Shows / Build a Better Agency Podcast
Build a Better Agency Podcast
Scale and grow your agency with better clients, invested employees, and a stronger bottom line, with Drew McLellan.
Episodes
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 388: Community building as a brand marketing strategy with Mark Schaefer
Think about some of your favorite brands for just a moment. What aspects of those brands make you feel the most connected to them? Do you ever find yourself…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 387: The four leadership shifts agency owners need to make to adapt to an evolving workforce with Heather McGowan
There's no denying that when the pandemic hit, the workforce changed forever. We experienced some of the most rapid shifts in our economy and lifestyles this…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 386: Restructuring agency billing and pricing models based on scope value with Jonathan Stark
If you're tired of assessing your agency's project values based on an average hourly rate and having your team constantly updating timesheets, you'll want to…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 385: Taking stock of where you make fear-based decisions in your agency with Drew McLellan
One of the most common traps we fall into as agency owners is making decisions based on our fears. Every day we have to make hard choices, and it's easy to…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 384: Strategizing your agency growth plan with Corey Quinn
To continue on the sales theme this week, we'll dissect everything you need to know about winning and retaining right-fit clients, honing in on your agency…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 383: Getting beyond the "no" in the sales process with Richard Fenton
Sales — the dreaded word that most of us cringe when we think about it. It brings up thoughts of manipulation, forced conversations, and fear of rejection…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 382: Adapting the hiring process to a new era of agency staffing with Art Boulay and Sue MacArthur
It's no secret the job market has shifted immensely over the past 3–4 years. One minute, we're hitting the brakes and halting all new hires. The next, we're…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 381: Making onboarding and training SOPs painless with Jennifer Smith
One of the biggest sticking points with agencies is establishing tried and true onboarding and training SOPs. Over and over, we find that new hires aren't…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 380: Lead with love: In memoriam of Craig Barnes and the legacy he left behind with Drew McLellan
With a heavy heart, I'm recording this week's solocast to commemorate the life of a cherished and respected team member of AMI, Craig Barnes. I have known…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 379: The ROI of being a good podcast guest with Tom Schwab
As agency owners, we're always looking for ways to get great customers that increase our profitability while decreasing the length of the typical sales cycle…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 379: The ROI of being a good podcast guest with Tom Schwab
As agency owners, we're always looking for ways to get great customers that increase our profitability while decreasing the length of the typical sales cycle…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 378: Taking meaningful steps to prioritize diversity in the workplace with Dr. Ella Washington
Diversity in the workplace is the cornerstone of running a modern and successful agency. Without it, you're not only selling your agency short, but you're also…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 377: Creative thought leadership — bringing your book idea to life with Henry DeVries
With agency ownership comes big ideas, a lot of creative energy, and infinite passion for your work. Chances are you have a million ideas floating around your…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 376: Deploying effective business development strategies with Peter Levitan
Business development will always be necessary for keeping your agency alive. Many agencies are great at marketing for clients but historically fall flat when…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 375: Incentivizing daily time tracking with Drew McLellan
Time tracking is one of the most overlooked resources in an agency's day-to-day operations. Without it, you're missing out on valuable data about where you…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 374: Good habits for great agency leadership with Jeff Salzenstein
Weary is a great word to describe a lot of agency leaders right now. It comes up again and again that we're just tired, overworked, and running on fumes. It's…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 373: Optimizing your agency workflow with white-label outsourcing with Manish Dudharejia
If you've ever been in a situation where you're thinking, "I'm doing too much," or "I don't have time to be creative anymore," get comfortable because this…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 372: Prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion in marketing agency culture with Farzana Nayani
Marketing agency culture is constantly changing, but adapting the best we can is important. And one of the most important ways we need to be adaptable is by…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 371: The changing tides of content marketing strategy with Steve Pockross and Ryan Sargent
Creating content and having a content marketing strategy have become the bread and butter of marketing agencies, and we have the research to prove it. In fact…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 370: The ultimate guide for investing in star employee retention with Drew McLellan
