If your agency does creative work, it’s easy to think that WHAT you deliver to your clients is all that matters. But according to Guy Bauer, Founder of Umault, a B2B video ad agency, that’s only half of the client satisfaction equation. The other half is something we neglect all the time. In today’s conversation, you’ll learn: The hidden reason cli…

Have you ever dealt with a client that was acting a little…client-ey? They’d demand you drop everything to meet at a moment’s notice. Maybe they’d beat you up over price all the time. Maybe, they were the type of client whose demands just kept escalating. If you’ve dealt with clients acting this way, you’re not alone. In a special episode of the po…

Is your agency leaving nearly 2/3rds of your new client acquisition up to chance? If so, you’re not alone. But it doesn’t have to be that way. According to research from WordStream, 60% of most new agency clients are coming from a channel that you can’t directly control, let alone scale. That scary stat is exactly what today’s guest is helping agen…

Your life as an agency owner is crazy–you’re hiring (and probably firing), doing business development, meeting with clients, preparing pitch decks, trying to lead your team and a million other things. But, did you know there are only 5 things you should be spending your time on–if you want to successfully scale or sell your agency? Jason Swenk is t…

Do you feel like something’s not working in your agency? You’ve got processes that are outdated (or just plain not documented). You’ve got tools that aren’t the right fit or you’re not getting enough out of. Even though you feel the need for change, it terrifies you. If so, you’re not alone, I was at an agency-focused conference in Denver just a fe…

Agency clients often want more strategic consulting from the agencies they hire. At the same time, many agencies feel like the services they’re delivering are often undervalued by the clients they serve. If both of these are true, then why are so many agencies caught in what Pete Caputa calls the “Tactician’s Trap” where it feels like you’re on an …

He went from working 70-80 hour weeks to building a 7-figure agency with 50% profit margins while only working about 1 hour per week. Today he’s the founder of GrowthDaily.com & AgencyReviews.io & he’s known by his 45,000 followers on X as @MarketingMax, but several years ago he was an agency co-owner struggling to make the sort of money he wanted …

How can you leverage thought leadership to gain new followers, win new clients, keep them longer and increase referrals for your agency? Susan Baier, Founder of Audience Audit, where they help agencies create thought leadership content based on quantitative research that builds trust with potential clients, has seen thought leadership done well (wi…

Over 1/3 of agencies frequently struggle with overservicing clients. You’ve likely felt the pain yourself. When projects are going well out of scope and things are taking longer than your team planned, it can have a major impact on your agency’s profitability. Alyson Caffrey, Founder & COO of Operations Agency, has identified the 5 biggest scoping …

Clients who are “happy” may still leave you. But clients who are seeing results–and seeing them fast? Now, that increases the value you deliver and decreases the chances that new clients will churn. So, how did this digital marketing agency drive client results 70% faster, increase customer satisfaction scores and start getting glowing feedback fro…

Isn’t it refreshing when someone further down the path is willing to share the successes AND failures they’ve seen along the way? That’s exactly the type of conversation you’ll get from today’s episode with Eric Siu, CEO of Single Grain, Founder of Leveling Up and Co-Host of the top-ranked Marketing School Podcast. Eric’s journey has taken him from…

Today he runs an agency doing $25MM in ARR with around 150 employees. But–as the story usually goes–this success didn’t come overnight & started with much more humble beginnings. From not getting paid by one of his first clients to gaining traction with small monthly retainers on Fiverr to now running a successful performance marketing agency for S…

It can be terrifying to allow your clients to “see how the sausage is made,” and this is one of the main concerns related to handling client communications within your project management or professional service automation software. While there are benefits to streamlining your client communications and inviting them into the system that runs your a…

Wanna know how a 200-person agency reduced churn by 50% from one year to the next? Even though Hawke Media is one of the most successful marketing agencies in the United States and they’ve scaled to hundreds of millions in annual revenue, their journey hasn’t been without bumps in the road. At the beginning of 2022, they saw client churn on the ris…

What’s one mistake you’ve made as an agency leader you’ll never forget? Several guests on this show have shared the same exact answer: “I wish I’d invested in my own financial literacy sooner!” But, what financial metrics should you focus on the most? Even if you answer that question—how do you (and your team) impact those financial metrics that ma…

Want to win more clients (and keep them longer) in 2024? Of course you do! Offering a free benchmark consultation as part of your sales process might just be the key to doing both this year. In this episode with Chris Nault, Founder and CEO of Growth, he breaks down the process and results from his agency's 5-week experiment of adding a benchmark c…

