Frustrated with Scope Creep at your agency? Join my live 3-week workshop! You’ll learn how to diagnose, prevent, and eliminate the problem.

How to Stop Scope Creep Workshop

July 2023

How-To-Stop-Scope-Creep

How to identify, treat, and prevent Scope Creep

with agency advisor Karl Sakas

Does this sound familiar in your work as an agency leader?

  • Your team is struggling to deliver work on-time and on-budget. Things are often late and/or over budget.
  • Clients regularly demand additional work, without additional budget… and your team is afraid to push back, worried they’ll lose the client completely.
  • Profits are down… and you may need to make some hard decisions about the future.

If any of those sound like your agency today… you likely have a problem with Scope Creep.

Fortunately, you can start fixing the problem—and my new 3-week workshop will give you the tools, resources, and peer “lessons learned” to make it happen.

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Course Information: July 2023

Here’s what’s included during the 3-week program

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Scope Creep is a common problem at agencies… but that doesn’t mean you need to suffer, or need to face it alone.

Understand why Scope Creep happens at agencies in the first place… and how to turn it from a painful problem to a profitable opportunity.

Learn the warning signs of agency Scope Creep, so you take action before it’s too late.

Get tactical tips to handle Scope Creep, for you and your client-facing team.

Get valuable tools and resources to stay on track.

Breakout sessions with peers at other agencies, to hear how others they are handling Scope Creep.

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Program Details: Dates & Times for July 2023

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The three 2-hour live sessions via Zoom are Wednesdays at 12-2pm EDT (NYC time).

$600 USD per person

(plus tax, where applicable)

Contact training@sakasandcompany.com for the group discount for 5+ team members.

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Week 1 (July 12)

Diagnose

Understand why Scope Creep is happening at your agency.

Sakas_Employee_Retention Week 2 (July 19)

Treat

Learn how to stop Scope Creep when it happens.

featured in awaredWeek 3 (July 26)

Prevent

Learn how to prevent Scope Creep in the future.

Have a scheduling conflict and need a miss a session? You’ll get the recording afterwards. Got questions? See the FAQ section below, or email us.

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Who this course is for

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The “How to Stop Scope Creep” Workshop will benefit anyone in a client-facing role at your agency. This includes:

  • Account Management (Director of Client Services, Account Director, AM, Account Coordinator)
  • Project Management (Project Manager, Project Coordinator)
  • Sales (Business Development, Sales, Partnerships)
  • Creative (Creative Director, Client Strategist, Designer, Developer)
  • Operations (COO, Director of Operations, Operations Manager)
  • Executives (VPs, Directors, department heads)
  • Agency Owners (especially those who want their team to become more independent)

The content will also help team members who want to move into a client-facing role. And if you’re not at an agency but you work at a professional services firm… you’ll probably benefit, too.

Karl Sakas Headshot

Hi, I’m Karl Sakas

I’ve directly advised 600+ agencies worldwide. Here’s how I can help you via the “How to Stop Scope Creep” Workshop.

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I’ve been doing digital marketing since the days of dialup—first as a freelance web designer and technology consultant, and later in a variety of agency roles (from “deputized” PM to Director of Client Services to Director of Operations) before becoming a full-time agency consultant in 2013.

At agencies, I managed a lot of client relationships… from small one-offs to six-figure relationships with many, many internal and external stakeholders.

I also served as a client associate for institutional and high net worth (HNW) accounts at a social impact mutual fund. Those clients had high expectations—they’d invested between $1 million and $250 million.

Throughout my career I’ve learned a lot about client relationships—including what works and what doesn’t. And you get to learn that the easy way, instead of the heard way.

That’s why I created the “How to Stop Scope Creep” Workshop.

  • This live program gives you the tools and structure you need to make things better.
  • You’ll diagnose why you have Scope Creep at your agency, learn how to treat Scope Creep when it comes up, and learn how to increasingly prevent Scope Creep in the future.
  • In addition to live Q&A and “workshopping” your challenges, you’ll have the opportunity to bring future questions and challenges to me directly via my free monthly Office Hours.

