Table of Contents
1. Inadequate Tops of Funnel
2. Lack of Visual Differentiation
3. Sloppy Formatting or Copy
4. Messaging Isn’t Differentiated
5. Messaging Isn’t Client-Oriented
6. Using Meaningless Numbers
7. PT Barnum Offers When Targeting CEOs
8. “Closing” Is Uncomfortable
9. What You Can & Can’t Impact Isn’t Clear
10. Winning Isn’t Defined
iGrow Your Digital Marketing Agency: Conclusion
At Sales Funnel Professor, marketing agencies large and small as well as fractional CMOs reach out nearly daily for tips on how to grow a digital marketing agency. In this article, we’ll discuss 10 sales funnel issues we see over and over and share some tips for resolving them.
Professor’s Note
Some context: most marketing agencies have expertise in particular areas of a sales funnel, which are almost always top of funnel or middle of funnel.
Most businesses without intimate knowledge of marketing in practice assume that a marketer can just make money for them all by themselves. That’s not common. To them, marketing equals advertising which should lead directly to revenue.
To some business professionals outside of marketing, “Can you build me a website?” really means can you make me money. Money is made when one more multiple funnels are optimized from end to end.
A firm that specializes in WordPress understands a middle of funnel tool, not any particular top of funnel.
A firm that does PPC doesn’t necessarily know much about branding, conversion rate optimization, nor what happens in the middle of funnel (where the clicks they acquire go).
So you may be an expert in tops of funnel of middle of funnel, but to power the growth of your own digital marketing agency, you need to develop end-to-end capabilities either internally or via external relationships.
So let’s look at some common reasons digital marketing agencies don’t grow. Some of these apply to many non-agency businesses as well.
1. Inadequate Tops of Funnel
Remarkably, many marketing agencies don’t grow fast enough simply because they don’t really think about what tops of funnels they have or how to grow them.
Our sales funnel audits reveal companies all the time that have amazing backlink profiles/domain authority but have never bothered to run SEO strategy. They don’t rank for a single phrase that their ICP would search in the buying cycle. They’ve already got link juice but aren’t doing anything to monetize it.
When we look at a marketing agency’s overall site traffic, some get less than 10 visitors a day.
2. Lack of Visual Differentiation
It’s probably not fair, especially to marketing agencies that don’t offer design services, but any type of marketing firm is judged on their visual aesthetics.
We see so many agencies using the same dated visual cues:
- Colored smoke background
- Silicon wafer elements
- Colored blobs (sometimes animated)
- Excessive slide-in animation (everyone who uses Webflow does this)
We also see marketing agencies who don’t even try:
- Use default faults
- Have a logo that looks like typed copy saved as a png
- Have a logo in a white background image file sitting on a background of a different color
- Super pixelated images or clip art
- Ultra dated icons or no iconography at all
Any business should strive to be iconic or a “purple cow.” Marketing agencies are under even more scrutiny because they’re expected to know that even if they’re not a design firm.
3. Sloppy Formatting or Copy
When you offer marketing, your work sits between a client’s bank account and the money they deserve. Their potential clients see your work as the work of the company itself.
So the standard for proofreading is much higher for marketing agencies of any sort.
We see agencies with home pages that contain these issues all the time:
- Spelling errors
- Unidiomatic English (clearly translated in a tool or phrases written by a non-native speaker)
- Alignment issues
- A broken mobile experience
- No capitalization pattern
- A style guide that changes from page to page
…And the list goes on.
Your clients assume if you don’t know how to proofread your own marketing, there’s no way you’ll do it with theirs. You don’t have to be a CRO expert, but if you don’t have someone who can proofread at that level internally, find a contractor.
4. Messaging Isn’t Differentiated
Would you sell a car by saying “it has doors, windows, a drive train, four tires, etc.” ? Would you sell tractors and Teslas from the same dealership?
Many marketing agencies do the equivalent. They list commoditized certificates from Google, HubSpot, and others as if there aren’t literally millions of people that have a Google Ads certificate (and don’t know how to make money).
We see sites that only list table stakes instead of talking about what makes them special:
“We do PPC, SEO, App Development, Website Development…hire us.”
Those are commoditized.
Better: “We know [business niche] better than anyone.”
5. Messaging Isn’t Client-Oriented
Along with issue #3, many agencies just talk about themselves.
You want to explain to a client what you’ll do for them. What’s the transformation that can you effect for your clients?
“Problem and solution” sections and/or “before and after” sections work great for this.
Testimonials that speak to the transformation can be great as well.
6. Using Meaningless Numbers
Your agency may not directly create money for clients, but assuming you have clients, try to quantify the end results of your work, even if you’re just a small piece of a bigger team.
In your pitch, use:
“Our client added XX clients via our work.”
“Our clients revenue increased by YY% once our process was integrated.”
Warning: Any person of any seniority is getting bombarded by ads and cold outreach from “Meeting Setters.” Don’t pitch meetings. Many decision-makers have tried these services and found the meeting attendees that actually showed up were rarely qualified.
7. PT Barnum Offers When Targeting CEOs
Click Funnels, GoHighLevel, and to a lesser extent, Alex Hermozi, have created brands around marketing things like gyms, fitness supplements, and solopreneur tools and recommend excessive enthusiasm, extremely long email drips and over the top nested benefits.
If your decision-maker is a CEO, talk to them like it.
If they sense any “used car” in your sales approach, you just lost all credibility, and that’s a huge issue for busy executives who need to make a decision on a tight timeline.
8. “Closing” Is Uncomfortable
Marketers by and large aren’t “sales people” for a reason. Thinking about what it means to be a closer in the stereotypical sense, “Coffee Is for Closers” and “ABC Always Be Closing” come to mind (both from Glengarry Glen Ross).
In movies like The Wolf of Wallstreet, Boiler Room and others that heavily depict “selling,” it’s all manipulative (because the underlining products are a scam).
Marketing agency owners or whoever consummates new relationships to grow a digital marketing agency need a reframe. Instead of doing sales to someone, sales is something you for someone in order to help them improve their position.
Mentally prepare for a “sales call” by thinking through what this person really wants (more money) and how you can help them. Then try to help them on the call and if they need more help that they can get on the call, they’ll likely hire you.
9. What You Can & Can’t Impact Isn’t Clear
Your firm may be great at lead generation. But what happens if your client doesn’t have a closer?
Answer: they won’t make much money (maybe none).
If your job is to create an awesome, reliable website and it’s clear your client wants more money, ask them what they intend to use for tops of funnel.
If you do tops of funnel and your potential client’s website is broken, ask them if they intend to address it.
Explaining what your services can and can’t impact and what’s required from everyone else is critical to building a long-term relationship that leads to the outcomes both parties desire.
10. Winning Isn’t Defined
Hiring decisions of any type are about achieving outcomes. But many marketing agencies start work without really understanding what the client defines as winning.
Is it stopping certain things from happening? Our website crashes, we can predict revenue in our CRM, our team says things we don’t like, etc.
Or is it hitting some target number by a deadline?
“Where would you like to be in 1 year and 5 years?” is a great question to ask and sets the tone for a long-term relationship.
To grow your digital marketing agency, you want to start earning organic referrals as fast as possible.
Grow Your Digital Marketing Agency: Conclusion
Can you relate to some of the issues above? Go solve them ASAP!
Working with a sales funnels agency can boost your growth by applying tested and effective strategies.If you need another set of eyes, book a pay-it-forward call and we’ll be happy to take a look. Who knows? We may end up being good referral partners or our sales funnel specialists can help you fill in any gaps that your clients may have.
