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CHECKLIST: How to Start a Digital Marketing Agency & Hit $5K in Less than 90 Days

21elnegocio

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I've been meaning to write this post for a long time. It's basically the story of how I started a digital marketing agency to be able to do cool stuff. And I would like to give you a nice little checklist that you could use as well if it interests you.

I started my business in 2010. Since then, I reduced my own work load to less than 10 hours a month, lived in Mexico for 4 1/2 years, traveled to 15 countries, and am prepping to head to Scotland for 6 months in Sept - all together with my wife & 3 kids.

I cracked the code to scaling a service-based business using detailed systems (a fancy checklist on Asana) and a good team (all based in the Philippines).

I made $2,450 in my first month. Not crazy I know but it was a big deal for me just starting out. More importantly, that number increased every single month afterwards.

At about month 11 is when I read The Millionaire Fastlane and it completely changed how I viewed my business. I made a bunch of changes based on MJ's advice and started hitting 5 figure months about two months later.


DOES IT FOLLOW MJ'S COMMANDMENTS?

I need to mention that a digital marketing agency does NOT follow all of MJ's 5 business commandments. It breaks one - Barrier to Entry. Basically, anyone can do this. They really can.

BUT, that's also the catch - most people DON'T ACTUALLY EXECUTE! You can give them all the tools, step-by-step instructions, templates, etc and they still won't do anything. I know because I offer a course giving people literally everything they need and only a handful of people actually do the thing.

So in a way, the barrier to entry commandment is almost a non-issue. Besides, there's more than enough business out there.

With the other commandments (time, scale, control, & need), this kind of business passes with full marks.


MAKING $5K IN UNDER 90 DAYS

Why $5,000? Two reasons:
  1. It’s usually enough money for most people to quit their jobs to focus full time on the business
  2. It’s totally realistic & achievable
This is a number that most people can hit with some focused work. How fast you’re able to hit $5k is up to two things:
  1. Your Prices
  2. Your Hustle
Obviously, the more you sell, the more you’ll make. Keep in mind that some services typically cost more than others (for example: websites cost more than social media management)

Like I said, I made $2,450 in my first month. How did I make that money? I networked with people I already knew and got in touch with a few key business owners. I shook hands and spoke with everyone I knew.

Simply put, I hustled.

Hitting $5K in under 90 days is totally doable. I have students in my course that have done much more in less time.


WHAT IS AN ONLINE MARKETING AGENCY?

Before I give you a checklist, I have to answer, what is an online marketing agency?

There are a lot of names for this kind of business - internet marketing company, digital marketing agency, online marketing business, and more. They’re all the same thing.

In a nutshell, it’s a service-based business that manages the online marketing activities for companies of any size that are in need of growing their presence online – which is all of them.

This includes services like SEO, social media management, reputation management, website design, and more.

You can choose to focus in on just one branch of online marketing (like website design or SEO) or you can choose to do it all.

As the business owner, you’re responsible for creating the services that your clients will choose from.
Then you will need to recruit a team of people to do the actual work. You can even hire salespeople or a sales company later on and scale it infinitely.

There’s no shortage of businesses that need help with their online marketing so the sky’s the limit. There’s also no shortage of people who can do the actual work and you can contract them relatively inexpensively.

*NOTE: Building an online marketing agency might not be your passion.

It really doesn’t matter.
What matters is that it offers you a way to sell a valuable service to real people who pay real money. You can quickly build this business, scale it up, and then do whatever the heck you want!

QUICK BENEFITS OF AN ONLINE MARKETING AGENCY

The benefits primarily include:


  • You can get started for less than $300
  • Extremely low overhead
  • Large profit margin - you literally set the prices
  • Huge potential - an extra $50K/year or $500K/year - it's up to you
  • Work online
  • Flexible schedule

Benefits.png


THE 5 S's OF YOUR ONLINE MARKETING AGENCY

Starting and running a digital marketing agency breaks down into what I call the 5 S's.

1. Setup
2. Sales
3. Systems
4. Staffing
5. Scaling-Up

5-S.png


I'm going to break down the checklist into those 5 groups.

The rest of this post is literally made up of the steps you can follow to start your own digital marketing agency. If you have any questions, obviously I'll be paying attention to this thread. I won't hold anything back.

