Smart Agency Podcast: The #1 Digital Marketing Agency Podcast for Social Media, SEO, PPC & Creative Agencies Podcast Por Jason Swenk arte de portada

Smart Agency Podcast: The #1 Digital Marketing Agency Podcast for Social Media, SEO, PPC & Creative Agencies

Smart Agency Podcast: The #1 Digital Marketing Agency Podcast for Social Media, SEO, PPC & Creative Agencies

De: Jason Swenk
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 The popular agency podcast has been around since the beginning of 2014 and covers everything from starting a successful digital marketing agency to selling your marketing agency. What makes this podcast a must-listen is Swenk’s background as the founder and CEO of an agency for over a decade. Swenk brings his own experience to the table, in addition to the expertise of his guests. He covers topics that help growing agencies scale to the next level by providing the resources he wishes he had while growing his agency.Jason Swenk, LLC Economía Gestión y Liderazgo Liderazgo
Episodios
  • Why 40% of CMOs Are Cutting Agency Budgets in 2025 (And How to Stay Off the List)

    Why 40% of CMOs Are Cutting Agency Budgets in 2025 (And How to Stay Off the List)
    Jul 15 2025
    Would you like access to our advanced agency training for FREE? https://www.agencymastery360.com/training Let’s get real for a second. 40% of CMOs are cutting agency budgets this year. (Not hype. That’s from Gartner’s 2025 CMO spend survey.) If you’re still out there selling tasks instead of outcomes, blending in like every other “me too” agency, you’re not just at risk—you’re probably already on the cut list. But here’s the good news: Some agencies aren’t just surviving right now. They’re growing like crazy. Why? Because they’re leading. They’re essential. They’re uncuttable. Vendors Get Cut. Partners Stay. Here’s what most agencies are still doing: Taking orders. Waiting for direction. Hoping results keep the client around. But when CMOs tighten budgets, they don’t cut true strategic partners—they cut vendors and noise. In-house teams and AI are replacing basic production. If your agency doesn’t feel essential, you will get replaced. Period. You know what else CMOs are cutting? Agencies that over-promise, under-deliver, and ghost clients after the deal closes. I’ve hired a few agencies over the past couple of years, and I can say most agencies have the slick branding and a confident talk, but once the deal is closed execution just falls apart. I’ve seen this more times than I can count. Communication fades away and no one takes ownership This is what CMOs are frustrated with. They’re not just making cuts to save money. They’re doing it after getting tired of disappointments. Joey Coleman says it best: “Most clients don’t leave because of price; they leave because they don’t feel seen, heard, or supported in the first 100 days.” Remember that while agency teams get excited and start high-fiving each other once the deal closes, the client is sitting there thinking, “Did I just waste my budget?” That gap between your excitement and their anxiety is where trust is either built or destroyed. And it’s true. Our mastermind member Marty took that to heart, redesigned his client experience, and grew to a multi-million-dollar agency because he didn’t wait for tasks—he led, flew out to meet clients, set clear expectations, and became indispensable. Make Yourself Uncuttable You want to stay off the cut list? Lead. Own the relationship. Here’s how: 1. Find Quick Wins Fast Don’t wait six months to show value. Launch something in the first 30 days. Fix something they didn’t even ask for. Send a Loom video explaining how you improved their funnel. Let them say, “These people move fast.” 2. Overcommunicate When Things Aren’t Working Most agencies go quiet when results dip. Leaders say, “Here’s what’s happening, here’s what we’re changing, here’s what to expect.” Transparency builds trust. 3. Be a Resource, Not a Responder Stop waiting for tasks. Show up with new hooks, funnel fixes, better angles. Be the call they make when anything breaks in their business, not just when they need a landing page. 4. Take Ownership, Not Orders Stop asking, “What do you want us to do next?” Start saying, “Here’s what we’re doing, and here’s why.” That’s how you shift from vendor to partner. 5. Productize and Simplify If it takes you 30 minutes to explain what you do, you’re in trouble. Make your offer outcome-driven, simple, and memorable. Like the PR agency that said, “We turn publicity into pipeline.” That sticks. Real Results from Agencies Leading This Way Just look at Brittany, who stopped winging it, joined the mastermind, and committed to leading: Revenue up 35% in a quarter Profit up 41% Churn dropped 32% SEO and social revenue doubled And she didn’t get there with a fancy hack. She got there by leading and building trust. This Isn’t Just About Staying Off a Cut List It’s about building an agency that deserves to grow—one that earns trust, delivers outcomes, and leads. Want a place to start? Pick one of these actions today: Tighten your onboarding. Call a client you haven’t talked to in a while. Launch the damn thing you’ve been sitting on. Because the agencies that win aren’t waiting for permission or praying for renewals. They’re leading, earning trust, and making themselves uncuttable. If you’re ready to attract better clients and become uncuttable, check out the Attract Masterclass. It will help you position your agency to pull in the right leads instead of just more leads.
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    9 m
  • How to Keep Clients Longer Without Chasing Them with Darby Copenhaver | Ep #813

