Chip and Gini discuss the intricacies of fractional leadership roles within clients. They share their experiences and provide advice on managing relationships, setting clear boundaries, handling administrative tasks, and positioning yourself accurately in these roles. Key takeaways * Chip Griffin: “Fractional roles tend to work best when there’s a fractional amount of work to be done.” * Gini Dietrich: “If there’s more than one decision maker, you have to ensure...

Start-up clients may not have the funds to pay you, but still need service, so why not consider receiving equity as payment? In this episode, Chip and Gini discuss the potential pitfalls of that approach. They caution against exotic payment schemes such as equity or pay for performance, emphasizing the risks and complexities involved. They also highlight the importance of legal and tax considerations when entering into equity deals. Key takeaways * Chip Griffin:...

In this episode, Chip and Gini discuss the fear of hiring employees, the implications of using contractors, the financial considerations, and the benefits of having employees. They emphasize the need to align hiring decisions with long-term business goals and not to be afraid of hiring employees when it makes sense financially. Key takeaways * Chip Griffin: “You’re an owner. You act like an owner. An employee acts like an employee. A contractor acts like a contractor....

Employee complaints? Accountable only to yourself? Trying to create a work culture? Welcome to agency ownership! In this episode, Chip and Gini discuss the challenges and frustrations of owning an agency, emphasizing the importance of seeking accountability and support, and reflecting on one’s own role in addressing issues. The discussion also includes reflections on past experiences and lessons learned, as they share insights for agency owners to effectively navigate their...

How do you deal with clients who ask for different payment terms than the ones your agency offers? In this episode, Chip and Gini discuss the importance of setting clear expectations from the start and being proactive in following up on overdue invoices. They offer different approaches and creative strategies for handling payment terms with clients. Key takeaways * Gini Dietrich: “You don’t go into a restaurant and order dinner, have dinner, and then a month later pay...

Are you and your agency team spending too much time writing proposals, creating capabilities decks, and building brand personas?  It may seem productive, but clients value results – and so should you. In this episode, Chip and Gini discuss how to get your agency’s time under control and offer advice on managing business development and project management to avoid the unnecessary and focus on real value creation. Key takeaways * Chip Griffin: “When you look at the...

In this episode, Chip and Gini discuss the recent wave of layoffs in the media industry and its implications for PR agencies. They explore the challenges of securing earned media in a landscape with fewer journalists and offer insights on evolving strategies to effectively reach target audiences through alternative channels. Emphasizing the importance of setting realistic client expectations and embracing creativity, they highlight the need for agencies to adapt and innovate...

A lot of agencies have told Chip and Gini that 2023 was a bad year for them. Fellow agency adviser Karl Sakas posted on LinkedIn that he has been asked if it was bad for everyone. In this episode, Chip and Gini share their perspectives — along with things that positioned some agencies for success in what many experienced as a down year. Whether you had a good or bad year, there are lessons to take away to make 2024 and future years more successful. Key...

When Gini shared in a recent episode that her success has come from doing the same thing for 15 years, a listener pointed out that she has continued to evolve. The two are not mutually exclusive. In fact, the best agencies usually combine the two. Rather than chasing trends, successful agencies consistently produce excellent results for a well-defined set of clients. At the same time, these high-performing agencies continue to evolve and adapt as tools and techniques change. In this...

The Wall Street Journal recently suggested that the era of digital agencies may be over. It’s not that digital services are no longer required, but the label for agencies may no longer make sense. In this episode, Chip and Gini talk about the need for agencies to find a sustainable focus and be cautious of riding the wave of the latest type of “hot” agency — including digital, social media, cannabis, crypto, and many others that have come and gone. As digital services become...

It’s not uncommon to hear agency owners talk about wanting to target small businesses because there are so many of them and you can talk with the decision-maker more easily. While it may be an appealing target, there are reasons to be cautious. There’s a good chance that you will be dealing with the owner, which can help lead to a faster sale since they may treat it as an impulse purchase. On the flip side, every penny you get is out of the owner’s pocket so they will be scrutinizing...