Just ask.

***

SETUP
This portion is to help you get started by establishing your business services, messaging & branding, website, and so forth. The goal is to move quickly to hurry and get to making sales.



  • Start thinking about your business brand including your business name. Think about what kind “feel” you want your business to have. Write out at least 10 possible names.
  • Look up “online marketing company” and check out the first few sites – the goal is to get a feel for what they do and what you’ll be doing.
  • Consider taking a class or two on Udemy.com or Lynda.com to get an overview of the online marketing world. Strongly consider also going to QuickSprout.com/University
  • Think about an industry you might like to serve (i.e. – chiropractors) and then look up “online marketing for chiropractors” or similar terms and study what comes up.
  • Write out (or type out) your motivation. Why are you interested in starting this business? Answer this with something more specific than “to have more money”. Get as specific as you can. Don’t skip the mental work!
  • List out the amount of money you would like to make in your first month, second month, following months. Include your first year’s goal.
  • Go online and look up other online marketing companies (again) – jot down everything that you like and that you would like to emulate.
  • Start thinking about what sets you apart. Ideally it can be summed up in one sentence. i.e. – “We provide SEO services for dental professionals”. This is your USP (unique selling proposition)
  • Come up with your 3 packages. List out the services that each package entails. Yours may be just offering social media or just website design or whatever. Be sure to be detailed - list out everything.
  • Come up with your package pricing. Decide what you think is valuable for all parties involved and use this as a starting point (you’ll most likely adjust this as you get more experience). Use this pattern: $499/$599/$999 OR $999/$1199/$1699 and so on.
  • Identify and write out your USP.
  • Write what your ideal client looks like – the more details the better.
  • Decide right now you will stay true to your niche and not take on anyone and everyone who needs help “online”. It’s better to focus on a core audience to avoid wasting time and money. Don’t be afraid to say no.
  • Come up with your business name. Come up with your business tagline (if you need one).
  • Pick your colors. These can literally be your favorite colors. Don’t stress on this one.
  • Get a logo done (use 99designs.com, Upwork.com, or Fiverr.com) – don’t do it yourself unless you’re a graphic designer.
  • Write up your business plan. Print it out. Change as necessary. Just answer the following questions:
    o What is your company name?
    o What is your company tagline?
    o What services do you provide? What problem do you solve?
    o Who is your target audience or what does your ideal client look like?
    o What is your USP?
    o How much do you charge?
    o What is your monthly revenue goal?
    o How many new or repeat clients do you need to achieve this goal?
    o How do you get new clients?
    o How will you fulfill your services? Who makes up your production team?
    o Who are the other key players of your team? List their names and titles.

  • Set up your corporation (use LegalZoom – for now, just get a DBA and then incorporate once you’ve brought on a few clients and know this is going to work for you)
  • Set up your business checking & savings account. Set up your PayPal (or Stripe) business account.
  • Buy your domain name (use a registrar like GoDaddy.com). Buy your hosting (use a reliable & affordable host like SiteGround.com. Set up your website (use Wordpress – it’s super easy & all you need). Your host should have a 1-click Wordpress install.
  • Create a home page, about page, services page, & contact page to start. This is the minimum. Set up your social media platforms (Facebook business page, Twitter, Google+/YouTube, LinkedIn all a must. Pinterest, Instagram, etc are bonus).
  • Buy your business cards (and nothing else) Use VistaPrint.com because they’re super cheap. Only order 250 for your first cards. You may change some info later.


SALES
This portion is to help you start making sales - the lifeblood of your business. If you’re not making sales, you don’t have a business.



