Common Agency Owner Mistakes

Ross Lauder, founder of Get Focused on Marketing, joins the Agency Journey podcast to discuss the common mistakes agency owners make and how to avoid them. Ross brings a unique perspective, having transitioned from working at HubSpot to founding his own inbound agency.

Generating Quick Wins for New Clients

One of the fastest ways to build trust with a new client is to deliver quick wins early in the relationship. Ross recommends starting by identifying and fixing obvious funnel issues - broken forms, missing calls to action, slow page load times, or poorly optimized landing pages.

These quick fixes do not require a massive strategy overhaul, but they demonstrate immediate value. When a client sees results in the first few weeks, their confidence in the agency skyrockets and they become more receptive to larger, longer-term initiatives.

Measuring and Communicating Results

Ross emphasizes that digital marketing’s greatest advantage is its measurability. Unlike traditional marketing, every dollar spent online can be tracked to a specific outcome. Agencies that do not leverage this advantage are leaving their biggest selling point on the table.

The key is not just tracking results internally but communicating them clearly to clients. Dashboards and reports that show the direct connection between marketing activities and business outcomes keep clients engaged and justify the agency’s fees.

Getting Paid for Discovery

A common mistake Ross sees is agencies giving away their strategic thinking for free. During the sales process, many agencies conduct extensive research and provide detailed recommendations - all before a single dollar is exchanged. This devalues the agency’s expertise and trains clients to expect free work.

Get Focused on Marketing addresses this by selling discovery projects. Before committing to an ongoing retainer, the agency runs a paid strategic assessment that identifies opportunities and creates a roadmap. This ensures the team is paid for their time and expertise from the very beginning.

Using Events for Business Development

Ross shares how hosting educational events has become an effective lead generation channel. By organizing workshops and seminars that teach prospects about marketing best practices, the agency demonstrates expertise in a non-salesy way. Attendees who find value in the education naturally become interested in hiring the agency to execute.

Balancing Retainers with Project Work

Rather than relying solely on retainer clients, Ross recommends building project-based work into the business model. Discovery projects, website builds, and strategy engagements create upsell opportunities and diversify revenue sources. This balance provides more flexibility and reduces the impact of losing a single retainer client.