Get agency advice on project management, business development, hiring, value-anchoring, and more in the August 2021 episode of Agency Office Hours with Karl Sakas. Click to jump to a specific Q&A segment:
- TEAM STRUCTURE: What are the finances behind hiring a Project Manager? [starting at 2:11]
- MARKETING: Should we consider giving away services for free? [starting at 12:03]
- COMPETITION: How do we compete with free services? [starting at 14:37]
- NEGOTIATION: What should we say when a client wants a discount? [starting at 16:58]
- RECRUITING: How do we find the right employees in a tight labor market? [starting at 20:26]
- HIRING: What’s a sign that a job candidate is hiding something? [starting at 22:44]
- EQUITY: Should we consider selling shares to a key team member? [starting at 25:14]
- VALUATION: Do we need a formal company valuation? [starting at 35:00]
- INCENTIVES: How can we motivate key team members, beyond equity? [starting at 39:07]
- PHANTOM STOCK: What are the benefits of doing phantom stock? [starting at 40:57]
- BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: What if we’re always the most expensive option? [starting at 44:27]
- SALES PROCESS: How do we get client decisionmakers to participate? [starting at 46:00]
- SELECTIVITY: How can we tell if a sales prospect is shopping around? [starting at 53:11]
Top resources from the live event:
- Here’s Karl’s article on the 3 hiring questions (why us, why this job, why now?).
- Be careful if someone *can* do the job, but doesn’t *want* to do the job you need them to do. They’re a “reluctant employee.”
- As a “thought exercise,” consider what would happen if you suddenly had to cut prices:
- If something is free, be sure it’s “strategically free” rather than “secretly free.”
- What’s different about a Project Coordinator, Project Manager, or Director of PM?