  • Get your first sale (work your own personal network to get started – make a list of 10 business owners you know or your friends/family might know and approach them offering them a discount or added value to get started).
  • Complete the work of your first sale and be sure to get results! If you don’t know how to do any of it, go to UpWork.com and hire someone immediately – see next section.
  • Document all of your work – you’ll need this to scale & build a team.
  • Get your next 3 clients quickly. Go to networking meetings in your area. Consider joining your local Chamber of Commerce and possibly a BNI group or other networking group.
  • Use online directories like Manta.com to find more businesses in your chosen niche. When you find their contact info, reach out to them leading with value - do a mock-up website with their info, list out specific tips to drive more business, or share exactly how they could tweak their online presence for increased traffic and conversion, etc. Think value!
  • Reach out to associations in your chosen niche and offer to give free webinars.
  • Optimize your company website to reach your target niche and drive traffic to it – have specific pages on your website that you get to rank in Google for organic traffic (i.e. – a page on “Search Engine Optimization Services for Chiropractors”). Then get it ranking and collect leads.
  • Continue to look up the Chambers of Commerce in your area and other mixers and networking opportunities. Look to set up 1-on-1’s with potential clients but only ones in your niche. Don’t waste time with anyone else!
  • Set up speaking and teaching gigs to get in front of a lot of people at once. Be as helpful as possible. Give your best stuff away for free - be incredibly detailed.


SYSTEMS
Once you have some sales coming in, you need to make sure you document everything and create systems in order for others to do the work for you. This also includes establishing what tools you use in your business. It’s simple but incredibly important.



  • Create a sales manual and a production manual. Be detailed and use bullet points.
  • Set up your work email (use Google apps or even just gmail to make it easy and route your Name@Company.com email through it)
  • Set up your account in Asana.com – it’s free and it will be your project management tool. Name each new project after your client name. Each project is a client & list out in the project all of the work you said you would do in the list of services.
  • Set your file storage using DropBox or Google Drive.
  • Set up your bookkeeping with Quickbooks


STAFFING
Getting a team in place to do the work for you is key to your growth. You need to hire, train, and lead your team members. As soon as possible, you’ll hire more team members to make sure all work is being done effectively.



  • Create a company org chart with you as owner. Create a general manager position with manager positions also in sales, production/operations, & finance.
  • List out the work for your first job (base this off of your services in your game plan). Then go to Upwork.com or OnlineJobs.ph and post your job.
  • Interview your top 3 candidates. Hire 1 but keep the other two on a short-list for when you need them in the future. Start them off on a part-time basis with the expectation of them doing more soon.
  • Hire your first employee or contractor – generally this is a production staff member first (you should not be doing the actual production beyond your first client).
  • Take time to train your first team member. Refine your systems and make sure they can operate independently of you as soon as possible. Use Asana (or Basecamp or Trello) to manage everything. If you’re concerned about tracking everything, consider using HubStaff.com.
  • As soon as revenue and need justifies it, hire another contractor. And then another. And another.


SCALING-UP
Once you have sales coming in and a team and systems in place, it’s time to scale-up. This section is all about refining your processes so that you can handle 5 or 500 clients while the work to you remains the same. In other words, this is how you make more money while working less.



  • Refine your services – productize them! When mapping out your services, make sure your offer is the same to everyone. If you choose a service like SEO for example, then it’s relatively the same regardless of the industry your client is in. Don’t match a service to the client. Match the client to one of your preexisting services.
  • Refine your clients - it’s OK & very necessary to the growth of your business to be choosy. Stay away from any "high maintenance" clients. Choose early on how you will handle communication with your clients. Most are just fine with email.
  • Refine your systems. Look for ways to save money, increase productivity, and so forth. When possible, swap out human effort with software and automated work.
  • Refine your sales. Spend money if necessary on advertising, always targeting your ideal niche/industry.
  • As soon as you have at least 90-day’s worth of savings in the bank, have made at least 3 sales (with a lot more in the pipeline), consider going full-time with your business. If you have a significant other, be sure to be on the same page.
  • Over-deliver with your clients. If the relationship is there, try asking for a referral but only if you’ve already done a great job.
***

That's it! Just sell. There's plenty of businesses out there. I don't mean to downplay it at all but really, I'm nobody special. I'm not like most of the successful hustlers in this forum. I'm a pretty average dude that managed to create a sweet business.

You can do the same. Just follow the checklist above.

If you have any questions, just ask!

-Sean

Hell of a story man very inspirational especially since your able to travel with your family for months and your business is still running, starting a marketing agency company here soon.


Would you recommend to start it? Is there plenty of business?


Would you mind doing a flow chart showing how many employees you have and what they do each?



Is there a niche you recommend? What is your bread and butter (What's your moneymaker: websites? Lead gen? )

If you were to start your marketing agency company again what would you do and why?