    How to Keep Clients Longer Without Chasing Them with Darby Copenhaver | Ep #813
    Jul 13 2025
    Would you like access to our advanced agency training for FREE? https://www.agencymastery360.com/training Is churn currently a problem with your agency clients? Are you aware of the reasons they decide to leave? It may be time to think hard about your onboarding process, client communication, and generally the ways you’re ensuring client satisfaction. The difference often comes down to positioning: are you operating as a trusted advisor or simply completing tasks? Today's special guest knows that agencies that prioritize client satisfaction, embrace accountability, and focus on becoming trusted advisors rather than mere task completers are the ones that create truly loyal clients. As our Agency Scale Specialist, Darby Copenhaver, has closely observed the growth trajectories of numerous mastermind members and constantly communicates with them in their journeys. In this conversation, he and Jason get into the importance of strong communication and transparent onboarding processes to combat buyer's remorse and build trust. They also address the strategic use of AI to enhance efficiency and results, stressing that while AI can automate tasks, human connection and understanding clients' evolving needs remain paramount for long-term partnerships. In this episode, we’ll discuss: How to prevent your clients’ buyer's remorse. Your onboarding might be the problem. Stop ignoring current clients. Your secret retention weapon: ongoing discovery. Subscribe Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio Sponsors and Resources This episode is brought to you by Wix Studio: If you’re leveling up your team and your client experience, your site builder should keep up too. That’s why successful agencies use Wix Studio — built to adapt the way your agency does: AI-powered site mapping, responsive design, flexible workflows, and scalable CMS tools so you spend less on plugins and more on growth. Ready to design faster and smarter? Go to wix.com/studio to get started. Why Your Clients Might Not Love You (Even if You’re Getting Results) Ever feel like you’re crushing it for clients, but then they ghost you or churn unexpectedly? There are several reasons why this could be happening and ways to stop it before it kills your momentum. Here’s the truth: buyers remorse sets in immediately after a client signs. It’s your job to kill that remorse with rock-solid communication and a frictionless onboarding experience. Most agencies think they’re good communicators because they answer emails. But clients want more than tasks checked off. They want to feel seen, understood, and confident they made the right decision. If you’re not proactively communicating wins (and misses), or if you let your PMs control the narrative without your oversight, you’re setting yourself up for churn, no matter how “good” your delivery is. Your Onboarding Might Be Pushing Clients Away As Jason knows from recent experiences as a client, most agencies’ onboarding is just an exhausting homework dump on clients who already told you their goals in the sales calls you recorded. Why are you making them repeat themselves, fill out giant forms, or wait for your scattered follow-ups? Your clients didn’t hire you to do more work. They hired you to get results while saving them time. Break your onboarding into clear, easy phases, Reset expectations, Use the data you already have (like call transcripts and AI sorting) to fill in the blanks yourself. If you set clear timelines, communication rhythms, and how success will be measured in that first meeting, you’ll position yourself as a trusted advisor, not another vendor barking for “assets” they’ve already shared. This is what makes clients relieved to work with you instead of stressed. Communication: Simple, But Rarely Done Right It’s so important for any business to show that you’re trustworthy, and you’ll show that by doing what you say you’ll do, when you say you’ll do it. Too many agencies fail to communicate delays, let tasks slip, and think a monthly dashboard is enough. It’s not. Dashboards alone mean nothing to most clients. Some need a quick Loom, some need Slack check-ins, others need a simple “Here’s what we did, what’s next, and why it matters.” Customizing your communication style shows your clients you’re paying attention to them, not just copy-pasting your agency SOPs onto their business. This is how you become a trusted advisor, the person they call with challenges (not just tasks). That’s how you become irreplaceable. So, which measures are you implementing at your agency to ensure - not just assume - that you know your clients are happy, not only with the results presented but also the overall experience? Want Clients to Stick Around? Be Human When was the last time you called a client you didn’t personally sell or deliver on, just to check in and say, “Hey, I’m the CEO, here’s my number if you need anything”? Most agencies...
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    28 m
  • Why Smart Agencies Build Leaders (Not Just Hire Them) with Hamlet Azarian | Ep #812

