“When talking about delivering value for clients and how to structure agency fees, someone once told us, ‘You should run your agency like a law firm, they charge for every minute’,” says Kirsty Ostell, managing director at O.agency. 

“We laughed – that’s not how it works in marketing!”

While charging by the minute is definitely not how things are done at O.agency, it did spark a big discussion among the team: Why are some professional services valued so much higher than others? 

If you look at the margins for other professional services compared to the averages in the marketing world, – especially in the likes of law firms who are making a 75% gross profit – it’s not their fee structures that dictate this, but instead how they demonstrate value to their clients.

Approaching things in this way also allows Kirsty’s agency to put in place solid SLAs so clients can more clearly understand what they’re paying for, as well as setting firm expectations – and making sure to deliver on them.

“You need to keep the conversation with clients as consistent as possible around deadlines, timelines and expectations,” says Kirsty. 

“Then, you have to bring in real structure that allows the conversation to continue in the most transparent way throughout every project. Ultimately, if you’re not transparent with clients, you’ll find yourself in awkward situations.”

Join us for this session, where Kirsty will be sharing how driving transparency has helped her agency foster a new value-centric approach to client work – and how it’s helped drive better client relationships and results.