Are you still doing the niche you started with or you opened up to other niches?



I kind of have my niche in mind: I have their Full names, cellphones, and email addresses. What is the best way that you recommend me to target this niche with this data I have? In other words whats the fastest way to bring in revenue?
 
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alekssiht

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Hello @Sean Marshall

Just felt like I owe you a BIG thank you!
Thanks to this, in depth post here, I actually started to learn about digital marketing. As time went on and I got a hold of things and how things work.
Teamed up with a buddy and now we are on it for a few months now. We have landed clients and even some bigger projects. We have learned so much about the business and business in general. We feel that this thing is going to get us far!
Others reading this, this post is legit as f*ck! Just start and things will start to brighten up!
Thanks a LOT!

Have a nice day!
 

Sean Marshall

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Just felt like I owe you a BIG thank you!
Thanks to this, in depth post here, I actually started to learn about digital marketing. As time went on and I got a hold of things and how things work.
Teamed up with a buddy and now we are on it for a few months now. We have landed clients and even some bigger projects. We have learned so much about the business and business in general. We feel that this thing is going to get us far!

Thanks man!

And you nailed it here:

Just start and things will start to brighten up!
 

Paul David

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Fantastic thread @Sean Marshall and congratulations on your success.

I launched my agency late last year and had a little success here and there but for the last 3-4 months I’ve been working on a program that nobody else does in the marketing space. Certainly no one I’ve come across anyway. It’s a no brainer for my clients and since launching and doing outreach just over 10 days ago I’ve managed to sign 5 clients from only 7 phone calls.

I’m excited to see how it goes. I was intrigued to see how you travelled with your family. How was that? Did you home school the kids or where they young? Travelling is a great passion and I’d love to do but I think with my kids being 9 and 11 taking them out of school for long periods of time now is going to be difficult.

We may have to stick to being ripped off by travel companies who increase prices during school holidays for now!
 
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Sean Marshall

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Fantastic thread @Sean Marshall and congratulations on your success.

I launched my agency late last year and had a little success here and there but for the last 3-4 months I’ve been working on a program that nobody else does in the marketing space. Certainly no one I’ve come across anyway. It’s a no brainer for my clients and since launching and doing outreach just over 10 days ago I’ve managed to sign 5 clients from only 7 phone calls.

I’m excited to see how it goes. I was intrigued to see how you travelled with your family. How was that? Did you home school the kids or where they young? Travelling is a great passion and I’d love to do but I think with my kids being 9 and 11 taking them out of school for long periods of time now is going to be difficult.

We may have to stick to being ripped off by travel companies who increase prices during school holidays for now!


Congrats on launching your agency and getting your first few clients - that's a big deal! Most people never get that far.

Long story short: My wife & I set a goal back in 2011, one year into the business, that a year later we'd be living "somewhere tropical". We moved to Cozumel, Mexico in 2012. We put our kids in a bilingual private school. Then we would "summer" in Europe or the states. With the exception of a year back home in SoCal, we've been international ever since 2012. We're literally in Cozumel right now.

Everything is changing so much now. Including education and what that even looks like anymore. It travel/living internationally is something you really want to do, the kids that actually do that will be so much better prepared for this changing world.

Besides, like I always say to anyone who's even considering it: you're never going to regret that 6 months you lived in Italy or Mexico or New Zealand or fill in the blank. BUT, you WILL regret it if you dream about it and never do it.

You work online, which means you're freer than 90% of the poor schmucks out there stuck clocking in to slowly die in cubicles or warehouses. Even with kids (& I speak from experience), anything is now possible for you and your family. Just decide what you deep down want to do, based on our values/bucketlist, and then be brave enough to get it done!

Sorry. I can rant for days about this stuff. Bottom line, I'm super excited for your success so far, I hope you have a TON more, and I hope you get to just plain do cool sh*^ with your family!
 

Sean Marshall

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Would you recommend to start it? Is there plenty of business?

Would you mind doing a flow chart showing how many employees you have and what they do each?

Is there a niche you recommend? What is your bread and butter (What's your moneymaker: websites? Lead gen? )

If you were to start your marketing agency company again what would you do and why?

Are you still doing the niche you started with or you opened up to other niches?

