When you are building an agency, it is easy to think that every sale is a good sale.

Revenue is revenue, right?

Not necessarily.

In this week’s IA Forward, Shane makes the point that the type of business you write early on has a long-term impact on the agency you eventually build.

You Reap What You Sow

If your lead strategy constantly brings in clients who are shopping only on price, that behavior does not disappear after the sale.

If you write business that is likely to churn, eventually you have to replace it.

If you take every prospect simply because you need the revenue, you may unintentionally build an agency around clients you never really wanted in the first place.

That does not mean new agency owners can be overly selective from day one.

The first couple of years are still about survival.

But survival and strategy do not have to be opposites.

Decide What You Want the Book to Look Like

The goal is to eventually move away from simply reacting to whatever opportunity lands in front of you.

Build a lead strategy.

Know the type of client you want.

Understand what kind of business fits the agency you are trying to create.

Because over time, the decisions you make at the beginning become the book you have to service, retain, and grow.

Do not build a book you will eventually wish you could replace.

Watch the Full Episode

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPm5kjQbjTc&t=0s