The Virtual CPA Success Show for Creative Agencies Summit Virtual CFO by Anders

Before you indulge on turkey and pumpkin pie this week, join us in reliving some of our favorite guests and business insights from 2023! In addition to sharing their Thanksgiving traditions Joey Kinney and Hannah Hood fill in to introduce highlights from previous episodes of the show. In this “best of” feature, you’ll catch advice from agency owners and thought leaders, such as David C. Baker and Tom O’Neil. Topics discussed range from AI and marketing to challenges of agency burnout and the value of lifelong learning in business.

Jody and Joey welcome Simon Severino, CEO of Strategy Sprints, to discuss the challenges faced by creative agencies in their sales pipelines. Simon emphasizes the importance of team members creating opportunities, standardizing procedures, and gathering additional work from existing clients. They talk about the importance of finding the right commission structure for sales teams and the need for visualization in the sales process.

As partners of SoDA (Society of Digital Agencies), Summit directors Jody, Jamie, and Christy recap a recent event in Mexico City and share their experiences and key takeaways—both for Summit and their digital agency clients. They highlight the importance of networking and learning from others' experiences in the digital agency industry. Jody discusses a trend that he’s seeing in the industry, which is the need for a flatter, more agile organization, and the benefits of using software like Parallax for capacity management. Christy takes it all in as her first time at a SoDA event, and Jamie expresses his excitement for new AI enhancements in the industry.

Jody and Jamie discuss the importance of marketing for agencies with Logan Lyles, Content Marketing Evangelist. Logan shares his background in sales and marketing, particularly in the agency space, and offers insights on how agencies can overcome marketing challenges, such as allocating resources. They emphasize the need for agencies to market the problem they solve, rather than just the solution. They also weigh in on the benefits of recording and sharing internal meetings and client calls for coaching, training, and building trust with potential clients. Don’t miss the State of Agency Operations Report (linked in the show notes).

Joey and Jody chat with Brandon Leibowitz, founder and operator of SEO Optimizers. They discuss the importance of consistency and quality in SEO, as well as the need for good content and the incorporation of social media. Brandon explains the changing landscape of Google's algorithms and the focus on high-quality content and backlinks, vs generating content for the sake of it. They also discuss the uncertainty of the future of SEO with the emergence of ChatGPT and AI.

Join Joey and Shanif Dhanani, AI and Software Consultant, as they discuss all things AI. Shanif explains that AI is a mathematical system that predicts words based on training data, making it good at tasks but not at taking over jobs–or the world. They also discuss the benefits and limitations of AI, ethical concerns, and the need for human involvement in tasks and jobs. They address concerns about AI-generated content, data privacy, and the evolving nature of the internet. They conclude the show with the benefits of automation and AI tools for businesses, potential impact of automation on job roles, and the need for individuals to learn how to effectively use AI tools.