Smart Agency Masterclass Podcast with Jason Swenk
Bi-weekly interviews, strategy, and advice for building your marketing agency the smart way.
The popular agency podcast has just turned 10 years old and covers everything from starting a successful agency to selling your agency.
We host some of the smartest minds in business…
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Seth Godin
Best selling Author of Purple Cow, This is Marketing, Linchpin, Permission Marketing
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Gino Wickman
The creator of the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) and author of Traction.
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Mike Michaelowicz
Best-selling author of Profit First and Clock Work
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Amy Porterfield
Renowned online marketing expert and educator
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Jay Baer
Best Selling author of Talk Triggers, Hug Your Haters, and one of the best speakers
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Pat Flynn
The leaders in the podcast space
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Joey Coleman
Recognized for his expertise in customer retention & enhancing client loyalty
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Neil Patel
Founder of CrazyEgg, Kissmetrics, and other multimillion dollar companies
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Dan Martell
Author of Buy Back Your Time. Influential coach in SaaS startups.
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Todd Herman
Coach to Elite pro athletes, leaders, and public figures
Selling Strategy and Building Long-Term Client Relationships with Molly Baker | Ep #697
Are you striving to refine your selling strategy and cultivate enduring client relationships that stand the test of time? How can you elevate your approach to not just closing deals but fostering long-term partnerships that drive mutual growth and success? Today's guest started her business with the idea of embodying a strategic dance of trust, value creation, and genuine connection. Tune in to learn how leading with strategy can lead to success in the agency world.
Why Firing Their Biggest Client was the BEST Decision with Miles Marmo | Ep #696
Do you treat your team like employees or like people? Every agency owner should recognize the immense value of their team and ensure they are treated with the utmost respect. Our guest today faced challenging times during the pandemic when they had to terminate their agency's largest client to prevent the team from burning out entirely. It was a difficult decision, but it ultimately demonstrated how much he valued his employees. Tune in to discover how he faced the loss of a big client to choose the team that was making his dream a reality and how celebrating the small wins helps keep everyone sane and focused.
Building The Right Team: Taking Advantage of The Largest Untapped Talent Pool with Sara Jensen | Ep #694
Is your agency work affecting your family life? Have you created the necessary boundaries in order to let go and enjoy life while also grow your agency? Today’s guest thought she’d always be a solopreneur but as her workload mounted, she realized she needed reinforcements to maintain her level of service and keep clients coming back. Getting the right talent to balance all that was not easy, but she relied on a large untapped talent pool: moms looking to keep their careers thriving while raising their families. Join the conversation as Sarah discusses her experiences in scaling her business and balancing motherhood with a creative career.
Losing Money as a Business Plan? Forging Long-Term Client Relationships with Kim Lawton | Ep #693
Do you prioritize new clients or building lasting relationships? Would you be willing to lose money on a client in order to build a long-lasting relationship? Today’s guest has built two successful agencies banking on the power of planning for the long term instead of focusing just on the numbers. She’ll explain how she and her partner formed their vision of an agency where people could do their best work, clients felt heard, and it would all translate into business. Tune in to learn all about the visionary approach that led her and her partner to success.
What Do All Successful Agencies Have in Common? How to Separate from the Pack with Tim Condon | Ep #692
What sets high-performing agencies apart from their low-performing counterparts? How are you positioning your agency for success? Our guest today is a seasoned business executive with extensive experience in product marketing and sales leadership. In his current role, he collaborates with agencies and gains insights into what separates successful ones from the rest. Tune in to gain valuable perspectives on agency performance and growth strategies.
From Zero Employees to Selling the Agency with Simon Cristal | Ep #688
Do you want to sell your agency at some point? Do you know where you want to take your business before you’re ready to search for a partnership? Today’s guest started his agency at just 23 years old and was ready to sell ten years later, when his business was thriving and had a solid position in a coveted niche.
Let Go to Grow: Hire the Right People & Achieve Work-Life Balance with Brendan Chard | Ep #686
Do you find it challenging to carve out your niche or turn away less-than-ideal prospects, fearing missed opportunities? Today’s guest started his agency as a college student and pivoted to digital services as the internet was barely becoming a thing. One of the biggest shifts and struggles in his journey has been overcoming the fear of tuning down revenue and letting go of the notion that his way was the only approach clients would respond to. Tune in to learn valuable insights on navigating the agency landscape, committing to a niche, and maintaining a thriving business while prioritizing well-being.
Client Retention: How to Reduce Churn with Khushbu Doshi | Ep #685
Are you struggling to keep your clients happy and retain their business? How do you prepare your team to create the best client experience? In today's competitive market, delivering an exceptional client experience is paramount. Our guest today is a true master of client service, leading a team laser-focused on understanding each client's unique needs and proactively crafting tailored solutions that address their pain points head-on. Tune in to learn strategies for client retention and growth in your agency business.
Evolving Your Content Strategy to Adapt and Innovate Using AI with Scott Gillum | Ep #683
As an agency owner, have you explored the possibilities of content creation? Has it proven effective in building an audience or generating leads? Today’s guest is an agency owner who has been writing books and collaborating with different publications for years. However, he finds that, for marketers, content doesn’t really bring a lot of leads. For him, it’s all about the credibility and trust you build through that content. He’ll discuss why content creation nowadays is all about credibility and learning to adapt to leverage new tools. He’ll also share why he chose an agency model that veered away from the more common use of RFPs and how it helped him tap into a well of talent waiting to find a meaningful job. Tune in to hear his thoughts regarding RFPs vs, referrals and the tools you should be leveraging in your content creation.
Avoiding The Revenue Trap: Prioritizing Agency Profit with Robert Berkeley | Ep #682
Are you fed up with the revenue roller coaster? Ready to get off and build an agency business model focused on sustainable profits? Maybe you’ve heard the saying "revenue is vanity and profit is sanity". Our featured guest today experienced significant sustainable growth after breaking free from the “revenue trap”. By shifting the focus from revenue to the bottom line, he saw a remarkable shift, leading to financial stability and long-term sustainability. Tune in to discover how this agency owner navigated through adversity, turned his business around, and expanded his team to more than 700 members.
About the Show
The popular agency podcast has been around since 2014 and covers everything from starting a successful agency to selling your agency. What makes this podcast a must-listen is Swenk’s background as the founder and CEO of an agency for over a decade. Swenk brings his own experience to the table, besides the expertise of his guests. He mostly covers topics that help growing agencies scale to the next level.
YOUR HOST
JASON SWENK
Smart Agency Masterclass
Jason is a family man who also happens to have created a couple big marketing agencies, helped thousands of agency owners, and had a big agency exit too.
