Build a Better Agency Podcast

In 2023, about 45% of agencies took an AGI hit — the biggest number we’ve seen for as long as we’ve been tracking agency trends. Last year was tough, but agencies are finally starting to bounce back from growing their AGI. With some of our profitability struggles finally behind us, many of you are wondering how to get ahead of the curve once again. This week, we’re taking a deeper dive into some of the biggest influencers of agency AGI during this time and what agency owners can learn from the trends. We have a ton of data on agency biz dev trends, specialization and niching, client ghosting, and much more. So join us to dive into the data and learn what your agency can be looking out for to help prevent a big AGI hit in the future. 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: The work that has been super profitable for agencies in the past year or two The biggest hits to agency AGI Proving ROI to clients is more important than ever Why you need to raise your hourly rate if you haven’t already Finding ways to get more work out of your existing clients Overservicing clients is costing you money Why it might be time to cut some of your staff Clients want more from their agencies, and they’re not afraid to ghost Investing in first-party data and data analysts

Burnout can sneak up on us; before we know it, we’re ready to sell the agency. But before we get to this critical point, there are usually signs and symptoms of burnout, but it’s not always easy to differentiate them from regular day-to-day stress. In this week’s episode, I’m talking to Eric Recker about those crucial signs that you might be burning the candle at both ends a little too often and how to turn it around for the better. If we can get ahead of our burnout by identifying that we’re heading in that direction early, there’s so much we can do to help turn it around before we start making rash decisions. If your world is starting to feel a little gray, monotonous, or like you’re in the trenches a little too often for your liking, those might be your signs to start going into recovery mode. So join us to learn how agency owners can start recognizing burnout signs and symptoms and how to recover from them. 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: Is it burnout or business as usual? The importance of having people around you to check in with How to de-crisis yourself if you feel you’re at risk of burnout Turning off the false sense of urgency in your mind Commit to 30 minutes of unstructured quiet Filling yourself back up after being chronically empty for a long time Disrupting your routine to scale burnout recovery A recipe for sustainable recovery that’s realistic and achievable Setting boundaries between work mode and relax mode Bringing burnout recovery tactics to our employees

Tyler Samani-Sprunk from Simple Strat shares their agency's journey from generalist to specialist by defining their niche in content marketing for HubSpot. They discuss the importance of specializing, creating cornerstone content, and evolving their YouTube channel to attract the right-fit clients. The podcast emphasizes the benefits of niche specialization and provides practical tips for agencies looking to define their niche.

AI expert Jonathon Reilly discusses how AI tools can revolutionize proving ROI to clients for agencies. AI can crunch data faster, show impact clearly, and make agencies more efficient. It's about using AI as an assistant to enhance agency value and client relationships.

As agency owners, we all want to be different. We don’t want to be the boss who is a stickler for punctuality or to feel like we’re micromanaging our employees. But HR issues will inevitably arise, and that’s when the reality check sets in. HR issues aren’t always as intense as the term may imply. They could be as small as someone being late to a couple of meetings or an employee missing a deadline one too many times. They’re often small things that build up over time and can balloon into bigger issues — like souring client-agency relationships or diluting the agency’s core values. In this week’s episode, Allyns Melendez shares lots of great tips and tricks to help prevent minor HR issues from getting out of control. From leading by example to being a chameleon leader who can shift based on who you’re talking to and what tone is needed, she knows exactly how to help agency owners and leaders resolve nearly any conflict an agency might face. Tune in to learn tons of valuable tactics that will make you feel like no employee problem is too big for you to handle. 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: How HR has stayed surprisingly the same over 100 years How to show up as an agency leader to everybody vs. with individual employees Handling first-time HR issues with an employee What happens when we don’t address bad habits immediately Preparing for difficult one-on-one conversations with agency employees Conflict resolution with agency employees and how to follow up with your plan Why chameleon leadership will help you communicate better Get to know your communication style and how you show up in a room How to ask for candid feedback and make your employees feel safe to do so

Drew McLellan discusses the benefits of starting an online community for agency owners, focusing on genuine connection over sales. Topics include fostering trust, strong client relationships, nurturing communities, and creating safe environments. Learn how online communities can drive business growth and enhance professional connections.

