How to Balance Client Attraction with Fulfillment as a Small Agency:

Tell me if this sounds familiar…

You just landed a great client that's paying you good money. SCORE!

You work diligently on the client's project for a few weeks and deliver exactly what they want, and they are super happy. (Well, you're amazing, after all, and do great work.)

Now, it's time to find another client. Crickets.

That check you were so excited about all those weeks ago has dwindled down and is a distant memory. The next client is…. Where??

This is the feast or famine business cycle. Periods of time where you're busy and getting paid followed by periods of time where you're not sure where your next project is coming from, and the cash isn't flowing either.

It sucks.

But, it's a pattern a lot of us have found ourselves.

The key to getting out of it is understanding how to balance client attraction (aka. sales and marketing) with fulfillment (aka. Doing the work.)  But as a small agency, that can be hard.

Here are my FOUR tips for finding the balance between selling and doing the work and ending your agency's feast or famine cycle.

Sell Services That Have High Value and Take Less Time to Deliver

Not all services are created equal. Some are quick and easy to deliver, and others take weeks upon weeks to fulfill. Other services are highly valuable, and you can charge a lot, while others may not command as much money from your clients.

For example, a small website might take 30-60 hours to deliver, while something like helping clients with their online reviews may only take 3-6 hours a year. Both services are highly valuable to clients but review management taking a lot less of your time is a good example of a highly leveraged service where you can make good money and not have it take a lot of your time.

The more you can integrate services like this into your business, the more time you'll have to bring your focus to other areas of your agency while making the same or similar money.

Find Leveraged Service Partners to Deliver for You

Hiring or outsourcing work to contractors or employees as a small agency can feel like a big decision but is one that you'll face sooner or later.

A leveraged service partner is someone who integrates into your agency and helps with the components of what you deliver. They can handle small repeatable tasks like writing and posting bogs or entire projects like managing all aspects of a Facebook ad campaign.  

What I love about relationships like these is that I can bring them in when I need them and only pay them when I have a client paying me.  

Brining in a leveraged service partner will help you get aspects of your time back at a reasonable rate and without breaking the bank.

“Build A Lake” (Email List) of Your Ideal Clients

One of the most valuable assets ANY business can have is its customer and prospect database. This is what I like to call your “lake.” Yet, it surprises me how few agencies maintain one or even use one at all.

When it comes to your customer and prospect database, this is usually kept in a CRM or email management system and contains all of your current and past clients as well as any past leads, opportunities, business contacts, or strategic alliances/partners.

In essence, anyone could be your client or refer you to someone who could become one.  

Having this list (or “lake”) is valuable when you need clients because it's your gateway to finding more clients quickly. You should always look for ways to grow your lake as an agency.

“Fish In Your Lake” (Nurture & Make Offers) to Your List

Once you have your lake, fish in it! It contains opportunities. If you've done a good job of nurturing the contacts in the list by emailing them good information and stories related to your business, then when it's time to make an offer, you'll be flushed with opportunities to close a real business.

Imagine you were hungry, and whenever you wanted to eat, you just had to put your line in the water and pull out a fish. That's how I want you to think about this lake of business opportunity. Anytime you need more clients, you should be able to put your line in the water and pull out a paying client.

If you're short on time as a small agency owner, wouldn't making it this simple free up your time and allow for more balance between client attraction and fulfillment?

The truth is, balancing client attraction and fulfillment isn't something that just small agencies struggle with. It's agencies of all sizes. If you want to find more balance between these things, no matter what your size, it boils down to this:

When it comes to Fulfillment: Find services that pay you the same and take less time to deliver. And, when it comes to client attraction: Keep a nurtured database of clients and business contacts so that you can offer your services anytime you need a client.

If you're curious about how to make this a reality in your business, apply for a call with our director of coaching. We'd love to help you get more balance in your business!