Below I am sharing a sample chapter from my new book, The Agency Secret, hitting shelves in the Summer of 2023...

CHAPTER 1

TREAT YOURSELF LIKE A CLIENT

“In the event of an emergency, place the mask over your nose and mouth before assisting others...”

I remember the first time I heard this; five-years-old, sitting on an airplane, fascinated by the entire process. I remember thinking to myself... why would they tell parents to put those masks on themselves before putting them on their children? That doesn’t sound very nice.

However, upon further consideration, I quickly came to understand and realize the undeniable logic in what the flight attendant was telling us to do.

If you’re not able to put your own mask on first, then you likely won’t have the ability to help others – at least not effectively.

The same is true for agencies. You operate in a high-pressure environment where the demands of your clients will always take precedent, leaving little room to ever put yourself first.

Thus, you don’t take proper care of yourself. You’re consistently underwater, fighting to find those moments where you can come up for air. Where you can take a deep breath, pause and find the open space to take a deeper look at your business.

By failing to create that space, you fail to treat yourself with anywhere near the same level of care, attention or strategic thinking that you do your clients.

So, although flight attendants have been warning you about this your entire life, you continue to place the mask on others – without placing the mask on yourself first.

And one day, you just might find... that you’re running out of oxygen.

THE TYPICAL AGENCY TRAJECTORY

Your first million (in annual revenue) almost killed you – but you made it.

Fighting an uphill battle with little to no credibility to stand on.

The second million was no walk in the park either – standing on the credibility of your one impressive client (and a few small others).

Over time, your growth comes in bursts. An ebb and flow that lacks consistency, while fueling your worst fear: that if one thing goes south, you’ll have to let people go. The people you love and worry about every day.

As you continue to grow, things begin to feel more stable for the first time. It’s nice.

A delusion you take comfort in.

Yet most of your large new business opportunities still come directly through the agency principal – or perhaps through the magic of a single, irreplaceable salesperson.

A system that is inherently unscalable.

Meanwhile, it takes your staff every minute of every day (and then some) to service the clients you have, making it difficult for them to assist with your new business efforts.

You’ve debated whether you should “niche down” and specialize further, to have a more targeted approach in your sales and marketing – but you don’t want to turn away any high-paying clients. So, you leave the door open, nice and wide, for whoever wants to come in.

Due to the width of this doorway, you’ve (likely) acquired a somewhat random collection of clients over time – from different industries, with differing needs. And this makes it hard to dive deeper into any one specific industry or area of focus.

So, paralyzed by indecision, you coast along, continuing to collect whatever comes through the door. All the while aware that your lack of specialization is making it harder to “catch” new clients – simply because – you don’t have a sharp enough hook.

Your brand is not positioned to resonate deeply enough with any one specific type of client. And you can’t say, with a straight face, that you have a well-oiled sales and marketing machine. To achieve that next level of growth, you know something needs to change – but what?

Perhaps you know what needs to change, but you’re currently stuck in the (never-ending) process of attempting to make that change. Getting hung up in the details, spinning in circles, drowning in indecision.

There are too many cooks in the kitchen. And too many paths to follow.

So, you coast along, doing what you do, likely to achieve the same level of results over time.

WELCOME TO THE AGENCY SECRET

Although the above trajectory is generalized, and will not apply to every agency... I expect much of it sounds familiar. This means you’re in the right place.

Every concept in this book is underpinned by a simple idea. A foundational principle that has the potential to supercharge your growth.

Treating Yourself Like a Client.

Let’s consider an important question...

What would happen if you treated yourself with the same level of rigor that you treat your largest or most important client?

This book provides a practical path to explore this (and other questions) through a series of models and methods that have been developed and modernized over the past 23 years. Models you can use to analyze your core business model, understand your perceived value, strengthen your market position and develop better systems to attract, engage and secure your dream clients.

To be one of the first people with a copy of this book, you can join our waitlist at the link below and be notified to receive pre-launch early access!