It seems so alluring to be able to put a Fortune 500 logo on your agency’s website. Many of us dream of the creative things that we can do for these household names. Yet often these big brands end up being bad deals for small agencies. They are time-consuming to sell, difficult to service, and often subject to onerous contractual terms. In this episode, Chip and Gini take a look at the appeal presented by these opportunities, along with the risk that they present. Key...

In this episode, Chip and Gini take a question from the SAGA Community on Slack about ways to motivate freelancers just as you do with employees. The reality is that freelancers and employees aren’t the same and contractors should treat your agency as a client and produce excellent results — just the same way you do for your own clients. The real question ought to be how to engage freelancers more effectively, and that comes down to clear communication. As long as both parties...

It’s easy for all of us to get stuck inside our own heads. Having someone we trust who can help to provide some independent insight and challenge our own beliefs can be very helpful. In this episode, Chip and Gini talk about why it is important for agency owners to have someone outside of the business — a mentor, consultant, coach, friend, or even another agency owner — who can help to play that role. In addition to getting a different opinion and perspective, that individual...

If you’re anything like Chip and Gini, you have discovered employees doing work for clients that is outside of the scope of work you have agreed to. There are many reasons for this behavior and this episode explores those as well as potential solutions. Whether your team just wants to make clients happy, enjoys doing some work more than others, or simply isn’t aware of the actual scope of work for a project, you will get some practical tips on what to do — as well as a bit of...

Most small agencies at some point experience the sinking feeling of losing a whale client or seeing a sudden sharp reduction in revenue. When you get that kind of news, what do you do? That’s what Chip and Gini discuss on this week’s episode — especially for agencies that may not have an active pipeline of prospects in place. Ramping up revenue quickly means focusing on the right things and not wasting time on tactics that will only pay off in the long-term (if...

Many agencies overvalue their websites and spend too much time thinking about and working on them. In this episode, Chip and Gini talk about what matters — and what doesn’t — when it comes to your website design and content. They share some of their experience about the areas in which the most time (and money) get wasted and how to make sure that you get the best ROI possible on your agency’s website. Key takeaways * Gini Dietrich: “When things are slowing down...

Agency leaders need to stop casually discussing the chaotic environment common to so many agencies. Too often you will hear firm owners and others talk about agencies as hectic and fast-paced environments. Chip and Gini have had enough of this talk — and they both admit that they, too, used to embrace the idea that it was an unavoidable circumstance for agency life. Chaos is the sign of a problem that needs to be solved, not an acceptable condition that leaders and their...

With labor costs usually accounting for the largest share of agency expenses, it is no surprise that owners are particularly sensitive to any indication that salaries might be creeping up. Recent conversations that Chip and Gini have had with agency leaders suggest that both prospective hires and current employees are asking for much higher salaries than many owners feel comfortable paying. In this episode, Chip and Gini talk about why salary expectations are on the rise and...

One of the biggest sources of friction between agencies and clients comes from mismatched expectations. Too often agency leaders don’t do enough to set realistic expectations during the business development phase of the relationship. It’s exciting to get a deal done so we often allow prospective clients to entertain inflated expectations without correcting them — or to avoid discussion of expectations altogether. Chip and Gini explain that for healthy, sustainable relationships...

In this episode, Chip and Gini react to a blog post from their friend Christopher S. Penn who writes and speaks frequently and intelligently on new trends in communications and technology. In his piece, Chris argued that agencies should review their business model and pricing structure in response to AI developments in 2023. While the co-hosts see artificial intelligence as a force that will (and already is) impacting agencies, they’re not on board with a wholesale change to agency...

Chip and Gini understand the excitement of closing a deal and the desire that agencies have to just get started with the creative process. But it’s important to get the contracting process done right, including setting the best terms and having a signature before any work gets going. In this episode, Chip and Gini talk about some of the common mistakes that they have seen agency owners make with contracts and how to go about it in the best way. Key takeaways *...

In this episode, Chip and Gini discuss when you should (and shouldn’t) terminate an employee for cause. They explain the perils of allowing emotion to impact termination decisions and how you should approach these difficult circumstances. When an employee is terminated for cause, it can also cause agency leaders to wonder if they can trust others, so Chip and Gini explore the ramifications of that fear. Key takeaways * Chip Griffin: “Fundamentally dishonest...