    Why Smart Agencies Build Leaders (Not Just Hire Them) with Hamlet Azarian | Ep #812
    Jul 9 2025
    Would you like access to our advanced agency training for FREE? https://www.agencymastery360.com/training Do you invest in training high-potential employees to grow into leadership roles—or do you prefer to hire seasoned pros from the start? There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to building a great team, but today’s featured guest has a clear philosophy: when it comes to agency growth, he prefers to develop A-players from within. For him, building the bench is just as important as building the business. Hamlet Azarian is the founder and CEO of Azarian Growth Agency, an agency that works with mid-market venture-backed startups helping them build their go-to-market strategies. He discusses his agency’s "build them up" strategy, focusing on continual learning and curiosity through an academy, webinars, and internships, rather than solely hiring seasoned professionals. He’ll address the common agency challenge of talent retention, noting that positive experiences can still lead to future referrals and positive word-of-mouth, even if employees eventually move on. It’s an interesting episode where we dive into the importance of human capital and fostering a supportive, value-driven environment for agency success. In this episode, we’ll discuss: Growing talent from scratch. Promote those who are ready to shine. The secret to employee retention. Subscribe Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio Sponsors and Resources E2M Solutions: Today's episode of the Smart Agency Masterclass is sponsored by E2M Solutions, a web design, and development agency that has provided white-label services for the past 10 years to agencies all over the world. Check out e2msolutions.com/smartagency and get 10% off for the first three months of service. From Go-to Fixer to Full Agency Before he was running his own growth agency, Hamlet was the go-to fixer for venture-backed startups in the trenches of pre-product chaos. VCs brought him in as a high-paid consultant to help fragile startups figure out product validation and go-to-market traction — a risky sandbox where there’s barely a product and hardly any money. As the companies he touched turned into multi-million-dollar powerhouses, word got around, more VCs lined up, and the Azarian Growth Agency was born. So as he recalls, it wasn’t exactly an accidental start, but considering he was helping startups that could barely write a check, he could not see it turning into a full agency in the beginning. A Culture of Relentless Learning One thing Hamlet doesn’t compromise on is curiosity. If you run an agency, you know yesterday’s marketing tactic is today’s LinkedIn meme. So instead of hiring only ‘seasoned experts,’ He invests in creating lifelong learners. How? He built Azarian Growth Academy, which trains up-and-coming marketers on the exact growth strategies his agency deploys for high-stakes startups. Add to that a monthly Growth Lab webinar, Udemy courses (4,000+ students and counting), and a robust internship pipeline — and you get a team that knows not just what to do, but why it works. Education is really central for Hamlet so his people don’t just follow checklists — they evolve with the market because they understand the principles behind the tactics. Growing Talent from Scratch (and Letting Them Fly) Does it work? Hamlet shares a story that answers that better than any hiring manifesto. One intern joined as a college senior, left, and rejoined when Hamlet officially hung out his agency shingle. When he saw her application, Hamlet immediately hired her, as she knew her aptitude, passion, and even her weaknesses. Within 6 months, she was running paid ads. By year one, she was pitching clients solo. By year two, she was leading teams and today she’s a senior department head. The lesson here is drive and curiosity should be backed with training, opportunity, and real trust. The payoff is massive loyalty and in-house expertise that’s molded to your agency’s playbook — not someone else’s. Promotion by Performance, Not the Calendar Forget annual reviews and rigid promotion ladders. Hamlet’s approach is simple: Learn fast, deliver results, get rewarded. To him, some people shine faster than others and, as the agency owners, you don’t to limit that potential. Of course, you want to prepare them for the new role, so he tests emerging talent on internal agency projects before putting them on client accounts. If they mess up, the agency learns — not the client’s bank account. It’s a safe sandbox for risk-taking and skill-building, with performance as the only true gatekeeper to moving up. Flexibility: The Secret Sauce to Keeping Good People How can you keep that talent from jumping ship the second they hit senior level? You don’t always. And Hamlet says that’s perfectly fine. Even with AI evolving daily, Hamlet’s clear that an agency’s real moat is people — smart, motivated, curious people who feel ...
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    18 m
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