Do you wish you could future-proof your agency? Want to land more agency clients and retain them longer? The agency industry is ever-changing but you can create an evergreen marketing agency by going back to the basics. Some of the best practices from the Mad Men era still apply today! Check out these strategies from an agency founder who’s been in the business since the 1980’s.

In today’s episode, we’ll cover:

• Why you should focus on the client’s internal storytelling.
• 2 ways to land big accounts and retain them longer.
• The best way to future-proof your evergreen marketing agency.

Today, I talked with Peter Cimoroni — Founder and CEO of Razor Marketing with 3 offices across the country. Peter has been in the agency space for over 4 decades! It was a completely different world back then. So, how did Peter keep growing and scaling year-after-year? How does an old-school marketer survive the digital age? With strategy and persistence, of course…

Why You Should Focus on the Client’s Internal Storytelling

As an agency, you’re a storyteller. We do that for our clients’ brands all the time. Whether you do video, paid ads, or SEO or whatever the case may be; you’re trying to tell the story of the brand. But, what about the client’s internal story? All of those ads and SEO tricks help tell prospects a brand’s story. But, who is telling their employees the story?

Peter believes that not only does adding internal storytelling boost your deliverables, but it can be a huge boost for businesses.

How can you package those video services to make them valuable internally? Sure, you shoot paid ad videos, but what about shooting internal team-building videos for your clients? If you can find a way to offer brands internal and external storytelling, you’ll be able to service two of their needs and boost your bottom-line. That’s a win-win!

2 Ways to Land Big Accounts and Retain Them Longer

Peter’s agency has 8 full-time people and they don’t hustle looking for new clients all the time. How? They have landed and retained some big clients that provide consistent revenue. Here are Peter’s two biggest tips to score big clients and keep them:

1. Have processes. The best way to keep cash flowing and retain big clients is to develop killer processes. Developing strategies can help you automate some of your client acquisition. If you have step-by-step methods for dealing with certain deliverables, you don’t have to waste brain space on each client. Make it a no-brainer when it comes to deliverables so your team can focus on the areas they really need to — such as retaining those big clients. Plus, with automations and systems you’ll be able to offer predictability and consistency.
   

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2. Help other entrepreneurs. As strange as it sounds, being helpful to other entrepreneurs can pay off. Not only does it build long-lasting relationships that could potentially flourish into partnerships, but it gives you a sense of self-worth or fulfilment you can’t get elsewhere. Here’s the best thing, helping entrepreneurs can build relationships and open doorways that may not be open otherwise.

The Best Way to Future-Proof Your Agency

Peter and I started our agencies in different eras of marketing but we both found ways to future-proof the business. So, how do you keep an agency growing strong for ten or event twenty years in the future? Persistence! I know, it sounds a little corny but, there are tons of strategies out there helping you become forward-thinking.

The truth is, you don’t know what’s around the corner. You have to be willing to fail and keep going.

Peter said he has learned more from his 3 startup failures than his 6 successes. The only real way to WIN is to keep at it. Sure, there may be times where throwing in the towel seems tempting But, persistence pays off and you’ll win eventually. As Peter says, “take those lessons and those scars and bring it to the party.”

Additionally, Peter says to re-evaluate your processes on an annual basis. Don’t settle for the “this is the way we’ve always done it” mantra. Instead, check-on and improve upon your systems and processes every year. Chances are, as technology and team members change your processes will need updating as well. There’s always a better, faster, easier way of doing things — and that itself is a great way to future-proof your agency.

Want to know where the agency industry is head? Check out our Future Outlook of Marketing Agencies in 2019

Creating Your Evergreen Marketing Agency

Moving forward from today’s episode, here are the key points to take away to grow your agency into an evergreen marketing agency. The first element to look closer at is telling your client’s story internally. By adding internal storytelling into your agency’s strategy and processes, you will increase the boost in your deliverables and a huge boost for businesses.

Processes within your business are key to grow an evergreen marketing agency. Strong processes and strategies when working with clients will make it a much smoother process and allow your team to focus on retaining large clients. Another factor that will make your agency evergreen is reaching out to entrepreneurs. By offering support and connections to other entrepreneurs, you are creating relationships that can lead to opportuites you might not have had previously.

And lastly, to create an evergreen marketing agency, be open to failing and re-evaluating your business.

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