Explore every episode of the podcast RetainFM – Build your Digital Agency on Recurring Revenue

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Most common reasons why  projects go wrong:

• Scope Creep
• Misaligned Expectations
• Misaligned Budget
• Inaccurate or insufficient discovery
• Even long term retainers have a life span

The importance of thinking how to get our of something, before you get into it...

The difference between quotes and estimates...

For Projects:

• Have a specification linked to the estimate – reserve the right to change the quote if the specification changes
• Be clear where the intellectual property lies at different stages of the project
• Have a termination process from BOTH sides in your Contract / Agreement:
• If the client terminates the project
• If you terminate the project
• Have the payment schedule linked to stages YOU control
• Have a documented process for packaging up files, sending them to the client and offboarding the client from your systems

For Retainers:

• Have a termination process outlined in your Contract / Agreement
• Include a notice period – and detail from both sides
• Detail how and when final payments will be expected and what they will cover
• Have a documented process for completing work, sending data to the client and offboarding the client from your systems

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• Key metrics to track
• Targets to aim for & industry benchmarks
• Exactly what formulas to use to calculate them

Example metrics:

• Financials (Revenue, AGI, Gross Profit, Net Profit, Overhead Spending)
• Utilization Rates
• Average Billable Rates
• Labor Efficiency Ratio

Marcel Petitpas is the CEO & Co-Founder of Parakeeto, a company dedicated to helping agencies measure and improve their profitability by streamlining their operations and reporting systems, a problem he discovered while running his own agency.

He’s also the head strategic coach at SaaS Academy by Dan Martell, the #1 coaching program for B2B SaaS businesses in the world.

In his work as a speaker, podcast host, and consultant, specializing in Agency Profitability Optimization, he's helped hundreds of agencies around the world measure the right metrics and improve their operations and profitability.

When he’s not helping agencies make more money, he’s probably watching “The Office” or “Parks and Rec” on a never-ending loop and eating breakfast foods for every meal of the day.

Twitter / X: @Parakeeto

Website: www.parakeeto.com (👈 you can also get the Toolkit from here)

Podcast: The Agency Profit Podcast

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Disclaimer: this isn't a process for running a full SEO Audit on a website. Instead, this is the process I go through when a lead comes in to talk about SEO. Before any project has been confirmed, or any money has exchanged hands, this is the process I go through before the initial call to give me context. 

• Website structure
• User experience
• Current Rankings
• Competitor Websites & Rankings
• Website Speed / Core Webs Vitals

This leads on to two gated products... 

• SEO Health Check
• Keyword Research & Mapping

... and from here I can present a retained proposal.

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#1 – look inwards – "What do YOU want?"

• What type of lifestyle do you want?
• What interests you?
• How much money do you want to make?
• Do you want to be in a location?
• Do you want staff?
• How will it serve you?

#2 – where can I make a difference?

• What is your skill set, and how can that commercial impact on businesses?

#3 – do any of my points above line up?

• If no, what industries are cash rich?
• Legal
• Jewellery
• Financial Services
• Events
• (Industries that are used to spending money to make money)

#4 – create my proposition (and my product / service)

• How can I help you, and why thats a benefit to you
• How we work together over time (recurring and non-recurring options)
• Do this to MVP level

#5 – network

• Content creation, SEO, email funnels are all good, but they're not fast
• Meeting people face-to-face IS fast
• Be clear about what you do (and do NOT) do

#6 - make sales

• So far, everything is just theory – an idea doesn't work until someone buys it.
• With 5 customers I can start to make improvements
• With 10 customers I can start to make processes
• With 20 customers I can start to delegate (if I want)
• Do something towards making a sale EVERY DAY.

#7 - review, refine, rescope, repeat

• When it feels right
• Does it deliver?
• Does it work for me?
• Does it work for them?
• Is my price right?
• Can I be more efficient?
• How do I serve more people?
• When do I review again? <- This is my target

#8 - keep an eye on company value

• Will I EVER want to sell it?
• If so, this needs to operate away from me – always keep that in mind

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Why did I start this?

• Leaving previous employer
• No Leads
• Contractual Obligations

How do I do it?

• It's in my to do list
• I have some habits that happen regularly
• I have one-offs that happen when they need to
• A lead is never ignored or left to stagnate
• Some days it takes 5 minutes, other days it takes all day (it might be the only thing I do that day)

How do I manage it?

• Trailblazer FM – How to Manage Leads
• I use ClickUp with a very similar approach to how Lee describes it.

How you can begin...

1. Make a list of all customers you haven't spoken to in the last 3 months – and get in touch with some of them.
2. Review your Google My Business Information
3. Review your website and make sure people CAN convert and contact you easily
4. Put your existing customers on an email list and start emailing them marketing / web type advice
5. Write all your corporate social media posts for the next 30 days

... Download the list of 50 from my website!

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Pre-Discovery Session

• Lead comes in
• Brief 20min phone call to validate lead / project – outcome is to present Discovery Session as next best step
• 1 Page Agreement / Checkout for Discovery Session

Post Discovery Session:

• SEO Health Audit
• Current Rankings Reports
• Backlink Toxicity Report
• Top Level KW Research
• Core Web Vitals / Speed Report
• SEO Proposal Prepared

Proposal Template

• Cover Page
• Intro Letter (personalised)
• Where do you currently Rank?
• How fast is your website?
• How healthy is your website?
• How many links does your website have?
• What should your website be ranking for?
• How to start ranking?
• What are the next steps?
• Investment (inc payment schedule)
• How do we get started? (Project Agreement)
• Terms
• Appendices (to full reports)

• SEOHive Scout Reports
• SEOHive SEO Sales Presentation

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Pre-Discovery Session

• Lead comes in
• Brief 20min phone call to validate lead / project – outcome is to present Discovery Session as next best step
• 1 Page Agreement / Checkout for Discovery Session

