Christopher is the co-founder, head strategist and CEO of The Go! Agency, a full-service digital marketing agency.
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You’re a young agency, but like agencies of any size, you need a client roster to help you pay the bills. You might have some still hanging on from your days as a freelancer, but an agency comes with operation costs and a staff to pay. You need to start selling more campaigns.
Typically, clients willing to take a risk on a startup agency will sign on for a 90-day campaign or a limited-term project. So, there you go: You have the window of time in which you can woo your new client to become a permanent addition.
Your first clients are the most important ones of your career. They hold your young, fragile reputation in their hands. Walking away from a campaign without a good review from them makes the hill you have to climb to sign your next client that much steeper.
You might be a young agency, but through skill and determination, you can convince clients to become part of your growing agency.
Don’t take on any client you’re not sure you can impress.
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You need to be particularly selective when it comes to recruiting and signing on clients at the beginning of your agency’s career. Not selective in the sense that some clients are beneath you (if they can pay their fees on time, they’re not), but more that you might not be ready for certain clients.
As your agency gets some dirt under its fingernails, you’ll feel more secure taking on more ambitious clients. But my recommendation is, for at least the first three years, never take on anybody that you aren’t completely confident that you can impress.
Your agency’s first clients should be only one rung up the ladder from the clients you were taking on as a freelancer. A good way to find clients of an appropriate caliber is to use your current client roster as referral sources. Smart business owners are never an island. They network and know people who need a marketing campaign, or at least some consulting. Prove the excellence and value of your work, ask your clients to make introductions, and offer a generous referral bonus for any referrals that sign on.
If you’re thinking “I have a team behind me now, I can take on bigger clients,” let me reframe your perspective. Instead of taking on bigger clients, use your new team to give smaller clients more elevated work.
When you’re starting out and clients take the leap to test you out or sign on for a full campaign, they are doing you a bit of a favor. Repay them for their trust by always, always, always overdelivering in every area. (In fact, to this day, something that I continue to do is under-promise and over-deliver. Always.) Produce higher quality content than they expect. Exceed goals instead of just meeting them. Be more engaged in their social media accounts than they are. Will you be busting your butt for a little bit less of a paycheck than your work is worth? Probably, but that’s not money that you’re losing—it’s money that your good reputation will earn back down the line.
Word-of-mouth goes a long way in this business. When you provide a top-tier product, your clients will become outstanding evangelists for your brand. But, circling back to the original point, don’t sign a referral just because your client was nice enough to make an introduction. If you don’t think you can serve them well, save their contact information and reach back out when you’re ready. You never want to give a client a reason to say, “Hey, I referred my friend to you and they were a little disappointed.”
Make new clients feel included in their campaign.
A strange contradiction that exists within the marketing world is that the more a client pays, the more hands-off they tend to be. Clients paying incredible amounts of money will allow you a surprisingly long leash for creative freedom while clients with lighter contracts sometimes require extensive emotional support.
And that’s ok. It’s all part of the job. Especially when you’re a young agency, clients of any size are going to let you know that they’re taking a chance on you. This is why it’s important not only to produce high-quality work at all times but to make sure the client feels included every step of the way.
To this day, I still make sure our clients know that they can be as much a part of the campaign as they want to be. I begin every campaign with a very casual kickoff meeting to introduce them to the team. Throughout the first month, they have the option of meeting with my team to help decide on narrative and account-based goals. And they have access to our client-side communication platform for any questions, concerns or ideas they want to voice.
Some clients take full advantage of this inclusion. Others are content to say, “I trust you, email me if you need anything.” I’ve found that even if clients don’t take you up on what you’re offering, they will be glad and impressed that you offered it.
Being “unproven” isn’t a roadblock to growing your agency, but rather it’s an opportunity to prove yourself and grow faster than you thought possible. Yes, to get clients to sign on and take a chance on you, you do have to present perfection (or at least get as close as possible), but remember that the amount of hard labor you put in today is proportional to the payout you’ll receive tomorrow.
Young and fresh-faced as your agency might be, there are clients who can be convinced. It’s all about how well you can sell yourself.
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Author: Christopher Tompkins, Forbes Councils Member
