The Agency Accelerator

As this challenging year draws to a close we are all starting to put our plans in place for 2021 and no doubt those plans are going to be more positive and ambitious than this year. It finally feels like we have some control again! Of course, your 2021 plan needs to be much more than a finance and staffing plan. You need to be looking at all areas of your agency including: Culture Finance Marketin...

I am pleased to have Remeny Armitage from Brilliant and Human with me on the podcast today. Remeny's business interviews your clients to enable you to build stronger relationships and create client advocates. In this episode we talk about the process, the benefits and what you should start doing now (if you are not already). Time Stamp 1;45 How Remeny helps her clients 2:10 Insights into how you c...

Welcome to The Agency Accelerator’s annual wrap-up of my favourite tools of 2020. In this episode, I discuss the importance of making each and every hour as productive as possible by utilising a range of brilliant tools and apps that will save you HOURS each week. Remember – Ditch it, Delegate it, Defer it, Do it, or…..automate it! We are talking all things productivity in this podcast. So I am go...

In today’s episode of the podcast we are talking all things CRM and marketing automation. I am excited to have Lindsey Pickles from Bright Dials on the podcast. Bright Dials helps companies get to grips with their customer data by implementing customer relationship management (CRM) systems and marketing automation tools as well as the processes to support their successful use. Time stamp 1.03 Who...

In today’s episode we wrap up this mini-series on business development.  Today my focus on is why you shouldn’t rely on referrals and word of mouth for new business – especially in the current environment. I explore how to build proactive campaigns that engage with your target audience and move them through the sales process until they become a client. Time stamp 1:10 Why doesn’t word of mouth ref...

In part 2 of the business development interviews, we chat about what is working and what isn't working in this new predominantly online world of doing business. We explore some mistakes that agencies are making and how to avoid them. Time stamp 1.05 Introduction to this week’s guest, Darrly Sparey from Hardnumbers 2.21 What changes have you seen in the business development landscape in 2020? 3.20...

It drives me crazy that so many websites fail to truly serve their audience, so much so that I decided to record a episode of the podcast on this topic. I recently posted on LinkedIn about this and it generated lots of opinion including some conflicting viewpoints to my own which I always love and show that this is an important topic. If you follow my podcast or regularly read these emails you wil...

In a challenging world, word of mouth and referrals may be drying up as we do less face to face meetings so in this episode of the podcast I interview Brad Smith from Succeed. Digital and we talk all things business development. This is part 1 of a 2-part series on business development. Time stamp 2:26 Who is Succeed. Digital? 3:10 What are the biggest changes you have seen in the agency landscape...

Welcome to today’s episode of The Agency Accelerator Podcast. If you get most of your business from existing clients and referrals then this podcast episode is an important one to listen to. When I meet a new client or prospect and I ask them how they get their new business they will often tell me rather proudly that they get all of their business from referrals and existing clients and they have...

Welcome to today’s episode of The Agency Accelerator Podcast. I was really excited to have a chance to sit down and talk with Jim James from EastWest PR and learn all about how he runs an agency that is based in the UK yet serves clients in Asia we discuss how to set up the systems and processes how to recruit and manage staff when they are dispersed around the world. Now I always tell my clients...

Do you want to avoid CSHWOD in your agency?  It’s my new favourite term! Many agencies tell me that they just don't have enough hours in the day because they are so run ragged, serving the demands of their clients, and they fear if they say NO they will lose the client. They end up stuck on the Client Service Hamster Wheel Of Doom (CSHWOD!). Let’s dig into this and explore some solutions. Timestam...

Linkedin is a great platform to engage with your ideal target customer yet there are many who use it poorly and don’t get results they hope for so move on to something different. If you've been trying to use LinkedIn to support your business development activities but haven’t yet got results, then listen to today’s episode of the podcast. Today I am delighted to chat with Tracey Burnett, who is a...

