To get the right clients and maximize revenue for your agency is your top priority? Do you find it to be a catch-22 because it’s difficult to generate more business without a growing, robust agency?
In this episode, we will walk through the entire process of how everything its together so you can drive leads to your door.
Common Mistakes When Starting an Agency
Thinking that everything should begin with money
Thinking that you can begin accommodating just any random client
If you do that, you will realize pretty soon that you’re in a mess where you have 10
different random clients, you can’t scale, and you’re working too hard.
Don’t have a clear package
When you don’t have a clear package of what you are offering, every one of the deals that you have will become customized, and therefore your business is not scalable. You have to negotiate with every single one of them. People who come to you will not know what it is that you specialize in.
You haven’t niched down
So you have to re-explain what it is that you do. You get a lot of people who are not a fit for your particular niche because you’re not clear on your X, Y, and Z.
That is the catch-22 chicken-and-egg issue because, yes, you might be thinking of how to get your first few clients so that in the process you can develop a lighthouse.
A lighthouse is that one example that you will use to incept and be able to get all the other clients that are like that.
Building Proximity with Your Audience through Personal Videos
So let’s think about how this works at the strategy level.
1. Your 3×3
Your Why, How, and What are synonymous with the funnel’s top, middle, and
bottom, which are synonymous with Know, Like, and Trust.By creating 15- and 60-second videos that showcase gratitude and personal moments, you aim to
connect with people on a personal level and showcase what you believe in.
The “Why” segues into the “How” as once people know who you are, the “Rule of Proximity” applies. The “Rule of Proximity” states that people you have close associations with, such as those you went to school with or met at the supermarket, are more likely to do business with you, marry you, or join a group with you. The goal is to establish proximity with your desired audience.
So when you have that omnipresence and you’re constantly sharing the why and how, you’re going to find people that will come up to you and say, whether online or on an instant messenger or Twitter, “Man, I see your stuff everywhere.”
That is how you truly know you are successful.
Need help getting your 3×3 grid started? Here is the 3×3 grid Explained and here is a 3×3 grid package that can help you get started.
2. Attracting the Right Clients through Expertise and Targeted Content
So know who your target is and share your content and your knowledge openly. And when you show people how to do something, then at some point they’re going to come in. They’re going to say, “Okay, man. I had no idea that there was this whole process of setting up Google Tag Manager, editing videos, hiring virtual assistants, building websites, making sure I’m able to rank inside Google, and being able
to make sure I have retargeting for all the different things.”
And they say, “Man, like all the stuff you’ve been teaching, can you just go ahead and do it for me?” And that’s when they come in and they buy a package.
There are many ways you can target potential customers, such as direct mail and targeting people who have clicked on your email.
In summary, know your target audience, share your content and knowledge openly, and demonstrate your expertise in a particular field. By doing so, you will establish yourself as a credible expert in the eyes of potential customers, who will approach you asking for your help, leading to sales.
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3. Attracting the Right Clients with a Clear Service Package
The key to driving sales is to understand that acquiring any random business will not guarantee success. It is essential to find the right client, and that means having a clear package that defines the services you offer. This will help you attract the right clients who are a good fit for your business and more likely to convert into paying customers.
A package and a course are essentially the same things in that they both provide a checklist of proven steps and information for the client to follow if they choose to do it themselves.
By providing a proven process, it helps to eliminate the “chicken and the egg” problem of needing clients to develop a process but not having a process to attract clients.
It also serves as a filter for tire kickers and clients who do not value your time and expertise. When you present a proven process that has been tested and implemented successfully in various industries and locations, it instills confidence in the client that the process will work for them as well. The do-it-yourself
option is parallel to the done-for-you package, providing clients with the choice of taking on the process themselves or hiring you to do it for them.
4. Demonstrate your Expertise
To be able to sell effectively, it is important to have the expertise, a repeatable process, a package, and some form of certification that demonstrates your knowledge and abilities. Without these, it will be difficult to speak the same language as potential clients and convince them of your capabilities.
So come in and fill in your 3×3 videos.
5. The BANT Model: A Proven Strategy for Closing Sales and Positioning Yourself as an Expert
Many people try to sell packages without having a course that precedes them, which can result in giving away free consulting during one-hour strategy calls without knowing if the potential client is qualified, interested, or able to pay. This is where the BANT model comes into play, which stands for Budget,
Authority, Need, and Timing.
Budget:
They’ve got to be able to afford you.
Authority:
They should have the authority to be able to spend the money.
Need: They
have to have clear pain.
Timing: Do they really need it right now? Maybe they need it, but maybe not right now.
It’s important to have all of these factors in place before making a sale. The client must have the budget to afford your services, the authority to make the decision, a clear pain point that your service can solve, and the timing must be right for them to need your service.