Post Discovery Session:

• Project Specification Document Prepared
• Project Proposal Prepared

Proposal Delivery:

• Proposal Call Booked AHEAD of sending proposal
• On the morning of the call, send the proposal through Adobe Sign
• Have the call, answer all questions, and ask for a signed document

Proposal Template

• Cover Page
• Intro Letter (personalised)
• Snapshot
• Business Needs (aka Project Outcomes)
• Solution (overview – Spec document has full details)
• Timeline
• Investment (inc payment schedule)
• Future considerations
• How do we get started? (Project Agreement)
• Terms

Specification Document

• Cover Page
• The Brief (in detail)
• Business Requirements
• Project Outcomes
• Design Specification
• Development Specification
• Technical Requirements
• Milestones

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• The Importance of Internal Focus
• Treating Your Agency as Your Own Client: A Strategic Approach:
• Self-Assessment and Goal Setting
• Implementing Internal Marketing Strategies
• The Option of Outsourcing: When to Make Your Agency Someone Else's Client
• Balancing Internal Focus and Client Responsibilities 

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• As an agency, we need to take responsibility for the quality of leads we have coming through our doors.
• Having defined products and services is key to aligning yourself with the right clients
• Having a clear marketing process that guides clients is key to not wasting anyones time

1. What you do
2. Who you do it for

Funnel Mentality

1. Can you filter out those that are not suitable automatically?
2. Can you filter out those that are not suitable quickly?
3. Find your lowest common denominator - start there
4. The create the filters that move in from that point
5. Try not to leave clients hanging... have referral partners in place

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There are multiple levels of service that an agency can work on...

1. Clients
2. Staff and their dependants
3. The owner
4. The wider world

A business is only really a sustainable force when it can serve all four (OK, if you're content at being a solo-agency, then maybe not number 2).

• Personalized Service
• Proactive Service
• Responsive Service

• A safe place
• Security in knowing they are contributing to a bigger picture, that in turn contributes back to them
• Confidence in bringing life in to work and knowing that the balance is the last way round.

• Freedom
• Security
• Wealth
• "Success" – whatever that looks like

• A legacy
• Community impact
• A positive footprint

• Roger Edwards

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Local clients operate in a market you’re inherently familiar with. As a part of the same community, you can understand their target audience better, as you share the same environment, culture, and trends.

As a Digital Agency, you often need to target marketing campaigns to specific local audiences. Being in the same locality as a client can provide invaluable insights into the tastes, preferences, and behaviours of local customers. This can be crucial for crafting effective SEO strategies, creating locally relevant content, or running targeted ad campaigns.

With local clients, you have the opportunity for face-to-face meetings, which can foster stronger relationships. These meetings can often lead to a deeper understanding of the client’s needs, more effective communication, and ultimately, more successful projects.

While its easy for digital agencies can work remotely with clients, face-to-face interactions can still be beneficial. Meeting in person can foster better understanding and collaboration, particularly during initial project scoping or strategy development phases where nuanced discussions can be more effectively held in person.

It’s often easier to build trust with local clients. Being part of the same community or area creates a sense of shared identity and mutual understanding, making it easier to establish credibility.

Trust is crucial for any client-agency relationship, but it’s especially important in the digital sphere where clients often need to entrust sensitive data and crucial aspects of their business to their agency. Being locally present can enhance a sense of trust and reliability.

Working with local clients often leads to better networking opportunities within your community. Local clients are more likely to refer you to other local businesses, increasing your client base.

Local networking is an excellent source of business for digital agencies. Attending local business events or joining local business associations can result in referrals and partnerships. A good reputation in local circles can significantly enhance an agency's client base. There does need to be a hint of caution with this, however. Some local networking events can become stagnant (essentially the same people meeting in the same room each meeting). Unless there is an active referral practice in place, be wary if networking groups don't contribute to your business within a few months – it might be time to move on.

Working with local clients often means you’re helping local businesses grow, which can have a positive impact on your community. This can enhance your agency’s reputation and lead to more local work.

Helping local businesses grow can elevate the reputation of a digital agency within a local area. Success stories can be more tangibly demonstrated and can serve as strong social proof for the effectiveness of an agency's digital strategies.

This can either be through some form or partnership or shared community effort with some of your clients, or by tapping in to a local need and contributing individually.

In many cases, working with local clients can lead to quicker decision-making processes. Face-to-face meetings, shared working hours, and easier scheduling can speed up approvals and make project management more efficient. This is true for non-local clients too… sometimes a trip or a dedicated call can lead to faster decisions than

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How ChatGPT and Bard are different:

ChatGPT

• Database until Sept 2021
• Uses a volume of written text to understand and produce new output.

Bard

• Trained by a specific data set for conversations
• Main goal is to provide simpler results than the SERPs and trigger conversations

• ChatGPT:
• Better at writing.
• Stores previous conversations.
• Can share responses with others.
• Offers various plug-ins and integrations with popular sites and apps
• Bard:
• Better for research.
• Can research current information such as recent events.
• Read and summarize webpages. 

• KW Research / Content Ideation
• Content Auditing
• Types of content
• Content Planning & Structure
• Heading compilation
• Internal Linking
• External Linking
• Meta information (Meta Titles & Descriptions)

• Google Bard
• SurferSEO

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The perception of an agency as a commodity service can have several negative impacts on its growth. Here are the key issues: 

1. Price Competition: When a service is viewed as a commodity, the price often becomes the primary differentiator. This can lead to a race to the bottom in terms of pricing, squeezing margins, and reducing profitability.

2. Reduced Perceived Value: If an agency is perceived as a commodity, its unique selling points or unique aspects may be overlooked. The perception of value can decrease, causing clients to be less willing to engage or less loyal.

3. Difficulty Differentiating: In a commodity market, it's challenging to set yourself apart from competitors. Angela's agency may struggle to differentiate its services, resulting in lost potential clients to competitors who appear to offer the same services at a lower cost.

