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Business Succession Research Completed By The University Of Minnesota
University of Minnesota Extension Specialist Michael Darger focuses on community economics and business succession. His background with economic development agencies led him to focus on business retention and expansion work, which eventually landed him at the U of M conducting and publishing important research on entrepreneurs and their exit...
How To Create More Happiness, Joy, And Fulfillment In Your Life
From his experience, John St. James believes in the adage that it takes at least 10,000 hours (or approximately seven to ten years) of hard work for a person to move to the top of their field. For many, it may take 10 to 12 years to get in the top 10%. For some, with expert mentoring, a lot less. “What this means is simple,” says author St....
A Simple Way To Publish A Book That Works For Top Agency Owners
Publishing a book is like building a house. This is a truth for agency owners and others who want a book for more impact and influence, such as business coaches and strategic consultants. Hard truth: self-publishing is like being your own general contractor who must hire and manage all the subcontractors. The simple way to succeed is not to find...
Future-Proofing Your Agency: The Role Of Change Readiness
Change has always been an integral part of agency culture. Whether it’s a client putting an agency up for review or the inevitable cycle of employee turnover, maintaining consistency in such a dynamic environment is an ongoing challenge. While change may be a familiar part of agency life, being truly prepared for it is often overlooked, relying...
Shattering The Myth That You Cannot Measure The Value Of Publicity
Let’s shatter the myth that publicity cannot be measured. Companies can buy a full year’s national public relations program for the cost of a single, 30-second, prime-time TV spot. These same economies hold true for local campaigns. But can it be measured? When developing publicity campaigns, many clients want to be sure that whatever expenses...
Four Ways To Showcase Your Value To Clients
People buy what they value. People pay more for what they need and value the most. Here are four ways trusted advisors like agency owners and strategic consultants can showcase the true value and worth of their services to clients and prospects. The Teaser Talk. The Teaser Talk is an appetizer. Like dinner appetizers offered as a tasty treat to...
Base Beauty Creative Agency And Ad Age Launch Marketing Research Report Called The Empathy Effect
After six months of research and finding the most reliable data-driven results, Base Beauty Creative Agency, along with Ad Age, released “The Empathy Effect: Unlocking explosive growth in beauty, wellness, and personal care industries,” a first-of-its-kind marketing research report proving how empathy in marketing drives business growth in the...
ATTRACT CLIENTS WITH A STORY LIKE BRIDGERTON
Agency owners who want to grow their businesses can take a lesson from a hit TV show. Shonda Rhime’s Bridgerton confidently stands as the most-streamed television series on Netflix. Season three, released in May of 2024 with an outstanding 165.2 million hours viewed globally, quickly surpassing season two’s opening weekend, despite the shorter...
You Talentless Clown
[Editor’s note: I met our guest columnist, proposal pricing expert Casey Brown, when she delivered a keynote at the 2024 Build A Better Agency Summit (BABA) last May in Denver.] Have you ever been called a talentless clown by a client? No? Me neither, but let's be honest: rejection from clients can make us feel just that way,...
Six Keys To Improve Your Virtual Selling
Is virtual selling really new? “Many companies would have you believe virtual selling is new and constitutes a huge paradigm shift for them. But does it really?” says author Craig Lowder. “Virtual selling has been around for over a hundred years; think catalogs, newspapers, direct mail offers, late-night TV infomercials, telemarketers, and...
7 Proven Social Strategies For Agency Owners
In today’s digital landscape leveraging social media is not just beneficial—it’s essential. For agency owners, a robust social media strategy can significantly broaden your business’s reach and engagement. Here are seven steps to effectively leverage social media and elevate your business: 1. Influencer Collaborations Partnering with influencers...
Four Must-Have Conversations For Bringing In The Business
The number one rule for agency owners who want to attract right-fit clients is this: don't sound like a salesperson. "Enroll, don't sell" is the main message of David Goldman, lead author of Bringing in the Business Without Sounding Like a Salesperson (2024, Indie Books International). "Many professionals are averse to being...
Agency Rainmaker Forum Announces Keynote Speakers
Agency owners and strategic consultants are invited to join Indie Books International and Agency Owner News on September 27 and 28 at the annual “2024 Agency Rainmaker Forum.” “We have assembled an all-star cast of authorities, including Hall of Fame and World Champion Speakers and best-selling authors,” says Henry DeVries, CEO of Indie Books...
Storytelling To Attract Clients
To attract right-fit clients, don’t just use facts to tell when you can use stories to sell. Agency owners who attract right-fit clients are typically great storytellers. “Trying to influence people by using words to appeal to their intellect isn’t enough,” says author Dr. Paul Homoly. “We need stories.” I caught up with Homoly in Phoenix when he...
