How to Use Discovery Projects to Land Your Ideal Clients

In this episode of Agency Journey, Dan Kraus from Leading Results shares his story and the importance of discovery projects.

Dan has a background in software but saw the importance of marketing in generating leads, and seeing that was a consistent pain point. He began as a marketing consultant and Duct Tape Marketing before becoming a full agency.

Leading Results focuses on strategy, execution, and some websites, and they rely on HubSpot as an all-in-one solution.

Here are the main takeaways from the interview:

Figure Out What Team to Build

One thing that Dan talks a lot about is building his team. It took time and thought to determine what works best for them and finding that balance between internal members and contractors.

One of the biggest issues they’ve faced building a team is efficiently scaling communication. A team can make or break an agency, so owners need to think strategically about what they do or don’t need to get the best results. For example, Dan only has a full-time editor while hiring contractors to do the actual writing. This works best for the types of businesses they work with and their goals.

It isn’t common to see this approach among agencies, but it’s about building around how you prefer business.

Discovery Projects for Land Ideal Clients

Dan talks a lot about working with their ideal clients with the use of discovery projects. They developed a process to dive deep into a business, develop a strategy, and make its own product. This allows them and the client to test run to see if it’s a good fit.

It’s a gateway towards a retainer and allows you to be paid to qualify clients and develop their strategies. The business themselves can then use this strategy and plan or hire Leading Results to do it for them.

Learn Communication Styles

Communication styles are something that can be overlooked by an agency owner, both internally and with clients. Every person has a different style, and understanding what works best for them will improve your relationships.

This is why Dan and his team always meet in person on their client discovery projects. It allows them to build that rapport in person, create a foundation, and determine the best way to communicate with the client. Often agency owners want to keep it simple, but Dan says that the effort of being in person is worth it. It makes for much more productive and enjoyable client engagements.

After the discovery session in person, it’s easier to continue the relationship via tools like Skype. To keep up this relationship, Dan and his team try to meet in person once a year again once a year. This emphasis on communication has helped Leading Results build a thriving agency working with their ideal clients.

If you’d like to connect with Dan, you can reach him at their website.