How much of your time do you spend servicing clients? If you feel you have no choice but to spend most of your time in ‘client service mode’, and if you believe if you don’t, you won’t retain your customers, then you will not have time to focus on the future of your agency (e.g. business development, strategy, marketing etc) because you are at the beck and call of your clients. Infact, you're caug...

As we move towards the “new normal” post-pandemic, organisations have become more accustomed to doing business online rather than in person. But what does the future of events look like? Will they remain online or move back to in-person events? In this episode of The Agency Accelerator Podcast, I'm excited to have Marc Convey, Managing Director of 23 Digital, a video production agency that creates...

As we come out of the pandemic, is working from home going to continue to be the norm and if so, how do we continue to focus & motivate staff? COVID-19 has brought about a change in the work culture, with people having to adapt to remote working. Some of us have thrived while others have struggled. In this short episode of The Agency Accelerator Podcast, I discuss how this pandemic has impacte...

The 'Black Lives Matter' movement has brought the issue of diversity and inclusion to the forefront of many conversations.  Business, big and small, are starting to consider how Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) should impact their workforce. In this episode of The Agency Accelerator Podcast, I'm excited to have Chico Chakravorty, D&I consultant and Founder of Doing Diversity Differently.  I...

Do you ever look back and wish you had done a few things differently when you were just starting out running your agency? This week's episode of The Agency Accelerator Podcast is going to be slightly different. It is the first in an occasional series of ‘5s’ and in this episode I will be sharing 5 tips that I would give to my younger self, who is just starting out his agency, if I could go back in...

How have you found flexible working hours during the pandemic? Has working from home impacted your productivity negatively or positively? In this episode of The Agency Accelerator Podcast, we're talking all about flexible working with Grant Jennings, who is the Owner of Creative Blend, a digital marketing agency. [1:07] What is Creative Blend & how is it different from other digital agencies?...

Have you been struggling to build your email list? Would you like to build an automated lead generation system? Well I have some answers for you in this week's episode of The Agency Accelerator Podcast, I talk about the  importance of email sales funnels and how you can build one , along with some great tips that can help you  nurture and grow your email list. [0:45] Importance of Email Marketing....

DID YOU KNOW? Building your agency based on referrals is like jumping into cold water! Also, if you think Lead Generation is nothing more than picking up the phone and setting up meetings, then you're wrong! In this week's episode of The Agency Accelerator , I'm excited to have Dan Englander . He is the CEO and founder of the Sales Schema , a lead generation firm for boutique ad agencies, and a fe...

Are you struggling to convert leads into prospects, and prospects into customers? Have you depended on referrals & word of mouth as your only source of generating new business? It might seem like an easy way to win clients, but there are some major flaws to it too (as have been highlighted during this pandemic!). In this week's episode of the Agency Accelerator Podcast, I talk about why relyin...

Does your business tell a story? Are you being authentic while trying to sell your products or services? Do you build empathy with your clients? In this weeks episode of The Agency Accelerator, I'm excited to have Jez Kay with me, a remote communications consultant who is going to talk to us about working in an authentic & empathetic way, it's advantages & disadvantages, along with a few t...

Why on earth are we talking about hourly rates?! If you know me, you’ll know I HATE it when agencies charge by the hour. After all, your clients are buying outcomes, not time. That said, you should at least have an idea of what your own notional hourly rate is (i.e what an hour of your time is worth) so you’re able to figure out if you should be spending your time on certain tasks or not.  So, let...

Today, I want to dig deep into some of the decisions you make early on in your agency that can have a HUGE effect on how your business develops in the future. We will be discussing: Do you charge hourly or do you use value-based pricing? Do you make sure you and your team use time tracking? Are you sure you are making the best use of your time? In this episode I am delighted to be joined by Susan...

Are you a busy fool?  With most of us still working from home right now due to the pandemic, many of us are working longer hours. After all, it’s too easy to blur the lines when your office is also your home and there hasn't been much to do due to lockdown. However, are you really being super productive each day or are you in fact, just being a busy fool? Time is our most precious commodity and wh...