Client Management System for Agencies
Train Your Clients. Protect Your Margins.
Last month, you were on Cloud 9. You closed that “dream” client and floated away on a fantasy of high fives, excellent reviews, and a shiny new retainer.
But this week, you’re in H£ll. With a capital H.
They want things how they want them.
And doggone it, they’re gonna get it, even if it means constant pings, dings, and tears for your staff.
You want to kill that dream nightmare client.
Good grief, what went wrong?
You don’t have a process for managing clients, that’s what. Client management for agencies is critical to protecting your bottom line, sanity, and ability to scale your agency.
It’s S.C.A.L.E. to the rescue.
What’s SCALE.?
Our S.C.A.L.E. framework (which we’ll be implementing for you), is a systemic, proven process for scaling agencies.
Ready to find harmony in your work life? Let’s get on that ASAP! Here’s how S.C.A.L.E. works to turn those nightmarish clients into dreamy McDreamsters who pay and stop hasslin’ you.
SCALE. See what’s happening
Without a client management process in place, pain, and chaos abound. So, what type of pain and chaos are you currently dealing with in your client management process (or lack thereof)?
Bueller . . . Bueller . . . any of this sound familiar?:
- You think you know who your clients are and what they want. But halfway
through the project, everything changes. It’s like they’ve been body-snatched. - Constant delays with project deadlines keep happening. But it’s not you. It’s them.
- Your scope-of-work is a joke to them.
- Everything is always so URGENT! And the goalposts are moving — fast.
- You survive. You breathe a sigh of relief. They say they’re happy, but you never seem to get any referrals.
- It all seems fine (on the surface). But then you find out your PMs are doing
whatever the heck they want and there’s no consistency with client management.
Ruh roh.
Nip that chaos in the bud and prevent it from happening ever again when you implement a scalable, repeatable client management process with this first step.
Every part of your agency’s work, including client management, comes down to getting the right systems in place. Once you do that, wash, rinse, and repeat.
So, what exactly are you missing in your current client management process? This is the part where we pinpoint and determine the good, the bad, and the ugly with your client management.
We get rid of the ugly cause nobody got time for that. The bad we improve, and the good we keep doing more of. It’s all part of the next step where we create a baseline so we know what we’re working with, and what we need to add, cut, and optimize.
SCALE. Create a Baseline
This stage of the S.C.A.L.E. framework is the temp check. Where’s your agency at right now? Here, we’ll benchmark where you are in your current processes and set a baseline.
To optimize, we’ve got to know precisely where you are in terms of:
- Tools
- Checkists
- Client communication
Who left this dead body over here?!
We’ll also gather information on what level of consistency you currently have between account managers and project managers that are also managing clients. That way, you don’t have to play undertaker when a project closes.
From here, there’s nowhere to go but up. Because the key to managing your clients is to manage their expectations. Then, we amplify the good stuff.
SCALE. Amplify how you do it
We get it, your business can’t just stop. We’re hopping aboard a moving plane.
We’re not gonna bring it all to screeching halt. Oh no sirree — we will fix it while it’s still in motion.
Here’s what happens during the Amplify stage:
- Manage your clients’ expectations upfront with clear boundaries.
- Figure out how to include margin fees to prevent clients from dragging as$ on their projects.
- Filter out red flag leads that’ll make your life a misery.
- Assign a single point-of-contact to regulate the number of cooks in the kitchen.
- Set up automations so you can finish your projects on time and prevent the
dreaded scope creep. - Conduct exit interviews to uncover where you can improve, nail down your ideal clients, and close more sales.
- Create a system for getting reviews and referrals from your clients.
At this point, we’ll take the best of what you’re doing, and add the best of what you should be doing, mix it together, and get you where you need to be.
Then what? You get to hand off the reigns with delegation.
SCALE. Lead and delegate
Here’s where we bring the rest of your team onboard with the new framework for managing clients. We’ll show you where and how to delegate with:
- An established set of repeatable communication tools and protocols.
- A way to determine and designate the go-to person for client-facing initiatives.
- Set expectations for reporting, updating, and ongoing processes.
- Flow and efficiency.
Run your biz instead of it running you. Then, it’s time for you to get out of the way and fully enjoy having your business running on autopilot.
SCALE. Exit and oversee
Time to get the hell out of the way! We’re saying that like it’s a good thing because, well, it is.
This is the part you’ve been waiting for — the part where you get to sit back, relax, watch your business grow from the sidelines, and fully enjoy your life outside of work.
But I don’t want to set it and forget it!
Well that’s good, because you still need to maintain some oversight. But you don’t have to work in your business – just on it. How?
Measure your KPIs and watch your accounts grow in realtime.
Start Growing, Building, and Kicking Butt with S.C.A.L.E.
Managing your clients expectations ss the first step. But here’s the thing — it doesn’t stop there.
When you work with clients, you’re building a relationship. You have to teach them how to treat you with a healthy set of boundaries.
So what do boundaries look like in business? They look like a scalable, repeatable process that’s going to work for any client.
Our framework will help you better manage clients with repeatable steps for the onboarding process before work even starts, and during the project to prevent delays and headaches. That’s what S.C.A.L.E. boils down to — setting up those repeatable steps.
Get started today. Download our free Client Onboarding Toolkit. It’s not too hard to start implementing a strong foundation for your client management process.
So, do yourself a favor — get the toolkit. You’re welcome.
Get the Kick A$ Client Management Checklist.
With an airtight client management process, you’ll have a better system in place for targeting the ideal clients you actually want to work with. Client management makes things much easier on your staff, too, so you can retain your best workers.
Just say no to herding alley cats.
Keep projects humming along on time and within budget with a strategic client management process. Contact us for your free consultation.