Exploring and adventuring

Two years ago I urged a revolution in your agency.

After all the chaos, I said, there would come a time of flux — when the world, and your market, will be remade.

And in this time you can either have change done to you by outside forces, or you can lead it.

If you do step up to create the new world, and lead others to it, then you will reap the rewards.

You will look back on these years as a turning point that led you to a golden age.

Other agencies, that don’t redesign themselves and their market, will stagnate and suffer.

Last year I saw this prediction coming true already.

Founders who did the hard work of transforming their agency, and their own leadership, began to see growth again. They had fantastic conversion rates in their sales, great repeat business, and record quarters.

So what common patterns can I see from the agencies that are now prospering, as opposed to those who are still struggling?

The unifying theme is that they have climbed the agency value ladder to become trusted advisers to their clients, rather than simply skilled practitioners.

Lots of agencies say they are trusted advisers to their clients, but if your work comes mostly via procurement processes, you’re not.

Trusted advisers get their work from clients contacting them when they don’t even yet properly understand what their problems are. They’re willing to be vulnerable and ask for help when they feel out of their depth. They want someone by their side to figure it all out.

That is worth a lot to them, and they can’t find this through procurement, only through relationships.

This is the service that clients need their agencies for, more than ever — because of this time of flux when the world, and the market, is being remade.

Everyone is an explorer now, charting new paths, discovering new lands.

And when you go exploring, you want people with you that you really trust. People who know how to navigate, find vital resources, communicate, avoid risks, and more.

If you can design your agency to be this trusted adviser to your clients, and tell the best stories about the new world to explore, you will prosper in the coming years.

Over the next couple of weeks I’ll share some tips about how to think about that redesign so you can make the transformation.