Getting paid upfront is a win-win for both clients and agencies. It helps ensure commitment, aligns expectations, reduces risk, and improves cash flow. By receiving payment upfront, agencies can invest in resources and tools to better serve their clients, while clients can rest assured that they are working with committed professionals who will deliver the expected results. So if you want to build a successful agency-client relationship, consider implementing a payment structure that involves getting paid before starting work.
Now I know what you might be thinking…
Why would anyone pay me if other people are offering free strategy sessions?
While some people may offer free strategy sessions, many prospects are simply price shopping and looking for the cheapest deal. We have no way of knowing if that prospect has a realistic budget, recognises your expertise and experience, or is truly committed to achieving their goals.
This is a terrible position to be in.
By offering paid strategy sessions, you can provide a more personalised approach while avoiding tire kickers.
The truth is, anyone who is offering free strategy sessions, is simply trying to understand the prospects' business and where they can be most effective. The problem with that is it takes up valuable time, the client has no skin in the game and the whole thing can feel like a job interview. Not to mention, it’s only once you dive deep into their business and develop a strategy for how you can help your prospects achieve their goals, can you offer any kind of quote. Anyone offering a quote before taking the time to understand the prospects business, are just making numbers up and are very likely to be leaving a lot of money on the table.
It’s a wasted opportunity and doesn’t help anyone.
Unfortunately for many agencies, it is super common.
It hurts. But it really doesn’t have to.
While it's true that some people may offer free strategy sessions, there are several reasons why clients may still choose to pay for your services:
- Expertise and experience: Clients may be willing to pay for your services if they believe that you have the expertise and experience to help them achieve their goals. By demonstrating your skills and knowledge, you can build trust with clients and differentiate yourself from others who offer free sessions.
- Personalised approach: Paid strategy sessions can provide a more personalised approach to clients' needs. By paying for your services, clients may feel that they are receiving more attention and care than they would with a free session.
- Value proposition: By offering a clear value proposition for your paid strategy sessions, you can help clients understand the unique benefits they will receive by working with you. This can include a customised approach, better results, and a much more realistic timeframe for achieving goals over time.
- Commitment: Clients who pay for your services may be more committed to the process and more likely to follow through on the recommendations you provide. This can lead to better outcomes and a more successful engagement.
Overall, while some people may offer free strategy sessions, there are still many reasons why clients may choose to pay for your services. By demonstrating your expertise, providing a personalised approach, offering a clear value proposition, and fostering commitment, you can get paid to develop a helpful strategy and from there, it’s much easier to close clients into higher ticket projects over a longer timeframe.
In this episode of The Agency Hour Podcast, Johnny Flash speaks with Jeremy Moff, President of Moff Interactive and a certified Story Brand guide. The episode focuses on the “Get Paid to Close” model and explores digital road maps, challenges agencies face before implementing paid discovery, and how Jeremy has made the “Get Paid to Close” training his own. The episode also discusses the impact of the training on Jeremy's business.
If you’re interested in shortening your sales cycle, tired of wasting time writing proposals that no one reads or would like to know how we get paid to close new clients into higher ticket projects over a 12 month engagement, you won’t want to miss this episode of The Agency Hour.
