Embracing Intentional Growth

It's time to take the reins and steer your agency towards success. Intentional Growth isn’t just a fancy buzz phrase; it's the roadmap to achieving your long-term goals. No more crossing your fingers and hoping you’ll land the next big pitch – it's all about planning, discipline, and execution.

Intentional growth means you're in control, strategically steering and focusing your efforts instead of leaving things to chance. If done properly, it will provide clarity for where the agency is going and how it (and your people) will get there. It creates necessary focus, and guides what you should say yes or no to.

So, let's dive in and explore how aligning your agency's positioning, structure and priorities can lead to a purposeful path for growth.

We are experts. So why are we so bad at this?

Funny how we, the brilliant minds of the agency world, often forget to follow our own advice. We'll craft jaw-dropping brand stories, design sticky websites, and think up the most inspiring, culturally relevant social media posts. But when it comes to nailing our own marketing and growth strategy, it's like we've misplaced the map.

Marketing experts who can't quite market themselves? It's a bit like a baker who can bake a spectacular, 5-tier wedding cake, but can’t make themselves biscuits for breakfast – doesn't quite add up, does it? As marketing experts, it’s clear we often excel at promoting others but stumble when it comes to marketing ourselves.

Setting the proper course

Does everyone within your teams know what your agency stands for, and how and why you got there? Can they confidently articulate it with prospective talent or with clients? Do they understand their role in helping the agency better deliver on this purpose day in and day out?

If not, there’s some work to do. Making sure everyone has a clear, bright and shining North Star to work towards is key. And equally important is making sure they truly “get it,” so they can effectively be your front-line ambassadors.

This positioning should be rooted in your agency’s unique expertise and provide an aspirational direction both you (senior leadership) and your teams can rally behind. I’m a big fan of Simon Sinek. In his book, The Infinite Game, he writes quite eloquently on this topic. One thing Sinek made clear is that it’s not about vision alone. A vision without action doesn’t get you far.  It’s how you operationalize it that makes the biggest difference. You need to align your operating principles and structure to support your company’s ability to deliver on that vision.

Modernizing growth, a collective effort

Growth isn't a solo endeavor. And it shouldn't be confined to a secret society within your agency. It should be a team sport! Involve everyone in the agency to play their part.

Talent aside, I think most of us will agree that growth is the lifeblood of any business. Without it, every business will ultimately dwindle and fail. So we need to think about growth as a holistic business strategy, where all are active participants in building the business.

Nurturing Client Relationships: Build trust through flawless execution that gains visibility into future projects. And then understand how and where the agency can solve some of the clients biggest problems this quarter, next quarter, or even next year. Conduct account planning sessions with your teams to set goals, address red flags, create a specific growth plan, and then help them achieve their goals through accountability.

Building Expertise: Charge the strategy and insights team with architecting product ideas that build on and further deepen your agency’s unique expertise. This expertise can be instrumental in attracting potential clients and showcasing your agency as a thought leader in your field.

Demonstrating Expertise: Market like a modern marketer, using a system of touch points and proof points that bring your agency's expertise into full visibility. Design a well-thought-out engagement strategy that guides potential clients through a journey of discovery, building confidence in your agency's abilities and giving them reasons to say “yes.” Don’t be afraid to invest in this, using a test-and-learn approach to improve each month.

Continuous Operational Improvement: Think through your total operations and continuously optimize the systems, tools, and workflow to cater to the evolving needs of your clients/customers. Regularly solicit feedback and refine your processes to achieve better results.

Conclusion

So there you have it! Easy peasy, right?

Okay, I know it’s not that simple. But the important thing is that you start moving in the right direction as soon as possible. Today! Don’t wait until your agency is in crisis to get things started. If you need help or if I can assist in getting you started, connect and reach out.

Just to recap, here are the key takeaways:

1. Intentional growth is essential for taking control of your future and steering your agency in the  direction that will jumpstart healthy growth.
2. Align your agency's positioning, operating principles and structure, and watch it flourish with renewed energy and clarity.
3. Follow your own advice and operate like an expert marketer for your own business. Use the massive toolset available to get future clients on board and give them every reason to say YES!
4. A growth-hungry culture can be your secret weapon. Growth isn’t a dirty word – it’s your ally, your fuel to build and provide for your employees, and your ticket to a thriving agency!
5. Get your people to take ownership and chart their own contribution in your holistic business strategy. Then coach them, help them, and remove as many barriers as possible.

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