38% of agencies struggle with frequently overservicing clients. Of the 500+ agencies surveyed for the 2023 State of Agency Operations Report, 44% also said that client demands have become tougher to meet. Are you finding clients more demanding? Is overservicing happening more frequently in your agency? If so, 2024 can be different on both fronts. K…

With your business, clients and the world changing so fast around you, it can be tough to know what your growth goals should be--or how to even approach setting them in the first place. Thankfully, Drew McLellan, CEO of the Agency Management Institute (and agency vet himself), joins the podcast today to break down the numbers in a simple formula yo…

Whether you're looking at 2024 with aggressive growth goals or simply trying to maintain your existing trajectory, one thing's for sure: It's about more than top-line revenue. No matter what your agency's size, maximizing your profitability is a key part of thriving (or even just surviving in 2024). That's why I'm excited to share my conversation w…

Are you sick of content about AI that just talks about how big of a game-changer it is without giving you practical tips on what to do with this technology? We were too. That's why we hosted Chris Mathieu, Chief Services Officer at New Breed, an Elite HubSpot Solutions Partner onto our Agency Life webinar series to discuss: 5 specific ways they're …

What got you here won’t get you there. You’ve probably heard that phrase before. And it probably couldn’t feel more applicable than it does right now as we round out 2023. So, the question is: Are you going to keep doing more of the same? Or do something different in 2024? If you’re in that latter camp, then you’re going to get some encouragement (…

What are you concerned about as you plan ahead for 2024? How will next year be different than this year? These were among a few of the topics we discussed this week in a rare in-person recording with Peter Coppinger, Co-Founder and CEO of Teamwork.com, during his recent trip to Denver. You see, before Teamwork.com was the growing SaaS company we ar…

You probably heard recently on this show, from the dozens of agency owners & leaders we spoke to at INBOUND this year, that the number one place they'd invest extra budget dollars (if they magically had them tomorrow) was in marketing their own agency. This begs 2 questions: 1) Why is this such a common answer? 2) What can you as an agency owner st…

Are you an agency owner who could never imagine handing over your agency's sales process to someone besides yourself? Or have you tried to hand over your agency's new business development to a salesperson you hired only to have it crash and burn? If so, advice from Lee McKnight Jr, VP of Sales at RSW/US, an outsourced business development firm buil…

Many peers & consultants have said she's crazy for committing to this pricing model as a software development agency, but Amanda Moriuchi, CEO of AppIt Ventures, says the only crazy thing is to think any structure for your agency will be challenge free. Amanda & her team have made a name for themselves in Colorado & beyond, not only for doing great…

Many agency owners don't begin with the end in mind. Did you? If you answer questions like "How much do we need to make?" with "I don't know...more!" or "When will I be able to retire?" with "Not now!"... ...you're not alone. Seasoned agency owner, Karl Heasman, Founder of Greycott Consultancy has had his own successful exits and now helps other ag…

Many agencies--just like yours--are echoing this common refrain: Either it’s feast or famine right now. In today's episode, Joe Sullivan shares how his agency, Gorilla 76, is experiencing a "feast" season where demand is exceeding supply. They’re having to tell clients they can’t start working with them for several months–even if they’re ready to s…

Should you productize your services? Does a productized service business completely differ from the standard agency model? Can both models co-exist within the same business? These are all questions we answer in today's conversation with Sam Shepler, CEO of Testimonial Hero. He transitioned from leading a full-service video production agency to foun…

Over 500 agencies surveyed. Agencies from around the world with different specialities: marketing, creative, web development & PR agnecies included. Agencies of all sizes, from those with less than 10 to those with more than 500 employees. The team here at Teamwork.com recently partnered with Audience Audit, a research agency who focuses on this so…

If your agency’s become a trusted advisor to your clients, then you’re probably getting asked for recommendations and advice all the time. I can border on a feeling of frustration if you’ve faced this enough: Can you help with this? Do you know anyone you’d recommend for that? If your clients are asking about other areas where you *can’t* help, you…

Where would you spend an extra $10,000 a month if you suddenly had that extra cash to invest in your agency? No strings attached--available today--where would you use that sudden infusion of capital? That's the 1st of our Fast Five questions you've likely heard us ask before on every episode of this show. Last week we had the chance to ask this sam…

Do you feel the pressure of having to rely almost solely on word of mouth and referrals to continue growing your agency? If so, you're not alone. Even if you have all the systems and capabilities to grow your agency, you may not be effectively marketing your firm...and it's often for a common reason: You've become an "interchangeable agency." If yo…

