What we learned from 2023, pt. 2
How’s your 2024 going so far? Still sticking to those resolutions? We’re all about improvement, which is why we want to help you take your shop to the next level this year. We’re halfway through our list of challenges, so let’s see what else the community shared. Here are the remaining top challenges from 2023!
Last week we talked about how to make 2024 better than 2023, based on real challenges shared by Bureau members. Let’s see what the remaining issues look like, and what we can do to improve in these areas.
Strategic Work and Time Management
Client work is naturally top of mind, but we’ve also got to make time and put resources into maintaining our operations, not to mention crafting the strategy that will guide us moving forward. How do we balance these needs?
Make your meetings count: Meetings are the ultimate double-edged sword of productivity. To make them more effective, try limiting the time they take by creating specific agendas to stay on topic.
Break down large projects: You don’t want to get months down the road on a big project only to find that you need a drastic timeline adjustment. Set specific milestones each step of the way to stay on top of deliverables.
Prioritize project management: Not knowing who should be doing what and when is a huge productivity problem. Lean into the full value of your PMs, and don’t skimp if you need to hire more.
Team Management and Development
Your business depends on the people who run it, and you can’t do everything yourself. We’ve seen a lot of concerns with how to lead your team in a way that helps them be successful and happy while also allowing them to grow in their roles.
Create individual growth plans: You have a plan for the business, so why not for your people? Your leaders should sit down with team members and talk about their goals and how they can develop the skills and experience to help them succeed.
Offer company-wide training: In addition to individual efforts, you can keep everyone on the same page culturally and in terms of priorities with regular meetings to discuss how things are going and what you can improve on.
Develop a mentorship plan: Whether internal or external, connect your team members with others in their field who can help them conquer the path to greatness.
Marketing and Sales Strategy
We received a bunch of comments about how to improve marketing efforts, develop effective sales strategies, and enhance brand positioning. How can you keep making a name for yourself?
Be thought leaders: You want to be seen as an expert, but to do that you need to be seen. Start with publishing articles on LinkedIn about issues in your market, and expand to submitting pieces for publications your potential customers read.
Get social: The demise of social media is overstated. You need to be active on multiple channels, engaging with the people who already have a voice to grow your presence.
Create case studies: Take advantage of your successes to find more opportunities. Ask your customers if you can share how you’ve helped them, and use those case studies to promote your offerings.
Client Management and Satisfaction
Without customers we have nothing, so above all we've got to focus on making sure clients are satisfied with the work. Bureau members expressed frustration with keeping clients happy, effectively managing relationships and understanding how to improve.
Keep communications open: Five star Clutch reviews (those are still a thing, right?) aren’t exactly what you need to see how well you’re doing. You need to survey customers regularly to identify what’s working and what’s not.
Scope correctly from the beginning: One of the biggest causes of churn is clients feeling that a shop isn’t delivering. You need clear expectations of the work up front that you can rely on if they start asking for more than you’re prepared to deliver.
Track the right metrics: Sometimes conversations alone aren’t enough to gauge satisfaction. Start tracking metrics like net promoter score, churn rate and lifetime value to get beyond subjective measurements.
Innovation and Adaptation to Change
Finally, Bureau shops are struggling to deal with the ongoing market changes. It’s not easy to keep innovating and adapt to shifting trends to stay relevant and keep ahead of the competition.
Keep learning: You need to invest in yourself by attending conferences, taking courses and watching for the latest articles from other leaders in your field so you’re not caught off guard by sudden changes in the marketplace.
Regularly explore new offerings: You may be a web shop today, but maybe tomorrow you’ll need more AI experience. It’s a constant battle to balance flexibility with a focus on what you’re great at, but you need to regularly evaluate your offerings and try new things.
Watch the competition: It may seem like cheating, but there’s a reason everybody does it. A sure-fire way to stay ahead is to keep an eagle eye on your competitors and adopt the best of what you see them doing (then take it one step further).
There you have it! These were the top 10 concerns we saw expressed by Bureau members about their shops moving into the new year. Next week we'll share the community's goals for 2024!