Smart Agency Masterclass With Jason Swenk: Podcast For Digital Marketing Agencies

Creating Fast Track Revenue for Your Agency If you want to know how to be up there with the big name agencies through fast track revenue, then my interview with Brad Martineau has everything you need to know. In this episode, we’ll cover: 2 secrets to building multi-million dollar through fast track revenue. 2 things agency owners should quit being afraid of. A cool strategy for qualifying and educating new prospects. My guest on this episode of The Smart Agency Master Class is Brad Martineau, co-founder and Chief Baller (best title EVER!) at SixthDivision. He started his digital agency after leaving a seven year career at Infusionsoft. He shares with us the secret on how he built a $3 million agency in just a few years. Brad started at Infusionsoft in 2004, as their sixth employee. When he left in 2011 they had 650(ish)! What he discovered over that time is that Infusionsoft is a very powerful tool that very few people can actually use. When he left, he began consulting and eventually founded an agency for

First Pitch to a Client On the first pitch to a client, it can create different obstacles for you as an agency owner as well as your team. Understanding your agency, resources you have and those you can bluff can make the difference in any first pitch with a potential client. In this episode of Ask Swenk, I talk about understanding cash reserves for your agency, why clients leave and how to avoid it, PLUS how to respond when prospects ask for an success story that you don't have yet. {3:01} Alina asked: "How much money should we have in reserve for a rainy day to run our agency successfully?" {6:12} George asked: "We just lost a major long term client. We never saw this coming because we've won a lot of awards on their work and they've seen traffic and sales growth every year we've worked together. Why do you think they left and what could we have done differently?" {9:11} Phill asked: "When you're pitching for that first big project that you have not done for anyone yet, what is a good approach when the pro

Is your goal for your digital agency to increase your agency profit but are finding leaks within that are preventing you from achieving your goal? In today’s episode, we’ll cover: Why scope creep happens and how to put a stop to it. 5 ways to scale your agency and eliminate the leaks that drain agency profit. Today’s guest on The Smart Agency Master Class is Charles Studt from Redbooth, which is a project management tool and so much more. Charles shares some amazing advice on ways to make your agency run more efficiently so you can maximize time and profit. He also talks about ways to eliminate the biggest profit drain of ‘em all... SCOPE CREEP. Why Scope Creep Happens Charles says most cases of scope creep is not due to an over zealous project team or a super demanding client. In most cases, it’s an agency’s lack of documented processes and lack of client education. Without a clear definition of the project and deliverables, there’s too much gray area. So, when a client asks for a little something extra an

Do you want to learn more about the best way to build relationships, streamline your deliveries and the best way to critique proposals? In this episode of Ask Swenk, I answer these questions and share more insight into how you can improve your agency. In this episode I discuss: How to streamline processes without being too cookie cutter. What to do when you're new in town and need to build relationships. PLUS, watch my critique of another agency's actual proposal. {1:52} Tara asked: "I feel like every time we get a new client we are on '50 First Dates.' How can we change this problem?" {4:16} David asked: My biggest challenge is that I've moved from Atlanta from New York and I have to build my network from the ground up. I've been able to do this over the past year, however I still don't have enough relationships to bring on the net worth clients where I can build an agency." {6:44} Aman asked: "Can you review my marketing proposal and tell me what I am doing right and wrong?" Discover the best Digital Agen

Have you ever considered direct mail marketing for your digital agency? Not even sure how to develop a strategy for it? I talk with Justin Christianson and he shares how his agency has gained huge success from using direct mail marketing strategies. In this episode, we’ll cover: How to define your target market. 1 old-school outbound tactic that is getting massive 25% response. 4 steps to successful direct mail. Today’s guest is 14-year veteran entrepreneur, Justin Christianson. After selling his previous business to his partners he began consulting and eventually created Conversion Fanatics, an SEO agency. Justin happens to also be a client of mine and is seeing some really great results with his outbound efforts. I invited him on the show to share his story, outbound strategy and the cool, old-school tactic that’s getting a up to a massive 25% response rate! Check it out… Defining Your Market is Crucial Justin says, at first they were completely non-selective about who they would work for - targeting just

