Happy Thursday! This video is a bit later in the day than usual (I bet many of you are seeing it on Friday) for a number of reasons, not least because I was busy trying to be wise, not smart. Watch the video and that will make sense. During a conversation with a Credo pro yesterday, I heard a story about leaving their job to go full time freelance and subsequently losing 3 of their 4 clients in the same…
Today I received an email that said this: “Trying to sift through the rift raft. Any personal referrals?” This person was looking for help and when I sent him to the /inquire/ page on Credo, he came back with that answer. So I dug a bit deeper and learned that he’s been burned before and didn’t trust that page. So I reworked it, adding my face and a trust signal at the bottom, also letting him know that his information would be…
Running a business is hard. I’ve been working really hard lately, doing things like: the real estate guide a lot of outreach and guest posts podcasts new feature development I also haven’t had a real vacation in almost a year. I’ve had a few three days weekends (ish, because I still answer emails) and I try to take an afternoon a week off, but I’ve not had more than 3 consecutive days off in almost a year, even around the…
When you are working with your clients, do they view you as an outsourced vendor and “solution” to their problems, or do they view you as part of their team? Over the years I’ve seen both sides of the equation. Each has their own special advantages and challenges, so which one is right for you and your agency? It depends on your goals. In this week’s view, I talk about how I advise people to go about it. You’ll learn:…
One of the most interesting things about running my business Credo has been watching the pros on the platform sell their services to businesses interested in hiring a digital marketing professional. I have experience working in sales so as I have watched agencies and consultants try to sell their services, I’ve been able to guide many of them to much better close rates and therefore a lot more revenue for their business. One agency told me recently: The quantity and quality…
As a consultant myself and former agency marketer, I have had clients want to take their digital marketing inhouse after working with me for a while. This used to frustrate me because I thought that it meant that I would lose them as a client. What I’ve found, however, is that this doesn’t have to be the case. You can turn this situation into a win for your business. In this week’s view, I talk about how I advise people…
In my time running Credo and working both inhouse and agencies, I’ve seen a lot of companies pitch work. Some are super effective, others not so much. One of the most amazing things I’ve learned is how varied consultants/agencies are in their pitches. Some go to amazingly great lengths and put together in-depth Powerpoints with custom graphics. Others go much lighter and run a crawl and look at OpenSiteExplorer. Still others just package it up and sell the same thing…
When you’re pitching new business, do you really understand who holds the budget purse strings and ultimately decides if your project starts, continues, and ultimately is successful? One thing I really learned working inhouse was the importance of knowing who the Highest Paid Person In The Room (the HiPPO) is and what they care about. I faced dynamics of founders and execs both wanting only their way (bad) and working well with others (good). If you’re talking with a marketing…
As a freelancer, consultant, or agency owner how do you know that your client is happy with the results they are getting? One area that many agencies and freelance pros need to improve upon is asking their clients for feedback so that the client can be better served and get a better return on their investment with you, which in turn grows your business faster. In this week’s view, I talk about the feedback loops that I have built (and…
When you get in a new lead and have your first sales call with them, do you have a process and set of questions you always make sure to ask? You should. And I’d like to make a suggestion for a question to add to your arsenal of information you need: What resources do you have allocated to implement our recommendations?
In your work with clients, do you ever try to upsell them to more work after the initial engagement? Selling ongoing work is hard as an agency and even harder as a consultant since businesses often want to “try out” a provider before they are willing to commit. How many times have you heard this: “Let’s do an initial engagement and if that goes well then we’ll see about freeing up budget for more work” Don’t you hate hearing that?…
I’ve worked inside of and with quite a number of agencies. One of the common gripes I hear from consultants is: “Our freaking sales team sold this project and it’s not what the client needs.” Don’t you hate it when that happens? You may have sold a project and gotten that revenue, but I can almost guarantee you that this client will not stick around after the initial engagement simply because they aren’t getting the right project for them. To…
One of the hardest parts for both sides about a consulting arrangement between a business and an agency is communication. Communication is hard because it takes time, what’s said can be misunderstood, and many people who work digitally would rather not talk on the phone. When I worked at Distilled, we used to say this all the time: Communication solves all problems So as a business working with an agency (or looking to work with one), how do you communicate…
As an agency owner, consultant, or freelancer you’ve likely worked with account managers at some point in your career. Maybe you even started as one. I’ll be honest – I often think account managers are unnecessary in agencies and think that having them does more harm than good for client relationships 99% of the time.
If you’re an agency owner or consultant, you probably have challenges with client retention. Retaining clients is the holy grail of consulting, but it’s hard. You’re consistently driving results for them, working super hard on their strategies, even over-delivering on work at the expense of your company’s profitability. And then they fire you with two weeks notice even though you have 30 days in the contract. Sucks, right?
I hate wasting time. I do everything in my power to optimize my time so that I can maximize it, which means that I can get a lot done and then have as much time as possible to spend with my wife, my dog, and our friends.
I’m not going to bury the lede. Your greatest lead source of qualified business is already in your possession. No, I’m not talking about raising prices on your current clients or expanding their business (though you should be doing that already!). I’m talking about people who already contacted you who went cold.
When I do the occasional consulting project, I often get asked if I’ll do work for cheaper than what I quote. I’m not cheap to hire, but I’m also far from the most expensive. I hate it when potential clients ask me to do this. I used to give in (and let’s be honest, sometimes give friend discounts when I know I shouldn’t) because I didn’t believe in myself enough and the value I bring.
Do you ever have prospective clients telling you that you are too expensive for them? If this happens super early in the sales cycle, that’s a gift because you’re not spending time on leads that aren’t qualified for you. But if they meet your minimum project budget and they still tell you this, that sucks. You might be familiar with the idea of price anchoring. If you’re hearing that you’re too expensive late in the process, that is a breakdown…
I get asked often by consultants and agencies for feedback about how they sell business. I see a lot of the sales discussions happening via email between Credo pros and the businesses contacting them through the platform, so I see many varying styles. My goal with Credo is to help you close more business. To that end, I’m starting something new – The View From My Seat.
A note from John: this post comes to you from Everett Sizemore at Inflow, who also wrote the monster Prioritizing Your Marketing Channels post. I asked Everett to write this post because I have seen a number of Inflow’s sales cycles and am very impressed with how consultative they are in their process. I believe that this is paramount to the success of consulting businesses who charge a premium for their services. Because they charge a premium, they can afford…
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