8 Must-Have Systems to Grow Your Digital Agency Easier

00:00:00 - The Importance of Systems for Agency Growth

[00:00:31] - System 1: Gaining Clarity

[00:01:24] - System 2: Positioning Your Agency

[00:03:10] - System 3: Crafting the Right Offering

[00:04:46] - System 4: Building a Prospecting System

[00:07:02] - System 5: Developing a Sales System

[00:08:26] - System 6: Creating a Delivery System

[00:09:10] - System 7: Optimizing Operations

[00:10:26] - System 8: Leadership and Scaling

[00:12:23] - Benefits of Implementing Systems

[00:12:45] - Introducing the Agency Playbook

[00:13:47] - Continuous Updates and Community Support

[00:14:08] - Achieving Agency Success

Do you want to stop being reactionary to your business and instead grow it more methodically and predictably? When I grew my first agency, there were a couple of years where it felt like we hit a plateau. It seemed no matter what we did, we stayed stagnant.

In the end, the only thing that made a real difference in seeing exponential growth was implementing the right systems. So many of us are in the agency business by accident. But, success doesn't happen by accident and that's why you need a plan. In this video, I explain the 8 components of the business plan every digital marketing agency needs to be successful.

Most of us are accidental agency owners who knew how to do something cool, people starting to pay for those services, and before you know it you’re reacting to the market. However, this can only get us so far and eventually we’ll need reliable systems to build a

Here are the 8 Systems Every Digital Marketing Agency Needs:

1. CLARITY:  Where is your agency now and where do you want it to go? What is your niche? Who is your ideal client? You can't get where you're going unless you're clear about the destination. Moreover, having this clarity will allow you to start saying no to the clients that are just not right for your agency.

2. POSITIONING: How can you position your agency as "THE Choice" rather than just "A Choice"? Start by talking to your clients and asking the right questions. Listen more than you speak and learn how you can assist them in achieving their business goals. Instead of making yourself the star in their story, make it clear it’s all about them.

3. OFFERING:  What do your ideal clients need? Hint: it's not always what you want them to need :) But, what does your service offering ladder look like and how can you use it to build trust and land the bigger projects or retainers? Rather than selling a monthly retainer, make it easier for clients to sign a twelve-month contract by building their trust first with a foot-in-the-door offer.

4. PROSPECTING:  With the right positioning and offering, how can you find the right prospects? Referrals are great, but they’re the icing on the cake and should never be your main source of leads once you start to scale. I believe every agency should have a 3-channel approach to prospecting: inbound, outbound, and partnerships. That way, if one or two of those channels become weak you still have others to fall back on.

5. SALES:  What will be your process for converting all your prospects into clients? Are you talking to only the right prospects and not wasting time on the wrong ones? Is there a qualification process, proposal process, and follow-up process? By documenting sales processes, qualifying prospects early on, and positioning the agency as the best choice for the client, the agency can increase its closing percentage and win more deals.

6. DELIVERY:  This area is often overlooked but super important to success. What is the onboarding strategy? What is the plan for continuous follow-up? How can you ensure you don't lose money through scope creep? Focus on delivering results that exceed client expectations and lead to repeat business and referrals. You’ll be able to maximize your agency’s revenue and client satisfaction by streamlining operations, avoiding scope creep, and upselling additional services.

7. OPERATIONS:  What is the structure of your team and what does your agency's org chart look like? As you grow, how will the org chart continue to develop and where do the layers of authority and responsibility lie? Creating an organizational structure that allows for flexibility and efficiency, optimizing cash flow, and putting the right people in the right roles, will help you position your agency for long-term success.

8. LEADERSHIP:  Finally, define your role in setting the vision, being the face of the agency, understanding the financials, coaching and mentoring the leadership team, and delegating responsibilities effectively. What are the roles of the leadership team and how involved in the owner in daily operations? What KPI's are important and how often do you measure them against your goals? How will you develop your agency's brand and continue to stand out?

If you want a more detailed version of this breakdown that covers each of these systems, check out the Agency Playbook. If you’re really serious about starting and growing an agency, this program is for you. Following these principles and implementing the five key systems outlined, aspiring agency owners can set themselves up for success and accelerate the growth of their businesses.