4. Limited Innovation: Commoditized markets often stifle innovation because of the relentless focus on cost-cutting. An agency might find it difficult to invest in new ideas, technologies, or processes that could actually improve service and client satisfaction in the long run.

5. Customer Loyalty and Retention: With services seen as interchangeable, customers may be less loyal and more likely to switch providers for minor price differences. This could lead to higher client churn rates and increased costs in attracting new clients.

6. Short-Term Relationships: If clients view the service as a commodity, they may not see the value in developing long-term partnerships. This can limit opportunities for repeat business and referrals, critical aspects of growth for many agencies.

Viewing contracts as business partnerships rather than commodities can have several beneficial impacts on an agency. Here are some of the key benefits: 

1. Long-Term Relationships: Viewing clients as partners foster long-term relationships, which can lead to repeated business, referrals, and ultimately more stable and predictable income streams.

2. Improved Collaboration: When clients are viewed as partners, they're more likely to engage in collaborative and productive discussions that can lead to innovative solutions, better outcomes, and higher client satisfaction.

3. Better Understanding of Client Needs: Treating clients as partners typically involves a deeper dive into their business, allowing the agency better to understand their needs, challenges, and goals. This understanding can help the agency to provide more personalized, effective services. 

4. Increased Trust and Loyalty: Partnership implies a certain level of trust and shared commitment. This can increase client loyalty and reduce client turnover.

5. Value-Add Services: With a better understanding of the client's business, the agency can more easily identify opportunities to add value beyond the specific terms of the contract, increasing the client's overall satisfaction and willingness to continue the relationship.

6. Enhanced Reputation: An agency known for treating clients as partners is likely to have a strong reputation in the industry, attracting more potential clients.

7. Reduced Price Sensitivity: Clients who feel they have a partnership with the agency are likely to see the value of the services provided beyond just the cost. This can reduce price sensitivity and increase the potential for higher profitability. 

8. Shared

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Sales that drive growth aren't incidental – they come about through a persistent drive to build a business. (Get the 50 business development ideas you can use every day). 

Savvy business owners know that all business is an investment. Their profit is a direct multiplication of what they put in. So they ask the question "What's in it for me?" If you can answer that, you'll make sales. If you can't, you won't.

To be clear, I'm not talking about giving away complete strategies or "free work" for clients, but I am talking about understanding the potential BEFORE you approach a client, and presenting the opportunity to them in such a way that they understand what could be in it for them from the outset.

This is often far easier to do with existing clients to upsell them on to new products or services as you understand their business model already, there will be a learning curve for any new client, but even utilising tools like CHatGPT can help you run audits in seconds – and that's exactly what SEOHive's Scout Reports and Local SEO Audits are designed to do. 

Any client that isn't interested in the opportunity (or who is just going through the motions) probably isn't a great client in the long run – you may do a project, maybe 2, but they won't be a long-term client.

So, what is the opportunity your clients are looking for?

• Search position?
• Sales?
• Enquiries?

What's their average conversion rate? If you can ascertain that, then you can literally forecast from spend to return.

Example:

• A client receives an average of 1000 website visits per day.
• They receive around 35 enquiries per day for their service.
• Of those enquiries, 60% become quotes, and they close about half of all quotes.
• So from the 1000 visits, they get 21 quotes and close 10-11 of them.

It goes to stand then, that if they can increase their traffic of the same quality by 100% (so 2000 visits per day) that would lead to 42 quotes per day, and 21-22 confirmed orders.

If they can 10x their traffic then that would be 210 quotes per day and 105 orders.

So without improving anything but traffic, you can demonstrate a return.

These are the numbers that help clients make investment decisions – are you selling through presenting the opportunity? If not, why not?

Check out SEOHive's Scout Reports and Local SEO Audit if you'd like to present SEO opportunities to your clients with a view to increasing your MRR. 

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Part 2 of a mini-series about User Generated Content – go back and check out episode 160 about what UGC is, how to create a UGC strategy and how agencies can help clients with UGC as a service.

The benefits of these tools are where the efficiencies lie for agencies. It's the tools that make this process scalable so you can sell it to 100+ clients and know you'll get reliable results for all of them.

NB: I'm not suggesting you use ALL these tools, but explore the options that will work for your agency and your process. AI tools are just like any other tool - don't pay for something if you're not going to meaningfully use it.

Key AI tools to note (most of these are for brand monitoring, social media management and content curation):

• TINT is a social content aggregator that helps agencies collect, curate, and share UGC from across social media. TINT uses AI to automatically tag and categorize content, making it easy for agencies to find the right content for their campaigns. TINT also provides analytics on UGC performance, so agencies can track the impact of their campaigns.
•  
• Nosto (formerly Stackla) is a user-generated content (UGC) management and marketing platform that uses AI to discover and curate online content. It can assist in selecting high-quality UGC, tracking how UGC influences conversions, and understanding which content resonates best with your audience.
•  
• Social Native is a platform that helps agencies collect and showcase UGC on their website and social media channels. Social Native uses AI to automatically tag and categorize content, and it also provides analytics on UGC performance.
•  
• Crowdfire is a social media management platform that helps agencies track and analyze their social media performance. Crowdfire also provides tools for scheduling posts, engaging with followers, and running contests. Crowdfire's AI-powered tools can help agencies find and curate UGC, and they can also help agencies track the performance of their UGC campaigns.
•  
• Sprout Social is another social media management platform that helps agencies track and analyze their social media performance. Sprout Social also provides tools for scheduling posts, engaging with followers, and running contests. Sprout Social's AI-powered tools can help agencies find and curate UGC, and they can also help agencies track the performance of their UGC campaigns.
•  
• Yotpo: Yotpo is an eCommerce marketing platform that allows you to collect, curate, and manage UGC such as reviews, photos, and Q&A. Its AI capabilities can help in identifying trends, and can also assist in displaying the right content to the right customers at the right time.
•  
• Canva's Content Planner: Though primarily a design tool, Canva's Content Planner feature uses AI to suggest the best times to post on various social media platforms, helping to maximize...

