The 3 Pillars Of Running 

A Successful Marketing Agency: Pillar 2

“We’re really happy with the results you’ve helped us get, but we believe we’re ready to work with a bigger agency.”

The agency I was working with was frustrated to be losing a client after all the hard work they had put in for them.

To add insult to injury, they had basically left by saying “We’ve outgrown you. Time for a real agency.”

When they saw the new agency in their Google Ads MCC, it hurt even worse.

It was a local competitor that was no “bigger” than their own agency.

Ironically, I’ve now consulted with both agencies and I can see why the client had thought they were moving to a bigger agency.

You’re smart, so I know you’ve deduced that it’s related to the second pillar of running a successful marketing agency.

The first agency actually was actually better at driving results, though the channel mix was different. 

The client didn’t know that, though. 

What the client DID know is that they felt like they could do better.

So how did they get to that point?

It was a lapse in communication.

Agency 1 gave the client reason to question the value they were providing (despite that value being significant).

Let’s face it. Most clients don’t know how we do our jobs and they don’t care. They hired us to get them results and they want those results.

What they DO want, is certainty.

Certainty is one of the 5 social motivators from David Rock’s SCARF Model.

The model essentially points out how we, as humans, are motivated in our actions (especially when interacting with others) by a need to feel certain about our situation and the outcomes of our actions.

When we do NOT feel certain of our situation or possible future, we often feel afraid or stupid for not knowing what to expect.

THIS IS NOT HOW YOU WANT CLIENTS TO FEEL!

Sorry to yell at you. I’ve been in this boat after learning about the model (a fair few times, actually) and there are few revenue killers quite like uncertainty.

The client in our story was uncertain.

How this ties into the 2nd pillar?

The 2nd pillar is Processes.

In our story, agency 1 had no processes for client communication beyond a monthly reporting email (which often went unread).

Their onboarding process was designed to get the information they needed to deliver great results (which they did), but it SHOULD have been designed to give the client certainty about what was going to happen. 

What should they have expected?
How long would it take to see results?
How involved would they need to be?
How often would they hear from the agency?
What should they have done if they had questions?

Most processes are designed with the agency in mind, really.

What makes one agency look bigger than another agency is often how well and how often they communicate with the client (and maybe a pitch deck).

Processes also affect how well a service is delivered.

They can prevent balls from being dropped during a setup.
They can prevent you from missing a deadline.
They can minimize the time you spend training new hires.
They can help you catch card issues that stop ads from running.
They can help you catch employee concerns before they lead to turnover.
They can help you catch client concerns before they lead to churn…

Processes guide you in the execution of your service and, when documented, let you communicate with your team how you’d like your agency run (without you having to repeat yourself a million times).

Without processes, you have to rely on great talent remembering everything despite having a couple-dozen clients throwing requests and questions at them while they try to help and interact with their team members (not the best approach).

In addition to helping your clients receive the best experience possible, great processes also improve the employee experience.

As mentioned in the last edition, hiring and retaining great people can be a powerful flywheel (just as losing them can be devastating). 

Processes guide them and provide them with certainty about what they should do and how (more on this in future editions), but they also guide you in how you should lead your team.

Suffice it to say, Processes are an essential part of any business, but a business like a marketing agency that works with dozens or hundreds of other businesses? 

Processes can make or break you.

To truly grow a successful and stable agency, you’ll need all 3 pillars.

People, Processes, and Performance.

Next week we’ll cover the importance of Performance. After introducing them all, each week we’ll dig into some practical ways to identify problems with each pillar and solve them.

All the best,

-Ryan Baker
Founder, Kingly Consulting