I kind of have my niche in mind: I have their Full names, cellphones, and email addresses. What is the best way that you recommend me to target this niche with this data I have? In other words whats the fastest way to bring in revenue?

As long as there are businesses and an internet, there will still be PLENTY of business. I recommend starting now and go fast.

I have a team that changes in size based on needs but it starts with my own general manager who's in charge of making sure everyone gets their work done. From there, I have specialists including FB ads manager, Google ads manager, content writer, social media manager, website designer, website/hosting technical support, and then when needed, a designer for graphics/logos.

If I were to start again, I would get my first clients, and then I would get my first VA to do the work. Then go get more clients. Then get another VA.

I have had a lot of clients in the home services niche (roofers, painters, contractors, etc). I also have a lot of industrial clients too (developers, manufacturers, etc).

However you reach out to prospects, always lead with value. Give them something they can really use. Don't spam. It's a waste of time. Sell by giving and you stand out from the herd.
 

LeeRoyBrown

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Great thread thank you!

May I please ask...

1. Do you outsource to anyone we could outsource to
2. Where do you find your customers
 
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Inuc

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The fact I am running my own company in this sector and coming across this thread. It serve as an eye opener for me.

Thanks very much for this.
 

alekssiht

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Hello @Sean Marshall

I am wondering, which of these choices would be more beneficial in the long run, regarding website creation.
Wordpress development or Coding from zero?
Considering these factors: growth potential, usefulness, money, best user experience, scalability, growth potential, outsourcing potential. Hope I didn't cram too much things to the factors.


have a nice day!
 
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Sean Marshall

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Hello @Sean Marshall

I am wondering, which of these choices would be more beneficial in the long run, regarding website creation.
Wordpress development or Coding from zero?

The kind of websites you plan on developing in your agency will help you decide but in my business for the last decade, it's been all Wordpress with a handful of Shopify.
 

Simon Angel

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Thank you for the value, thank you for the insight.

I'm in a similar boat - I have a lovely med school girlfriend that loves me, supports me and wants me to succeed and for us to have financial freedom & travel the world together. We're 22, have known eachother since we were 14.

I've been dipping my feet into anything online since I was 17 - from blackmarket video game trading to dropshipping (started with $50, made $60 000 in revenue), losing it all due to health issues and hospitals bills, then learning web design, SEO and have had a few clients so far.

Unfortunately, the business owners I've worked with so far and gotten results for don't seem to be the referring bunch. Both clients have had great results so far (10-30X ROI), a driving school and a guesthouse (my town is a popular tourist destination).

I'd like to get into the construction niche since in my country most of the companies in this industry either have garbage sites or none at all and I know I can get them the results they need.

I've been using this method when cold calling:

"Hey, this is Simon, is X on the phone? Hi, I'm calling you today because I recently worked with a business similar to yours (driving school) and we had some fantastic results (increase in sales, leads, more subscriptions, etc). Would you be interested in receiving a quick e-mail where I go over how your current online presence can be improved?"

Most people reply with "Sure, yeah, can I ask what it is about?" and only then do I explain that I do web design, SEO and how it can help them generate more leads.

I've had people open my e-mails, I've had people not open them at all, I've had replies, I've met owners in person as well. I also currently have 2 prospects that I feel like I'd only close if I follow up every 3-4 days, so I'm being persistent.

The truth, however, is that I call like 4-5 numbers a day. Often times I speak to just 2 business owners which is barely anything, yet I've had good results. I'm an anxious person, I believe I sound confident and assertive over the phone but it sure as hell didn't come naturally.

Regardless of the fact, I just DON'T call enough..

I keep reading threads like this one where you went the networking route and I just drop the phone. "F*ck cold calling, I'm gonna network"..

..Then I realize that I live in a city with a population of 70k and I don't believe there's any business events or meetups..

There's a Rotary club, but I need to be invited from the inside. I'm sure there are a lot of business owners out there, so perhaps I could befriend someone who knows someone and get invited to the secret society where people drink the blood of virgins... I mean the dudes that fund cool stuff in town.. and build some relationships.

Anyways, I'd like to get into the construction niche, but my past work (and my cold calling method which relies on my past work) is nothing of the sort.

