Welcome to episode 110. This episode is for you if you're an agency owner either interested in buying agencies to grow, or selling your agency at some point. It's also enlightening if you work in an agency and you want to understand the process of mergers and acquisitions. Jonathan Baker, Practice Lead in M&A at Punctuation joins me and shares a lot of tips and insights about the buying and selling process, including: - the current state of M&A and why right now might be a really good ti...
Mar 26, 2024•38 min•Ep. 110
Welcome to episode 109. My guest is Michael Farmer, a management consultant who has been looking at the agency business model for over 30 years. He's identified three burning issues for creative agencies. 1. Work is increasing in volume and yet agencies fees are declining. But because agencies aren't measuring scopes of work, they don't often realize the extent to which this is happening. 2. Agencies aren't helping clients achieve their business outcomes. Clients are paying them less and typical...
Mar 04, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 109
Welcome to episode 108. Are you struggling to manage a remote agency team? If so, you're going to get a lot of value from my conversation with Gustavo Razzetti, CEO of Fearless Culture and author of ‘Remote, Not Distant’. He shared some very thought-provoking insights for agency leaders and agency teams, including • how remote working is only amplifying the positive and the negative aspects of your agency culture that were already present • how to fix the issues • how to make your remote brainst...
Feb 19, 2024•43 min•Ep. 108
Welcome to episode 107. If you’ve ever wondered if you’re pricing your services in the right way, this one is for you. Alfie Wenegieme, Managing Partner at Cactus, joins me and he shares: 1. Why agencies don’t lose pitches on price alone 2. How agencies price to ensure a healthy profit margin 3. Typical mistakes agencies make when pricing 4. And some useful tips for account managers and project managers when scoping projects If you’re listening to this episode in February 2024, I’m opening enrol...
Feb 02, 2024•48 min•Ep. 107
Welcome to episode 106. If you’d like to know how one agency has been using AI since 2011 to predict the future for their clients, this chat will be interesting for you. It will also be insightful if you’re curious how the agency works with their global CPG and FMCG brands. Nik Pearmine, Chief Strategy Officer at Black Swan Data, and I cover a range of topics including: - his view on what it takes to be successful in account management - what he thinks is in store for the future - and whether w...
Jan 23, 2024•41 min•Ep. 106
Welcome to episode 105, I have invited two of my most popular podcast guests back for a second time, sales trainer legends; Marcus Cauchi and Benjamin Dennehey. Both have been sales trainers for years and have worked with many agencies and tech companies. They shared some golden nuggets to help you with selling your agency’s services. I had to throw away the list of questions I’d prepared and let the conversation flow naturally because I wanted to capture as much of their collective sales wisd...
Jan 09, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 105
Welcome to episode 104. In this episode, I talk all things agency project management with Joanne Reid, Managing Partner for delivery at Cactus. We cover: - the challenges agencies face with project management - how Joanne assesses how well an agency's project management is working - how project management differs from account management and why she recommends agencies to have both roles - the target level of annual gross profit an agency should reach before investing in both roles - her recommen...
Dec 14, 2023•45 min•Ep. 104
Welcome to episode 103. This episode will be particularly relevant to agency owners who want to become less hands-on in their agency and just step away from the day to day operations. I'm chatting to Karl Sakas, an agency growth consultant in the US and author of several books, the latest of which is called Work Less and Earn More a Practical Guide for Agency Owners to help them escape the daily grind of agency ownership. Karl has spent years consulting with agency owners and leaders and, I thin...
Dec 05, 2023•42 min•Ep. 103
Welcome to the final episode in my mini series of five bonus podcast episodes created to show you how to build an entrepreneurial mindset in your agency account managers. In this episode, I share the key things you need to do to get your account managers adding value from day one and reduce churn. And this comes back to many of the things we've discussed already in this podcast series. I speak to so many agency owners who feel frustrated by high staff turnover. Ultimately, reducing churn and ret...
Dec 01, 2023•6 min•Ep. 102
Welcome to number 4 in my mini series of five bonus podcast episodes created to show you how to build an entrepreneurial mindset in your agency account managers. Why do so many account managers miss out on new account growth opportunities in client meetings? Often it's because they haven't asked the right questions. Or maybe they've asked some of the right questions but didn't have the confidence to probe deeper in their questioning. In this short episode, I share why investing the time to help ...
