I don’t see myself as a “lead gen service” agency, and I don’t tell my clients I run the classic agency.
This will probably scare them away. Instead, I tell them I’m aiming to partner with companies long-term. At least for a year.
Business owners love this. They don’t want to be hiring agencies every three months and waste time and money.
They want one trustworthy agency owner that can be responsible and work with them long-term while delivering results.
This helps me frame the relationship as a long-term thing and I plant the idea in their minds that we are going to work together for a long time.
They start treating you differently and they become more patient, they decide to give you their trust. Because at the end of the day, you’re starting a relationship instead of only exchanging services.
If you’re going to do this, I highly recommend you have some sort of performance structure. If you’re only charging a retainer you’re missing out on a lot of growth.
Because imagine if you close a client, they start getting insane results from your work, they start growing and you keep charging the same amount. You’ll be leaving a lot of money on the table.
Remember this space changes too quickly. Now everyone has a VSL, everyone has case studies on their landing page, and now everyone has a better LinkedIn profile.
You need something else to stand out. And in my opinion, one of the best ways to do so is to differentiate yourself from the rest of the “lead gen” agencies, by positioning yourself as a long-term partner.
At least that’s what worked for me.