Over the years I have found that the best inbound marketing agencies master 5 pieces of their business to grow without losing clients or employees. Without balancing these pieces, you will easily go crazy and forget why you started the agency in the first place!
These insights come from lots of webinars, podcasts and events with the world's most innovative and successful inbound marketing agencies the world.
Sales Process
Leading agencies build the business case for their services. They figure out how much money is flowing through the client’s lead pipeline, where the inefficiencies are and set goals for each stage of the pipeline with a matching set of services.
Download this resource: A simple pipeline calculator in excel to help you track your goals and the impact on revenue. (Click the image)
Strategy “Products”
Such as a content strategy, a conversion strategy, a lead management strategy: There needs to be some overall plan that outlines everything you are going to do in detail. When agencies offer a strategy up front they win more retainer deals and end up selling more services within each retainer because the buyers are more comfortable investing in something that is already laid out in detail.
More on the importance of developing products:
Read: Why inbound agencies fail to scale: and are throwing in the towel
Talent
The best agencies attract and retain talented employees, the real A players. They inspire their employees to focus on their own personal brand as part of their work. Today millennials stay at their jobs for 1 year on average, and it takes about a year to fully train the folks that can manage your client accounts, so turnover can be DEADLY.
Your employees will remain loyal to you if you show them loyalty first: help them build their personal brand, invest in their training, force them to write their own blogs, make them get creative every once and a while and they will see you as an ally in accomplishing their own personal goals.
Partnerships
There are too many things to do, too many things to know, tools, services – if you try to master everything you will be a master of nothing. The best agencies figure out what they want to be good at and focus their talent and resources. Meanwhile they take all those complimentary agency services and find partnerships. What I didn’t realize initially is that it actually is more profitable if you setup the partnerships correctly – and I think it’s the only way to keep your sanity.
Differentiator
Don’t lie to yourself. If you’re not actually doing something different, you need to think harder: because the only way to stand out is by being different, you can’t simply pay your way into the door like you could before, buyers are now in control and they will know if you are just like everyone else. They will nickel and dime you against your competitors other until there is no money left.
Your agency differentiator will keep your business alive!
As a test: Tell us what makes your agency unique in the comments below.