For 2021 and 2022, we've been in a job seeker's market where potential employees have more power to make demands. But now, this period is cooling off as we…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 369: Facing the fears of agency ownership head-on with Drew McLellan
Fear is a familiar feeling in agency ownership. It's easy to feel like you don't know what you're doing or might be missing something important, especially if…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 368: The "Magnificent 7" of leveraging a book to find right-fit clients with Henry DeVries
One of the best ways to establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry and get more right-fit clients is by publishing a book. Often, the people who…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 367: Giving B2B prospects an outrageous offer they can't refuse with David Valentine
Today on the podcast, we're challenging how you approach B2B prospecting. If you've ever been afraid to openly advertise your pricing, roll out a free offer…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 366: Agency metrics and what to measure with Marcel Petitpas
We always say, "What you measure matters," on the podcast, and today is no exception. To keep you and your team fed, you need to measure metrics in your…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 365: Weathering an economic storm with recession planning with Drew McLellan
We've all been hearing it: a storm is coming. Or maybe it's not. Depending on who you ask, we don't know what our economic future holds. But one thing is for…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 364: Marrying creativity with technology for brand awareness innovation with Alvaro Melendez
What do you think of when you hear about Disney? Fireworks, castles, and happy families all probably came to mind for a moment. But you probably didn't think…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 363: How does your employee satisfaction stack up? - Agency Edge Research analysis 2022 with Susan Baier
What makes an employee want to stick around at your agency? Every year since 2014, we've been doing the research and compiling it into our Agency Edge Research…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 362: Identifying single points of failure to grow your agency with Jesse Gilmore
Are you making yourself irrelevant in your agency? We've been talking a lot lately about how important it is to have systems and processes in place so you can…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 361: How to write a creative brief with Tim Brunelle
If you're in a creative role at your agency, you're probably familiar with receiving creative briefs that just don't measure up. Instead of getting inspired to…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 360: Thinking toward the future in your succession planning strategy with Drew McLellan
When you're running an agency, you know you will not have it forever. While your goal could be to sell it eventually, you must consider retirement, career…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 359: Agency management system with Juliana Marulanda
Now that we've discussed what systems and processes are, the tools we can use to implement them, and how to integrate them into team culture, let's talk about…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 358: The necessary evils of optimizing your agency operations with Marquis Murray
When running an agency, efficiency is key. While we would probably prefer to focus on any other task, establishing effective systems and processes is…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 357: Demystifying remote workers and how they fit into agency culture with Noel Andrews
The talent we hire is often one of our greatest assets as agencies. Building our talent pool and promoting connectedness is integral to agency culture, and we…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 356: Taking control of occupational burnout before it burns you with Dr. Gerry Farris
For many of us, agency ownership means that most of our time and energy goes into our work. Even when trying to sleep, we're replaying a frustrating…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 355: Agency innovation as we enter the post-pandemic Renaissance with Drew McLellan
Some of the most significant innovations have been born out of the most challenging hardships, and agency innovations are no different. For the past two years…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 354: Why pivoting your agency niche will help you sell better with Stephen Woessner
As agency owners, we're often dedicated to the niche we've carved out for ourselves and can get very comfortable serving our clients within those parameters…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 353: How to up-level your agency's growth in two simple steps with Drew McLellan
We all know the phrase, "what we don't know, can't hurt us." But, it also can't make us any more money. That's why this week, we're kicking things off with…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 352: The freedoms you should be giving yourself as an agency owner with Drew McLellan
This holiday week, the idea of freedom is at the forefront of many people's minds. It's a topic that touches so many facets of our lives every day. In today's…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 351: Using 6-week cycles to optimize agency operations with Joe Martin