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Simply put, UGC is any content that is published online that is generated by your audience. Some of this may be autonomous, but businesses can also have a UGC strategy to help stimulate this content production. 

It is good practice to showcase the best UGC your business can gather, which can have both an on-page and off-page influence on SEO.

UGC can include (but is not limited to):

• Reviews and Testimonials: Users share their opinions, feedback, and experiences with a product, service, or brand. These can be in the form of written reviews, ratings, or video testimonials.
• Social Media Posts: Users create content on social media platforms, including text, images, videos, and hashtags related to a brand, event, or topic. This can include posts, stories, and comments.
• Blog Comments: Users engage with blog posts by leaving comments, sharing their thoughts, asking questions, or providing additional insights on the topic.
• User-Generated Videos: Users create and share videos related to a brand, product, or campaign. These can include unboxing videos, tutorials, reviews, or user-generated advertisements.
• Photos and Visual Content: Users share images, photographs, or visual content related to their experiences, products, or brand affiliations. This can be on social media platforms, image-sharing websites, or community forums.
• Forums and Discussion Boards: Users actively participate in online forums and discussion boards, sharing their knowledge, and insights, and answering questions related to specific topics or industries.
• Crowdsourced Content: Users contribute to collaborative projects or campaigns by submitting their own content. This can include artwork, photography, slogans, or ideas for contests or brand initiatives.
• Customer Stories and Case Studies: Users share their success stories, case studies, or testimonials highlighting how a product or service has benefited them.
• Q&A Platforms: Users provide answers, solutions, and insights on question-and-answer platforms like Quora or Reddit, addressing queries related to specific topics or industries.
• Podcasts and Video Interviews: Users participate in podcasts or video interviews, sharing their expertise, insights, or experiences on specific subjects or industries.

1. Define Objectives: Start by identifying clear objectives for your UGC strategy. Determine what you aim to achieve with user-generated content, such as increasing brand awareness, boosting engagement, driving conversions, or gathering customer testimonials.
2. Identify Target Audience: Understand your target audience and their preferences. Identify the demographic, interests, and platforms where your audience is most active to tailor your UGC strategy accordingly.
3. Choose UGC Platforms: Determine the platforms where you want to encourage and showcase UGC. This could include social media platforms, review websites, dedicated community forums, or even your own website or app.
4. Encourage UGC: Create opportunities and incentives for users to contribute UGC. This could involve running contests, giveaways, or challenges, soliciting feedback and reviews, or providing prompts or creative inspiration to encourage content creation.
5. Provide Clear Guidelines: Establish clear...

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Setting the context – the agency where I found my feet

• Working with Client Services
• Working on BIG clients
• Our agency was NOT a commodity

The problem – we see it all the time through SEOHive. Clients identify with what they can see and understand easily – that's why content retainers sell so well.

What doesn't sell so easily is the technical SEO and link outreach programs. That's because these items are far more unseen, so clients don't "get" them.

Bridging the Knowledge Gap:

• Some of what we do is technical, and some (maybe most?) clients won't want to know or care how something works. BUT this devalues so much of whats involved in SEO.
• Unseen Actions can include:
• Keyword Research
• On Page Optimisations
• Link Outreach
• Internal Link Building
• Hierarchy Optimisation
• Schema
• ...

How to communicate these things in a way that is easy for the client to understand.

• Including a learning curve in your marketing
• Communicate regularly – especially wins where they are unseen
• Drive your wins into firm results for the clients (sales, enquiries, etc).
• Don't use too much jargon
• Provide Reports to clients ahead of meetings so they can raise questions
• Meet regularly (monthly)
• Provide summaries of key data
• Send snippets of wins through each week

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The challenge:

We're all exceptionally busy – and if doesn't matter if we're an agency of 1 or 100, we all need to make sure that items of work aren't forgotten, deadlines are hit, our company is marketed, the booked an payroll are done, invoices are sent and that we have some time for ourselves and our family.

The solution:

Whilst it may sound exceptionally boring, establishing effective routines means you can become more efficient and think about the output rather than the process. This also seriously helps with delegating if some of these routines include catch-ups.

Here's my predicament:

• I run 2 businesses – that's two lots of staff, two lots of project management, two lots of sales and support, and two lots of everything!
• That also means everything is held in two places – we have separate project management systems.

Here are my techniques:

• Regular (weekly) catch-up meetings with core team members
• Weekly planning of my week (generally on a Friday)
• Start up and shut down processes
• Startup: review the day, and what needs to be done first
• Shut down: check the day (what got done vs what didn't) and confirm the plan for tomorrow
• Do, Delegate, Delete <- as much as possible... this is for far more than email
• Only check email a few times a day
• Have a separate communication channel for staff, but even then manage the notifications
• Plan your social time/activities in if they encroach on your "normal working day"
• Have a "normal working day" (or days). Mine are:
• Monday: 9-5
• Tuesday 10-6:30
• Wednesday: 9-5
• Thursday: Either 9-5 or 10-4 + 8-10 (late call every other Thursday)
• Friday 10-3 (including no meetings)
• Calendar Blocking where necessary
• Have SOPs for EVERYTHING.

Software to help with this:

• Project Management is in ClickUp for both companies
• I run "personal" management through ToDoist
• iCal for Calendar
• Trialling Sunsama that is bringing everything task and date based together from across all three sources (agency, SEOHive and Personal)
• Newton for EMail
• Slack for Internal Comms

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Explanation of customer experience (CX) and why it's important in the digital agency business. This includes marketing to new clients, servicing clients professionally and retaining / maintaining a lasting relationship with them.