By having a clear package and following the BANT model, you can position yourself as an expert in your field, like an emergency room surgeon, and attract clients who are ready to purchase your services.
Here is an example of our Digital Plumbing Course that precedes the Digital Plumbing Package we offer.
6. High-Quality Content and the 3×3 Grid to Maximize Revenue
By positioning yourself as an expert in your field, you can command higher prices and avoid having to sell yourself short or offer discounts. This can be achieved by creating a wealth of high-quality content that showcases your knowledge and expertise and then organizing it into a clear and easy-to-understand format, such as a three-by-three grid.
This can help you effectively communicate the importance of starting with the foundational elements, such as digital plumbing, and how it impacts the success of their overall business strategy.
Be aware that clients who have been burnt by previous agencies may have a negative perception of your agency as well, and it’s essential to address and overcome their concerns.
Fed up with hearing how people talk about content marketing and how you need “great content,” but how exactly does one create great content, especially with limited resources, and often in competitive and unsexy industries? Here is the Content Marketing Course that can help.
7. Maximize Revenue through Service Packaging and Transparency
Having a clear menu of services that you offer can help close deals by using reverse psychology. By communicating that everything you do is governed by a process and that you won’t take on a project unless it falls within your area of expertise, it establishes trust and credibility with potential clients.
Furthermore, if a potential client asks for something that falls outside of your expertise, it’s important to be honest and refer them to someone who can better serve their needs. This approach is ethical and demonstrates a commitment to providing the best service to your clients.
Do it For You Package
When selling “Done-for-You” services, it’s important to demonstrate that there is a way for clients to do the work themselves. This way, even if you charge a premium for the work you do, it will be perceived as
a valuable investment because the client can see the process and the value of the work being done for them.
Many digital marketing consultants are hesitant to increase their prices for fear of losing clients, but in reality, this approach can lead to increased revenue and attract clients who value and are willing to pay for your expertise. It’s important to note that some clients may not be willing to pay the higher price, and that’s okay as it could be a good filter to attract the right clients who are willing to invest in your services.
Don’t represent your work as being done by the hour
When selling your services, it’s important to present your work as a result rather than by the hour. This means packaging your services as a solution to a specific problem or achieving a specific outcome, rather than billing for the time spent working on it. This approach positions you as a provider of solutions, rather than just a service provider and makes it easier for clients to understand the value of what they’re paying for.
8. Communicating the Value of Your Services: The X, Y, Z Video Approach
Using the X, Y, and Z model that involves creating a video that clearly communicates the services you offer, the specific problem or outcome you help your clients achieve, and the process or methods you use to achieve that outcome.
The video should be clear and concise, highlighting the value of your services and how they can help the client achieve their desired outcome. This approach makes it easy for potential clients to understand the value of your services and how they can benefit from them.
9. Maximizing Efficiency in Sales: The Benefits of Pre-made Videos for Your Services
Creating pre-made videos that explain your packages, services, and processes can help save time and increase efficiency when selling your services. Instead of spending time on the phone explaining your process to potential clients, you can simply direct them to the pre-made videos. This approach also helps
establish credibility and authority, as it demonstrates that you have a clear and defined process that you stand behind.
By creating videos that clearly explain the business benefits, the checklist of what will happen upon implementation, the target audience, and the process, you can set clear expectations for potential clients and avoid wasting time on calls with unqualified leads.
Additionally, by highlighting the features and benefits of your services, you can increase the perceived value of your packages and charge more for your services.
If you’re not very good at video, then just make six little videos that you can then chop up and turn into landing pages. If you have experience, you could just do a one-take and talk about:
The business benefits of that particular package. What is going to happen upon implementation from a business standpoint– “I’m gonna get more people searching for me on Google, or I’m going to get more reviews, which then creates word of mouth, or I’m going
to get more conversions because my website’s loading faster.”
Feature versus benefit. The benefit of the feature is that “My website load time goes from eight seconds down to three seconds.” That’s great, but the benefit is that “Because it loads faster, I’m losing fewer customers, and I’m getting more conversions”.
Who’s it for? Be very clear about what your lighthouse is so you don’t try to say yes to everything.
What do you do? Show people what are the particular items.
Our favorite is displaying a diagram of our six-phase Social Amplification Engine, allowing us to determine what was done and what was not done. That way, they have complete clarity on how we’re doing stuff.
So we are making these videos in advance because we don’t want to get on the phone and spend an hour explaining how we do all this stuff. That’s a huge waste of time. How many times have you done that?
If you’re here, the odds are you’ve done it many times, and you’re going to continue doing it many times and wasting tons of time unless you pre-make this and have a package.
When you have that package, people are going to pay you before you ever talk to them.
