Trying to get the attention of a large agencies and consistently have agencies as recurring clients is difficult at the best of times. Nate McGuire, cofounder of Code My Views, has figured out the unique challenges that agencies face to specially cater to them, creating a successful technical firm.

In today's episode, Nate tells us how he and his partner built up a business targeting agencies and specializing in converting their clients' ideas into code for word press and other platforms. He walks us step by step through his sales funnel, from outbound campaigns to tech briefs to sale, and the practical day to day operations to meet the unique demands of agencies.

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Nate shares with us:

• How to get in touch with agencies: Agencies are rarely looking for new consultants, but they often need them especially if they can offer higher quality and faster turnover. That means you, as the freelancer, have to go find them in outbound marketing. Don't just mass email though, personalize it to show that you understand their business and their needs. Mailing chocolate isn't a bad idea either! Mmmm...
• How to conduct an exploratory call: The first call is about building trust with the agency and being more consultant than sales person. Agencies want to work with someone who is good and reliable, who will be around for years to come, so you want to build that relationship from the start. Don't be discouraged if you don't get the sale right away. The agency might not immediately have the right project for you, but if you build that relationship and stay in touch, you will be rewarded with a recurring customer.
  
• How to successfully complete a project with an agency: Best thing you can do is to put in the work up front to lay out exactly what the client wants in something like a technical brief or quote. You want a fixed fee for a fixed scope so if there are changes later, you are comfortable charging it and the client will understand as well. It also decreases the chances of having to rework the code or design later on. But remember, the agency is your client, but the agency has a client of their own who they need to get approval from as well, so plan that into the timeline.

Resources Mentioned:

• Nate's Email Course: How to price products, how to say no to clients, how to build technical briefs and more 
• Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal
• Slack
• Pivotal Tracker

Find Nate Online:

• codemyviews.com
• developmentworkflow.com