Scale and grow your agency with better clients, invested employees, and a stronger bottom line, with Drew McLellan.
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EP 454: Improving client-agency trust and other takeaways from the 2024 Agency Edge Research study with Susan Baier
52:13
52:13
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Every year, we go out into the field to understand the biggest pain points and priorities for both agencies and clients. This year, we took data from the 2024, 2019, and 2014 Agency Edge Research studies to compare how client expectations have changed over the years. This year, the burning issue was client-agency trust — what clients look for in an…
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EP 453: Getting up to speed with the new FTC non-compete rule with Sharon Toerek
46:52
46:52
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46:52
The FTC has recently passed regulations against non-compete clauses on a federal level in all work contracts. Starting in the fall of 2024, agencies will have new rules to comply with regarding their employees and independent contractors. This will be a big shake-up for many agency owners, but luckily, Sharon Toerek is always by our side to walk us…
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EP 452: Expanding your agency talent pool with international employees with Kim Walker
53:54
53:54
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53:54
Agency owners who want to scale their business often run into a chicken-and-egg situation. To scale and grow sustainably, you need to hire more people. But to be able to hire more people, you need to scale and grow to have the money to do so. This is where hiring international employees can help solve your problems. This week, we’re diving into the…
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EP 451: What it takes to become a fractional CMO with John Jantsch
39:07
39:07
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If you want to future-proof your agency’s success and stability, now is the time to become a fractional CMO. For those unfamiliar with the term, fractional CMOs are hired for their strategy first and execution second. It’s a client-agency relationship built on trust that you know their industry deeply and can execute your strategy to provide a high…
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EP 450: The trends that influenced agency AGI in 2023 with Drew and Danyel McLellan
40:59
40:59
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40:59
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.…
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EP 449: How agency owners can get ahead of burnout with Eric Recker
57:05
57:05
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57:05
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 burnin…
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EP 448: Defining your agency niche to go from a generalist to a specialist with Tyler Samani-Sprunk
49:51
49:51
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Agency owners like to think they can do it all, but the real gold is in finding and defining your agency niche. To demonstrate, I spoke to Tyler Samani-Sprunk of Simple Strat to get into the head of an agency that learned this lesson the hard way but still did it very well — once they finally committed. Tyler shares the false starts and missteps ea…
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EP 447: Proving ROI to clients with AI tools with Jonathon Reilly
51:11
51:11
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51:11
Clients increasingly want to know exactly what they’re getting in return for their dollars spent with agencies. This data can be tricky to compile, let alone interpret and visualize in a way the client actually understands. So this week, we’re diving deeper into the ongoing AI conversation to dial in on one thing — how AI tools can prove an agency’…
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EP 446: Methodologies for agency owners to navigate HR issues with Allyns Melendez
56:02
56:02
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56:02
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 c…
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EP 445: Why agency owners should start online communities with Drew McLellan
56:37
56:37
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Online communities are quickly becoming one of the most powerful biz dev tools out there, but there’s etiquette to starting and maintaining one. It’s not for everyone, but for those who are ready, an online community could be your ticket to selling without ever having to actually sell. This week, we’re continuing the conversation about online commu…
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EP 444: What behavioral economics tells us about how people connect with brands with Kristian Alomá, PhD
46:33
46:33
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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 …
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EP 443: The do’s and don’ts of networking at trade shows, workshops, and conferences with Dave Delaney
55:49
55:49
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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 …
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EP 442: Lead gen and lead magnets are your ticket to consistent sales with Jay Feldman
54:19
54:19
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54:19
After a tough sales year in 2023, many of you have been looking for the next thing to consistently fill your sales pipeline with new prospects. With sales cycles taking longer than before, it’s essential always to have warm prospects teed up and ready to go. But how? The answer is in thought leadership combined with lead gen and lead magnets. Posit…
