Welcome to Episode 80. My guest is Mark Sainthill, an agency M&A expert. If you're an agency owner, you're thinking about selling either now or at some point in the future, Mark talked about the main things you need to consider if you want to sell and why market conditions and timing are really key. He also talked about what's most attractive to a potential buyer, and the actual process of selling. We discussed the future, and why agencies need to keep evolving their services to keep ahead o...
Feb 07, 2023•37 min•Ep. 80
Welcome to Episode 79. We're talking about personal branding, what it is, what it's not, and why my guest thinks many people are approaching it in the wrong way. Who better to talk about this topic than the founder of personal branding agency Great Influence, Ash Jones. Ash is the person who started working with Steven Bartlett on his personal brand when he founded his social media agency, Social Chain. Steven has gone on to become one of the most influential voices in entrepreneurship. If this ...
Jan 24, 2023•41 min•Ep. 79
Welcome to Episode 78. Today's episode is for you if you're an agency owner, busy running an agency, but also facing challenge or adversity in your private life. Rebecca McIntyre-Smith is director of digital agency Primate, and founder of the Lemur Foundation. She has a remarkably touching story of tragedy, adversity and resilience. She also shares her practical tips for other agency owners. If you'd like to be a guest on Rebecca's own podcast to tell your story, then you can contact her on Link...
Jan 04, 2023•46 min•Ep. 78
Welcome to Episode 77. On this episode, I chat to Dan Archer, a marketing expert for agencies. This episode is packed full of practical tips to help you with your own agency's marketing. Dan shares with me: - the biggest challenges facing agencies when it comes to marketing their services - practical and actionable advice for how to approach it - what the most successful agencies right now are doing to market themselves - and why you don't necessarily have to be the agency personality on LinkedI...
Dec 20, 2022•46 min•Ep. 77
Welcome to Episode 76. This is part two of a two part episode about raising your account management game. If you haven't listened to part one, I'd recommend you go back and give it a listen, it's episode 74. This two part series is relevant for you if you're in a more senior account manager role, and you want to either be promoted to account director, and you need to know what you need to do to get there, and you don't understand what tasks you need to do, how you need to be behaving differently...
Dec 06, 2022•24 min•Ep. 76
Welcome to Episode 75 with my guest Beth Sharma, Client Services Director at Hallam. This episode is for you if you're interested in any of the following three areas: You'd like to know what the Client Services Director does in an award-winning digital marketing agency. You'd like some tips on how to get more client recommendations. What it means for the client services team if you work for a B Corp agency. After listening, check out Hallam's impressive profile on The Drum Recommends: https://ww...
Nov 22, 2022•51 min•Ep. 75
Welcome to Episode 74, I get to speak to a lot of account managers who work in creative agencies. And I get a lot of questions about how they can progress their career, how they can be better at the account management role, and some of the key things that are most important when it comes to being more efficient and more effective in the role. And I sometimes get people who are frustrated that they're not progressing fast enough, that they really want to get promoted. Perhaps they're at senior ac...
Nov 08, 2022•22 min•Ep. 74
Welcome to Episode 73. Are you asking your client for referrals to get more business, or does the very thought of it make you feel uncomfortable or awkward? If it does, you're definitely not alone. And you're also in for a treat because my guest, Stacey Brown Randall, will be providing guidance on how to get referrals without asking. Stacey has been helping agencies and service-based businesses for over 10 years, through her business, Building a Referable Business™, as the Award-Winning Author o...
Oct 18, 2022•51 min•Ep. 73
Welcome to Episode 72. This chat is packed full of tips for how to be successful in the agency account management role as you transition through the levels, to become a Client Services team leader. Vicky Janaway joins me from The Gate agency and she shares with me: what her role entails as client relationship lead what it takes to be an excellent account manager and account team lead some tips for making the transition from account manager to account director why she follows the philosophy of Ra...
Oct 04, 2022•48 min•Ep. 72
Welcome to Episode 71. I invited Ryan Lisk, Founder of Hybrid Legal, to talk about why it's important to cover yourself legally when growing an agency. We chatted about: some of the risks agencies take by not having the right contracts in place the different legal areas agencies need to pay attention to at every stage of their growth and he also shared examples of how easily you can leave your agency business exposed when you don't cover all of the most relevant legal areas. If you have any ques...