I feel like if I had 1 past work that's in this niche and managed to delvier results I'd be golden and it would be just a numbers game in terms of calling and networking after.. But I don't and I don't really want to work for free (again).

One workaround I've thought of and used so far is this:

"Hey, this is Simon, is X on the phone? Hi, I'm calling you today because I recently worked with a business with a similar online presence as yours.."

How's that?

Sorry for the rambling, I have "lightbulb" moments while writing. I am also rather excited of the possiblity of living on a tropical island with my girl and traveling the world.. knowing full well that it is in my hands and my hands alone, you've inspired me greatly.

P.S I'll be starting an EXECUTION thread very soon. I need people like you to bust my balls, give me feedback and call me bad names when I'm F*cking around.
 
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Sean Marshall

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Sorry for the rambling, I have "lightbulb" moments while writing. I am also rather excited of the possiblity of living on a tropical island with my girl and traveling the world.. knowing full well that it is in my hands and my hands alone, you've inspired me greatly.

Glad you're inspired!

You've already got a fantastic head start. Just keep on hustling.
 
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JonathanMiz

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Thanks for the amazing post!
How to handle all the legal agreements
when you are just starting out?
(client agreements, TOS, etc..)
 

Sean Marshall

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How to handle all the legal agreements
when you are just starting out?
(client agreements, TOS, etc..)

For starters, you can just Google it. There are TONS of free resources where you can simply plug in your company name and etc. Easy peasy.

For me, I use a game plan (proposal) and everything is month to month anyway. It's all written in there. It's been 10 years now and it's worked just fine.
 

JonathanMiz

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For starters, you can just Google it. There are TONS of free resources where you can simply plug in your company name and etc. Easy peasy.

For me, I use a game plan (proposal) and everything is month to month anyway. It's all written in there. It's been 10 years now and it's worked just fine.
Thanks!
Your checklist can LITERALLY be applied for most niches.
 
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Hi Sean,

Regarding control of the business, how do you deal if Google changes algorithm? It seems a digital marketing agency is dependent on Google, Facebook, or any sites.
 

Sean Marshall

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Regarding control of the business, how do you deal if Google changes algorithm? It seems a digital marketing agency is dependent on Google, Facebook, or any sites.

Yep, it's always changing which is why business owners pay an agency to do the work for them and to stay up to date with the changes.
 

sonny_1080

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Wow. Very helpful thread. Thank you @Sean Marshall

Do you think it’s important to become the best at the services you offer so that when you teach it to people they can reflect that? You mentioned that you would get a team together to do the work quicker than I would have assumed and I’m wondering if that reflects in the quality of work?

Anyone else have experience with delegating recently learned skills to focus on sales for a new business?

I recently got my first paying client. It’s not going well (tracking issues, the vertical probably isn’t the best for the service I provide). Either way... I have to get more sales. I’m just not sure when the right time to build a team is. Especially when I’m by no means an expert.

However, it’s definitely reasonable to assume that I know enough to get results for the right vertical. And I have templates, documentation of the process, systems, and resources to teach someone what I do. Then I can focus on the sales.

I think what’s holding me back is not being able to getbetter at it if I’m focused on sales and someone else is doing the work.

Not sure if my head is in the right place for where the stage I’m at.
 
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Sean Marshall

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Do you think it’s important to become the best at the services you offer so that when you teach it to people they can reflect that? You mentioned that you would get a team together to do the work quicker than I would have assumed and I’m wondering if that reflects in the quality of work?

Anyone else have experience with delegating recently learned skills to focus on sales for a new business?

I recently got my first paying client. It’s not going well (tracking issues, the vertical probably isn’t the best for the service I provide). Either way... I have to get more sales. I’m just not sure when the right time to build a team is. Especially when I’m by no means an expert.

You don't have to be the best but you do have to know how to get results in the services you provide.

I should have put a team together faster in order to get better results faster. Hire people smarter than you or who know how to do it faster. I wasted so much time in forums and YouTube videos when I should have just contracted others.

List out everything that needs to be done and then get people to do it.

With your client, if it's not a good fit, don't be afraid to let them go. Focus on verticals that you CAN serve OR change your services.

Hope that helps!
 

