This quarter, it’s full steam ahead.
Everyone likes to make resolutions at the start of a new year, but instead of making plans and goals, why not just crack on?
It can be easy to think solely about growth targets and profit margins as a new year approaches, and where you want to end up this time next year before January has even begun – but there are so many other areas to consider.
Perhaps you need a shift in structure, or your processes need a tweak. Maybe your team need to become more commercially minded, or take more time to prioritise their own learning and development. Or you might even decide you need to reassess the value you offer clients, and confidently raise your prices.
SO, WHAT’S IN STORE
IN MARCH 2023?
YOU’RE WORTH IT: How to Confidently Raise Your Prices
⏰ 2pm, Wednesday 1st March 2023
- Raising your prices is quite often necessary – but also quite scary.
- What if an existing client says no and goes elsewhere?
- What if it stops you from winning new biz?
- Leadership coach Andy Brown will be telling you why you need to be more confident in raising your prices – and how you can do it effectively.
STATE OF THE NATION: How is 2023 Treating
You So Far?
⏰ 2pm, Thursday 2nd March 2023
- How has the first quarter of this year kicked off for
your agency? - Have you been able to shake off the shackles of last year? Or are the ghosts of 2022 still roaming?
- Come along to share how the last couple of months have been for you – and hear how other agencies
are faring.
CEO SUMMIT: Am I Wearing Too Many Hats?
⏰ 2pm, Tuesday 7th March 2023
- When you start an agency, you’re essentially a one-man band: the leader, the CFO, and the client services director all in one.
- But as your team grows, how far do you step back? Could your time be spent better elsewhere by working ON the business rather than IN it?
- We’re chatting about this in this month’s CEO Summit – and remember, this session also won’t be uploaded to the members’ area, so you can be as candid as you like.
“OKRs Don’t Encourage Accountability – They Reduce It”
⏰ 11am, Wednesday 8th March 2023
- “It got to the point where OKRs just became OK,” says Jake Cawdery, MD of agency Curated.
- In this session, Jake shares his experience of dealing with OKRs, and explains why his agency has ditched them in favour of something more measurable.
- Come along to hear a new perspective on this popular strategy – could you be using something better?
“How We Saved £25k Through Recruitment Referrals”
⏰ 2pm, Thursday 9th March 2023
- “We’ve probably saved about £25k doing it this way,” says Indiespring founder Rob Sandbach.
- “And that doesn’t account for the fact that, when someone refers, there’s unlikely to be a cultural problem.”
- In this session, Rob and Sophia Austin take us through how they used a referral recruitment scheme to hire like-minded candidates AND saved a load of money in the process.
New Leaders’ Hangout
⏰ 10am, Friday 10th March 2023
- Have you stepped up to take the reins, but you’re still trying to find your way in the process?
- While it’s a great opportunity, becoming a new leader comes with its fair share of challenges.
- This is your dedicated space to talk to others in the same boat, to share challenges, advice and lean on each other for support.
CLIENT SERVICES MASTERMIND: How Much Do You Share?
⏰ 11am, Tuesday 14th March 2023
- Nowadays, more and more detail is required to keep clients happy – but what exactly what do you share? And how much information do you give them?
- We’ll be talking about this in our monthly client services mastermind.
- Come along to share your strategy with reporting back to clients and hear how others in your shoes are managing this conundrum.
“How We Use Behavioural Science as an Agency Tool”
⏰ 11am, Wednesday 15th March 2023
- Some agencies find a way to stand out by honing their niche; others opt for repositioning their entire brand.
- Danny Bull does this with behavioural science – and it works so well, he applies it to every project.
- In this session, Danny will be sharing how he uses behavioural science to better service his clients, as well as some tips on how you can use it to win new business.
HR & PEOPLE MASTERMIND: How Do You Communicate With Your Team?
⏰ 11am, Thursday 16th March 2023
- Communication is everything in business, but it’s also one of those problems that never seems to go away.
- What do YOU use to communicate with your team? How do you make sure everyone’s on the same page?
- We’ll be talking about all of this and more in our monthly HR & people mastermind.
M&A SURGERY: What Do Buyers Actually Want?
⏰ 11am, Tuesday 21st March 2023
- You’re ready to sell your business – but do you know what buyers really want? How can you make sure you’re appealing to the right interests of the right buyer for your business?
- Milestone Advisory has done a lot of research in this, culminating in a report to bridge the gap between what sellers think buyers want – and what buyers actually value.
- In this month’s M&A Surgery, Miles Welch and Simon Latarche will be demystifying these perceptions.
HIVE MIND: “How Do You Prepare for £100k Projects?”
⏰ 11am, Wednesday 22nd March 2023
- “We want to grow 40% each year for the next few years, but we can’t sustain that on our current average contract size – around £50k,” says Amy Clamp, commercial director of Beatfreeks.
- “How do we find and pursue the right people who can give us the level of project we need?”
- Can you help? Come along to share your own solutions and help Amy tackle this problem.
CLOCKWORK: How to Transform Your Agency’s Operations
⏰ 4pm, Wednesday 22nd March 2023
- Operations can often feel like an agency afterthought, but it’s an area that can’t be overlooked for long.
- Harv Nagra started taking on more operations tasks as a ‘side job’ at SAENTYS – before seeing the agency needed someone to take charge of the department full-time.
- In this session, Harv will dig into what he’s done since then and how it’s transformed the agency, from onboarding new hires to engaging with legacy clients.
AGENCY CFO SURGERY: “The Worst Finance Mistakes Your Agency Can Make”
⏰ 2pm, Thursday 23rd March 2023
- “Businesses that just see their accountant as someone to do their taxes lose it out on so much insight and guidance, says Pamela Phillips – founder and MD of accountancy firm de Jong Phillips.
- “If you involve them into your strategic conversations, your business decisions will be better informed.”
- In this month’s CFO surgery, Pam will be taking us through some of the worst things she’s seen in her 20+ years of handling agency accounts, and the things you should always avoid when it comes to managing your money.
MARKETING & NEW BIZ MASTERMIND: Should I Niche or Should I Grow?
⏰ 11am, Tuesday 28th March 2023
- What’s best for your agency: targeting a specific market, or diversifying and expanding your offering?
- We’ll be talking about this in our monthly marketing and new business mastermind.
- Come along and share your experiences with this conundrum and hear from other agency leaders who have found their path already.
What Are the Legal Implications to Consider As You Grow?
⏰ 11am, Wednesday 29th March 2023
- “£13bn is lost each year by SMEs in the UK by not addressing their legal issues promptly,” says Clive Rich, trained barrister and founder of LawBite. “This in turn holds back your growth and success.”
- As your agency grows, there are a lot of huge changes along the way – but are you legally prepared for them?
- Clive will be on hand to talk you through the legal implications of your agency’s growth, and how you can future-proof your agency to avoid a legal problem stunting your success.
LINKEDIN MASTERMIND: How Can You Get Your Team Out of Their Comfort Zone?
⏰ 11am, Thursday 30th March 2023
- How can employee profiles increase your brand’s visibility on LinkedIn?
- Where’s the line with social media? What can you ask staff to post and not post?
- We’ll be talking about this in our monthly LinkedIn mastermind.
PPC LEADERS: How Productisation Can Help Agencies Dominate a Sector
⏰ 4pm, Thursday 30th March 2023
- Making your name in a particular sector can be a daunting task.
- But for Astra Newton at Web Presence, productising her team’s PPC services helped do just that in the charity space, earning their clients over £1m in free funding.
- In this session, Astra will be telling us how this agile approach brought renewed growth to her agency.