Strategy 1: Improve Communication

1. Clear and regular communication is vital for any effective relationship
2. Practical tips to enhance communication with clients today

Strategy 2: Deliver On Promises

1. Always on promises and meet client expectations – this is not negotiable
2. Share tips on how to ensure consistency in delivery

Strategy 3: Don't confuse clients (aka Simplify Technical Jargon)

1. Explain why simplifying technical jargon is essential for better CX
2. Offer tips on how to simplify complex digital terms and concepts

Strategy 4: Regular Client Feedback

1. Discuss the importance of client feedback
2. Practical tips for setting up a feedback system

Strategy 5: Stay in touch!

1. Just because a client isn't on a retainer with doesn't mean they won't ever need your services again. Find ways to stay in touch with your past clients to remain top of mind and provide the easy opportunities to work together again.
2. Share strategies for tailoring your approach to individual clients

• Generating Leads with the 1/9 Rule
• What to do with a Lead once you have one

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1. 46% of all searches on Google include local intent
2. 24.4% of all clicks go to the first result of local business searches
3. “Near me” mobile searches grew increased by 136% in 2022
4. 56% of businesses haven't yet claimed their Google Business Profile
5. The average timeframe to see ROI-positive results from Local SEO is 4.76 months

• Phase 1: Local SEO Audits
• Phase 2: Local SEO Optimisations (Month 1)
• Including a full Local SEO Optimisation Checklist
• Phase 3: Ongoing Local SEO Delivery (Month 2 Onwards)
• GBP Content Creation
• Citation Submissions
• Review Monitoring

👉 Check out SEOHive's New Local SEO Plan

Use code retainfm for $50 off for 3 months!

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• Definition of scope creep
• Scope creep in digital agency work refers to the phenomenon where a project's scope of work expands beyond the originally agreed-upon goals, tasks, and deliverables, without a corresponding increase in budget, timeline, or other project parameters. Essentially, it occurs when additional work is added to a project without properly managing or communicating the change in scope to the client.
• Scope creep can happen in many different ways in digital agency work, such as when a client requests additional features or changes to the project scope, or when a project team adds extra work or features without consulting the client. The end result of scope creep is that the project becomes more complex and takes longer to complete than originally planned, often resulting in frustration for both the client and the agency.

Common causes of scope creep

• Clients moving the goal posts – "I forgot to mention" or "I thought that would be included!"
• Stakeholders – people not necessarily involved in the procurement process, but make decisions at project level
• Gold plating – providing additional work or deliverables that are beyond the scope of the original project agreement but NOT at the request of the client (aka – making life harder for yourself!)
• Examples of how scope creep can negatively impact a project
• Overrunning the budget – or "losing your profit"
• Unsatisfied customers – every customer has the potential to be an advocate for you, don't lose it
• Sub-optimal final product

• Setting clear goals and objectives with clients
• Building a strong scope of work and project plan
• Communicating effectively with clients throughout the project
• Proactively managing change requests
• Managing client expectations and educating them about the impact of scope creep

• Identify the Cause
• Assess the Impact
• Communicate with the Client
• Revisit the Web Design Brief
• Document Changes
• Reprioritise Requirements

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This is part 2 of a two-part show. Check out Part 1 of this podcast – Generating Leads through the 1/9 Rule

In this episode, I share a comprehensive process that digital agency owners can follow when they receive a lead or enquiry. Tune in to learn how to convert more leads into clients by following these steps:

1. Initial Lead Capture: Streamline your lead capture process with CRM systems or lead capture forms and consider automation to save time.
2. Prompt Response and Communication: Respond quickly to leads and maintain consistency using email and phone call templates. Personalize your communication for better engagement.
3. Qualifying the Lead: Assess if the lead is a good fit by determining their budget, timeline, and project scope through targeted questions.
4. Setting Up an Initial Consultation: Schedule a meeting or call with a clear agenda and relevant information to establish rapport and trust.
5. Proposal Development and Presentation: Create tailored, compelling proposals that showcase your agency's expertise and value proposition.
6. Addressing Objections and Negotiation: Learn strategies to overcome common objections, negotiate effectively, and recognize when it's best to walk away from a prospect.
7. Closing the Deal: Secure a signed agreement, set clear expectations, initiate the onboarding process, and focus on maintaining long-term client relationships.

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Reasons Digital Agencies complain about leads:

• They "don't have any"
• They "don't know where to find them"
• The "don't have the time"

... All excuses...

What I've actually found is that all the digital agencies I've coached have easy access to leads, they just don't (really) know what to do when they've got one... so they pass on it or don't even class it as a "lead".

The 1/9th Rule

Firstly, you need to understand your customer. Is this:

• Industry Specific
• Business Type Specific
• Location Specific

Create of grid of 9 squares and fill it with how your service (or services) directly help that customer.

Examples:

• Help them sell products reliably online
• Help them rank in the search engines
• Take the pain out of unreliable web hosting
• Help them integrate their website, product management and CRM systems through seamless integrations
• ...

When you have your 9 blocks... ONE of them will become your marketing tool. This one needs to be:

1. Something that is a specific need of your client
2. Something the client COULD do on their own – it might be convoluted, but they CAN do it if they really want to
3. Something that will make a real-world difference to them today
4. Something that you can create a marketing hook for
5. A lead into the other products and services you offer

Create a resource that helps the client with that ONE thing. This NEEDS to work and be accessible to them

• PDF
• Video
• Podcast
• ...

You then go 110% into that ONE block:

• Create content about it
• Engage on Social Media about it
• Search for people looking for help with X
• Run Ads about it (if you do this, people could even submit their details through the ad)
• Make it your topic of choice on guest podcasts
• Speak from stages about it
• Become the number 1 person known to help with it in that niche

And et voila... you have leads.

The REALLY daft thing about all of this – this is all advice you'd give to your clients, but Agencies are notorious at not taking advice for themselves.