Raúl Gallegos

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This is Amazing! Thank you for sharing it with us! And It is also nice that you really loved Cozumel.

May be in Cozumel it is not that evident because there are a lot of tourists. But at least where I live, most of the companies ignore Online Marketing. They still do business like before Internet.

Just now I have been thinking of all the clients I could help.

I have a few questions:

1. More or less how much would be a good price for a starter?, because as you know $1,000 is a lot of money in Mexico. I still need to learn the type of clients around my city. But just by guessing I will have a challenge in teaching them the importance of Online Marketing and charging for it.

2.- Does the price include the cost of ads, videos or other things that would add to expenses? Or everything is planned from the beginning and they pay you for your services and the cost of ads for example.

3.- Have you ever had a client that has been really bad that his reputation was shattered and you couldnt make things better? Unfortunately in Mexico most of the companies sucks big time in Customer service, especially after selling their products to you. for example in my home town, most of the bodyshops even from Brands like Audi or BMW have a really poor service.
 

BlackMagician

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This is Amazing! Thank you for sharing it with us! And It is also nice that you really loved Cozumel.

May be in Cozumel it is not that evident because there are a lot of tourists. But at least where I live, most of the companies ignore Online Marketing. They still do business like before Internet.

Just now I have been thinking of all the clients I could help.

I have a few questions:

1. More or less how much would be a good price for a starter?, because as you know $1,000 is a lot of money in Mexico. I still need to learn the type of clients around my city. But just by guessing I will have a challenge in teaching them the importance of Online Marketing and charging for it.

2.- Does the price include the cost of ads, videos or other things that would add to expenses? Or everything is planned from the beginning and they pay you for your services and the cost of ads for example.

3.- Have you ever had a client that has been really bad that his reputation was shattered and you couldnt make things better? Unfortunately in Mexico most of the companies sucks big time in Customer service, especially after selling their products to you. for example in my home town, most of the bodyshops even from Brands like Audi or BMW have a really poor service.

These questions are irrelevant right now for you. Just get 1 client, try to help him as much as possible via online marketing. Whatever their business need for this, learn and implement. Video, copy, ads etc. Just help them. You can say, i will help you in this. If I am able to provide value and increase your revenue, pay me $250. That much is a fair amount while starting.

Try to understand the client's business from their point of view. They know better than you about their business. See if they have creatives to be used online. If they don't have an effective website, create a Landing page for them. If they have videos for promotion, use them. If not, leave video out as creating a video that works takes a hell of a time. Use simple and to the point creatives for advertising.
 
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Congrats on launching your agency and getting your first few clients - that's a big deal! Most people never get that far.

Long story short: My wife & I set a goal back in 2011, one year into the business, that a year later we'd be living "somewhere tropical". We moved to Cozumel, Mexico in 2012. We put our kids in a bilingual private school. Then we would "summer" in Europe or the states. With the exception of a year back home in SoCal, we've been international ever since 2012. We're literally in Cozumel right now.

Everything is changing so much now. Including education and what that even looks like anymore. It travel/living internationally is something you really want to do, the kids that actually do that will be so much better prepared for this changing world.

Besides, like I always say to anyone who's even considering it: you're never going to regret that 6 months you lived in Italy or Mexico or New Zealand or fill in the blank. BUT, you WILL regret it if you dream about it and never do it.

You work online, which means you're freer than 90% of the poor schmucks out there stuck clocking in to slowly die in cubicles or warehouses. Even with kids (& I speak from experience), anything is now possible for you and your family. Just decide what you deep down want to do, based on our values/bucketlist, and then be brave enough to get it done!

Sorry. I can rant for days about this stuff. Bottom line, I'm super excited for your success so far, I hope you have a TON more, and I hope you get to just plain do cool sh*^ with your family!

How much monthly income would you say would be required to do what you did in travelling with your family?

I know it depends on the standard of travel, places you’re staying etc but how much would you say I’d need for a family of 4.
 

BlackMagician

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How much monthly income would you say would be required to do what you did in travelling with your family?

I know it depends on the standard of travel, places you’re staying etc but how much would you say I’d need for a family of 4.
$20k/month
 

Sean Marshall

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1. More or less how much would be a good price for a starter?, because as you know $1,000 is a lot of money in Mexico. I still need to learn the type of clients around my city. But just by guessing I will have a challenge in teaching them the importance of Online Marketing and charging for it.