So don’t just hop on the phone and give them an hour of your time. That is your biggest blunder because you have lost leverage. You’ve lost credibility. You then allow things to wander all over the place.
Then you’re explaining the same things over and over again. Then you get yourself into trouble because they put you in a situation where they’re trying to ask for stuff that you don’t do.
Whatever product you have, whatever package you have, you’re going to make a little video against every one of these items. You’ve pre-made it. So you never need to explain what you do, why you do it, or how it works again. Consider how much time you’ll save by not having to do that over and over again.
10. Optimize Your Business with Metrics, Analysis, and Action (MAA) – The Key to Closing Deals without Selling
We have this snapshot report where the system generates a report automatically. The machine is running and gathering data, and it does all this work for you. It puts your name on it, and then it will send it out in your name with your logo, and you can send it out as you. Then all you have to do is walk your client through this snapshot report and charge them.
Because from here, we’re going to point out that something’s wrong with their website, or they need to have some videos, or they need to run Facebook ads, or they need to get their name and their listings done properly.
We always find things wrong with the business in a snapshot report. So you’re guaranteed that, as long as you know how to talk about these different components, you’re going to close that client because they’re already in the mindset that here’s a framework that results in a report that results in some kind of action.
That’s the same as gathering the vital signs—the blood, the x-ray, and the diagnosis.
So we call that metrics, analysis, and action. It’s the same as collecting vitals, performing a diagnosis, and recommending a treatment plan, and that’s how you can close business without having to rely on a sale.
Need help with how you can take advantage of Metrics, Analysis, and Action (#MAA), here is a course in Optimization that can help you.
11. Maximizing the Reach of Your Marketing Assets: The Importance of Placement and Visibility
If you’ve already filmed these various components and know how to operate them from the snapshot report, or if you’ve filmed your little videos explaining the different steps inside your package and what it is, who it’s for, and what it looks like—these six things—what are you going to do with these assets?
You need to stick them where people can see them. And I can’t tell you how often people screw this up. I see some people that will go this far and they’ll make their YouTube videos, and they’ll get all excited one day and be like, “Okay, I’m going to crank out the videos like Dennis said,” and they do it and they stick it on a landing page, and that landing page gets no traffic.
Why? Because they spent all their effort trying to make a beautiful website.
What’s the sound of one digital marketing consultant falling in the forest? You can’t hear it because there’s no traffic. So you have to take that and put it on a landing page. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy.
A simple, free WordPress website will do it. You’re going to post it to your Facebook page and maybe your profile too—your public figure page.
So pick the ones you can, and if you think that will limit what you do, you reduce the amount of business you could generate, but it’s actually better. You actually generate more.
So focus on your X, whoever that X is in your XYZ model. So put it out there and you’ll see, people will begin to buy. They will begin to purchase these audits.
12. The Importance of Understanding Client Goals, Content, and Targeting in Digital Marketing
So everyone’s got a particular mix of goals, content, and targeting that’s unique to that client. You must ask for it explicitly, as you might end up doing what you think is a good job without realizing that you’re failing because you didn’t listen or because you didn’t ask in advance for their goals, content, and targeting.
So the process for all of us serving local businesses is the same. The framework is the same, but the ingredients that run through it are different.
It starts with the plumbing. So we can track everything: goals, content, and targeting, which is their strategy. Be very clear that we’re collecting the ingredients; they have to give them to us. We may edit it; we may assist them; we may coach them on it, but this has got to come from them. When they’re
talking about what it’s like to work at that company in the office, they’re talking about their customer reviews, their explanation of their services, their happy patients, employees, or both. Then we can amplify
and optimize.
Don’t pretend that you’re a full-service agency because when you start getting into things that are purely creative, it’s very hard to measure the results, and then your digital plumbing falls apart. So make sure plumbing and optimization are at either end of the spectrum.
Optimization goes back to plumbing. Plumbing creates the targeting in pixels so that you can then run remarketing to amplify.
Dennis Yu is co-author of the #1 best-selling book on Amazon in social media, The Definitive Guide to TikTok Ads. He has spent a billion dollars on Facebook ads across his agencies and agencies he advises. Mr. Yu is the “million jobs” guy– on a mission to create one million jobs via hands-on social media training, partnering with universities and professional organizations.
You can find him quoted in major publications and on television such as CNN, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, NPR, and LA Times. Clients have included Nike, Red Bull, the Golden State Warriors, Ashley Furniture, Quiznos– down to local service businesses like real estate agents and dentists. He’s spoken at over 750 conferences in 20 countries, having flown over 6 million miles in the last 30 years to train up young adults and business owners. He speaks for free as long as the organization believes in the job-creation mission and covers business class travel.
Three Proud Women is a fiction and alternate history novel which is the sequel to my And An Angel Sang. It tells the continuing adventures of three outstanding women…
