WHY we trashed the standard agency pricing model
Here at Sisu, we trashed the standard marketing agency pricing model for small businesses. 🗑️ Here's 3 reasons why:
It’s not flexible
I've worked with hundreds of small businesses over the past 10 years and the only folks benefiting from the "pay-by-service" model are, you guessed it, the agencies.
Small business owners have constantly shifting priorities and may need to pivot quickly due to market changes, product changes, etc. Being pigeonholed into a single service offering means other areas of marketing are either a. ignored or b. require a change of scope that costs you more money.
Small businesses need flexibility.
When your marketing needs pivot, your agency should pivot with you. Without additional charges.
✨ For better flexibility: Get retainer-based marketing consulting that covers the gamut of your marketing strategy. This way there’s no change orders, no “Sorry, that’s out of scope” conversations, no single-service siloed nonsense.
it’s not transparent
When you pay an agency for a specific service, it's unlikely you're getting what you pay for. What do I mean?
Let's say you're paying $500 per month for "website management" based on a $100/hour rate or more simply put, 5 hours of work per month. Most likely, you’re not getting those 5 hours every month. No website changes this month? It’s still $500.
Agencies bank on unused retainers.
Gross, right? Read your agency's contract carefully.
✨ For transparency: Get an open-service structure to your contract, so those 5 hours you pay for can be used for what’s important and needed now. 5 hours could have drafted a social media calendar for the month and scheduled all the posts. Just something to consider.
It creates siloed results
Purchasing a 6-month, $1000/month SEO package that provides results reporting is fine. We all love seeing improved metrics, but... being top in the search results, doesn't mean it will have any effect on your revenue or business.
How do the SEO metrics tie into your paid strategy, your content efforts, and your referral network? What impact has it made on your revenue or your close rate, if any?
❌ "Sorry, out of scope.”
Improved SEO - good. Improved SEO in a vacuum - not good.
Open-service retainers create more impactful results.
All of our clients operate on this model and love it. Why? They get what they pay for without delays or change orders and get to see progress on what matters to them most.
✨ For integrated strategies: Hire an agency for their time and expertise, not a specific service. This way, no questions are off-limits and no scope changes are required.
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