Nine Ways Better Experiences Result In Higher B2B Growth
If you want to grow your B2B company, focus on creating best-in-class client and employee experience. Every high-performing B2B company is vying for that enviable spot where they stand out from the competition. But what does quantifiable research say separates the best from the rest? To understand business leaders’ views on what it takes to be a...
How To Grow Your Platform To Land A Book Deal
A book deal is an agreement between a publisher and an author, by which the author agrees to write a book or a certain number of books to be published by the publisher. Book deals for nonfiction business advice authors are getting more and more rare. If you want to get published by a big-name traditional publisher like Penguin or McGraw-Hill you...
How To Find Right-Fit Clients By Getting Paid to Speak
Speaking is the fastest way to get exposure and build credibility. It’s how every great movement began. It is also the best way to attract high-paying clients. “To influence and connect with others, inspire change, and build your business, it is critical to speak authentically and confidently in front of groups,” says Maria Lynn Johnson, author...
Costly Errors To Avoid When Forming An Advisory Board
Most small to midsize agency boards are advisory, not fiduciary boards, and for a good reason. “Agency owners want advice, but they don’t want to give up control to outsiders,” says Bruce Werner, strategic advisor to private company owners and author of the book Navigating Private Company Governance: The Savvy Business Owners Guide to Developing...
How To Treat Clients Like Hollywood Icons
What if a Hollywood icon like Emma Stone, George Clooney, or Brad Pitt wanted to do business with your agency? Would you treat them like any other client? Of course not. You would fawn all over them. “Here is the Jedi mind trick to make you craved by your clients, envied by your competitors, and raved about in your industry: treat all clients...
US Army Colonel Says Now Is Time To Declare War On Cybercrime
Cyberwar is hell. Cybercriminals are not just evolving; they are thriving. According to one cybersecurity expert, there are ten skills your cyber commander-in-chief security must possess if they are to defend your agency. “A skilled chief information security officer (CISO) is the vanguard of hope against persistent threats,” says Sylvester “Sly”...
Here’s The Way Agency Owners Are Growing A Raving Fan Base
Do you want to attract and convert more right-fit clients? Then don’t try to create a large follower base. They will only have a limited level of engagement at best. Instead, grow a fully engaged community. Case in point: the seven-figure marketing agency Predictive ROI uses a Community Tree Model to map out the different elements of building a...
Ten Steps Agency Owners Can Use To Attract More Right-Fit Clients
Client acquisition is a science that must be artfully executed, especially by agency owners who want to be viewed as trusted advisors. That is the advice of Craig Lowder, lead author of the book, Trusted Advisor Confidential: The Insider’s Guide To Landing Right-Fit Clients (Indie Books International, 2024). To research the book, Lowder and...
9 Ways For Busy Agency Owners To Write A Book
Podcaster, author, and agency owner Drew McLellan once asked me how do busy agency owners write a book? That is a great question for any agency owner, strategic consultant, or business coach trying to write a book to find right-fit prospects for their sales pipeline. Here are the nine ways, in alphabetical, not rank order: Blog To Book. I...
Navigating The AI Content Creation Landscape: A Guide For Agencies
Ready for a crazy statistic or two? According to Forbes Advisor, not only is AI market size expected to exceed $40 billion by 2027, over 60 percent of businesses expect AI to increase their productivity. This points to businesses increasing adoption of these tools, including using platforms like ChatGPT to create content for marketing purposes....
The Digital Impact On Business Relationships And Well-Being
Agency owners beware. The last 20 years have seen a surge in digital technology, transforming the way we conduct business, communicate, and build relationships. With the rise of emails, social media, and smart devices, we've become more connected than ever. However, the constant digital engagement created by these advancements has had significant...
Is Outsourcing Just Throwing It Over The Wall?
In the words of Dani Rodri, professor of Economics at Harvard University, “The correct answer to almost any question in economics is: It depends.” Whatever one might think about outsourcing web development—bottom line—it’s an economic consideration. It relates to the ROI of leveraging staffers properly in the marketing agency business....
Why NFL Legends Are Tackling Killer Drug At Las Vegas Super Bowl
Huddle up agency owners, marketing consultants, and entrepreneurs with lofty goals. It takes a team to accomplish greatness. Let me let you in on a powerful marketing secret: If you are going to tackle an opponent as big as fentanyl, you will need the power of relationships. For those headed to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl, I recommend you check...
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