Agency Growth Tips 11/21: Monetise everything.

Published 06.03.2019

Tonight was going to be the second part in Winning Pitches. The first was 10/21. And although today marks the fact we have passed the half way stage of this series of articles, tips, insights and ideas – it is also the Workend. See 4/11.

Winning Pitches #2 is taking a long time to finish – so I’ve moved it to tomorrow.

Instead, a short sharp article about putting ‘monetisation’ into action – so you can stop giving shit away. See 8/21.

Usual dyslexia warning. If this is your jump on point and you want to know more, see 1/21 Create Value not Things.

Short and sweet, as I promised some of these would be, but none have so far.

But it’s a great working example of what I am talking about.

Let’s go.

Agency Growth Tips 11/21: Monetisation Everything

I don’t believe in doing things for free, unless it’s something you believe in. Time in an agency is your only commodity. Charge for it.

I was asked a GREAT question by a contact that is reading this series of articles.

Not verbatim: “How do you charge for discovery sessions, which most of the industry give away for free – and client walk away for a marketing plan having paid for nothing?”

Great question. Brilliant.

First of all – if all your doing is passively listening… or taking notes, sitting listening to a client briefing you for the first time – yeah, that’s hard to charge them for.

You could use usual reversal of the concept, ‘how many of your products do you give away when you win a piece of business?’… but I prefer something a bit more grown up than that, unless I need to pull it out of the magicians hat.

The secret of getting paid for discovery sessions… is simple.

Don’t do them.

Run a Discovery Workshop. Promise an outcome. Bring a solid team. Plan to deliver a marketing plan… or other output. Make it a product. Make it a thing.

If there’s an output, an interaction or a sharing of ideas during the session, then it is a workshop… create the report, have a follow-up session.

Agencies everywhere do not do this for free – they may listen to a brief for free – but that assumes you’re just going to take the brief and give the client east they want.

Here’s one of my growth tips that will follow in more detail. You NEVER work to a brief. You work FROM a brief.

The brief is the floor. Not the ceiling.

If all you do is listen to a brief (and this is aimed at the person who asked me the question above – in any way, I am adding this comment) – if all you do is listen. and add nothing – you probably should give this time for free. Because it’s of no value. If that stings… I am talking to you. You can ignore the pain, fight the point – or react positively… and change. It’s up to you.

But if you add value charge.

These things aren’t for free. A workshop day – £3 to £5k. I’ve seen them and charged them at £10k and more, depending who’s in the room and what the output is. Never free. Why would they be? For a briefing yes. For more. For value. For an output. And value. No.

If you’re adding to the session you charge. Make it a product. Own the output. Run it – that has value. As does every single thing you do.

Client’s will pay, if you make it make sense.

And that’s what we are here for.