Let’s check back in with our agency owner, “Heather Carlysle.” When we last left off, Heather found her voice and felt more confident owning her market. Now, it’s time to discuss the last two A’s in the 5-A Framework—Authority and Acquire. Assuming Authority Heather and I met at the coffee shop, and she looked… read more
Being prepared in business means nothing unless you dare to act and give it all you’ve got. Last time, I introduced you to the 5th A in the 5 A Framework—Acquire. I designed the 5-A Framework to help you become a specialized, customer-focused agency. Last time we explored the first three steps to revving your… read more
If you have been following my recent posts, you are familiar with the first four A’s and how they are designed to help you drive more people to your business. So, what is the point of all this? The point is to acquire them as leads and customers. Everything we have discussed so far has led us… read more
How do you know if you are seen as an authority in your niche? It’s crucial to position your experience in a way that builds credibility with leads and other businesses. In my last blog, we began to explore the fourth A in the 5-A Framework—Authority. We discussed how proof points and message recognition… read more
If you’ve been in business for any length of time, you’ve probably had a warm referral to an ideal client. You know how that happens. Someone vouches for you and introduces a prospective client. When you reach out, the lead already has respect for you. But have you ever thought about why they have that… read more
Welcome back to our continuing journey with “Heather Carlysle.” When we last checked in on her, she was learning that rejection can be a great thing and how to turn the rejections into positive results. Today, let’s continue our journey with Heather as she learns more about applying the 5-A Framework, specifically with Awareness and… read more
I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “It’s not what you say; it’s how you say it.” And I know it seems true, because the how is essential to attracting new customers. But I will also propose that the “what” is just as critical. Today, I’d like to share a few tips and insights to reaching… read more
When was the last time you had a problem in your business that you needed to solve? This morning, maybe? What did you do to solve it? Perhaps you searched Google for those answers and discovered a combination of organic webpage results and ads. Or paid more attention than you usually would to an ad… read more
You’ve got a great message, and your solutions are second to none! So, how can you make yourself known? How can you get your message out there so that your ideal audience becomes aware that you have the solution that they need? Awareness is the second A in the 5-A Framework, and it’s the essential… read more
Now that you have a good understanding of your audience, it’s time to make them aware that you exist. Awareness is the second A in the 5-A Framework. Most agencies—in fact, most companies—rely solely on referrals and word of mouth. Those can be powerful ways to get leads, but they’re slow and arduous, and they… read more
A few weeks ago, I began sharing a bit of “Heather Carlyle’s” story, a successful agency owner whose business was surviving on the goodwill of referrals and word of mouth…and who had just hit quite a snag. A couple of weeks after our initial meeting, Heather and I met in the corner of a busy… read more
Did you know that author, Stephen King, thinks of only one person when he’s writing his bestselling novels? He’s not thinking of all of the various people who will read his books…he’s writing to one, “ideal” reader. The same can be said for how you communicate with your audience—the first A in the 5-A… read more
There’s no magic formula to settling on which audience to target. I often get asked about whether I think selling to a specific market makes sense, and the truth is, I wish I had this type of crystal ball. I could make A LOT of money if I did. Determining what market to go after… read more
You’re likely familiar with being part of an audience. Maybe (before the pandemic) you’ve been in the crowd at a concert, gone to a conference, or sat in church and heard a sermon. But for now, I want you to forget what it feels like when you’re “out there.” Instead, visualize the other view at… read more
From time to time, I’m going to share a bit of one of my success stories with you. Some might call this a case study—and you can if you’d like—but I like telling stories. Since I just shared high-level details about my 5-A Framework in my last blog, I think this is the perfect time… read more
Join me for a moment as I entice you to think about this: a vacation vs. a day off. It’s great to take a day off, step away from the regular, day-to-day routine, and do something fun. But does it have the same impact on your health and well-being as taking seven consecutive days off?… read more
In my last blog, I shared about the differences between an agency that operates as a generalist—one that tries to be everything to everybody—and a market owner—one that is specialized and customer-focused. To help you become a specialized, customer-focused agency, I have distilled my ideas and methods into the 5-A Framework. I created this simple… read more
Have you ever said these words… “I don’t have a particular industry or market I target.” “I have a few different niches I focus on.” “I don’t even know where to start with this whole ‘niching’ thing!” Then you’re in the right place. At best, many agencies and professional services businesses act like they rent… read more
Do you feel like there’s never enough time to get the day to day work done AND focus on future business? The issue that a lot of agency owners run into is that they themselves are doing a lot of low-level work that could be done by others, such as invoicing, building out projects, and… read more
I want to discuss the importance of establishing yourself as an authority, and share a few tips on how to do that. Today I’ll share one of my stories with you. One of my Agency clients has a business focused on helping Health and Wellness Coaches. While my client was gathering leads, they weren’t the… read more
Are you struggling to find your ideal audience? You’re not alone. I’ve worked with a lot of agency owners who face this issue, when you are not clear on your audience, choosing how to market your agency is really difficult, and you may not be attracting the right type of client. In order to help… read more