, Spotify or directly from my website. I would be very grateful if you left me a review too as they will help other people to find my podcasts and it's also great to read your comments! Thanks so much and see you next week! Rob

In today’s episode of ‘The Agency Accelerator Podcast,’ I am revisiting a topic which I spoke about at the beginning of last year; email marketing. If you want a robust business development strategy that delivers a continuous source of ideal leads, then email marketing should be at the top of your agenda.  Time Stamp  01:22 The importance of email marketing  03:02 The importance of building your social media profiles and moving your followers into your email list  04:54 The 8 do’s of email marketing  10:11 The 8 don’ts of email marketing   15:40 Focussing on the growth of your email list  Useful links: ***BRAND NEW AGENCY TRAINING*** 3 Sales Strategies That Work! ​​​​​​​How to fill your pipeline with ideal leads in just 90-days Save Your Seat here: https://buff.ly/3p6lmeG Download The Lead Generation System Book Download The Strategic Email Marketing That Gets Results Book Download The Self-Running Implementation Book Join my Facebook group ‘The Agency Accelerator’ Download the 'Creating A Sustainable & Profitable Agency' book Subscribe & Review Are you subscribed to my podcast yet? If you’re not, please do so to avoid missing out on any episodes! You can subscribe/follow on Apple, Spotify or directly from my website. I would be very grateful if you left me a review too as they will help other people to find my podcasts and it's also great to read your comments! Thanks so much and see you next week! Rob

In today's episode of the Agency Accelerator Podcast, I’m really excited to have this week's guest, Lucy Snell with me. We’re talking everything to do with business development and some of the dos and don'ts of things you should and shouldn't be doing in your agency in 2021. Time Stamp  01:05 Lucy introduces herself and her background  05:22 Why business development is a longterm game  09:42 Trends that happened for agencies in 2020 12:31 The difference between an agency that really succeeded last year and an agency that has stumbled or even failed 16:34 Using email as a tool for business development  20:46 The ‘Client Service Hamster Wheel of Doom’ 22:17 What agencies should be doing this year from a business development perspective 25:27 Finding things that work and engage with your target audience  27:50 Things that agencies should not be doing this year from a business development perspective  32:30 The ‘Mastermind Group Coaching’ programme Useful links: ***BRAND NEW AGENCY TRAINING*** 3 Sales Strategies That Work! ​​​​​​​How to fill your pipeline with ideal leads in just 90-days Save Your Seat here: https://buff.ly/3p6lmeG Cherry Business Consulting Lucy Snell Online Download The Self-Running Implementation Book Join my Facebook group ‘The Agency Accelerator’ Download the 'Creating A Sustainable & Profitable Agency' book Subscribe & Review Are you subscribed to my podcast yet? If you’re not, please do so to avoid missing out on any episodes! You can subscribe/follow on Apple, Spotify or directly from my website. I would be very grateful if you left me a review too as they will help other people to find my podcasts and it's also great to read your comments! Thanks so much and see you next week! Rob

My business development strategy using LinkedIn In today’s episode I am talking all about LinkedIn and specifically exactly what my LinkedIn strategy is and why I think if you are in a B2B space, it is the most important social media platform you can use. Time Stamp 01:16 The dos and don’ts of using LinkedIn for business development and outreach 01:29 Treating LinkedIn as a sales funnel 03:16 Finding who your ideal target customer is on LinkedIn 05:05 Strategic posting on LinkedIn 05:50 Investing time into LinkedIn on a regular basis 06:30 Keeping your connections clean 07:26 The balance of 80/20 and what that means Useful links: ***BRAND NEW AGENCY TRAINING*** 3 Sales Strategies That Work! ​​​​​​​How to fill your pipeline with ideal leads in just 90-days Save Your Seat here: https://training.dacostacoaching.co.uk/webinar Download The Self-Running Implementation Book Join my Facebook group ‘The Agency Accelerator’ Download the 'Creating A Sustainable & Profitable Agency' book Subscribe & Review Are you subscribed to my podcast yet? If you’re not, please do so to avoid missing out on any episodes! You can subscribe/follow on Apple, Spotify or directly from my website. I would be very grateful if you left me a review too as they will help other people to find my podcasts and it's also great to read your comments! Thanks so much. Rob

