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Dear Agency Founder

15 years as an agency founder. I write a newsletter about growth strategy, getting leads and long-term value.

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🧩🖊️🌳 I know why they don't reply to your proposals

DearAgencyFounder 🧩🖊️🌳 Hi 👋 We have all been there. We get an interesting lead in the inbox. We have an exciting first call, then we go away and spend time crafting a proposal. We describe our value and the outcomes they’ll get, breaking down tasks and costs. We add some case studies and a sprinkle of testimonials. And then we send. We probably get a “thank you I’ll take a look”, but then silence. A few days later we’ll politely email to ask how’s it coming along. What did you think of the...

DearAgencyFounder 🧩🖊️🌳 Hi 👋 "How do I get my first clients?" I see established founders online roll their eyes. This again? We answered this before. You can keep reading, this isn’t about starting out. This week I’m challenging the idea that the advice for someone getting going isn’t useful for an existing agency. Watch... Advice for getting clients for an established agency: Build systems, write blog posts, automate something, blah blah blah. That was boring. Advice for getting your first...

DearAgencyFounder 🧩🖊️🌳 Hi 👋 If you’re lead generation is working well then you get to see the buying processes of other businesses. From an email with one line requesting a quote, to long multi-stage engagements with lots of rules and a pitch at the end (they invented the longer word ‘procurement’ for those). You may have noticed, that they all suck. People want: A beauty contest where they judge the best colour scheme but ignore the best problem solving Work up front that solves the problem...

DearAgencyFounder 🧩🖊️🌳 Hi 👋 This week we are looking at the consequence of being too optimised in your sales process. Your productised offering and slick proposal writing process could be stopping you from having the conversations you need to grow your business. But Dan, I thought we were supposed to be optimised! You are! And you have to be less efficient sometimes too. Did you want growing an agency to be easy? There’s a reason it takes someone as good as you to run one of these things 😉...

DearAgencyFounder 🧩🖊️🌳 Hi 👋 Every agency is working hard and investing in building a pipeline of exciting clients. Imagine if there was a shortcut to get in on those deals? There is! Partnerships. In this newsletter, we are going to look at transforming your agency’s trajectory by being the go-to partner. Why partnership is a key strategy Navigating the inevitable headaches How to be first choice for the big projects Partnership power You’ll have opportunities to grow by creating...

DearAgencyFounder 🧩🖊️🌳 Hi 👋 Today, I’m going to outline the process we used to qualify leads. And a load of other goodness too. Let’s dive in! Ever felt like someone was asking for too much before they actually pay you? They want to know exactly what the solution is going to look like. They might even be asking for spec work ☠️. And then they go and delay the project! It’s easy to roll your eyes and write them off as time wasters, but what are you doing on your part to stop this situation...

DearAgencyFounder 🧩🖊️🌳 Hi 👋 Scaling at the wrong time, even if you scale successfully, can get you stuck as a founder. There’s a big difference between growing and scaling. Today’s newsletter looks into how to have intent around which you are doing. What’s the difference? Growth Growth is a voyage of discovery. It’s how you started your business. Growth involves: Finding new types of clients Experimenting with what you offer Becoming more strategic Understanding the value you deliver and...