Just because you're a good baker, doesn't mean you can run a successful bakery. It's the same for agency life. You may be great at content marketing, branding, website development or building custom software, but none of that means you'll be great at all the things required to run an agency that delivers those services. It also doesn't mean you'll …

Do you have less in your agency's pipeline now than you did at this point last year? If so, you're probably not alone. But, what's even better? There's something you can do about it--something that doesn't require anything spammy or even overly salesy. You can leverage what Dev Basu calls The Dead Lead Reviver. It's a 5-step process that he & his t…

How can you get your team to track their time, let alone do it accurately? That's a question that we've heard so many times from agency leaders, and it's one that many struggle to answer effectively. Deb Andrews, Owner of Marketri, a successful marketing agency with nearly 20 years in business, says it all comes down to 4 P's that help you explain …

41% profit margins. Sounds good. Right? That's exactly what one marketing agency has been able to drive with a results-oriented workplace & corresponding compensation model. Courtney Tarrant, Owner & COO of The Ad Girls shares in today's episode that when they went away from this model for a short period, profit margins shrank closer to typical ind…

What happens when you’re faced with an upset client…and it’s actually your team’s fault? Kyle Duford, President and Executive Creative Director at The Brand Leader, and author of Twice Found, joins the podcast to talk about leading with grace and learning through failure. He also discusses balance in all things — how to balance challenges, healthy …

Have you ever found yourself facing a dreaded downsize with nowhere to turn for guidance? Nicole Pereira, founder of Remotish and CULTURISH, joins the podcast to talk about the difficult decision she faced when forced to downsize her agency. She discusses the importance of communicating clearly and candidly with your team in the face of layoffs and…

What if we told you there was a way to improve your client relationships and reduce churn before retention is even a concern? Jonathan Ewing, Director of APCO Worldwide, joins the podcast to talk about how agencies can foster positive relationships with clients and reduce churn even before the onboarding process is finished. He discusses the import…

How can you balance your agency’s workload in a way that benefits both the productivity and health of your team? Amber Kemmis, COO of Instrumental Group and Remote Culture Advisor at CULTURISH, joins the podcast to talk about the key components of capacity management for agencies of all sizes: revenue management, time estimates, and individual capa…

Have you ever had a client who asked too much of you, but you just didn’t know how to say “no?" What about a client who disrespected your team and needed to be cut loose? How do you even begin to have those tough but necessary conversations? Jackie Hermes, founder and CEO of Accelity and host of The Art of Entrepreneurship, joins the podcast to tal…

What happens when you’re ready to hit the next stage of growth in your business, but the day-to-day management is too much for you to handle alone? Jay Owen, founder and CEO of Business Builders, joins the podcast to talk about how EOS provided the solution he needed to take his business to the next level. He discusses how his journey with the syst…

When you find yourself spread thin across multiple services and client needs, it’s time to ask yourself—is niching down the right choice for your business? Mike & Gaby Grinberg, dual founders of Proofpoint Marketing, join the podcast to talk about finding their niche in the face of the pandemic and how their business has flourished in the aftermath…

How do you step away from an agency you spent years building and growing when it begins to threaten your home life? How do you restructure for the sake of a new, healthier lifestyle? Carlos Hidalgo, former CEO of ANNUITAS and now co-founder and CEO of Digital Exhaust, joins the podcast to talk about his journey with leaving agency life behind to fo…

How does a simple merger result in a highly successful business that houses both agency and consulting practices under one roof, creating what very well may be the business model of the future? Bob Ruffolo, founder and CEO of IMPACT, joins the podcast to discuss his merger with The Sales Lion, and how that led to growth that surpassed their HubSpot…

How can a small, B2B agency grow their YouTube channel to over 17K subscribers and over 1M views? Ali Schwanke, founder and CEO of Simple Strat and face of HubSpot Hacks, joins the podcast today to talk about the strategy behind growing a small agency into a trusted, stand-out brand. She discusses realistic goal setting and the importance of knowin…

Welcome to Agency Life, a podcast by Teamwork. Each week, we share real stories from sales & marketing agency owners about their journeys, the successes that defined them, and the failures they overcame. Join us on Thursdays as we discuss the highs and lows — and everything in between — of this crazy roller coaster world we call Agency Life. Have a…

How would you feel if your doctor told you that continuing to work at your current pace would leave you six months until you were bedridden, or worse? Shauna Nuckles, founder of Advocation, joins the podcast today to discuss how unhealthy work practices led to her own medical crisis. She discusses the three types of burnout, as well as the tactics …