Do you need help in untangling the many pieces of information and advice on how to use social media to elevate your agency and bring in more clients? In this episode, we’ll cover: Advice for keeping up with new social media trends and platforms. How to use social media for agency new business. 2 mistakes to avoid using social for your agency or your clients. How to sell social media management. If you’ve been wondering how to manage and optimize opportunities on all the various social networks – for you and for your clients – you must not miss this episode. Today’s guest is with Emeric Ernoult, founder and CEO at Agorapulse, a social media management tool. Pretty cool tool, and I recommend you check it out. Emeric is a longtime entrepreneur who spent the first part of his career in business law before dabbling in SAAS startups. He says he landed in software and social media because it’s fast-paced and ever-changing, which keeps things fresh and challenging. Emeric developed Agorapulse as an answer to managi

We chat about landing your first client as a creative agency, how you go from initial contact to a paid consult, […] The post Landing 1st Client, Initial Contact to Paid Consult, & Charging to Restart a Project #AskSwenk ep 39 appeared first on Smart Agency Masterclass: Podcast for Digital Marketing Agencies.

Profitable Brand Building While Ignoring BS "Best Practices” Want to know the best ways for profitable brand building while ignoring all the BS best practices out there? In this episode, we’ll cover: 2 ideas for profitable brand building to effortlessly generate more leads without BS best practices. How to break the “me too” agency mold. The #1 thing to grow your business. Today’s guest is Matt Giovanisci and, I feel like he’s my brother from another mother… We have a similar quirky sense of humor, we’re both in the digital marketing space, we like to drop F-bombs in unlikely places, and to be honest, we both suck at writing! :) Matt’s the founder of Money Lab, a business he founded with the sole purpose of making money online. His business model involves some fresh, unique, and humorous attention-getting marketing that ignores all the “rules” of marketing. He shares his story with us and the #1 key to standing out. Matt got his start in the pool business. Yep, you read that right - pools and hot tubs. Afte

How to close a pitch and how to accurately calculate profit. Plus, managing your team priorities when it comes to training and continuing ed within the industry. Closing a Pitch {0:38} Yasser asked:  Just a quick question... how do you end a pitch? Calculating Agency Profits {2:02} Myles asked: I was wondering what your thoughts are on trying to work out the profit we make on a deal? I feel it’s a bit of a guess at the moment, as I’m not sure exactly what we should factor in to the cost of sale? Same goes for the monthly retainers, I’m not sure how we try and work out what it’s costing our business in terms of supporting the client? What are your team priorities? {4:23} Phil asked: Say you found a fantastic video course that offers in-depth training on one of your core services. You get excited about it, and purchase it for your team to watch. You can't wait for your team to watch it, so you can start a conversation about the course... But 7 days later, you find that no one on the team has "had time" to watch

How to End the Time Suck of Creating Proposals When it comes to creating proposals, you may find yourself spending hours upon hours trying to craft the best proposal you can to win that job. But if you are unsuccessful, you will find the time was wasteful. In this episode, we’ll cover: The #1 tip for winning a proposal. 3 key elements of a successful proposal. A super cool tool to put an end to the time suck of creating proposals Today’s guest on the show is Dylan Baskind, my first-ever guest from Down Under! (I think?!) He shares with us the key elements of creating killer proposals, as well as a way to save you time, energy and frustration on the whole process. After nearly a decade as a software design/engineer consultant, Dylan had a long list of the things he hated about creating proposals. His proposals had landed him work with all types clients, from small, local ones to large, multinational ones but not without a tons of work and frustration. He wanted something simple yet attractive that would be c