Part 2 – coming next week – what to do when you have a lead!

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As with everything you need to apply the 80:20 rule – AI can get you 80% of the way there, but you still need to do the other 20% (thanks Bob Gentle for the inspiration here).

Internally

• Marketing
• Social media
• Meeting summaries

Externally / with clients

• Keyword clustering
• Content ideas & briefs
• Content Structures
• Social Media Ideas / Posts
• Content Summaries
• Meta Descriptions
• Meta Titles
• Custom imagery

AI tools we're using:

• KeywordInsights.AI
• SurferSEO
• ChatGPT
• 
  

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There are many different models of pricing recurring (and non-recurring) services...

... but all of them rely on you building profit into your pricing structure. 

In this episode, we walk through how to rice a recurring service to make sure you're making money EVERY TIME (including a base price calculator for you to use) and discuss why profit is so vital to every business. 

The Base Price Calculator is available in a bundle with the Recurring Service Planner (see episode 150!)

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When you sell anything, it's your responsibility to make sure it works!

In this episode we break down a recurring service into its constituant parts, and then provide a Recurring Service Planner (which comes bundled with a base price calculator) for you to plan your own service!

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Knowing what your capacity is and deciding how to delegate to grow is key to any form of agency growth.

(This is applicable to you, your business and your staff!)

Main talking points include:

• The differences between business priorities and delegation
• How to map out your likes and dislikes in your working life and making those decisions
• How a framework can help build your business life and that of your team members
• A framework built on a quadrant chart (screenshot available in shownotes).

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In this episode, we cover:

• What is a Value Ladder?
• How to Create a Value Ladder
• Benefits of a Value Ladder
• Common Mistakes to Avoid
• Why a value ladder is good for a Digital Agency

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In this episode, we cover:

• Signs that a Client isn't a Good Fit
• Why it's Important to Say No
• How to Say "No" to a client (and some alternatives)

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When was the last time you took a step back, looked at the whole picture and asked "OK – is this as good as it can be?"

In today's show, we uncover why sometimes asking the most obvious questions, can be the key to delivering in your business and for your clients.

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There's an inherent cost to ranking in the search engines... You either pay a direct advertising cost through Ad Spend, or you pay through the time and effort to rank organically. By employing an SEO professional you also incur the cost to rank organically, just faster than you would on your own.

Understanding how Google makes money can really help you to fast-track your organic SEO objectives...

Google makes money by running ads. It can charge a premium for those ads by ensuring the 10 organic results displayed on page 1 are the best, most relevant pages on the internet that will help the user – otherwise, why would anyone bother to pay to be above them?

Understanding the terms and, crucially, the intent behind the terms, that people are paying for means that you can be way more focussed on your keyword research and content creation process.

"But Google doesn't use keywords anymore?" I hear you cry. Well, not exactly.

Google has moved to show results far more based on users' intent than purely on a keyword basis, but you can't get away from the fact that it all starts with what a user types (or says) into the search bar.

Types of user intent:

Commercial intent

This intent signifies a drive by the user to act. Searchers are most likely to commit to purchasing or enquiring as a result of these types of searches

Informational intent

The user is willing to find out more about the subject matter. It’s probably not a good idea to try selling anything to them outright, but these could be good for developing “gated” content and capturing email addresses

Transactional intent

Transactional intent lies somewhere between commercial and informational intent. Essentially, these queries can represent both the purpose to buy or read more about the subject

Navigational intent

These people are just trying to get around the internet with the least path of resistance. They know where they want to be and just don't want to type it into a search bar

You can get all of this information through keyword research tools, along with the values people are paying to appear on page 1.

So what do you do with this information when you have it?

1. You can make decisions on which keywords to attempt to rank for and which not to bother with.
2. You can create versions of content for different types of intent, especially once you understand your client's sales funnel
3. You can laser focus on what will move the bottom line for your client the fastest and show an ROI – from an agency perspective we also have to win clients, demonstrate results and value and win the trust of our clients too... an added pressure that making good decisions quickly can help you with.

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Where to start for a client that has NO SEO budget.

Here's the formula:

1/ Write about your main product or service in full from start to finish.

• Make sure you have sub-sections to your content (ideally 6-8 sections)
• Don't go into granular depth in any of your sub-section
• Make sure this has the main title in the URL, meta title and description
• Ideally 2000-3000 words

2/ For each of your sub-sections, write another blog post – this time going into FULL detail about each section, and writing it in the words you would explain it to a customer.

• At least 1000 words, but these can be as long as you like.
• Include internal links (at least two, no more than four) back to the main service page you wrote in point 1 on the keyword you optimised for in point 1.
• Go and update that service page with links back to your topic posts, again linking on keywords

3/ Make sure every page has a mechanism for people to enquire, get in touch, sign up or buy

4/ Share each post/page on social media – you can share more than once on some social platforms too!

5/ Repeat steps 1 and 2 for each service you run – starting with the most profitable, then working your way down.

Book – They Ask You Answer – Marcus Sheridan

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Many of us become slaves to our inboxes – when a client emails we down tools on what we're doing and jump right onto their requests. As the day goes by the inbox seems to get worse, and the end never seems to be in sight.

But what if there was another way?

In this episode, I speak with James Murgatroyd, an agency owner who has mastered the process to manage his inbox, so that it doesn't manage him.

We outline James' email system, and talk about Agency Productivity in general – so once you have all that time back you are super efficient with it.