I recommend bringing your full client-facing team, so that people can start applying the lessons immediately. There’s a group discount for agencies that bring 5-9 people, and an even bigger discount when you bring 10+ people.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Scope Creep workshop happening?

The “How to Stop Scope Creep” workshop is three Wednesdays in July 2023, from 12-2pm EDT (NYC time):

  • Wednesday, July 12th (Week 1: Why Scope Creep is Happening at Your Agency)
  • Wednesday, July 19th (Week 2: How to Stop Scope Creep Before it Starts)
  • Wednesday, July 26th (Week 3: How to Prevent Scope Creep in the Future)

If you miss a live session (or the time zone doesn’t work), your registration includes access to the recordings at no additional charge. The recordings will include content and Q&A, but won’t include breakouts.

How much does the workshop cost? Are there discounts or coupon codes?

The workshop is a flat $600 USD per person (plus tax, where applicable). Each attendee needs their own ticket.

Do you have 5+ client-facing employees who’d benefit from the course? Contact us at training@sakasandcompany.com for a group discount.

  • Bring 5-9 people, and you’ll get a 10% discount
  • Bring 10+ people, and you’ll get a 20% discount

 

Is there a group discount or special group pricing?

The non-group price is a flat $600 USD per person (plus tax, where applicable).

Do you have 5+ client-facing employees who’d benefit from the course? You can get a group discount!

  • Bring 5-9 people, and you’ll get a 10% discount (making it $540 per person)
  • Bring 10+ people, and you’ll get a 20% discount (making it $480 per person)

Contact us at training@sakasandcompany.com with how many people you’d like to bring. We’ll issue an invoice, and then you’ll get access codes for your team.

What's the format of the Scope Creep workshop?

It’s a live 3-week course (meeting up to 2 hours a week, on three Wednesdays at 12-2pm EDT).

Each session will include my tools and tips, breakouts to meet and get support from fellow attendees, and live Q&A to answer your questions about what we’re covering that week.

We’ll have a break partway through each session. Each session is recorded (content and Q&A, but not breakouts), if you need to miss a session.

 

What's the time commitment?

Plan on 3-4 hours a week for three weeks. This includes the three live sessions (2 hours apiece, including content + breakouts + Q&A) plus weekly exercises (1-2 hours per week) to help you start fixing Scope Creep immediately.

What if I need to miss one of the live sessions?

Each session is recorded, and you’ll have access to the recording (in Teachable) within 24 hours. Be sure to watch the recording within a few days, to help you keep up with the material. The recordings don’t include the breakouts (thanks, Zoom), so you’ll miss that portion if you don’t join live.

What's the potential ROI from the Scope Creep workshop?

As with any training, your results will depend on a mix of skill, practice, and luck; we can’t guarantee a specific outcome. With that in mind, here are some hypothetical examples:

  • If someone from your agency is billed-out at $150/hour and they get tools to help them save just 5 hours total… that’s $750 in value, so you’ve already “made” money.
  • If you’re like the agency I met that regularly went 50% over budget on $25,000 projects… that would be a 20X return if you stopped that over-age, just from one project.
  • If you have 20 retainers and can keep them from going over budget by $1,000 a month (per retainer)… that’s $240,000 in recoveries. (And maybe $600 isn’t a high enough price…)

Do we have to apply to join the workshop?

No, registrations are open to anyone who chooses to buy a ticket. As soon you pay in Teachable, you’ll have immediate access to the course materials. Watch your email—you’ll get calendar invites and other materials in early July 2023.

If you want a group discount (for 5+ people), email us to coordinate getting an invoice. Once we receive your payment, we’ll send you access information to distribute to your team.

Do we get access to 100% of the course immediately?

Yes and no:

  • Each week happens live, so you won’t see that material in advance. We’ll post the new recordings each week (typically within 24 hours of the live session). 
  • However, you’ll get instant access to Teachable (where we host the recordings and assignments).

Watch your email—after you register, you’ll get calendar invites and other materials in late June or early July 2023.

Who's leading the Scope Creep workshop?

