Welcome to episode 118. On the last episode, I interviewed the brilliant Tim Williams from Ignition Consulting group about pricing strategies and why agencies need to sell outputs and value and not hours, particularly given the rise of generative AI. If you haven't listened to that, I'd recommend you go back and listen to episode 117 because Tim shares so many different aspects of why we need to do this as agencies. Today's guest, founder of Lodestar Agency Consulting Brian Kessman, continues this theme and shares how to make that shift to a value led revenue model.  In this chat, we tal ..read more

Welcome to episode 116. This episode is for you if you are responsible for managing projects in an agency.    This one could be quite controversial, but equally very enlightening because my guest is going to be potentially challenging your belief about the role of project management. Jack's Skeel’s book is called ‘UNMANAGED’ and Jack makes a very compelling case for the fact that teams work more effectively when managed less, not more.    During this chat we cover: ·         why agencies should be asking themselves what they need to start unmanaging ..read more

Welcome to episode 115. If you're in agency new business or account management and responsible for contract renewals and account expansion, you're in for a huge treat because Tim Riesterer, author of ‘The Expansion Sale’ (Four Must-Win Conversations to Keep and Grow Your Customers), joins me.    Tim is a powerhouse and working with huge enterprises in this area, but he also has a background working in agencies.    We discussed data backed insight into:   ·         the real reason prospects buy and how to change your approach to new business ·&n ..read more

Welcome to Episode 114. If you're an agency owner who wants to stand out in a competitive market, then today's guest has written an entire book about it.  Gareth Healey, author of "STAND OUT OR DIE" joins me to share: - what he learned from scaling and exiting his business - his seven step framework for standing out in a crowded marketplace - and his advice for other agency owners who want to productize their services and Stay competitive in the future. You can connect with Gareth Healey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garethhealey/ And find his book here: http://mybook.to/STAND ..read more

Welcome to episode 112. I’m joined by Shannyn Lee, Managing Director of Win Without Pitching ®, which is widely recognised by the creative industry as one of the best quality sales training programs because it's specifically tailored to agencies. This episode will be particularly valuable for you if your job at the agency is winning new business and you'd like to know how to do that without having to go through a costly pitch process. During our chat, Shannyn shares: - the Win Without Pitching ® principles - what it takes to circumnavigate a client's pitch process - the common sales challen ..read more

Welcome to episode 111. This episode will be particularly relevant for you if you're heading up the agency or you're in charge of an agency team.    Alison Coward is the founder of Bracket, a consultancy that partners with ambitious, forward-thinking companies to help them build high-performing and collaborative team cultures. She is a culture strategist, workshop facilitator, coach, trainer, keynote speaker and author of “A Pocket Guide to Effective Workshops” and “Workshop Culture: a guide to building teams that thrive”.     Alison shares some data backed insights, some b ..read more

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 time to sell - the impact of AI on the changing agency landscape and his advice for content mar ..read more

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 typically fire them every three years and generally treat them as order takers. 3. AI ..read more

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 enrolments again for my Account Accelerator programme that be ..read more

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 we should be worried about AI replacing our jobs. You can get in contact with Nik via L ..read more