How to Get Requirements Right the First Time (and ALWAYS get paid)
When we choose to open ourselves up to sharing ideas with those who work in our field, the ways we can all grow are endless!
That’s why I’m so in awe of Natasha Golinsky, who’s as gracious as she is fierce, and why I’m so grateful that she came to chat with us on Can We Talk today. We’re both teachers, and yet I learn from Natasha every time we talk. (And that’s an excellent approach to #agencylife—be welcoming! There’s room for all of us.)
Besides teaching others how to better develop their skills, Natasha is the owner of On Purpose Projects, an agency tackling five-figure sites with precision and efficiency. She’s no nonsense, and that’s why I love listening to the way she gets things done!
Natasha’s got true grit, and she’ll tell anyone who will listen that her road to success was filled with both a lot of potholes and a lot of experimentation. Now she’s running a tight—and successful—ship, with a team that takes on only the projects that they really deem worth it.
Natasha’s laying down the facts and some tough truths in this week’s Can We Talk, which, trust us, you do NOT want to miss. Here are some of her major messages that I really appreciated.
- Profile your clients with a sharp eye.
Natasha does not waste time on clients that do not fit the vision for her agency, period. This means having a vision of exactly the clients and projects that work best with her team, at the prices that her team will agree to work for. After all, she’s learned the hard way what happens if not.
Whether you’re new to niching or an old pro, make sure you’ve defined your ideal client and project profile to the best of your abilities. That way you’re going straight to the proposals that serve you, and vice versa.
- Find the process order that works best for you.
Though Natasha and I don’t always follow the same order in our client processes, I was really impressed and inspired by the logic behind hers! It just goes to show that there is no one-size-fits-all approach, not for clients, and not for agencies.
As you continue developing your processes to fit the needs of your agency, you might find that a process order differing from Natasha’s or mine seems to get the best results with your own clients. If so, use it! Just remember: the more organized and consistent, the better the outcome.
- Take active steps to avoid wasting your own time.
Time is precious, and yours as an agency owner most of all! That means you should be taking steps to waste as little of it as possible. Natasha was kind enough to run through some of the measures that she takes to not only weed out clients and projects, but to make money even off of the leads that don’t close.
A good approach is sitting down and seeing where you’re getting stuck or slowing down in your client interactions, or where you might be losing money. That’s one of the reasons why Natasha employs paid deep dives and discoveries, which help weed out curious bystanders and guarantee she earns money regardless.
- Do not be afraid of taking a break to recalibrate.
One of the reasons why Natasha is successful today is that she knew when, not to quit, but to take a break.
When Natasha was having a tough go of things with her agency, she made the conscious decision to pause her negotiations, reassess, and restrategize. She came back stronger and with a clearer-cut line of vision to how she saw her own agency. She’s proof today that good things can come from our downtime!
Agency owners like Natasha are a true gift in the digital agency world, and her no-nonsense approach to running an agency, combined with her willingness to discuss how she came to her success are only part of what makes her so special. Make sure to channel her, and all of our other Can We Talk guests, as you continue upping your own agency game!
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