August Roundup
The end of the summer holiday's is always bittersweet. On the one hand I am itching to get back to a better routine and get my teeth stuck into some fantastic projects starting soon, but on the other hand I'm going to miss the fluidity to the summer holidays. Taking days off, or morning/afternoon's off to be with the kids has been wonderful and really good to let go a bit and not worry that the business will dry up if I'm not in front of my computer... maybe I need to find a way to incorporate the both moving forward?
I also realised in the summer madness that I missed the July roundup (opps!) so there will be 2 months worth of insights in here! Buckle up as it's a long one... feel free to scroll to what peeks your interest!!
New brand
If you also haven't noticed or seen my announcement, I relaunched with a new brand, offerings and name 'Client Success Matters' (because this is ultimately what you should be aiming to achieve!) which I am loving and have had some wonderful feedback about! You can see the new site and full offerings here.
I would love your thoughts on it, there is always room for improvement with anything!
So, what's been on my mind this month?
Trust, we all know it's the bedrock of a business relationship, but does this permeate back into your agency? If you don't trust and show you trust your team, this can have disastrous repercussions. Read why here.
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Have you seen the report - What Clients Think report by Up to the Light - if you haven't had a chance I highly recommend reading it, it's got some real nuggets of gold in it.
One thing that really stuck out for me within the report was how easy it is for clients to start to feel unvalued by their agency, in fact they are very sensitive to it, which means your client servicing needs to be slick and consistent!
Here are some of the “danger signals" to be aware of:
? Drop in responsiveness
? Not enough senior level input
? Perception that the agency is growing and winning new clients
? Lack of proactivity
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I ran my first LinkedIn Live the other day, still working out how I feel about it as it was very disconcerting not being able to see people, I prefer being able to see faces so I can read the room and react appropriately. (I actually wrote a post about the importance of this which you can read here).
Either way, I ran through some interesting insights on things you should consider in your First 100 Days in a new client relationship, if you want to watch you can do here.
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Are you John?
John was great at talking to clients, it was his business so he could speak with ease about what the prospects strategy should be. He peaked their interest, he got a brief, he responded and then tumble weed...
Sometimes John got the work, went above and beyond the scope of work, delivered on what was promised and still the client didn't renew...
What was John doing wrong? Read about it here.
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We launched 2 new programmes!!
This is a really exciting step in our journey and one I have been working on for a while now. After speaking to numerous agencies over the last year there were 2 clear areas of need:
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1) Founders/solopreuners have to play a hybrid client services role but they haven't been given the tools and frameworks on how to not only service their clients, but also qualify in and out work/ re-engage lapsed clients/ create referral strategies/ embed ways of working etc, which is why I have created the - Foundations of Client Services
2) Account Directors are seemingly lacking some fundamental core skills to do their job, particularly:
Our 6 week programme will give your account directors all the tools, frameworks and knowledge to be able to excel in their role, which will ultimately drive growth within your agency. For full details visit - Strategic Advisor Mastery for Account Directors
The next cohort for both programmes is in October and there are a few slots left for both, so do get in touch to grab the last slots - [email protected]
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Podcasts
I released 2 really interesting episodes on my Client Success Matters podcast this summer.
One with the lovely Rosie Baker from Footprint Digital where we discuss how Footprint have put training and education into the heart of their business, as well as:
?? The strategic role of Relationship Managers
?? Educational initiatives and team growth
?? Client Relationship Building
?? Footprints values of openness and honesty both internally and with clients
?? The importance of client engagement and onboarding processes
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The second was with Carla Leighton Senior Marketing Manager, Fujitsu who at the beginning of the year moved to live and work in Texas.
Carla shares her insights on transitioning from the UK to the US market, highlighting key differences and strategies in global marketing and delves into the cultural and business differences between the two, providing valuable perspectives on how these differences impact marketing strategies and customer engagement.
This is a must listen if you are looking to break into the US market! Listen here.
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I was on the other side of the microphone this time round and was interviewed by Beatrice Alabaster from Earnest for her 43% and Rising podcast. We had a very candid chat about what it's really like to be a female in a senior role working in marketing - If you are interested in listening you can do here.
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Wow, that was a long one, I'm impressed if you are still reading!
Next month I'll bring in insights from other agency experts to balance not just hearing from me, but for this double month bumper I gave you a 100% me!
If you have any questions, thoughts or just want to chat, do not hesitate to reach out. Drop me a DM, email - [email protected] or set up a call.