The Agency/Specialist Fallout
The Tactical Trap That Keeps Business Owners
Paying For “Activity” Instead Of Growth
“The danger is not always that the Specialist failed. The danger is that their tactic was
never connected to the strategy, fundamentals, and Sales Process that growth depends on.”
Dave Smith, IMJustice Marketing
It is frustrating when a Business Owner hires help, pays the invoice, sees the work being done,
and still cannot clearly connect that work to stronger revenue, stronger profits, or meaningful
business growth.
The SEO Expert may be proud of rankings. The Website Specialist may be proud of the new
design. The Marketing team may want more budget. The Agency may keep talking about brand
awareness. The ad platform sales rep may insist the answer is spending more money. And yet,
from the Business Owner’s side of the desk, the question remains the same: why does all of this
“doing” still not feel like the business is actually moving forward?
That is where the tactical trap begins.
A Specialist may know their specialty. An Agency may know how to sell services an even implement
them. A platform salesperson may know how to promote their platform. But none of that automatically
means the business has a fundamentally sound foundation, a clear strategy, a strong message, a
mapped Sales Process, or a direct connection between Marketing activity and revenue and profit.
The good news is, this can be examined. With the right advice, guidance, and Expert perspective,
a Business Owner can begin to see whether the problem is the vendor, the tactic, the expectation,
or the missing strategy underneath it all.
My SEO Expert guarantees me “Page 1 rankings”, but I don’t feel my
business is growing because of it. What questions should I ask, to see if
my Expert understands what causes these good rankings to not equate to
business growth? Or, is that not his lane, and I should ask someone else?
Page 1 rankings can sound impressive, and in some cases, they can absolutely matter. But rankings
by themselves do not guarantee revenue, profit, qualified leads, better buyers, or meaningful growth.
A Business Owner can rank for the wrong keywords, attract the wrong visitors, send them to the
wrong page, use a weak message, make an unclear offer, or fail to move that visitor into a successful
Sales Process. Even worse, if the Marketing strategy is not right, it will attract more “price-shoppers”.
So, the ranking may look like progress, while the business still does not feel the impact.
The better question is not only, “Can you get me ranked?” The better question is, “Ranked for what,
in front of whom, with what intent, leading to what action, and how does that connect to revenue and
profit?” That may or may not be the SEO Expert’s lane. For he or she is not a “Strategist” … Right?
Some understand the bigger picture. Some only understand rankings, traffic, and technical SEO.
That does not automatically make them bad. It means the Business Owner needs to know whether
they hired someone to perform a specialty, or someone who understands how that specialty fits into
the fundamentals that actually grow a business.
I hired a Website Specialist to redo my website, and even though it looks nicer,
it doesn’t seem like business is improving much. Why did their “website knowledge”
seem to not have the expected impact, and how do I fix the strategy behind it?
A nicer website can create a better first impression, but a better-looking website does not automatically
create a better-performing business … (Even though, anyone can get lucky from time to time) …
Many websites are redesigned around appearance, layout, images, colors, speed, or modern styling,
while the deeper business questions remain untouched. And those stuck in the past, call that “branding”.
Who is this page really for? What problem is being addressed? Why should this prospect care?
What makes this business different? What should the visitor understand within the first few seconds?
What is the next step, and why should they take it?
This is why website knowledge and business growth strategy are not always the same thing.
A Website Specialist may be able to build the site, and make sure it functions the way it should,
but that does not mean they have uncovered the positioning, messaging, buyer psychology, offer
structure, and Sales Process that the site is supposed to support. Or, if they even know how to!
The website is not the strategy. The website should express the strategy. If the strategy underneath
the website is unclear, the finished site may look better, while still failing to convert attention into
contacts, leads, buyers, revenue, and profit.
My Marketing team keeps asking for a bigger budget to “do more of this”, and
“do more of that”. How do I know if I should give it to them, or if they are just
throwing spaghetti at the wall with these tactics? (Or “shiny objects”)
There are times when a bigger Marketing budget makes sense. But a bigger budget should not be
used to cover up unclear thinking. Or incomplete fundamentals, and bad strategy …
When a Marketing team wants to “do more”, the Business Owner needs to ask whether that request
is based on strategy, or whether it is just another attempt to find something that magically works.