Karl Sakas created and leads the “How to Stop Scope Creep” workshop, based on his advising 600+ agencies… plus decades of client service experience. Kate St. Cyr (Operations Manager) serves as producer. Diane Stadlen (COO) serves as technical consultant.

What's the mix between theory vs. practice?

The workshop is mostly about practical, pragmatic advice—with just enough theory to help you handle unexpected challenges along the way.

This reflects Karl’s background in agency operations. And his upbringing, as the oldest child of two career Army officers—it’s all about getting things done.

You can start applying things immediately, so consider bringing anyone who’s client-facing. That way, they won’t have to wait to hear your update on what you learned.

Will we meet the other workshop participants?

Yes! The workshop not a mastermind group or private community—but you’ll  “meet” people via the breakouts, live chat, and live Q&A.

What job titles are a match to join the workshop?

The 3-part workshop will benefit anyone in a client-facing role at your agency. This especially includes Account Managers, Project Managers, and salespeople. But it also includes senior executives (including those who manage client-facing team members) and agency owners (since you may be part of the reason that out-of-control Scope Creep is happening).

Consider sending people in these roles:

  • Account Management (Director of Client Services, Account Director, AM, Account Coordinator)
  • Project Management (Project Manager, Project Coordinator)
  • Sales (Business Development, Sales, Partnerships)
  • Creative (Creative Director, Client Strategiest, Designer, Developer)
  • Operations (COO, Director of Operations, Operations Manager)
  • Executives (VPs, Directors, department heads)
  • Agency Owners (especially those who want their team to become more independent)

Is there a private community?

No, we don’t plan to include a private community. But based on the format—Zoom meetings with breakouts and open chat—you’ll meet new people (and see familiar faces each week). This is not a “no chat, no video” webinar.

In contrast, private community is a key component of the “Work Less, Earn More” bootcamp and the Agency Leadership Intensive. Those are by application only, for agency owners and top executives.

What technology are we using?

We’re using Zoom Meetings (for the live sessions) and Teachable (for the recordings and assignments). Once you enroll, you’ll get access to Teachable immediately, and you’ll get the Zoom calendar invites within two weeks.

How do I pay?

Click the “CLICK HERE TO REGISTER” button, or register here. Teachable will request your payment info (most credit cards) and prompt you to sign up for the platform. Depending on your geographic location, Teachable may charge sales tax.

If you want a group discount, email training@sakasandcompany.com for help. We’ll share an invoice, with the price based on the number of copies you’d like.

Can we share tickets? Does each person need their own ticket?

Each person needs their own ticket.

Some agencies may do a “send one person, and they report back to the team” approach. That’s an option—but they’re missing an opportunity to immediately start up-leveling the entire client-facing team. The “telephone game” only works so well.

Good news: If you want a group discount, email training@sakasandcompany.com for help. We’ll share an invoice, with the price based on the number of people you’re bringing.

Can we join late, after the first session on July 12th?

Yes, you can register later—but I don’t recommend it, because you’ll miss the breakouts and opportunities for live Q&A. (The recordings will include the ‘slide’ content and a recording of the Q&A, but won’t include a recording of the breakouts.)

What’s the refund policy?

The workshop is non-refundable, but you’re welcome to substitute another team member (e.g., if the original team member resigns to take a new job). Email training@sakasandcompany.com for help.

Can we get the group discount if we already bought individual tickets?

If you’ve bought a few individual tickets and decide you want to bring 5+ people total, email training@sakasandcompany.com and we can send an invoice that extends the group discount. But you’ll need to email us to get the adjusted-price invoice for the additional tickets; it won’t happen automatically.

Is there a discount if we can't join live?

Everyone pays the same price—the workshop is a flat $600 USD per person (plus tax, where applicable). This is true whether you join every live session, or if you plan to watch the recordings.

How long do I have access to the course?

You have access (within Teachable) for at least one year.

Is the course designed for accessibility?

Each video has closed captions (in English), plus a downloadable transcript (as soon as we get them back from Rev.com). You can also watch videos slower (or faster) than 1X speed. Here’s more about Accessibility at Teachable.

What if I have a different question?

Glad to help! Email Karl and the team at training@sakasandcompany.com with your question!