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EP 441: Finding the right project management software for your team with Alane Boyd
48:42
48:42
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48:42
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 b…
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EP 440: The who, what, where, and why of creating online communities with Drew McLellan
36:17
36:17
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36:17
Humans are hardwired to belong, and the desire to be a part of something bigger than ourselves is in our blood. Whether we connect over shared values, a favorite sports team, a hobby, or even just from living near one another, we can find community and belonging all around us. These days, many of us are finding community online through social media…
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EP 439: Standing out against the noise with personalized client outreach with Dan Englander
46:36
46:36
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46:36
Sales cycles are elongated, but that doesn’t mean agencies can’t still win new clients. If we change how we think about and approach prospecting, we can up our client outreach game to really hone in on our right-fit clients without being too sales-y about it. In this episode, I talk with Dan Englander about how to stand out against the competition …
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EP 438: How HR helps you build and grow your agency dream team with Barbara Mason
55:19
55:19
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In a sharp contrast to the earlier pandemic years, many agency owners said that in 2023, they have the best teams they’ve ever had and want to find ways to keep them around. This is great news, and we want to help keep your agency dream team alive and thriving. To help in that journey, HR expert Barbara Mason joins me to share what agency owners an…
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EP 437: The #1 business development tool of 2024 with Violet Rainwater
52:20
52:20
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52:20
Video budgets are up in 2024, which means the demand for video content from clients will be high this year. For agencies, it also indicates that we must start utilizing this incredible business development tool for ourselves to know what’s up when our clients ask about it. Not only that, but video content creation is an incredible medium for agenci…
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EP 436: Getting insightful about agency insights for better brainstorming with Chris Kocek
42:30
42:30
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42:30
What exactly makes an insight versus just an observation? What are the different types out there? How the heck do we uncover them? This week, we’re getting insightful about insights and laying out the key characteristics of strong agency insights — like inspiring action and reframing problems. Chris Kocek will share his favorite techniques for gene…
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EP 435: Why daily timesheets are an agency’s best friend with Drew McLellan
38:28
38:28
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If there’s one word that will send any agency owner or employee running for the hills, it’s timesheets. Although one of the most universally disliked words in the agency world, timesheets are still the number one way to detect and diagnose problems within the agency before they become catastrophes. Essentially, they’re your best friend whether you …
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EP 434: Getting in touch with your natural intelligence for leadership with Rosie Tomkins
47:04
47:04
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47:04
You’ve probably heard of IQ, EQ, or even SQ (spiritual intelligence), but have you heard of NQ? For those new to the term, it’s natural intelligence, or our ability to tap into our inner wisdom to guide us in our decision-making in the most high-stakes situations. In life and leadership alike, we tend to let our ego get in the way of our decision-m…
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EP 433: An HR expert’s perspective on hiring and managing talent with Vicky Brown
1:00:26
1:00:26
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It’s clear we can’t keep hiring and managing talent as we used to. Back in the days of the pandemic, and then The Great Resignation right after that, we were afraid to set boundaries and ask for what we needed out of fear of losing great team members. The way we work isn’t the same, either. Many of us are now remote or hybrid, and a fully in-office…
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EP 432:Helping agencies become AI consulting powerhouses with Casey Meehan
45:00
45:00
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45:00
This year, agencies are in for many industry changes — and fast. We’ve been scratching the surface a little with AI ever since ChatGPT first dropped, but even since then, everything has changed drastically. To start the year, we’re shifting our focus to learning how agencies can use AI tools to become AI consulting powerhouses. Many agency owners a…
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EP 431: Your new content marketing strategy roadmap for 2024 with Robert Rose
52:15
52:15
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EP 430: What agency employees said will make them stick around longer with Drew McLellan
49:27
49:27
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There’s no other way to spin it — agency owners had it rough in 2023. And while we spent all year going over the struggles of agency ownership, one universal positive kept coming up with everyone. Your teams are better than ever, and you want to learn how to keep your agency employees happy, so they stick around. So this week, we’re turning to some…
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