You’ve convinced clients of your greatness.
You talk outcomes, not features, backing it with case studies and testimonials.
Yet it’s still hard to raise rates and in-house teams loom as a threat. How do you get clients to truly relax and invest?
They’ve heard about what you’ve done in the past, and you’ve told them what you can do for them in the present.
You need to tell them something new.
You need to share where your agency is going.
Your future vision, the purpose you’ve defined and what you are going to invest in to get there.
Are you keeping these behind the scenes; distancing your clients from these inner workings?
Don’t.
Bring your future vision to your client. Where you’re going, what you’re investing in, and how that benefits them.
Here’s why it works…
Clients want longevity
Picking an agency is a risky and expensive business.
It’s not just the money; it’s the wasted weeks, the stalled projects, the embarrassment of having to start over. Clients want a relationship that’s going to last with an agency that’s going to move with the times.
A clear future gives them confidence you’ll still be here, still relevant, and still solving their problems
Clients want less risk
Your clients sit through a lot of sales pitches
They know that most of the time the energy of the salesperson would not be matched by the project team. Sharing where you are going through founder-led sales can blow a bigger agency’s sales process out of the water. The client sees accountability, a visible progress, and a team that keeps raising the bar.
At the big agency they risk being an afterthought, with you they are an important part of the plan.
Clients want upside
There are a few different places clients can shop for their agency partner.
They can go big and established, spend a lot of money, and be clients of average importance to a large agency. Or they can find the up-and-coming agency who deliver amazing work and are rapidly improving, but whose rates haven’t quite caught up. Your vision positions you as that agency.
Backing an agency on the up gets them more for their money.
Clients want value
Clients don’t mind paying more if they know they are getting more
Your vision is to improve quality continuously, then that’s going to cost money and take investment. If you let your client know what you’re investing in then your client understands why your prices go up, and the positive impact those price rises will have on them. They see that negotiating hard for lower prices slows improvement. They get interested in investing in your roadmap.
Show them that you aren’t just after more revenue but the plan is about delivering more value, to them.
Clients want what in-house can’t do
Often your biggest competition isn’t other agencies, it’s the in-house team.
Your vision differentiates you from the DIY approach to your services. Anyone can find and pay for the skills you have but that team wouldn’t have the same vision and commitment to improvement that you have. Everyone underestimates what it takes to have excellence in something, being open here lays out all the things beyond just hiring skills that your client would need to do.
It positions you as the wise investment. Being amazing is expensive. You’ve already paid for it.
Show them how the sausage is made
Are we worried that in talking about these things we are highlighting that we aren’t there yet?
Growth is a bit chaotic, will you look calm and collected?
What if you don’t deliver on the vision? Will they bring it up?
You have to pick the right time to show a client under the hood. When to move on from talking about them and make it about you.
The rule of thumb is to make it about them first.
If you pick the right time, it’s a powerful move.
A savvy client knows that you are a business too and this partnership can help them do things they can’t do on their own.
Because when we talk about value, we too often only talk about the value we offer today and the value we delivered yesterday.
Your client is interested in the value you’re going to offer tomorrow.