This post has been adapted from my grad school paper for my Negotiating Leadership course. In it, we were required to write about an experience related to a merger or acquisition and our view of the effectiveness of leadership on both sides of the post-merger organization. This course focused on understanding the complexities of global […]
The Importance of Demand-Side Leadership in the Post-Merger Company Read More »
In marketing services, an often unspoken tension is at the heart of every agency-client relationship. It’s not about bad faith or incompetence — it’s about a fundamental misalignment of goals that, if left unmanaged, can quietly derail even the most promising partnerships. Understanding this tension is critical for mid-level managers tasked with selecting, managing, or
Understanding the Hidden Tension Between Clients and Marketing Agencies Read More »
Asking your employees if they know how your company makes money might seem like a simple question. Still, a more pressing question is how we maintain profitability. A lack of understanding of these similar but potentially complex questions can have consequences for any size organization. I have been trying to finish this article for several
Why Employees Need to Know How Your Company Remains Profitable? Read More »
“The worst time to find out a client is unhappy is when they’re already walking out the door.” Client satisfaction and retention are the lifeblood of any agency. Yet, too many firms rely on assumptions rather than actively measuring how their clients feel about their service. By implementing a structured Client Feedback System, agencies can
Implenting a Client Feedback System Read More »
A long-time friend and mentor recently asked that thought-provoking question. He was working on a conference keynote focused on the undervaluation of SEO projects and what agencies should do to get more compensation for the incremental value they provide. His question was “how to win” a million-dollar SEO project. I told him that one
How to Earn a $1 Million Dollar SEO Project Read More »
I want to thank David Rodnitzky for writing the book “Selling Your Marketing Agency: Making the Most of Your Most Important Deal” – an excellent book I have wanted to write for a few years. It would have been a great resource when I was selling my first agency. David has experience buying and selling agencies in different formats
Selling Your Marketing Agency – Book Review Read More »
Nowadays, there’s so much effort and innovation around creating highly visual reports and pumping out data, often without any insights or actionability. This week alone, I saw multiple LinkedIn articles on learning Python to mine data and create amazing visualizations. None of these articles mentioned mining insights for actionable activities. My other pet peeve is
Reports for the Sake of Reporting Read More »
Most digital agencies are service-centric and do not have many hard assets like buildings, equipment, or inventory, making it somewhat easier to set a valuation. This post delves into the intricacies of agency valuation, shedding light on how factors like goodwill, proprietary tools, and earn-out structures influence the final price tag. Over my thirty years
Understanding Search Agency Valuations Read More »
There was a LinkedIn post last Friday ranting about some SEOs still providing long (100 to 200-page audit reports to clients. The poster stated long audit reports were a waste of effort since everyone was too busy to read them. The poster suggested instead providing an easy-to-digest checklist of action items based on priorities. His
SEO Audits Longer or Shorter? Read More »
Since Ogilvy let the cat out of the bag with a release to the New York Times, I can talk about my upcoming departure from Global Strategies. I am still here until the end of May and will continue to be a shareholder. My departure is amicable. I needed to take a break from integrating