Sep 20, 2022•52 min•Ep. 71
Welcome to Episode 70. Have you ever experienced feelings of anxiety, overwhelm, or even burnout in your agency job? We all know that working in an agency can be fun and rewarding. But it's also really fast paced. Many account managers are juggling lots of different client relationships, multiple projects, and reacting to the inevitable unexpected fires that also need to be put out. And, let's be honest, some days, weeks, or even months can be constantly busy and feel pretty relentless. Account ...
Sep 06, 2022•50 min•Ep. 70
Welcome to episode 69, with agency profitability expert, Marcel Petitpas in which we talk about the agency account manager's role in making sure projects are delivered profitably in a creative agency. https://ca.linkedin.com/in/marcelpetitpas He shared: - the most common reasons agencies are unprofitable - some examples of where agencies can tighten up - what he's seeing the most profitable agencies doing differently - the importance of the account managers role in agency profitability - and wha...
Aug 23, 2022•56 min•Ep. 69
Welcome to Episode 68. This is a shorter, solo episode in which I talk about growing your existing accounts. There's been a lot of talk about the coming recession. If so, how do we prepare for it? Mark Ritson has written about this in Marketing Week, and The Drum have been talking about how agencies can prepare for it. For agencies, it will be even more important than ever to look after their current clients. Not only look after them but also seek ways of growing them as well. So, I've to share ...
Aug 09, 2022•13 min•Ep. 68
Welcome to episode 67. You're in for a treat as I chatted to a very experienced marketer, Gareth Turner, who's been an agency client for much of his career. He shares his own experience of being on the client side. He has also carried out a study of the best and worst client-agency relationships, and how to improve them, and he's published the results in a white paper. During our chat, we talked through the findings of this report. Whether you're in marketing on the client side or managing the r...
Jul 26, 2022•45 min•Ep. 67
Welcome to Episode 66. We’re talking about diversity and inclusion in creative agencies with DE&I expert, Tutu Popoola, Lead HR Consultant and Managing Director at Sleek HR. She shares so many tips and advice and insight into how agency leaders are navigating their way through the topic in their agencies. If you're an agency leader, she shares: · the areas of your recruitment systems and processes that you need to pay attention to · how you can inadvertently exclude a team members when it co...
Jul 12, 2022•55 min•Ep. 66
Welcome to Episode 65. This episode will appeal to two types of people. 1) If you're already working in agency account management, but you're super ambitious, and you just want to see where your account management skills can take you in your career, or 2) you're an agency owner, and you want to scale your business Today's guest is Danny Turnbull. Danny helps independent agencies grow their business, but he started his career in account management. He moved through the ranks of account management...
Jun 28, 2022•48 min•Ep. 65
Welcome to episode 64. Nicky Parker, founder of Bang Consulting, helps companies make sure their marketing is fit for purpose so she's very familiar with the realities of what our marketing clients do on a day to day basis and the challenges they face. In this podcast, Nicky shares: - Why agencies shouldn't be putting technical people in charge of a client relationship - How account managers can get more credibility and deepen the relationship with their client - Why account managers shouldn't b...
Jun 08, 2022•58 min•Ep. 64
Welcome to Episode 63. A few months ago, I was invited to chat to Kap Chatfield from Rveal media about my podcast. During that interview, he grilled me not only about why I have the podcast, but he also asked me to share some tips for how to retain and grow client business. I thought it might be valuable to share the interview with you, if you haven't listened to it already, because we talked about: - the number one problem agencies have with account growth - ideas for how to address account gro...
May 31, 2022•34 min•Ep. 63
Welcome to Episode 62. Usually, I have podcast guests but thought I'd do a quick episode to share with you some best practice tips if you're in the account management role and you're looking to do a bit of relationship risk management. I believe there are a few 'red flag moments' that every agency account manager needs to be aware of, and look out for. These are, essentially, points in the relationship where your client relationship is at risk, and the account is at risk. And not only are 'red f...
May 17, 2022•19 min•Ep. 62
Welcome to Episode 61. Today's episode is about people and culture in a creative agency. It's particularly relevant if you're an independent agency owner because my expert guest, Sarah Brewster, Managing Director of Fresh Seed talks to me about why attracting and retaining staff is the biggest challenge in the industry at the moment. She shares: - some tips for how to recruit effectively - advice for navigating issues such as diversity and inclusion, safety at work and the Me Too movement - and ...
