How to DOUBLE Your Agency’s RETAINERS with This 3-Minute REVENUE HACK

00:00:00 - Close Sales Faster and Double Your Retainers.
00:00:22 - The Mistake of Month-to-Month Retainers
00:00:53 - Introducing the Foot-in-the-Door Offer
00:01:16 - 3 Possible Outcomes of the Strategy Session
00:01:37 - Identifying and Solving Client Challenges
00:01:58 - Transitioning to a Project-Based Approach
00:02:10 - Positioning Retainers for Long-Term Value

Do you want to know how to close more clients faster and easier while doubling your agency retainers?

After 25 years in the industry and having successfully built two agencies, I can say one of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen agency owners make is clinging to the traditional model of agency-client relationships of month-to-month retainers, which can lead to a lack of commitment from both parties.

I too used to try to sell clients on $5,000 monthly retainers. Under that model, I typically held on to a client for six months, basically making $30,000 on that client.

This changed when I started making adjustments to our offer so I could close faster, easier, and make more money by developing a foot-in-the-door offer. This is an opportunity to develop something side-by-side with the prospect while learning their pain points, goals, and whether or not they’re a good fit for your agency.

The foot-in-the-door usually begins with a high-level strategy planning session that lasts one to two hours. During this session, the agency identifies the prospect's most pressing challenges and positions a tailored offer that addresses these issues. This initial engagement serves multiple purposes: it provides value to the prospect, establishes the agency's expertise, and opens the door to deeper conversations about future collaboration.

There are three potential outcomes from this strategy session. First, the prospect may choose to implement the plan independently. Second, they decide to work with the agency, or third, if dissatisfied, they request a refund. This structure eliminates the perceived risk for the prospect, making it easier for them to say "yes" to the initial engagement.

Once the agency has established a rapport and demonstrated value, the next step is to position a more substantial project that addresses the client's needs. Clients typically begin to see value from agency work around the two-month mark, that is why I would propose a three-month project priced at $15,000. This gives the client time to see the value in the relationship and makes them more likely to move forward.

Finally, by the end of the project, when clients have already experienced the benefits of the agency's work, it’s time to position a retainer priced between $9,000 and $10,000 per month for a minimum of one year, going from making $30,000 per client per month for six months to making well over six figures per client for a year.