Nov 30, 2023•5 min•Ep. 101
Welcome to number 3 in my mini series of five bonus podcast episodes created to show you how to build an entrepreneurial mindset in your agency account managers. Agency owners often tell me they wish their account managers were more confident in client meetings, including being confident enough to suggest new ideas for new projects. But, as with everything else, you can't expect your account managers to just know how to run an effective client meeting. In this episode, I share seven things that ...
Nov 29, 2023•8 min•Ep. 100
Welcome to number 2 in my mini series of five bonus podcast episodes created to show you how to build an entrepreneurial mindset in your agency account managers. In this episode we're looking at how to raise the value of account managers by taking them from an 'order-taker' to a trusted advisor. You can't just expect clients to treat your account managers as trusted advisors, because trust has to be earned. In this episode, I cover: - creating a culture where clients trust account managers from ...
Nov 28, 2023•10 min•Ep. 99
Welcome to the first in a series of five bonus podcast episodes. I've created this podcast mini series to show you how you can develop an entrepreneurial mindset in your agency account managers, so they can: - help increase the lifetime value of clients - generate more referrals - help you maintain a healthy sales pipeline In this first short episode, I'll be tacking the 'elephant in the room'. Why do you feel your account managers are not spotting those growth opportunities? And over the next f...
Nov 24, 2023•7 min•Ep. 98
Welcome to episode 97. My first ever podcast was with Kate Whittaker, head of corporate communications at DUAL Group, so working on the client side. During that episode she was explaining the exceptional agency who worked with her, particularly about their excellent client service, but also how they really understand her and her business. So for this episode, I invited the leadership team of that agency, Free Partners, to talk to me about how they work and think. You'll hear from Managing Partne...
Nov 20, 2023•46 min•Ep. 97
Welcome to Episode 96. My guest is David Meikle, the author of ‘Tuning Up’, a book about improving performance and reducing stress in advertising and marketing. This chat will be particularly interesting for you if you're finding the pressure and stress of working in an agency unmanageable, or you're responsible for creating positive agency environment in which your team can thrive. We discuss: - why David describes the relationship between the agency, the client and the client's procurement dep...
Nov 06, 2023•52 min•Ep. 96
Welcome to Episode 95. This episode is particularly relevant for you if you’re responsible for agency new business. I'm joined by Benjamin Dennehy, UK's Most Hated Sales Trainer, and I hope by the end of listening to our chat it might just change your thinking about how you currently qualify prospects and sell your agency’s services, , particularly if you’ve never received any professional sales training. Benjamin invites us to challenge our beliefs around pitching and giving away your ideas for...
Oct 17, 2023•59 min•Ep. 95
This episode is for agency leaders who are supporting their account manager to grow the existing client business. I’m going to share tips for ensuring the agency leadership team are providing the right level of support to their account management team in three key areas; 1. Providing the commercial context 2. Internal processes 3. Relationship risk management If you are an account manager, or you have an account manager or account director or client services director in your team, who you want t...
Oct 09, 2023•20 min•Ep. 94
Welcome to episode 93. If you’re working in creative agency account management you know how essential it is to have a positive relationship with your creative director built on trust. I asked Creative Director, Joey Tackett, to join me and discuss what’s most important to him about working with account managers so we can see account management through the lens of the creative team. Joey shares: 1. The key skills he believes AMs need to be respected by their creative team 2. Where the relationshi...
Sep 05, 2023•45 min•Ep. 93
Welcome to episode 92. This episode is for you if you’re curious to know how an SEO strategy agency is using AI tools to reduce the amount of repetitive, tedious tasks and free up the team to work on more of the strategic thinking for their clients. Dale Bertrand, Founder and President of Fire&Spark shares with me: • How AI tools have reduced his team’s workload and improved efficiencies • A step by step breakdown of his internal automated workflow • Why creating predictive models might end ...
Aug 22, 2023•40 min•Ep. 92
Welcome to Episode 91. This episode is for you if you're interested in how the AI landscape is changing for agencies and what you need to know from a legal perspective about your use of AI. I chatted with Sharon Toerek, Founder and Owner of Legal + Creative| Toerek Law. The topics that we covered include: - the ownership of the outputs - potential protection of your inputs - designing policies and contracts, including clauses that will cover your freelancers and relationships with contractors, a...