We all wish we had more time in our schedules, right? We long for a day without interruptions so we can just focus and do our best work. Or, even worse, we've…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 350: 2022 Marketing trends (PART 2) with Drew McLellan
This week on Building a Better Agency, we're jumping right back into our breakdown of 2022 Marketing Trends. Last time, we talked about noticeable trends in…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 349: Attracting and retaining the best employees with Heenle Turner
The market right now for attracting and retaining the best employees is insane. It feels like only three people on the planet are looking for work, and they…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 348: Advertising on Pinterest with Lindsay Shearer
As agencies, we tend to overlook certain platforms and channels when it comes to their perceived relevance to our audiences or bottom-line ad potential. That…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 347: Your agency after you: Legacy planning with Andrea Shoup
What happens to our agencies when something happens to us? No one likes to think about the day that they're no longer around, and it's no secret as to why. The…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 346: Empowering women as agency owners with Christy Hiler
Women own less than 1% of the ad agencies in North America. This gender gap is disappointing and staggering, but in this episode of Build a Better Agency, our…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
Ep 345: 2022 Marketing trends (PART 1) with Drew McLellan
Summertime is just around the corner, which means now is the perfect time of year for agency owners like us to take stock of where we're at now and where we…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 344: Becoming trusted agency leaders with Sue Dyer
As agency owners, the work environments we create are a direct reflection of our leadership styles. In a trust-led environment, our people should feel safe to…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 343: AI and the future of agency tools with Paul Roetzer
Whether we realize it or not, artificial intelligence (AI) has already impacted countless aspects of our everyday lives. And as the technology we rely on…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 342: A behind the scenes look at inbound leads with Eric Stockton
As agency partners, we have access to an insane amount of backend data and insights into our clients' business. Now what? How can we use all of that data to…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 341: Aligning worldviews in agency relationships with Karley Cunningham
How does your agency show up in the world? As agency owners, we have a responsibility to know what's going on — with our business, our employees, and our…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 340: When can agency owners sell? with Drew McLellan
One of the unfortunate truths of our business is that as agency owners, we are almost never in the driver's seat when it comes to sales engagements. At the end…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 339: Selling agency relationships in a virtual world with Tom Martin
Running an agency in a post-COVID world means growing more and more comfortable operating in a virtual environment. This collective shift in our industry has…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 338: The necessary evil in your agency operations with Nathan Maxwell
Time sheets. Taxes. Annual reviews. There are some things we don't love as agency owners and leaders. Cybersecurity and compliance are absolutely on that list…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 337: Helping agency owners sell the way people buy, with David Priemer
As agency owners, we tend to view sales as a necessary evil. Even when we love what we do, believe in how we do it, and have proof that we do it well, having…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 336: Harnessing the power of introvert agency leaders with Monica Parkin
Like so many other business environments, our industry is one that is undeniably extroverted on the surface. Agency work is collaborative, relational…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 335: How to attract and retain agency employees, with Drew McLellan
Today, we're delving into a topic that's been on my mind, and on the minds of agency owners in general, for quite some time: employees. No matter where you are…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 334: New year insights for agency relationships with Lee McKnight
The last few years have thrown a lot at us — both professionally and personally. While we've done our best to navigate all of that unpredictability, many have…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 333: Rethinking your agency's sales model with Kevin Snow
For an industry that is heavily dependent on effective sales practices, many agency owners are intimidated by the "s" word. It conjures horrible imagery of…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 332: Rethinking agency biz dev part 6: Play to win, with Drew McLellan
Business development is a complicated and challenging aspect of agency life for many owners. The same rules that applied when the agency was new no longer…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 331: Rethinking agency biz dev part 5: Focus your agency's POV, with Drew McLellan
Agency life has evolved dramatically since the era portrayed in shows like Mad Men. We used to be the keepers of the "secret sauce" for making the magic…
- Build a Better Agency Podcast
EP 330: How to grow your book of business with Drew McLellan
Agency business development has to consider many things when setting goals. There is new business to be found, existing business to expand, and lost business…