Agency Selling Time vs. Selling Results? How to Get Over the Guilt?

[GuestUser4aMPs1]

Background: Running a B2B marketing company.

I'm sick of feeling guilty about selling a marketing service that doesn't generate tangible results 100% of the time.

In some cases we do, which I'm really proud of.

In some cases we don't, which I feel extremely guilty about.

In every case we try the best we can. But...

...there's too many factors outside my control that affects a customer's perception of me.

For example. Is my client's business viable? Is this an offer that can be sold through the channels we specialize in?
Are there market forces that make my client's customers reluctant to buy from my client?

I can't think of any real solution around this, other than I'd rather package and replicate en-masse a dirt cheap McCampaign and sell them the "time they'd have to spend figuring this out" as opposed to any real business result. That way a customer doesn't really care that it didn't result in anything but "hey at least we did the work and tried? Either it works or it doesn't?"

I *never* want to put myself in a compromising situation where I sell a certain benefit / result, only to have it not materialize. I'd really rather tell a client that YMMV upfront and have them be okay with that, instead of selling a pipe dream, which is what my competitors will do.

How have other agency owners approached this? @BizyDad @Black_Dragon43 @Andy Black @Sean Marshall

 

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[Andy Black]

Background: Running a B2B marketing company.

I'm sick of feeling guilty about selling a marketing service that doesn't generate tangible results 100% of the time.

In some cases we do, which I'm really proud of.

In some cases we don't, which I feel extremely guilty about.

In every case we try the best we can. But...

...there's too many factors outside my control that affects a customer's perception of me.

For example. Is my client's business viable? Is this an offer that can be sold through the channels we specialize in?
Are there market forces that make my client's customers reluctant to buy from my client?

I can't think of any real solution around this, other than I'd rather package and replicate en-masse a dirt cheap McCampaign and sell them the "time they'd have to spend figuring this out" as opposed to any real business result. That way a customer doesn't really care that it didn't result in anything but "hey at least we did the work and tried? Either it works or it doesn't?"

I *never* want to put myself in a compromising situation where I sell a certain benefit / result, only to have it not materialize. I'd really rather tell a client that YMMV upfront and have them be okay with that, instead of selling a pipe dream, which is what my competitors will do.

How have other agency owners approached this? @BizyDad @Black_Dragon43 @Andy Black @Sean Marshall

I don't feel guilty if it doesn't work. I don't guarantee results, just that we'll follow a process and fail fast if it's not working.

 

[BizyDad]

Background: Running a B2B marketing company.

I'm sick of feeling guilty about selling a marketing service that doesn't generate tangible results 100% of the time.

In some cases we do, which I'm really proud of.

In some cases we don't, which I feel extremely guilty about.

In every case we try the best we can. But...

...there's too many factors outside my control that affects a customer's perception of me.

For example. Is my client's business viable? Is this an offer that can be sold through the channels we specialize in?
Are there market forces that make my client's customers reluctant to buy from my client?

I can't think of any real solution around this, other than I'd rather package and replicate en-masse a dirt cheap McCampaign and sell them the "time they'd have to spend figuring this out" as opposed to any real business result. That way a customer doesn't really care that it didn't result in anything but "hey at least we did the work and tried? Either it works or it doesn't?"

I *never* want to put myself in a compromising situation where I sell a certain benefit / result, only to have it not materialize. I'd really rather tell a client that YMMV upfront and have them be okay with that, instead of selling a pipe dream, which is what my competitors will do.

How have other agency owners approached this? @BizyDad @Black_Dragon43 @Andy Black @Sean Marshall

I am currently in what Pulp Fiction called a "transitional period".

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X23AQXEQHcI&t=8s


I have a lot to say on this.... Hopefully this helps.

I do feel guilty when it doesn't work, if it is truly my fault. I have twice given people their money back when they did everything "right" and we just didn't deliver. I also adjust my fees up and down when we are getting results vs not, and I have given away a free month from time to time if I just need a little more time to get a result...

I do not feel guilty when it didn't work and the client sabotaged or just made poor decisions.

That said, I am in the process of loosening the reigns on my agency to allow for growth and to free up my time. First, here is how I have mitigated failure for over a decade.

1. Sales screening

I have a 2 step sales process. Step 1 - Fact find. Get goals, marketing experience, etc. Step 2- Research if my tactics can actually even help someone, and then present the findings.

I typically turn away 1 out 3 prospects I meet with because they either don't fit our model, or need a bigger agency, or shouldn't do search engine marketing, or I just get the feeling they are a PITA.

2. Adjustable pricing

I already mentioned it above. I kept all but one of my clients active at the beginning of COVID because I was willing to cut my fee for a month or two. I offset this by raising my fee when things are going well. It's been while since I did the math, but last time I calculated it, on average a client stays with me over 4 years. (I used to be proud of that number, but now I see it as a sign that I am too tight on the reigns.)

I don't like true rev share or commission.affiliate or true performance based stuff. Things get complicated. We simply agree to a monthly fee, and occasionally we agree to change the monthly fee.

3. Vigilant about tracking

Most of my clients will take my recommendation on call tracking. If they don't I expect them to report on a spreadsheet every month the numbers of calls they get. I add to that chats and form fills, the three of which represent my companies effect on the marketing. If there is ever a problem or question, I remind them we can gain much better clarity with a call tracking solution. I promise phone calls, I don't promise sales. That's on them and their team.

Side note, I love the recording of sales calls. It is an easy way for me to shift blame. Owners often don't know their teams aren't answering the phone or completely blowing off prospects or just need a little bit of sales training to dramatically improve results. I don't charge extra for the sales help, but occasionally I think i should.