In short, the system comprises of:

• Taking on an "Unsubscribe Campaign" – if you can get the information elsewhere, get it out of your inbox
• Adopting a Folder System:
• Personal
• Accounting
• A folder for each client
• To do
• Action
• In Progress
• Pending
• Reply
• Waiting for Reply
• Incoming (going to remove) - enquiries
• Read at some point (typically get emptied about once a month)
• To Pay

In addition, we also cover:

• Pomodoro Sessions
• Go High Level
• ClickUp
• Jasper.ai

• Troy Dean – Agency Mavericks and Mavcon
• Kyle Van Deusen – The Admin Bar
• Noah Britton – Agency X-Ray

James Murgatroyd is the Chief Everything office at Holler Digital, a web, and marketing agency in Edmonton, Alberta Canada. He's been building websites and digital strategies since the late 90s and is passionate about user experience.

Twitter: @hollrt

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In this episode, Jeff Patch and I set the mics rolling following one of our weekly SEOHive meetings.

We reminisce a little about how we got started, unpack where we are now, and chat about why we get so much out of running SEOHive.

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In this epsiode I walk you through the method we use to calculate the base price for the services in our agency.

We follow the process of

• Itemising Costs
• Building In Profit
• Allowing for Taxes

As mentioned in the episode – I have a template for a service planner and cost calculator for you – you can get them here!

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Lee is the founder of Agency Transformation Live – an in person summit for Digital Agency Owners to come together, build relationships and build lasting change into their businesses.

Launching in 2019 with a phenomenal inaugural event, Lee had to transform the event through 2020 as a result of the COVID pandemic. In this epsiode we discuss the journey of Agency Transformation Live, and Lee reveals whats in store for the 2022 event that is taking place in November.

Lee teaches thousands of agency owners across the world how to build a business and lifestyle that they love.

The host of Trailblazer FM, Cloudways Maverick on YouTube and Co-Founder of Event Engine™.

Focused on teaching agency owners the principles of transformation he hosts the yearly Agency Transformation Live conference.

Website: https://agencytransformation.live/

Twitter: @trailblazerfm

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Abby is the Founder of The Content Lab – a remote content department for digital agencies. In this episode we discuss:

• Why Content IS important for the web design / development process and why you should be bothered about
• What you need to consider when you are responsible for the website content
• How to bill copywriting as part of your web design process
• How to include copywriting as part of your recurring revenue
• How you can retrofit a copywriting exercise to a completed web build

• Blog: How Much Does A Copywriter Cost? – Abby's blog on The Admin Bar's Website
• Book recommendation: Content Strategy for the Web by Kristina Halvorson
• Content Goodies – white-label copywriting guides

• Kyle Van Deusen / The Admin Bar (on FB)
• Lee Jackson's Trailblazer FM

Founder of The Content Lab, Abby has completed copywriting for over 300 websites personally, and leads a 6-woman team of amazing copywriters and content experts. Originally from Cambridge in the UK, she now lives in Waterford, Ireland with her partner Nick and their Border Collie Bosco.

Website: https://www.thecontentlab.ie/

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Andy is the Author of Own Your Career, Own Your Life. In this episode we unpack the topics of personal and career development and Andy explains his experience of it, including his battle with cancer, and how he has honed his personal development practices and skills. This has now formed the basis of not just his book, but the mantra by which he lives his life and builds his business.

Andy Storch is an author, speaker, consultant, coach, and connector as well as the host of two podcasts including The Talent Development Hot Seat and Own Your Career Own Your Life Show.

Andy is also the founder and host of the Talent Development Think Tank conference and community.

Andy is passionate about helping people fulfill their true potential and his book, Own Your Career Own Your Life, is designed to help people stop drifting and take control of their futures.

Most importantly, Andy is a husband, father and friend who is on a mission to get the absolute most out of life and inspire others to do the same.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andystorch/

Instagram: @andy_storch

Twitter: @andystorch

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Alex runs his agency, The Lead Engine, by selling a process. This starts with a website, but moves on to a marketing process that he and his team have honed over years of practice for the Financial Services Sector in the UK.

Alex explains the key markers he has found are lynchpins to the marketing process for Financial Service Advisors, and explains how his process revolves around this. Alex also explains how his sales process works without actually mentioning the digital services involved.

Alex is the founder and MD of The Lead Engine, a marketing agency for Financial Service Businesses in the UK.

Website: https://theleadengine.co.uk

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"The truth is everyone has a personal brand" – Bob is THE go to coach for leaders who wish to develop the personal brand AND their business. Bob has coined the phrase "LeaderBrand" to encapsulate this.

The dilema is this... we all have access to the same information, so why don't we all see the same results? Based on the most successful business people he knows, Bob has devised a structure that he calls "The Seven Blades of Good Fortune" that all revolve around your "Why". The blades are:

• Dreams and Vision
• Discipline and Productivity
• Network and Community
• Creativity and Imagination
• Mindset and Positivity
• Confidence and Swagger
• Knowledge and Understanding

Bob works with leaders at every stage of business to help them step out in front of their marketing. He does this through his podcast, youtube channel, coaching, masterminds & consulting. His mission?.. Helping business leaders around the world discover, set and achieve their goals online - then build a business they love.

Website: https://amplifyme.agency/

Instagram: @bobgentle

Twitter: @bobgentle

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In this epsiode I walk you through the process we have honed of writing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) – an SOP for SOPs!

All of our processes follow the structure of:

• Define Prerequisites
• Define Outcome
• Document Process
• Define Completion
• Resources Required
• Glossary of Terms
• Where to get help

... and I will guide you through each one of these!

As mentioned in the episode – I have presented this process before... If you'd like a copy of the Slide Deck, you can get it here!

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In this episode, Joseph and I talk about hope having a define will and being open to many different paths (or ways) is key to developing yourself and your business.

Joseph Bojang is on a new mission to help the world through the concept of Hope Theory. He’s the owner of Web Champs, a digital advertising company dedicated to helping clients grow online. He's a sought-after advertising expert and routinely handles 6 and 7-figure budgets for clients, and is also known for his endeavours into cryptocurrencies and blockchain.

