Client Contact Archives - Digital Agency Insiders

Building a business is kind of like doing a jigsaw puzzle.

There a ton of individual pieces that need to fit together to create success. And when you look at everything spread out in front of you- marketing, sales, operation, finances, and more- it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.

In fact, our readers tell us all the time, “I’ve learned a ton about prospecting or marketing or sales or delivery… but I’m having a hard time seeing how it all fits together. I’ve gained a lot of micro knowledge, but I’m still lost in accomplishing the macro goal which is building and growing my business.”

You’ve heard me say it a million times: one of the biggest mistakes beginners make is saying yes to anyone who is willing to write them a check.

Early in my career, I did this. As a result, I was constantly pulled in a dozen different directions. Chiropractic, dental, real estate, physical therapy… Not to mention Facebook ads, social content, sales funnels, SEO, list building…

We are all spending time prospecting…cold-calling…researching…presenting…when we really just want one outcome: a close. The crazy part is that purchasing decisions are constantly changing. So, of course, that means we have to change too. And not only are decisions changing. People are changing. Gone are the days of people reacting positively to high-pressure sales techniques. So, our job is to find that balance between being persuasive and annoying. Nobody wants to be “that annoying guy.” You know the one. But, as an agency owner, you want to see your bottom line grow, too. So, what do we do? How do we avoid being a nuisance? What steps can we take to close prospective clients? I’m convinced you’ll find some valuable answers below.

As the Coronavirus quarantine starts to lift and the world starts to get back to normal, digital agencies need to reflect on what we’ve learned over the past few months.

One of the most common questions I’ve been getting over the past several months is about how to stay calm. As the sky is falling down around you, how do you minimize stress so you can think clearly, make smart decisions, and adapt?

You’ve heard it a million times: “Fake it until you make it.”
Every entrepreneurship guru and personal development expert loves repeating this.
And they’re completely wrong.
I agree with the idea of not waiting until everything is perfect to get started. And I agree with pushing yourself outside your comfort zone.
But here’s the problem with “faking it”: it leads to false bravado. And whenever there’s a gap in honesty, it opens the door for mistrust.

I spend a lot of time at client meetings, mastermind events and in Facebook groups talking to other agency owners about what they can do to reach new clients. To acquire new business. To generate new leads.

Now, of course, I recognize the importance of all of these conversations and what they mean to building the business that we’re all trying to build.

But, humor me for a minute.

Is there a chance that sometimes we’re focusing on the wrong aspect of building our agency? What if we had a shift in mindset? What if, just for today…or this week…or this month…we need to set our sights on our current clients?

And there are countless more unknowns. So even as things slowly start to recover, many digital agency owners and aspiring entrepreneurs remain fearful about the future. “Is now a good time to launch my business? Will I really be able to grow my business over the months ahead?”

The good news is that we can look back at depressions and recessions throughout history and learn lessons to apply to our current situation. Countless businesses have been launched and grown during economic downturns, and we can do the same.

Keep these principles in mind to survive and thrive…

There are a million entrepreneurship gurus, all pushing their strategy for making millions online. Ecommerce, dropshipping, membership sites, ebooks, consulting, SaaS products, apps… the list goes on and on.
These are all great business models. In fact, we use quite a few of these in our businesses today.
But most of them come down to one fatal flaw: they’re not the right fit for the average beginner.

Over the last several years, my team and I have made a name for ourselves by coming up with crazy ways of getting in front of clients. Donut Drops, cardboard tubes, niche podcasts… these are keywords that sound funny to outsiders, but they represent some of the biggest drivers of our business. Which is why since the quarantine started, countless people have been reaching out to us saying, “Is it too late to start my digital agency? I was just getting started before the Coronavirus hit, and now that we’re locked down I can’t go meet prospects in person!”