Everybody has a story they’re trying to tell, and brands play a massive role in people’s stories, whether they realize it or not. Most of the time, the stories consumers associate with a brand aren’t what we think they are. This is where behavioral economics becomes vital to creating an effective marketing strategy.   Behavioral economics is a study that attempts to make sense of people’s behavior around spending. We don’t always make spending decisions in our best interest and often base purchasing decisions on our emotions. In fact, people usually connect and interact with brands the same way they connect with people. This leaves brands with a lot of pressure on their backs. If you ignore your loyal customers’ needs and wants, they will feel deeply betrayed. But if you listen to their stories and get to the core of what they’re looking for, you’ll build a trust that feels like a close friendship. The psychology behind consumer behavior is complicated but fascinating. Join us this week to discover how brands can use behavioral economics to build an effective marketing strategy that fosters deep trust from your customers. 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 is behavioral economics? Why people build human-like relationships with brands How narrative psychology can improve our relationships with our customers Clues that a brand uses narrative psychology well Convincing clients that a strategy based on behavioral psychology is worth investing in How strategic changes ripple throughout a whole organization Getting to the bottom of your customer story What brands get wrong about customer stories Why feelings of betrayal run deep when brands miss the mark

In-person networking is still a big deal. After a brief Covid hiatus, trade shows, conferences, and workshops are back and bigger than ever. So, if you or your team plan on attending any of these events soon, it’s important to get up to date on the do’s and don’ts of networking at these events. Instead of being stuck with a stack of business cards and struggling to recall conversations with specific individuals from an event, seasoned keynote speaker Dave Delaney shares how to manage and nurture your client and prospect interactions effectively. Not sure how to strike up a conversation with a prospect or keynote speaker? Or what about when you get home from the event and still want to close a potential sale without sounding too spammy? Dave shares insights on approaching these topics and more during this episode. 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: Why in-person networking is still essential How we get networking and connecting with others wrong Networking best practices for competitors, prospects, and keynote speakers The etiquette behind not being creepy or pushy to your peers How to get people’s information while you’re at the show Don’t count on the other person to reach out to you after the show How to create meaningful relationships with people after trade shows and conferences Focus on relationship-building over getting someone in your sales funnel

Learn how lead gen and lead magnets can boost your agency's sales pipeline in a tough market. Jay Feldman shares tips on thought leadership, automation, and establishing trust. Discover strategies for retaining clients and mastering cold email campaigns. Dive into the interplay between marketing and sales and building trust through value and teaching.

We’ve all been here before — your agency grows, and your day-to-day is getting a little too chaotic for comfort. Each team member has their own way of doing things, and no one is on the same page about the best approach to doing recurring tasks. As the agency owner, you’re getting pulled into things that you shouldn’t, becoming the organization’s bottleneck.   If that’s you, it’s time to break that cycle with some project management software. With a million choices and a few that have become the industry standard, it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly which is right for your agency. Often, agencies will pick one based on how popular or how pretty it is, and forget about its functionality specific to your agency’s day-to-day needs. This week, Alane Boyd is clearing the fog around project management software to help us decide if we need one — and if so, what tools and functionality we should be looking out for that will get our productivity back on track. Don’t be afraid to take the time to really learn what tools are right for your team, and be generous with how long it takes for the new systems and processes to become sticky. Once you find one that works, your agency productivity will be back and better than ever. 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: The benefits of project management software Taking your time learning new systems and software The signs an agency is ready for a PM software Questions to ask yourself before choosing which product is best for you Why capacity planning is the most important factor for choosing a project management software How to recognize if you’re using the wrong tool Training your project managers to use a new tool Setting up a project management tool to automate recurring tasks Considering the internal and external integrations of a PM tool that are necessary for your agency Finding a tool that your team is willing to adopt The most common mishaps with picking a project management software