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Lessons From 15 Years: More Quick Tips

april 15 blog post-marketing-lessons

Earlier this year, I wrapped up a series of 15 lessons I’ve learned in 15 years as the owner of an independent public relations and marketing agency. Not surprisingly, I’ve learned more than 15 lessons along the way.

You can find the 15 BIG lessons here:

Lessons From 15 Years Of Marketing Agency Ownership series.

But I don’t want you to miss out on those I couldn’t fit into the main 15-part series. I won’t go into details here (though if something piques your interest, please let me know – I’d be glad to expand in a future post). Just a little more food for thought as you pursue your own PR, marketing, or entrepreneurship goals (listed in no particular order).

 

1. Track your time. Time tracking is for more than just billing purposes. When you track your time and your team’s time on every project, you can more effectively estimate future projects. This is just as important for in-house teams pitching campaigns and budget requests to the executive suite as it is for agencies preparing proposals and contracts with clients.

 

2. Stick to the contract and don’t fall into the trap of over-servicing. It can be tempting as an agency owner, or even a freelancer, to say “yes” to the little extra requests clients make that are outside the original agreement. And too often, to say “yes” without asking for an adjustment to the contract so that you are compensated for that extra time. While at first, it may feel like a good thing (doing what you say you’ll do, and even a little extra as I mentioned in one of the first posts in this series), it can quickly spiral into an unhealthy relationship and burn out your team. It can even end up costing you money in the end.

 

3. Fail fast, learn and come back stronger. There will be failures along the way. The key is to recognize them quickly, figure out what went wrong, and then apply that knowledge to improving. You can’t let fear of failure keep you from trying something new or going after the big project. Consider this:


“Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” - Denis Waitley, author and motivational speaker

 

Did you catch the rest of the series? I go into detail on topics ranging from the specific demands of marketing in the life sciences field to how to retain clients for the long haul. I cover how to hire the best people, and how the importance of doing the data work to prove the ROI of your marketing efforts, plus much more. If you don’t want to miss any other insights that my business partner (and husband) Scott Muff and I share on the Inbound Accelerator, subscribe for weekly emails linking to our latest posts of PR, marketing and branding strategy advice. If you need more personalized advice, schedule a no-obligation consultation to talk with me about your own marketing or PR needs.

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