Aug 08, 2023•37 min•Ep. 91
Welcome to episode 90, which is for you if you’d like to know what a non-billable CSD does in an agency. Luke Bowler from Therefore Interactive joined me and he shares: · How he went from studying to be a designer to moving to the account management role · Why his CSD role is non-billable and how he decides where best to spend his time · How he interacts with the project management team who are running the day to day projects · How he cleverly keeps abreast of his client’s industry news despite ...
Jul 19, 2023•45 min•Ep. 90
Welcome to episode 89. This episode is for you if you're curious to understand what a senior account director does in a brand strategy agency. I chat to Andy Kaye, senior account director at Mr B & Friends and we discuss: - the importance of being proactive with clients and staying informed about industry trends - share tips on staying up to date with your clients business - discuss how often you should be looking at your forecast - why and how to build strong client relationships that resul...
Jun 27, 2023•40 min•Ep. 89
Welcome to Episode 88. My guest is Rob Da Costa, an agency growth consultant from Da Costa Coaching. We discuss a myriad of topics, including: - the process for hiring the right account manager at your agency - examples of how to set client expectations and boundaries - why having a written scope of work is key to successful project delivery - and Rob's thoughts in general on the agency landscape and the future of agencies. During our chat, one theme keeps emerging, which is ensuring you have th...
Jun 06, 2023•49 min•Ep. 88
Welcome to episode 87. In this episode, I chat to Mike Lander, CEO of Piscari, a former procurement director who now assists sales teams in negotiating with procurement departments. Mike and I discuss: - the common mistakes agencies make when negotiating with procurement - what procurement looks for when selecting an agency - and why they are interested in your financials. We also dive into a five-step framework to help you negotiate more effectively and shed light on some questionable tactics e...
May 18, 2023•47 min•Ep. 87
Welcome to episode 86, where I'm joined by Konrad Sanders, CEO of The Creative Copywriter agency, to discuss the impact of generative AI on copywriting. In this episode, we covered: - How Konrad's team is adopting AI tools and the most useful tools they've found. - The limitations of AI-written copy and what clients are saying about AI. - Advice on managing the process of change within your team and integrating AI into your workflows. https://www.linkedin.com/in/konradsanders/ If you're interest...
May 04, 2023•46 min•Ep. 86
Welcome to episode 85. This episode is for you if you're interested in understanding how a project management team and an account management team work together in an internal communications agency. Sara and Lindsay are heads of department at US-based Brilliant Ink. They joined me to talk through their years of experience running this model. This episode could be interesting for you, if you're an account manager doing both project management and account management and you're curious to see how an...
Apr 24, 2023•56 min•Ep. 85
Welcome to Episode 84. If you're interested in the fast-changing world of generative AI, and how clients and agencies are using it, then you will love this conversation. Roy Murphy is the founder of Synthetic, an agency specialising in emerging technologies. Roy shares with me: - the main pain points that generative AI is solving for clients, and how he's currently advising his clients. - what you need to know right now as an agency account manager about the AI industry - how he thinks the AI la...
Apr 04, 2023•49 min•Ep. 84
Welcome to Episode 83. On this episode, we're talking about the split between the agency Account Manager and the agency Project Manager role, with Kate Vines and Kio Aghoghogbe from Hallam. This is going to be particularly interesting for you if you're working in an agency with a hybrid account management role, you're doing both sides of the role currently, you might also be an agency owner who's looking at splitting the roles out and not really sure exactly how each function is going to work to...
Mar 21, 2023•48 min•Ep. 83
Welcome to Episode 82. Emerging technologies like AI are taking the world by storm at the moment with the likes of Microsoft's Chat GPT, for example, and today's guest, Soumya Mohan, is the Co-founder of Poised, an AI-driven app that I've been using for a couple of months now. I believe it's pretty game changing for account managers to help them communicate on a much more deeper level with their clients. I invited Soumya to talk to me about it and share the features and benefits so you can decid...
Mar 07, 2023•32 min•Ep. 82
Welcome to Episode 81. This episode is for you if you're looking for inspiration on how to enhance your clients' experience and lead them into the future. Katherine Strachan is the founder of CopyHouse, an award winning B2B content marketing agency for fast growing FinTech and Tech brands. In 2020, Kathryn was a freelance copywriter and just three years later, in February 2023, she has an agency with a team of 25 people. Her client base includes some of the biggest names in Tech and FinTech. She...
Feb 21, 2023•41 min•Ep. 81