More platforms, more campaigns, and more testing can become expensive guessing if the fundamentals
underneath the Marketing have not been properly examined and perfected.
Before increasing the budget, the Business Owner should ask what has already been learned. Which
target or ideal customer is being pursued? Which message is working? Which offer is creating response?
What innovation is producing qualified opportunities? Where are prospects dropping off? What happens
after a lead is created?
If those answers are not clear, then “more budget” may only create more activity. And more activity
without understanding is often just a more expensive version of Hope and Pray Marketing, or winging it.
I’m paying a retainer for “brand awareness”, but I have no idea if that awareness
is making people choose us over the competition. How do I change, improve, or
even measure that?
Brand awareness can matter, but awareness alone is not enough. A prospect can be aware of a
business and still not understand it, trust it, prefer it, choose it, or buy from it. This is where many
Business Owners struggle, have their growth stall, and get stuck.
They are told that awareness is improving, but they cannot tell whether that awareness is creating
stronger preference, better opportunities, more qualified conversations, or a clearer reason for
prospects to choose them over the competition.
.
The real issue is whether the awareness is
connected to differentiation and decision-making.
Are people becoming more aware of the business,
or more aware of why the business is the better choice?
Are they remembering a name, or understanding a
meaningful difference?
Are they seeing activity, or receiving a message that
moves them closer to trust and action?
.
Brand awareness should not be treated like a vague comfort phrase. It should support
positioning, messaging, credibility, trust, and ultimately, a stronger path to revenue and profit.
A Sales Rep from a big company told me to double my budget.
And, how much better business would be with their platform and software.
How do I know if that’s true, or just another sale, or to meet their quota?
This is one of the clearest examples of the tactical trap. A Sales Rep may have knowledge,
tools, data, and recommendations, but they also work for the platform. Their job is usually tied to
getting more business placed through that platform. That does not mean every recommendation
is wrong, but it does mean the Business Owner should be careful before confusing platform advice
with objective business strategy.
The right question is not, “Is this platform better?” The right question is, “Does this recommendation
fit my business, my market, my target or ideal customer, my offer, my message, my Sales Process,
and my revenue and profit goals?”
If the answer is only “spend more because our platform works better”, that is not enough.
A bigger budget should be justified by strategy, not pressure. The Business Owner needs
someone who can look at the whole picture, not just the platform being sold, and how it works.
Conclusion
The Agency/Specialist “fallout” happens when Business Owners realize they paid for expertise,
activity, campaigns, reports, platforms, rankings, websites, or awareness, but still do not have a
clear understanding of why the business is not growing the way it should … (VERY common!) …
That does not always mean the Agency or Specialist failed. Sometimes they did exactly what they
were hired to do. The deeper problem is that what they were hired to do was never connected to
the strategy, fundamentals, Sales Process, revenue, profit, and business goals that should have
guided the work from the beginning … And FIRST!
That is why I do not sell Marketing gimmicks, random tactics, or agency-style activity dressed up
as progress. With weak strategy, even good tactics can under-perform, or just bring mediocre results
at best. Agencies and Specialists often sell the “doing”. I teach the understanding of what should be
done, and why it matters …
Until the Business Owner understands what is really happening underneath the activity, they may
keep paying for more tactics, while the real growth problem remains undiscovered, untouched,
and basically hidden. A good Business Coach reveals this and the money being left on the table.
And, it is shocking when found out, and when it is seen!
Helpful strategic resources on my sidebar
Explore my Special Offers, including The Snapshot, The Business Coaching Manifesto,
Mastering The Sales Process, and other resources designed to help you see your
business growth challenges from a more strategic perspective.
OR
If what you just read feels familiar, consider two simple next steps.
The Strategic Reveal and Overview is the no-cost first step. You answer 6 strategic questions,
I review them, and we have a no-pressure conversation about where your business may be
vulnerable, where unseen gaps may exist, and where revenue and profit may be getting limited.
The Flash Diagnostic is the deeper paid step. It goes much further, with a more detailed look at
the fundamentals, gaps, leaks, Sales Process, and Strategic Marketing issues that may be
holding the business back.
No pitch … No pressure …
Just a smarter way to find out what may really be limiting your growth.
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