​In today’s episode of the agency accelerator podcast I’m extremely excited to have John Ashton with me. John is the founder of copywriting agency, ‘Write Arm’, he has written a book, ‘The Kitchen Table Method’, and is also the mastermind behind the ‘Kitchen Table Community’ concept. Time Stamp 01:05 John gives his thoughts on many people starting their freelance journey in 2020  07:24 John explains what the ‘Kitchen Table’ method is 11:06 Why culture is so important for your business  14:43 How to maintain your culture as your agency grows  19:42 Growing an agency solely with freelancers 24:50 What is ‘’The Kitchen Table Community’? 32:00 John’s piece of advice to his younger self Useful links: Sign up for my FREE live Masterclass Download The Self-Running Implementation Book Join my Facebook group ‘The Agency Accelerator’ Download the 'Creating A Sustainable & Profitable Agency' book The 'Kitchen Table Community' John's copywriting and content writing agency: Write Arm Subscribe & Review Are you subscribed to my podcast yet? If you’re not, please do so to avoid missing out on any episodes! You can subscribe/follow on Apple, Spotify or directly from my website. I would be very grateful if you left me a review too as they will help other people to find my podcasts and it's also great to read your comments! Thanks so much. Rob

Good riddance to 2020, I am looking forward to a happier and more balanced 2021. Let’s not take for granted all the freedoms that we had pre-2020, once we start getting them back this year – fingers crossed! In today’s episode, I talk about having a plan for the year, as well as putting a robust business development strategy in place so you can get a consistent pipeline of leads, prospects and new clients – and you don’t need to rely on word-of-mouth and referrals. Time Stamp 01:34 Two key areas to have in place in order to take back control and get a better work-life balance 02:00 How to get a plan in place for the year ahead  04:40 The 7 areas that your plan should incorporate  07:00 How to break down your plan into quarters  08:03 Breaking your quarterly strategies into a monthly plan 08:49 The importance of your plans being dynamic  10:00 Why you need a consistent pipeline of leads, prospects and new customers for your plan to work  11:05 The foundations of creating your pipeline  Useful links: Sign up for my FREE live Masterclass Download The Self-Running Implementation Book Join my Facebook group ‘The Agency Accelerator’ Download the 'Creating A Sustainable & Profitable Agency' book Subscribe & Review Are you subscribed to my podcast yet? If you’re not, please do so to avoid missing out on any episodes! You can subscribe/follow on Apple, Spotify or directly from my website. I would be very grateful if you left me a review too as they will help other people to find my podcasts and it's also great to read your comments! Thanks so much. Rob

We made it to Episode 50! In this episode of ‘The Agency Accelerator’ podcast, I am joined by the extremely talented and savvy Lee Jackson. Lee is our first-ever repeat guest, and today he will be sharing with us his insights into what he sees coming down the road in 2021.  The last time we spoke, Lee joined us in Episode 10 of the podcast, where we were talking about growth and transformation. If you haven’t listened to that episode, Lee helps web agencies fall back in love with their businesses, he runs ‘Agency Transformation Live’, is the co-founder of Events Engine, and if that wasn’t enough he is also the host of the ‘Agency Trailblazer’ podcast.  Time Stamp 02:00 What are the typical trends you’ve seen happening this year with agencies?  02:07 Most agencies have been surprised that they have been able to continue throughout 2020! 02:45 For most agencies, their clients reached out for help  03:07 Agencies helped clients move from the physical to the digital space  03:56 Some agencies thought they could hibernate and tread water, and some agencies were afraid to sell their services because they thought it was in bad taste!  04:38 Small businesses struggling to sell things online  05:32 A digital renaissance - businesses are realising that being online is imperative  06:05 Two aspects: technology and marketing  07:58 Using social media to build a new audience of consumers  08:34 People working out how to pivot 10:00 Lee’s clients are events organisers - they have embraced online and created incredible digital experiences  14:32 If you can really understand what your clients what to achieve, you should be getting out there and helping them  15:25 Lee tells us more about the 2021 ‘Digital Renaissance’ 16:26 Businesses will start focussing on what’s important  16:40 One of Lee’s agencies is going full virtual now  17:10 Lee is still concerned about the high street and thinks they might still struggle in 2021, but he thinks the high street will also change and more service-based businesses will appear  18:30 Many entrepreneurs get seduced by starting projects and not finishing them. How will agencies figure out what is important?  19:13 To start a business you need to work out your identity, then your values, the message and output. If you look at 2020, think about what your strengths, missions and passions are. Who are you helping and what are you solving?  21:37 The importance of niching  25:00 Not everyone can start an agency, there’s a lot of fake competition tarnishing the industry  25:55 Marked increase in the low cost of entry in the industry  27:18 Lee, if you could go back in time and give your younger self a piece of advice, what would it be?  Useful links: Download The Self-Running Implementation Book Join my Facebook group ‘The Agency Accelerator’ Subscribe & Review Are you subscribed to my podcast yet? If you’re not, please do so to avoid missing out on any episodes! You can subscribe/follow on Apple, Spotify or directly from my website. I would be very grateful if you left me a review too as they will help other people to find my podcasts and it's also great to read your comments! Thanks so much. Rob

