Is your agency using the Foot in the Door strategy? Are you keeping all the clients you want to? Learn the three core parts of a proven sales process that is working to renew client contracts and improve recurring revenue. In this episode, we’ll cover: The 3 core parts to every agency sales process. How to create a successful renewal process. How to get out of your agency so it can be a successful agency. Today my guests are Rob Murray and Paul Demarco, cofounders of Intrigue Media, a full-service digital agency servicing B2C clients. In the 11 years they have been working together, they’ve grown their agency from a $50 project fee to $3 million in revenue this year. They credit their growth to a proven sales process and to always sticking with the process. 3 Core Parts of a Proven Sales Process 1- The Sales Process Itself The key to this part is how you interact with people, i.e. your client or customer. There are two main philosophies to consider: Two ears, one mouth, use accordingly. Listening to your clients, let them do the majority of the talking. Ask lots of questions, your client wants to be understood. Avoid writing a prescription without a diagnosis; that is malpractice. You cannot properly pitch them a successful idea without understanding them. Be mindful and open to needing help. Your sales is what drives agency growth. Rob and Paul realized early on that they couldn’t afford not to get help. If you are in the same boat, then check out my Agency Sales Makeover. 2- Financial Commitment for Proposals Traditionally, Intrigue’s proposals or plans had been provided up front for free, or virtually free. However, this is where you want to implement the Foot in the Door strategy, and create a fee-based proposal that is clearly outlined. This is the first step in the direction of a long-lasting client relationship. Proposals require work, outlining this work with your fee is totally acceptable. Intrigue's Marketing Action Plan (MAP) includes the research and education necessary to understand what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, how it will be done and creating a plan around that. Thinking the proposal “seals the deal” is looking at it the wrong way. Charging a low, set fee will: Help you win the deal faster. Make the deal less risky. Provide you incentive and enjoyment through the process. Help make it an easier decision for the client to trust you. Can be a qualifier on your merit. Using the Foot in the Door strategy will also help define the type of clients you want to be working with. If the partnership doesn’t feel right, you can walk away with little loss, rather than taking on a large retainer and becoming stuck. 3- Provide a Plan that Defines Expectations You need to develop a crystal clear plan that defines crystal clear expectations. Something like: "This is exactly what we are promising you." "This is exactly how we will go do it." This plan needs to be shared with your CLIENT as well as your TEAM so that it can be properly executed. With this thinking, you need to make sure that the team you intend on doing the work is the team you are having scope the work up front. This can prove to be a huge win. Creating a Successful Renewal Process Keeping your clients satisfied can be achieved with making sure they are delighted on a regular basis. They implemented “delightful client moments,” where they get to know their clients better. It’s those soft touches that make the business relationship more personal. Taking a binary look at satisfaction creates a more black & white answer: If they don’t renew they aren’t satisfied. If they do renew they are satisfied. Everyone can say your stuff is great, but if they pay you for it, then you know it is great. Using the Foot in the Door method is a stepping stone towards a 1-year retainer. A month or two before the retainer is up, bring the client back in for a renewal. This is when you go for the longer term because you have built up a relationship of trust