If someone put a gun to my head to save their agency, here's EXACTLY what I’d do 👇
1/ MAP OUT THE ICP
Most failing agencies are selling to ANYONE & EVERYONE. I'd define ONE 'Ideal Client Profile'. Give them a NAME.
Find a PHOTO of what they'd look like on Google Images. Paste it on a Miro board. Obsess figuring out EXACTLY what they want, what they’re struggling with, and how we solve it.
2/ REBUILD THE OFFER
Most struggling agencies offer TOO MANY services. I'd create ONE clear offer.
Start with a front-end offer (free, one-off, or low-ticket). Use that to upsell to a retainer.
3/ PRODUCTISE THE SERVICE
Tighten the processes + build SOPs. Become world-class at this ONE thing. This makes scaling possible without chaos.
4/ FIX THE FUNNEL
Forget rebrands and logos and beautiful websites. Nobody cares, honest. Does the site convert? Can a visitor quickly become a customer? Does it explain and sell the offer on the landing page?
Form, buy button, book call, whatever it is, make it frictionless and easy.
5/ CHOOSE ONE CHANNEL AND GO ALL IN
Not 2. Not 3. Not "let’s test stuff", or "experiment" a little here a little there.
Pick ONE that has maybe worked in the past, or just pick one you have the resource for.
If there's budget: Google Ads or Meta. Scientific. £1 in, £3 out.
If not: Cold Email. It scales scientifically.
Most other channels are too slow, too inconsistent for a crisis.
6/ CASHFLOW
If you’re bleeding cash, cut fat and solve cashflow ASAP.
First, payments UPFRONT. Then utilize a scalable delivery team -
Keep ops, sales, strategy, and marketing in-house.
OUTSOURCE delivery (link building, outreach, content, etc) - scale up and down with demand.
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That’s it.
Tldr:
ONE ICP. ONE OFFER. ONE FUNNEL. ONE CHANNEL.
Lean out the delivery team and upfront payments to solve cashflow.
That’s how I’d save an agency in survival mode.
Cheers
Joe Davies
Work with me 1:1 (waiting list)