How to BONUS the Creative Team, Prospect Selection & Sales Process, Sales Team Model? #AskSwenk 37: How can you bonus and incentivize your creative team? What to do when the prospect is controlling the sales process and expects some "free" work. PLUS, how to structure your agency's sales team. {0:32} Meny asked: "How can we build an incentive program for our creative team members, and what would that look like?" {3:53} Jared asked: "How do you address prospects who want to control the sales process? We're talking to someone right now that is putting us through their selection process with very little regard to our process and getting the information we need to put together a proposal. Normally I would go through their motions, but some of the questions they're asking are very tactical and would almost cross over into the 'working for free' zone." {6:22} Jack asked: "Selling has always come natural to me. I know some agencies have the CEO do ALL the sales, but I don't think that's as scalable as having Acc

Rapid Agency Growth: The 4 Serious Strategies For Your Agency Every agency owner would most likely have rapid agency growth on their list of aspirations for their business. In this episode, we’ll cover: Why you should niche to become more successful and achieve rapid agency growth. Ways to change your pricing to increase revenue and profit margins. How to use case studies as a lead generator.   My guest today is Dan Lok, a self-made millionaire and entrepreneur who consults businesses for an equity position. He has taken on not one, but three troubled agencies and turned them into 7-figure businesses. So, if you are new to agency ownership or been in the game awhile but need some tips for shaking things up, you’re going to want to know more from this self-made millionaire. 4 Serious Strategies For Rapid Agency Growth Strategy #1 - Be a specialist. Does your agency claim to be able to do everything for everyone? Or, is your target something broad, like “small businesses”. You are a generalist but… the riches

What Makes Good Lead Magnets and How Can You Engage with Prospects? In this instalment of #AskSwenk, I discuss what exactly makes good lead magnets and how can you engage with prospects. I also share how to handle clients who approve work without reviewing and whether telesales companies are a good option for the outbound sales of your agency. {0:33} Frank asked: "What are others finding are good lead magnets to generate new contacts/leads? Beyond that, what are good ways get contacts to engage your firm once they are in your database?" The best lead magnets in my opinion are case studies. Headlines are the most crucial part of a case study to use them as lead magnets and I like to stick to the template in my headlines of "How to do something cool without doing something that sucks" to grab the attention of your audience. Once they are leads, ensure to provide them with good content with call to actions to get your prospects to move to the next stage. {2:43} Kelsey asked: "Does anyone have any experience with

Could a killer outbound sales strategy take your agency to a whole other level in how you perform and the clients you attract? In today’s episode, we’ll cover: Why an outbound sales strategy is important. One killer outbound sales strategy for new agency business 4 steps to a successful 100 Call Challenge. Today’s guest, Gene Hammett, knows a thing or two about outbound sales. He used to be my agency’s VP of Sales and scored us meetings with huge brands like Home Depot and Porsche just to name a few. He’s now using his knowledge and experience as a writer, speaker and Strategic Coach for competitive service-based businesses. Gene also hosts Leaders In the Trenches, a podcast for entrepreneurs. Gene recently turned one of his coaching strategies on himself and created a 10-Day, 100 Call Challenge. He’s seeing some fantastic results and shared all the details with us. Why is a Outbound Sales Strategy Beneficial? Having an outbound sales strategy has been lost and forgotten. So many business focus solely on le

Payment Schedules, Payroll for Owners, & Yearly Reviews In this episode of Ask Swenk, i'm talking all things payment and payment schedules. The best client payment schedule and how to get your clients to stick to it. Plus, whether the owner should be on payroll and how to handle those dreaded annual employee reviews. {1:14} Stuart asks: "We have tried to implement your payment schedule of 50% upfront, then 25%, 25%, based on milestones or timelines. However, we haven't had any success with this, and clients have pushed back hard to get this upon them signing off on the work. Aside from not working with these clients, how have you handled push backs like this?" {4:44} Adina asks: "Do you pay yourself a salary on payroll? My accountant says I need to pay myself like an employee and then remit payroll tax ...for myself! Just wondering if this is common practice. {6:37} John asks: "Should my company keep doing yearly reviews for my employees?" How You Can Improve Your Business I hope this provided you with a