2.- Does the price include the cost of ads, videos or other things that would add to expenses? Or everything is planned from the beginning and they pay you for your services and the cost of ads for example.

3.- Have you ever had a client that has been really bad that his reputation was shattered and you couldnt make things better? Unfortunately in Mexico most of the companies sucks big time in Customer service, especially after selling their products to you. for example in my home town, most of the bodyshops even from Brands like Audi or BMW have a really poor service.

1. Like I always say, they MUST see the need and they MUST have the budget. If they don't, regardless of what part of the country they're in, it's not worth it. Look for people who DO have the budget and see the need.

2. Prices are what you decide. With ads in particular, I would have your service price then add whatever ad budget they want. For example, you manage their FB ads for $1000/mo. Then they set a budget of $1500/mo. So they pay $1000 to you and then $1500 to FB. Just an example.

3. Not sure I totally understand the question but if they already have a bad reputation, I do not work with them. It's too hard and there are so many good businesses out there that need help.
 
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Jeff Noel

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I'm curious @Sean Marshall, have you ever charged for FB ads or other types of ads with a revenue share pricing instead of a fixed monthly price ?

Let's say you generate $4500 in sales for the customer that month, you could have a contract for 33% rev share, thus making $1500.
The main advantage for the customer is that they only pay you if you made them money.
The big risk is that they won't pay you upfront.

I've seen this kind of payment plan with "base price + rev shares" where the agency would take, let's say, $2000/mth + 10% rev share.

Of course, with this plan, you only make money off of the sales made by your ads, funnels, etc.

Any thoughts on this ?
 

Sean Marshall

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I'm curious @Sean Marshall, have you ever charged for FB ads or other types of ads with a revenue share pricing instead of a fixed monthly price ?

Let's say you generate $4500 in sales for the customer that month, you could have a contract for 33% rev share, thus making $1500.
The main advantage for the customer is that they only pay you if you made them money.
The big risk is that they won't pay you upfront.

I've seen this kind of payment plan with "base price + rev shares" where the agency would take, let's say, $2000/mth + 10% rev share.

Of course, with this plan, you only make money off of the sales made by your ads, funnels, etc.

Any thoughts on this ?

Tracking sales becomes a BIG issue with this.

I personally would never do that. My team gets paid for the work/service they do. The clients get new business. Everyone wins.

If you do decide to do that, be sure to have sales tracking software installed and be prepared to draw up contracts (and enforce them) when the sales come in.
 

Paul David

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I'm curious @Sean Marshall, have you ever charged for FB ads or other types of ads with a revenue share pricing instead of a fixed monthly price ?

Let's say you generate $4500 in sales for the customer that month, you could have a contract for 33% rev share, thus making $1500.
The main advantage for the customer is that they only pay you if you made them money.
The big risk is that they won't pay you upfront.

I've seen this kind of payment plan with "base price + rev shares" where the agency would take, let's say, $2000/mth + 10% rev share.

Of course, with this plan, you only make money off of the sales made by your ads, funnels, etc.

Any thoughts on this ?

I do something similar myself. I have a pay per show model. I basically run facebook/google ads under my own niche brand. Then I sign up clinics who only pay me a fixed a price once a client I referred has walked through their door for the appointment.

It's a no brainer for them. Zero risk.

The downside is I pay for all ad spend up front.
 
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Paul David

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Tracking sales becomes a BIG issue with this.

I personally would never do that. My team gets paid for the work/service they do. The clients get new business. Everyone wins.

If you do decide to do that, be sure to have sales tracking software installed and be prepared to draw up contracts (and enforce them) when the sales come in.

Agree. Commission based means your trusting them to tell you what business they did or them giving you access to their CRM. It's messy and not really scalable.
 

Simon Angel

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I do something similar myself. I have a pay per show model. I basically run facebook/google ads under my own niche brand. Then I sign up clinics who only pay me a fixed a price once a client I referred has walked through their door for the appointment.

It's a no brainer for them. Zero risk.

The downside is I pay for all ad spend up front.

Any updates on your situation? Did it pick up?
 

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