May 03, 2022•49 min•Ep. 61
Welcome to Episode 60. The most downloaded podcast episode to date is still my first chat with Kate Whittaker, a marketer of 30 years who shared insight into what it's like being a client, and what clients want most from their agencies. If you haven't listened to that one already, I'd recommend you go back and have a listen. (Episode 1) In this episode, Kate talks about what's changed for her since August 2020, which was when the pandemic forced us all to be locked down. She shares: what have be...
Apr 19, 2022•43 min•Ep. 60
Welcome to Episode 59. My guest for this episode is Peg Dougherty Marcus, Co-Founder of the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA). Peg is, quite frankly, one of the most inspiring women I've met in a long time. She started her career in a healthcare communications agency and she was just 23. In this chat, we talk about why and how she started the HBA in 1977, despite every obstacle, and also in a dominating 'boys club' culture. She also talks about why women were scared to speak out about...
Apr 05, 2022•50 min•Ep. 59
Welcome to Episode 58. This episode is for you if you're wondering how an Account Director in an international network agency operates, and how they lead a team. Faizan Ali is an account director at VMLY&R, and he shares with me: - what makes a successful agency account manager - what each level of account management should do (account exec, account manager and account director) - typical challenges you encounter in the role and some tips for how to overcome them. - why he likes to share tip...
Mar 22, 2022•53 min•Ep. 58
Welcome to Episode 57. What's the metaverse? How is it different to Web 3? What do agencies need to pay attention to? I chat to agency owner Ben Fryer from Diverse Interactive who has been helping his clients create virtual experiences for years. He gives us his take on the Metaverse and the opportunities for agencies of all disciplines.
Mar 08, 2022•43 min•Ep. 57
Welcome to Episode 56. I chatted to the author of 'The Art of Client Service', the legend that is Robert Solomon. If you haven't listened to his previous episode, number 46, I'd highly recommend you go back and have a listen because we talked about so many things relating to the account management role, including: - why there are fewer account managers doing more with much less experience - why some people believe the account manager role is becoming extinct - and why often the work of great acc...
Feb 22, 2022•56 min•Ep. 56
This episode is going to be particularly useful for you if you are managing your agency team remotely and want some tips and ideas for how to keep the team engaged. Today's guests Fiona Edwards and Katie Langdon have been running their very successful healthcare communications agency, Skin and Blister remotely years before it became something we were forced to do in 2020 due to the global pandemic. They share: * Why they decided from the beginning to have this remote working model * The key area...
Feb 08, 2022•43 min•Ep. 55
Welcome to Episode 54. I spoke to Jessica Bowler and Iris Gatzweiler, two senior procurement clients who shared some insights into the pitching process. It's particularly useful for you if you want to know why clients typically pitch out for business, procurement’s role in the whole pitching process, how the brief is developed and some insight into how the final decision is made. There are also some shared examples of where agencies have performed particularly well in the pitch process. Don’t fo...
Jan 25, 2022•50 min•Ep. 54
Welcome to Episode 53. On today's episode we talk about making client relationships more profitable. Business growth consultant, Chris Merrington, shares some golden nuggets of advice about how agencies can be more commercially savvy. We covered so many different areas including: What clients really value and how to talk the client language Why you need to raise your prices and how to do it Why you need to establish and nurture senior client relationships and so much more... At the end of the po...
Jan 11, 2022•59 min•Ep. 53
Welcome to episode 52. Today we're taking a deep dive into the power of words with linguist Eloise Leeson. Eloise works as a freelance communications consultant and copywriter for both agencies and brands and I think you'll find this interesting whether you're thinking about copy in the context of your client's business or your agency's business. She shares with me: 1. How to recognise inherent bias in the copy you read 2. Some common mistakes businesses make with their copy and some practical t...
Dec 28, 2021•50 min•Ep. 52
Welcome to Episode 51. This chat is going to be particularly interesting for you if you're curious where agencies will be headed in the next 10 years. From everything I've researched over the last couple of months, the biggest change coming for agencies in the next decade is web3. Web3 is the next evolution of the Internet. And here to enlighten us about what web3 is, and how agencies need to be prepared for it is Jeff Kauffman Jr, Founder and CEO of Parachute, which builds and invests in web3 s...
Dec 14, 2021•59 min•Ep. 51