Do you want to learn how to go from the freelancer life to starting a digital agency and even grow it so it's worth seven figures. In this episode, I’ll cover: 3 steps for transitioning from freelancer to agency owner. How to identify and overcome growth struggles. How to hire when you’re ready. #1 advice for newbie owners. Rob Riggs has a great story to share about his digital agency journey, and it all begins with freelancing for a pretty awesome guy... ME :) Seriously though, I met Rob through owning my digital agency and we frequently sent work his way. Over the years Rob has turned his freelance business into a thriving digital agency. In this interview, he tells us about the transition that began in 2004, from a one-man show to 12 person digital agency, Your Design Online. He shares how he overcomes challenges, how his role has evolved, and what he would tell his former self to do differently. 3 Steps to go from freelancer to digital agency owner Identify a narrow niche. Rob says he stopped taking on

What You Should Do (And Shouldn't Do) When Selling Digital Agency In episode thirty four of #AskSwenk, I discuss what you should do (and shouldn't do) when selling digital agency, plus how to compensate referral agencies and how to follow-up when a prospect goes dark. {1:08} Amy asked: "I'm in negotiations to sell my marketing agency. What should I be aware of? Pitfalls to avoid?" You need to determine why is the other agency or business interested in buying your agency? Revenue? Location? It's important to figure this out for the leverage of your agency and make sure to ask them the same questions they ask about your business to evaluate if they can afford you. You should also keep the fact you are considering selling confidential to avoid potentially losing clients. {5:57} Scott asked: "What are your thoughts on paid referrals or partnerships between agencies? For example, your agency refers me work I pay you x% commission. " This can be done a couple of different ways but depends on how big projects or r

Are your team within your agency losing far too much time in email communications both internally and with clients? In this episode, we'll cover: Gaining control of your clogged and cluttered email inbox. A system that sorts, organizes and stores emails in a way that makes sense. How to save time so you can get busy making money. Today’s guest is digital agency owner Ian Garlic who owns Authentic Web, a video production and distribution agency and host of the podcast, TAO of Inbound. He shares with us a solution for sorting and organizing internal communication. Buried by emails? As his agency grew, Ian was having a problem with his email inbox getting clogged. He was cc’d on everything but wasn’t necessarily involved in the details of every project. So, when Ian needed to jump in on something he was digging through emails trying to get a macro picture of what what going on by having to weed through all the micro details in old emails. The solution Ian discovered is Slack - a communication tool for tracking

Agency Case Studies, Team Accountability & Avoiding Client Changes. On this episode of #AskSwenk, we'll cover: How you can use case studies to attract agency new business, how to improve your team accountability, and what do you do to stop your client from requesting a zillion changes. This Week's Questions: {0:51} Christian asks: "How can I use a successful case study to attract more business within the same niche?" {3:01} Eric asks: "What can I do to hold my team accountable to their goals? More importantly, if they don't hit them... what kind of repercussions should there be?" {5:26} Steve asks: "How can I handle a client who wants a zillion rounds of changes? We are constantly making changes only to find out they want more changes on top of their changes. It's killing us in hours. Is there a more efficient and profitable way to handle it?" Would You Like To Work With Me LIVE & In Person? I'm doing a live workshop here in Atlanta, GA in July, and I wanted to see if you'd like to come. This is an ex

Struggle to find the work-life balance for you and your agency? As an agency owner, it's so easy to become a prisoner within your business as you strive to make it the best digital agency out there. In this episode, we’ll cover: How to build your agency around your life, to find a work-life balance instead of being a prisoner. 3 ways to build your agency around your personality. How to brand your agency and be the leader in your category. Today’s podcast guest is Re Perez, founder of Branding For The People, a branding agency for entrepreneurs and small businesses. Re has worked for some pretty huge agencies working on some major Fortune 500 clients. He talks to us about leaving all that behind in order to build an agency around his personality and lifestyle finding the best work-life balance. Re had a pretty interesting journey that led him to starting his agency.  His highly successful career took him from New York to Dubai and back to New York. Yet despite a successful career he wasn’t fulfilled with the