How to Expand Quality and Value for your Customers
On Wednesday, April 18, 1906, the New York Tribune published The Little Engine that Could. It was based upon a sermon by the Reverend Charles S. Wing of the Norstrand Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church in Brooklyn, NY. From childhood, this tale of a little engine who was fueled by pure will-power to get up the hill. Also on this day, was the Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake resulting in 3,000 fatalities. The value of this story is timeless and speaks to the resilience of Life.
Your Hill
Digital Marketing Agencies are the new marketers. Marketing is not the same today as it was 20 – 30 years ago. Content is faster and brighter. Consumer appetites have changed. The idea of, ‘build it and they will come’ went extinct long ago. Digital Marketing Agencies face the same challenges as their customers. How do they have a voice that can get through all the noise? While tools and tactics change, the ‘Why’ for marketing which is communication has not changed. We are still human and our basic needs run the show. Your real challenge or hill is not how to break through; it is for you to put a premium on what really lights you up and to share this passion. This is counter-intuitive to a society overflowing with FOMO and trying to get ‘everyone’ like and approve of you.
Putting Your Customer First
While this has been heard over and over again in different iterations, for us, putting your customer first means something different. Your real customer, the one who is your raving fan and has an insatiable hunger for the magic you produce, only shows up when you are being true to who you really are. What are your values? Not the ones listed on your website or words cleverly crafted by a marketing specialist that you have left on a file somewhere. What are the values you live every day? Where is the demonstration of your passion by the fruits of your activity? The way to put your customers first is to stand and share your heart authentically and fully self-expressed. Having an organisation that is galvanised by this kind of candour is inspiring. While you will not attract ‘everyone’ you will attract the ones who matter most. This is the best way to put your customers first. Remember your pre-flight briefing. In the unlikely event, the cabin becomes depressurized, an oxygen mask will deploy. Please put on your own mask before assisting others with theirs. There is a sound and logical reason for this. You can not assist others with something you do not have.
Grit
I was in basic training in the water with 6% body fat. I sunk the same way a rock did. If I couldn’t pass the water trials, I would be ejected from training. The drill instructor, who was half my size in stature marched up to me glaring and shoved me into the deep end of the pool. I could hear him screaming obscenities, daring me to get out of the water before my 10 minute float time had expired. As I sank to the bottom of the pool, I looked up at him and felt a mixture of compassion for him and for me. His contrived aggression had been a gift and allowed me to relax. I no longer cared about completing my training or the irrational fear of drowning. I allowed peace to fill me. I got to be me. Ten minutes later, he was yelling again, “How much longer do you intend to float?!” We don’t give out medals for what you’re supposed to be able to do. I went on to commanding my first unit.
The Way Forward
With all the external noise clamouring for your attention, what is your place of calm? Where is your true north? How does your true grit manifest? Not all tools are created equal and there are tools that were designed for your mastery. One of the most effective tools you can use to expand the quality and value your customers get is to leverage a white label digital services provider. These organisations exist to exclusively support digital agencies. They do not provide direct services to your customers or the customers of their other agencies. Because of their scale, they are able to provide enhanced value for your clients that you would ordinarily have to refer out. Leveraging them, you add value to your customers and increase your revenue. In selecting a provider, you will want to ask the following questions:
- What are your administrative costs?
- What services do you have that improve my lead generation capacity?
- Is there a contractual agreement over time?
- Are there any additional or hidden costs?
- Is your organisation a Google Partner?
- Is your organisation a Facebook Marketing Partner?
- Is your organisation a Linkedin Marketing Partner?
- What other partnerships do you leverage for your resellers?
- Do you have case studies available for each of your services?
- What are your support packages?
The answers to these questions will give you a sense if the organisation would be right for you to work with and you will still want to rely on your gut. Do you like the person you are working with? Do they seem to have your best interests as a priority or are they just trying to get you to register? Do they ask questions in such a way that gives you the impression they are really interested in you and what you are passionate about?
Summary
Before your agency can be great, you will want to define what greatness is for you and how it moves on a daily basis. Then you can start inspiring others to do the same. Without a vision or purpose, you wouldn’t want to be at your own party. If you are ready to have a discussion about how your passions, values and culture can be created and impregnated into your online business automation, call for a quick chat on what is possible.
