In this episode, Chip and Gini discuss the common practice of providing free proposals and baseline ideas to clients. They argue that professional service providers should charge for these services as doing so adds value and ensures a thorough diagnosis before providing solutions.
They share personal experiences and compare the situation to doctors who would never prescribe treatment without proper tests. They emphasize the importance of understanding a client’s business through a paid discovery phase and making adjustments along the way to deliver effective results.
Additionally, they discuss the risks of providing overly detailed plans in early stages, the benefits of quarterly assessments, and the importance of maintaining clear communication and trust with clients.
Key takeaways
* Chip Griffin: “You should not be in a position of having one phone call with a client or prospect and saying, yep, know what that problem is. Here’s how we’ll fix that, and here’s what it costs.”
* Gini Dietrich: “Quarterly planning helps build trust because it allows the client to be involved in the planning decisions and discussions and measurement to understand what’s working and what’s not.”
* Chip Griffin: “If you ever feel that you are in a position where your expertise is either not valued or you don’t feel comfortable delivering it, then you are in the wrong relationship and need to look elsewhere.”
* Gini Dietrich: “We have to create a prescription exactly for you and your business so that we can have success. And we can’t do that without spending 30 or 60 days with you and getting to know and understand your business.”
Related
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What if agencies abandoned proposals and posted transparent pricing?
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The pros and cons of RFP’s for agencies
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Understanding the cost of agency business development
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Common mistakes agencies make when pursuing new business
View Transcript
The following is a computer-generated transcript. Please listen to the audio to confirm accuracy.
Chip Griffin: Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Agency Leadership Podcast. I’m Chip Griffin.
Gini Dietrich: And I’m Gini Dietrich.
Chip Griffin: Gini, you got me all wound up for today’s topic. And so I’m sort of frothing at the mouth here. And, I’m gonna try to control myself, but I, I’m not trying to do a funny opening ’cause I just got too amped up in the leadup.
Gini Dietrich: Oh, okay, well good.
Chip Griffin: And I was afraid, I was afraid of what I might say.
Gini Dietrich: I like amped up Chip. That’s good. That’s good. Yeah.
Chip Griffin: I’m trying, I’m trying to dial it down to keep it at a level where we don’t get kicked off of any of the platforms we’re on and my hate mail is limited to a minimum and all of that kind of stuff.
