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Small Agency Growth Alliance

The AIM-GET Framework for Agency Success

Build the business you want that gets the results you deserve.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to creating the ideal agency for you. No secret formula will guarantee success because no two agencies — or their owners — are exactly alike.

You need to design your agency business to achieve your goals and give you the life that you want.

The AIM-GET Framework is designed to help you do just that.

This two-pronged approach gives you the tools to make the decisions that will help you meet with success — however you define it for yourself.

First, you Find Your AIM and set the vision for your agency business, including your Ambition, Identity, and Management objectives.

Next, you GET Results by digging in to the day-to-day operations of your business, including Growth, Execution, and Talent.

Ambition

Agency owners need to develop their own definition of what success looks like for them.

There is no reason to take on all of the risk and stress of running your own business if you don’t get what you want from it.

That’s why the AIM-GET process starts with defining your own Ambition.

It’s all about you at this stage. What kind of work do you want to do? How much do you want to work? How much money do you want (and need) to earn? How and when do you want to exit the business?

Every subsequent decision about your agency business needs to be looked at through the lens of your own Ambition.

Identity

When you know who your ideal client is, you can more clearly describe your agency to the right prospects.

A more focused agency can produce better results for clients, achieve greater profitability, and more easily win new business.

Your agency’s Identity must be built around determining which clients you serve best, which clients you most enjoy working with, and which clients can best contribute to your bottom line.

As part of the AIM-GET process, you will examine your past work (both as an agency and your prior experience) to look for clues to better describe your ideal client.

The Identity that you establish for your agency will guide much of the rest of the planning and implementation that leads to success.

Management

The structure that you establish for your agency business has a direct impact on future success.

The Management portion of the AIM-GET process examines your firm’s ownership, legal and accounting processes, and general business operations.

It’s not all about paperwork, but rather defining the approach you take and the culture you create.

It starts with defining the owner’s role (and ensuring it matches the goals set in the Ambition phase).

From there, you decide key issues like the work environment (in-office, remote, or hybrid) and the general staffing structure (including the mix of payroll employees versus freelancers).

Finally, Management is about creating the reporting and accountability structure that gives you the best chance for success.

Growth

It can be tempting for agency leaders to skip over the AIM portion of the process and jump straight into Growth.

That’s because there is a misconception that you just need more business and everything else will take care of itself.

The reality is that each step of the AIM process positions you for more successful Growth.

Ultimately, it’s not just about getting new clients and projects, but rather the right clients and projects.

Growth is an ongoing process that starts with treating your own agency as a client and establishing a clear marketing and sales program that you implement consistently.

Execution

No agency survives very long unless it produces results for clients.

At the same time, agencies will perish if they don’t turn a profit.

That intersection of effectiveness and efficiency forms the foundation of an effective Execution process in the AIM-GET Framework.

Your agency needs proven, repeatable processes that keep within budget and produce results that keep clients happy.

Like each facet of AIM-GET, Execution relies on the others to guide it. In particular, the more focused the Identity, the more likely you are to be able to form those profitable processes that work.

Talent

Most agencies will tell you that their people are what makes them unique and able to generate results for clients.

That’s half true. It is rare that your team is a true differentiator, but they are critical to your client’s success.

While many like to argue that agencies shouldn’t be selling time, that is the key resource that forms the basis of all engagements. New business means more work hours for just about any agency.

Recruiting and retaining the right team may be the most important role of any agency leader. Without Talent, there is no business.

All of the work in the AIM-GET process to this point creates the structure that makes finding, training, and keeping the best people possible.

Ready to learn more about using the
AIM-GET Framework for your agency?

Let’s have a conversation about how you can get started on your own or how SAGA can help implement the AIM-GET Framework to plot your path for success and establish the processes that deliver the results you want.