On today's episode I was joined by Rosie Barker, Head of Client Services at Footprint Digital

They are doing some amazing things at Footprint, ao I was really keen to get Rosie on to share what brilliant initiatives they have in place to ensure that their team are provide strategic guidance to their clients to ensure long lasting relationship.

We cover:

The strategic role of Relationship Managers: Rosie takes us through the role of relationship managers at Footprint, who act not just as liaisons but as strategic advisors. This involves them deeply in the crafting and execution of strategies for clients, distinguishing their approach from other agencies where such roles might be more administrative.

Educational initiatives and team growth is huge at Footprint: Rosie highlighted the extensive educational programs and growth frameworks implemented at Footprint to ensure that the team members are well-equipped to offer strategic advice and take ownership of their projects. This includes learning across different departments, shadowing, and internal education sessions.

Client Relationship Building: The emphasis on building strong, personal relationships with clients was a recurrent theme. We discuss how these relationships extend beyond professional boundaries, helping in creating trust and a better understanding of the client's needs and expectations.

Footprints values of openness and honesty both internally and with clients: The conversation also touched upon the foundational values of being open, honest, and fair both internally among team members and externally with clients. These values create a culture of psychological safety where constructive feedback is encouraged.

The importance of client engagement and onboarding processes: We discuss the importance of the first hundred days of client engagement, describing strategies to ensure clients are "sticky" and fully integrated into the service model of Footprint. This involves continuous communication, educational content, and strategic alignment sessions.

This is not one to miss. If you are interesting in learning how you can adopt some of these strategies into your agency, drop me a DM on LinkedIn.

I Believe in the Power of the Brief

James Kissell, Global Head of Agile Marketing at Fujitsu joins me on today's episode. He has recently just judged Campaign Magazine’s Agency of the Year Awards 2020-2023 for Asia Pacific and has a wealth of experience with agencies. Today we discuss:

• What are the key qualities that make an agency stand out above others?
• Do you think clients are also responsible for getting the best out of their agency? And if so, how do you do this?
• Future growth opportunities for agencies
• Campaign war story

Simple answer… answer the brief!

Max Gordon, Senior International Marketing Manager from Tanium uncovers his biggest learnings from moving agency side to client side.

We discuss:

• Biggest take away from working with agencies
• What are you looking for in an agency
• How to get your response to brief hitting the mark
• Untapped opportunities
• Agency War story

I Don’t Want An Agency To Be Too Big To Care

Joanne Chidwick, Snr Marketing Director shares her insights into what contributes to a long lasting agency relationship.

We explore:

• How Joanne chooses an agency
• What she looks for in an agency
• Implications of expectations not being met
• How to create a collaborative environment with your agency
• Agency War story

45% of agencies cite referrals as the most effective way of picking up new clients, BUT a huge 66% of agencies haven’t implement a systematic strategy to increase the number of referrals.

Today I speak with David Plunkett of Collaboration Junkie to discuss:

• How to make it not feel icky
• The importance of building a culture of referrals
• Where can referrals come from
• What to do if the answer is no!
• Top Tips on how to start!

This is one not to be missed if you are serious about growing your agency.

Jess White, a fractional Marketing Director who is an experienced, senior marketing & events specialist joined me on the podcast today to discuss her view on agencies/ client relationships.

Having worked with both clients and agencies, she has a unique insight into what works best and what are the pitfalls that many agencies are falling into.

We discuss:

• Things agencies fail to understand when it comes to their clients?
• Consequences of poor communication
• How to add extra value
• The value of face-to-face meetings
• Importance of having a client centric mindset throughout your agency

Key takeaway:

"your job is to make them look good and make their job easier"

I have the wonderful Remeny Armitage from Brilliant and Human on the show today.

Remeny has a passion for supporting businesses in understand what their clients and teams really think about them, with the goal of turning their clients into advocates.

We discuss:

• Why agencies shy away from asking their clients what they think about them?
• Benefit of using an outside organisation to conduct these calls
• What to do with these insights once they have been collated
• Biggest takeaways that you have learnt through interviewing clients

Follow me for more Client Services insights.

I had the wonderful Ellie Hale, Director of People and Partnership at Ecce on this episode of the podcast and this episode gives all the feels. What an incredible women Ellie is and I feel very privileged to have had her on the show.

In the wake of International Women's Day this conversation couldn't have been more timely.

We discuss:

• The Importance of Women in Leadership Roles
• Championing Women in Agencies
• Competition Among Women in Leadership
• Gender Imbalance in Agencies
• Flexibility for Working Mothers
• Importance of Diversity in Agencies
• Addressing the Gender Pay Gap
• Advice for Future Women Leaders