Are you trying to figure out how to scale your agency and take on new agency clients? Do you want some killer agency growth tips? Finding clients can be tough, especially if you don’t yet have a salesperson or team in place to land more clients. But, if you play your cards right, you can skip some of the typical growing pains in order to grow and scale faster.

In this episode, we’ll cover:

• 3 ways to reel in more new agency clients
• How to know when to hire a salesperson.
• #1 way to capture clients in the beginning.

Today, I talked with Kirk Deis, co-owner of Treehouse 51 and creator of proprietary software Bugsquasher. Kirk started off building Tumblr sites, ghostwriting, and grinding in the freelance world. Three years ago he finally decided to make the jump from freelancer and started his own agency. Like all new agencies, he learned some tricks along the way, and he credits is business for mentoring him along the way. Today, he shares a ton of great tips for breaking those first barriers.

3 Ways to Reel in More New Agency Clients

Wondering the best ways to build trust and authority in the market? Capturing prospects’ attention can be tough in the beginning. Here’s how you can reel in your ideal clients by building trust and authority.

1. Be a student. Too many new agency owners fall into the trap of trying to leverage themselves as experts. Don’t be afraid to ask for help! Connect with mentors, interview experts, retweet or share social posts by others. You don’t need to have all the answers, you just need to know where to find them and how to connect to them. All these things help build instant credibility and maybe even score some clients.
   

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2. Connect on social media. Everyone is on social media – use it to find and talk to them! Connect with other agency owners or marketing experts and create some deep, meaningful connections. Find out who’s doing it better than you and connect with them. Help first rather than asking for help. These relationships can lead to tons of new opportunities that would not be possible without social media connections.
   

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3. Do free stuff. Don’t be afraid to do your first few jobs for free! It’s a great way to capture the attention of prospects in your niche and build authority. You will build up a portfolio and be able to ask for testimonials. It’s that sort of priceless social proof that lands clients more easily than any paid ad campaign ever could.

How to Know When to Hire a Salesperson

I get this question a ton. When do you hire your first salesperson? Kirk hired his first salesperson at the $500k mark. But, honestly, it’s not about when you hire your salesperson, but how. Most agency owners think they can be the sole salesperson, and there are some that can (like Kirk, for example). But, having a dedicated salesperson is the best way to truly scale as well as fill your pipeline.

If you’re the founder and owner then it’s hard for you to focus solely on sales. That means when you are focused on sales, then sales are great. But when you’re pulled into other areas, such as delivery, then sales suffer. If your agency is suffering from big ebbs and flows of sales and the owner is the one handling sales, then it’s probably time to hire a salesperson dedicated to that role.

Here’s the thing. Don’t just hire a salesperson and then tell them they have to sell your way. Give them the freedom to sell their way. Here’s the trick. Define the outcomes, not the strategy. Maybe start them off with just selling your foot-in-the-door offer, then you could assist with selling the next project. The key is to assist, not dominate the whole process. If you start trying to force salespeople to work within your parameters, you’ll end up with a terrible experience.

#1 Way to Capture Client’s in the Beginning

It’s less about what you’ve done and more about how you do it. So don’t worry about a solid portfolio, just nail down a great process. You don’t have to show off your previous work; you need to explain what sets you apart. Sit your prospect down and tell them why your process is better than your competitors. Do you make websites? What’s your process? How is it better than your competitors? Why do your sites convert better than other agencies? If you don’t know, figure it out and then point it out to your prospects!

Clients want to know why they should choose you. They don’t want your secret sauce ~ they just want to know you have one 🙂

That great looking portfolio may get your foot in the door, but your process will convert! Here’s the thing about your process, it must be fluid. There’s always a better way to do things. Your agency should be that better way. If it is, your prospects will notice, and they will definitely be interested.

What to Remember When You Want to Win New Clients

So what should you take with you from today’s episode when your goal for your agency is taking on new agency clients? Well first, it needs to be a goal from the moment you meet the client. In order to gain new agency clients, you need to show them from the start why your business is the best choice for them and not your competitors.

Strengthen your connection with new potential clients by offering small jobs for free, this way you can build your portfolio for future clients while encouraging them to work further with you. Always be open to learning from others and building connections with other leaders and agency owners. This shows that you are not claiming to know it all and open yourself up to potential risk with new agency clients.

And as an agency owner, you can’t control it all. Hire a salesperson, layout the outcomes you want them to achieve and then let them go out and bring in new clients to your agency.

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