You know what... I am going to add this to my new marketing materials as a benefit.

4. Cut the cord

Occasionally I get someone slip thru the cracks. I have no problem firing a client who is sabotaging or just "doesn't appreciate our style" of SEM.

5. Give them something tangible

5 years ago I went all in on what I call PR based SEO. Since then client stop asking "what am I getting for my money" because even if the phone isn't ringing, they see their articles getting published. And we do it for less than a typical PR agency would charge, the perceived value is there. In fact I now have a couple of client who only care about the article writing as a stand alone service, and they even care about SEO/Ads.

------

All that said, keep my eye on "marketing perfection" has me gripping the reigns too tight. I want to start other businesses. I want to have more time with people, less time on a computer screen.

To do this, I plan on adopting more of a "the other guys" style of approach. Because the truth is this...

Nobody expects my agency to be perfect.

As long as we are 10% better than the next guy, clients will still stick around. Because I have some clients that have been with me for over 8 years, I can have mastermind level business talks, and they all gave me that feedback. I have a lot of trust with them. And they appreciate my level of detail.

But they all support my decision to back off a bit, hire more support, and they know this will lead to less focused campaigns. They are business owners too.

So at the end of the day, I have one more hurdle to overcome. One more allegedly limiting belief.

When I give my word, I want to execute. I can't unwire my brain. Even in a business meeting, I take my promises personally.

So my solution is simple. My next hire is a salesperson. I will let them make the promise, and I will build the proper staff to be able to deliver on the promises we are making.

Hope that helps.

 

[StrikingViper69]

Can't you take a look at what your client is marketing to see if it'll (at least probably) work?

If their offer is total dogshi* don't take their money. Or, take their money to help them work on a better offer.

 

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[Black_Dragon43]

I'm sick of feeling guilty about selling a marketing service that doesn't generate tangible results 100% of the time.

That’s a good thing, because the marketing industry is full of scams. I show clients examples of potential results, but I usually never tell them they’ll get that next month, because I generally don’t know for sure. Instead I provide a range of possible results.

The client also has to assess the service and what it involves and think if it would be a good fit for his business or not at the current stage he’s at.

In addition, most forms of marketing will require some effort, skill and expertise from the client to maximise results. Do all you can to support the client in that process.

In cases of people not obtaining results, what you have to do is guide them towards obtaining the said results. What would need to happen for them to obtain results?

That’s why I’ve niched down specifically to agencies in my case, because I know what it takes to build an agency and can advise in pretty much all cases and help the owner craft a path to profit.

I’ve spent a lot of time refining the ONE thing that we do really well, which is helping owners build relationships with and acquire clients from LinkedIn. So whenever we have problems, we can debug them, and move towards a solution. Sometimes it takes time, and sometimes people aren’t happy with that, but I’m always up front about it, if someone wants to leave, there are no contracts holding them in place, they can cancel at any time.

So:

1) Productize the service and sell a transformation. To get results you need a system, you need to be able to identify what’s wrong when results aren’t obtained, and you need to learn to fix it. Make your service simple, productize it.

2) Have the right intention and support your client through the process. They may need additional guidance to get results and your help to diagnose what’s not going right.

3) Set a minimal goal to always leave a business better off than when they found you, even if they end up leaving at some point.

4) Start marketing around the fact that you don’t sell people lies — that’s what I’ve done, and I’ve been growing at rocket speed!

5) Understand that obtaining results is a process, which may take time. If business was as easy as just doing tactic X, then everyone would be successful. It’s not. Sometimes it takes a lot of testing to find the right path.

 

[m0ntilla21]

Hey @Mike Partee! Thanks for starting this thread, I have been going through the same troubles lately and along with the amazing tips we got from @BizyDad and @Black Dragon43 I would suggest that:

1. Set the proper expectations
Expectations are REALLY key, wherever you set the bar... that is what you MUST deliver and failing to do so will create frustration and resentment.

I do this by telling many many times to my clients that closing the sale is his responsibility, and only his.

Then I go ahead and do my best to train them on sales... but not everyone has been born to sell.

Also, I make the expectations prominently clear in my onboarding process (some videos on mindset and so on).


2. Offer a guarantee that depends on YOUR work
In my case, I help them get leads & sales calls, so I guarantee a minimum of X leads or their money back.


3. Think about copy-pasting your service
I guess not everybody will be a fan of this one, but I found this is really effective.

In my case, I specialized on a niche and I always do the same for all my clients. We only tweak very few things to customize for their brand, logos and so on... but it is mostly the same SO I can predict the results quite exactly. At least in terms of lead flow so I fulfill my guarantee. (With the added benefit that we take like 3-4 hours to deliver the service).

But, the main takeaway I'd say is to set up the proper expectations.

Underpromise and overdeliver and you will be better... even if some clients don't get results.

 

[GuestUser4aMPs1]

Thanks for the replies everyone. It's definitely given me a lot to chew on.

It all comes down to the sales process then. I'll need to be upfront with potential clients about:

— Whether or not we can actually help (i.e. I turned down a guy yesterday who's internal marketing was already pretty tight, he just wanted to hear if we could do better. My reply: "Those are good results. You're going everything you need to do, keep up the good work." Granted, he was a marketing guy.)

— Framing it as a client buying a *process* they didn't have invent themselves.

— Adding a Disclaimer: "Past results are not a guarantee of future performance."

— Adding as many contingencies into the process. (i.e. When things go wrong, what do you do? My troubleshooting processes are in my head, but they need to be put on paper, especially as I start to hire out roles.)

Thanks all!

 

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