In today’s episode, I share with you the lessons that I learned and the key changes I made to my business in 2020. Hopefully, you can take some things away and apply them to your agency as well. In Episode 39 I spoke with Jim James about virtualising your agency. Before that interview, I held the strong opinion that you cannot build your agency using freelancers or virtual staff because it’s like building an agency on quicksand.  To an extent, I do still believe that; however, both Jim James and John Ashton (who will be making an appearance in an upcoming episode) both talk about how you can build an agency using staff who are spread all over the world - some virtual, and some freelance.  After talking to them I have definitely become more open to the idea and have realised that it is not necessarily so black and white. Using virtual or freelance staff allows you to be more nimble and adapt to changes as your agency grows. I truly hope that this podcast has helped to change your thinking in some way too. Whether from something I or one of my guests has said. If that’s the case, then I am definitely achieving my goals for recording these podcasts.  So without further ado... Time Stamp 4:10 The 5 Key Lessons I Learned From 2020: 5:53 The pandemic differentiated three types of agency: Those who panicked and cut costsThose who did nothing as they thought it would just be a short-term challengeThose who were nimble and thought about how they needed to change and adapt 6:16 Pivoting doesn’t mean drastically changing what you do; but rather, tilting your axis to adapt to your climate.  7:26 In order to pivot you need to really listen to your audience. Don’t just make assumptions.  8:16 DON’T cut your prices! 9:09 2020 taught us that you need a plan, and that plan needs to be dynamic. 10:58 The 5 Good Habits I Put In Place In 2020:  11:06 I learned to delegate more. 11:34 I learned to automate more. 12:39 Got more focussed - doing more of what works, and less of what doesn’t work. 13:13 I did more of what I enjoy, and less of what I don’t enjoy. 14:00 Paid more attention to my mailing list. 14:45 My 5 Bad Habits of 2020:  15:00 I didn’t have good boundaries during the pandemic.  15:25 I worked WAY too much.  15:40 I headed towards burnout at the end of the year. 16:26 I said ‘yes’ to everything - need to learn how to say ‘no’. 17:10 Seduced by shiny new products that are irrelevant to my goals and audience.  18:51 Finally, I’d like to talk about my goals and hopes for this year. Not necessarily ‘new year’s resolutions’, but at least some targets to strive towards in 2021.  19:05 Delegate more.  19:28 Use data to help me make better decisions.  20:08 Focus on building my Facebook community - you can join here! 20:38 Focus on doing less, but doing it better. 21:50 Improve my work-life balance. 22:52 I think it’s a great idea to have a record of all of this. At least I can always go back to this podcast and see where I am at in regards to my goals, and how this year is different from the last.  22:16 I hope that me sharing my experiences of 2020 will help you to approach this new year in a positive light, and encourage you to take control of your own destiny in 2021. Touch wood this year will be focussed, rewarding and provide us with a great work-life balance. Useful links: Download The Self-Running Implementation Book Join my Facebook group ‘The Agency Accelerator’ Download the 'Creating A Sustainable & Profitable Agency' Book Subscribe & Review Are you subscribed to my podcast yet? If you’re not, please do so to avoid missing out on any episodes! You can subscribe/follow on Apple, Spotify or directly from my website. I would be very grateful if you left me a review too as they will help other people to find my podcasts and it's also great to read your comments! Thanks so much. Rob