Bob Ruffalo - What They Never Taught You About Growing an Agency

#INBOUND16@BOBRUFFOLO

WHAT THEY NEVER TAUGHT YOU ABOUT GROWING AN AGENCY Making smart people choices, retaining top talent, overcoming crisis, and more.

Bob Ruffolo, IMPACT


• Founded in 2009

• Current Staff of 30 People

• Became a HubSpot Partner in 2011

• HubSpot Diamond Partner


THE BEGINNINGS


GETTING IMPACTOFF THE GROUND



FOR THE FIRST 4 YEARS, THINGS WERE GOING

SMOOTHLY.


• Built the team up to 18 people, profitably.

• Partnered with HubSpot.

• We were consistently selling retainers.

• Became a Gold Partner within 9 months.

BETWEEN 2009 AND 2013


AND I WAS ASKED TO PRESENT TO THE PARTNERS AT INBOUND ’13 ON

“HOW AGENCIES CAN POSITION THEMSELVES FOR LARGER RETAINERS AND GROWTH.”


THINGS WERE EASY. I THOUGHT I HAD IT FIGURED OUT.


I DIDN’T.


2013


THINGS WERE NOT AS GREAT AS THEY APPEARED.


AND I HAD A LOT TO LEARN.


WHAT HAPPENED AFTER INBOUND ‘13…


WE MADE EVERY MISTAKE AN AGENCY COULD MAKE.


WE MADE EVERY MISTAKE AN AGENCY COULD MAKE.

2015 FELT LIKE ROCK BOTTOM.


IN EARLY 2015…


BY THE SUMMER OF 2015…


IT SEEMED LIKE IT HAPPENED ALL OF A SUDDEN, AND

IT HAPPENED FAST.

MUCH LIKE…



I HAD TO LOOK INTO THE MIRROR, TAKE RESPONSIBILITY,

AND FIX THINGS.


IF ANY OF THIS SOUNDS FAMILIAR…


YOU CAN TURN IT AROUND LIKE THAT!


WHAT WE DID


Get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the

right people in the right seats.

“

”- Jim Collins


THIS BROUGHT OUR TEAM FROM

36 23TO


WE GOT ALIGNED.


• We had the highest revenue & profit.

• Employee & client NPS had significantly improved.

• We were operating as a collective unit.

Q4 OF ‘15 WAS THE BEST QUARTER WE EVER HAD


Q1 OF ‘16 WAS SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER

THAN THAT.


MY GOAL FOR TODAY:


SHARE THE LESSONS I’VE LEARNED AND THE CHANGES I’VE MADE IN HOPES THAT IT

HELPS YOU ALONG YOUR JOURNEY.


10 LESSONS


1BUILD & MAINTAINA COHESIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM


IMPACT’S LEADERSHIP TEAM


2 GET YOUR AGENCY ALIGNED ON WHERE YOU’RE GOING


THIS ACTIVITY WAS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT COMPONENTS OF OUR

TURNAROUND


HOW WE DID IT


3 DEFINE YOUR CULTURE


A culture is a way of life of a group of people--the behaviors, beliefs, values, and

symbols that they accept, generally without thinking about them, and that are

passed along by communication and imitation from one generation to the next.


OUR PURPOSE:TO HELP PEOPLE AND THEIR ORGANIZATIONS SUCCEED.


OUR VISION: A WORLD WHERE ITS EASIER FOR

BUSINESSES TO GROW.


OUR CORE VALUES


HOW WE DEFINED OUR CULTURE


4 LIVE YOUR CORE VALUES


HOW WE HIRE


HOW WE EVALUATE TALENT


HOW WE FIRE


HOW WE USE CORE VALUES TO RECOGNIZE AND REWARD



5 LISTEN TO YOUR PEOPLE& TAKE ACTION


WHAT WE DO TO GET HONEST FEEDBACK


• Recognize and Appreciate Candid Feedback

• CEO 360 Degree Feedback

• Weekly One on Ones

• Employee Surveys

• Really Care to Listen

WHAT WE DO TO GET HONEST FEEDBACK


HOW WE USED FEEDBACK TO TURNAROUND RETENTION

ISSUES


“PEOPLE NEED TO SEE THEIR FUTURE AT IMPACT”


6 DON’T HOLD ON TO‘B’ PLAYERS FOR TOO LONG


7 PEOPLE CAN ALWAYS DO MORE


8 NO ROOM FOR BAD MANAGERS


9 DON’T DELEGATE HIRING


QUESTIONS?


ONE FINAL LESSON…


10 ENJOY THE RIDE


WHAT THEY NEVER TAUGHT YOU ABOUT GROWING AN AGENCY Making smart people choices, retaining top talent, overcoming crisis, and more.

Bob Ruffolo, IMPACT

Bob Ruffalo - What They Never Taught You About Growing an Agency

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