Website: https://www.josephbojang.com/

Instagram: @josephbojang

TikTok: @joseph.bojang

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In this episode Brandon Birkmeyer and I unpack exactly what a brand is, and how it is vital for Agencies to develop their own brand. We cover the advantages of brand development and the tactical outworks of this in real life!

Topics include: 

• What is a brand
• How the process of content creation helps develop your brand
• Using your clients to drive the process of defining and shaping your brand
• How brands set expectations through meaningful experiences
• How to put a brand into action

Brandon Birkmeyer is a seasoned brand strategist, business coach, keynote speaker, and podcaster. For over 17 years, Brandon advised and directed brand strategy for top FORTUNE 100 companies including Apple, Coca-Cola, Walmart, and Wells Fargo. He is the founder of the Podcast Branding Academy, an online school for podcasters. He also produces and hosts a top marketing podcast called Brands On Brands, which has ranked #1 in personal branding and content marketing on Apple Podcasts.

Website: https://www.brandsonbrands.com

Twitter: @bbirkmeyer

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With my coaching clients I've been working a LOT on creating space in their businesses before taking on anything new in terms of business development or transformation...

In this episode I explain why that's a good idea, and how you can do that in your business by:

• Reviewing your products and services
• Reviewing your pricing
• Reviewing your client base

We're all stretched for time, right? So by reviewing these 3 easy areas of your business, you can go from being reactive to proactive and taking back control of your own destiny...

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Why have a distribution protocol is a good idea:

• Just generating content and hoping for the best isn't a great strategy
• Helps fill the gap between content publication and indexing in the SERPs
• It is easier to plan in advance if you do it when you're creating the content

What is a content distribution protocol?

• A regular method or schedule of activity to boost initial traffic to a new piece of content

What are the benefits of a content distribution protocol

• It drives traffic quickly
• It is easy to set up and automate
• It means there is some traffic data already associated with the content when Google indexes it

What might a content distribution protocol look like?

The major rule of engagement:

• Never Share the Same Message Twice!

Some content post ideas...

• Straight and Easy: Post Title + Link
• The Question: Ask an engaging question to stir conversation
• Cite a Fact: Share a fact or figure that is included in your post
• Share a Quote: Grab a pull-quote from your article and turn it into a social message
• Add Intrigue: Write a teaser message that grabs the attention of your readers

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From a background of being an in house and agency designer, Doug has run his own business in a variety of guises.

The transition – giving prospective clients a choice:

• A project-based model that costs a little more, and at the end of it we pass over the project and it becomes your responsibility.
• A recurring model based on a payment plan, that includes the payment plan and all care plan and hosting services, that doesn't cost as much over the period of time.

"After getting my BFA degree (majoring in Visual Communications) in 2000, I became a pro Web Designer…. and its been a wild ride ever since! Along the way I’ve been an employee for other agencies, I’ve been a contractor (like an employee without benefits!), and I’ve ran my own show. I’ve learned a lot along the last 21 yrs, seen the industry change and grow a lot, and I’d like to think I’ve gained just a wee bit of wisdom. I’m happy to share some things I’ve learned along the way 😀"

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• The power of laughter - how it energizes you as person
• What laughter yoga is and why you should consider it for yourself
• Pete's story and background in business (it's no joke!)

One afternoon, at a summer festival with his family, Pete heard the joyous sound of laughter ringing out from the arboretum. Assuming they were missing the funniest comedian in the world, Pete instead stumbled on his first Laughter Yoga event. And it was at this point that Pete Cann ‘Business Man’ became the man we have today, Pete Cann ‘The Laughter Man’.

From that first session, surrounded by people laughing unconditionally and without boundaries, Pete realised the joy that laughter could bring to a group of people. Returning from the festival, Pete began to investigate Laughter Yoga. The more he discovered, the more the idea of laughter as a health and wellness activity resonated with him.

Pretty soon Pete was attending as many Laughter Yoga sessions as he could find. The problem was, there were not too many of them. So Pete Cann ‘Laughter Man’ was born and he made it his mission to bring the benefits of laughter to as many people as he could.

In the same way he built his first business, Pete has used all of his innovative thinking to make himself a name in the Laughter Yoga world. Via the new phenomena of video calls, Pete Cann the Laughter Man has performed Laughter Yoga to rooms of people around the world. As his name gets bigger so do the rooms and so do the numbers of people attending.

Pete has made it his mission in life to bring the health, happiness and wealth benefits of laughter to the whole wide world.

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• There's always a way
• The first solution isn't always the best solution (although it sometimes is!)
• Being flexible enough to accommodate some quirks to your process
• Being strong enough to know if you're the person / company for the job
• Being known for solving problems

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• What makes you the most money? 
• What is under-performing that needs to?
• What has quality issues?
• What will help improve the direct bottom line?

Run keyword research thematically or by department if necessary.

The output of your keyword research is threefold: 

1. Keyword research document (Google Sheets Template)
2. Keywords Mapped to Existing Content (Google Sheets Template)
3. Keywords NOT mapped to content

Access the Keyword Research & Mapping Template

• Seed ideas
• Wikipedia Table of Contents
• Google’s “Searches related to”
• Reddit and Forums
• Google Suggest
• YouTube Suggest
• Exploding Topics (see Twitter)
• Competitors (SEMRush / Ahrefs / Keyword Planner)

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COVID lockdown in the UK

Shoulder

Delivery of Demystifying SEO Advanced Modules

SEOHive Updates and 1st Birthday!

General Work

Mental Health

Personal Ethos – if something's worth doing, its worth doing well...

Something HAD to give, and it didn't feel right to show up on a podcast every week assuming everything was "tickety-boo" when it wasn't.

I took time to:

• Look after myself
• Deliver the Content I needed to
• Improve the Systems and Processes at SEOHive
• Keep work flowing through my agency

In many respects it felt weird NOT delivering the podcast... It's 3 years old now, and to not deliver weekly content was strange... But, we're back, and in a better place than we were before.

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