Your team needs a leader – don’t ever forget that.

In a business environment, there are constant pressures impacting each employee’s role. From the Customer Service Representative having to appease a disgruntled customer, to the person in charge of IT handling a server error, the average work day can quickly take a turn for the worst. On a macro level, your agency is being pushed and pulled in different directions, forcing you to question your current marketing strategy and operational procedures.

When tensions are high, employees’ concerns are growing, and the agency’s sales are low, it’s increasingly important to cut through the mental clutter and be the leader your team needs. You’ve hired people into their roles for a reason: their skill set and expertise. Employees want to see their company succeed and are willing to work hard to make it happen, but they need an environment that allows them to thrive. During difficult times, you must maintain an open dialogue with your staff about what’s happening, the causes, what is to come, and most importantly, how they can help get the agency to where it needs to be.

Your sales and marketing efforts will always face challenges head on: both industries thrive off of adaptation, new ideas, and creativity. Your agency must have the same approach, constantly looking for new trends, evaluating consumer purchasing habits, and keeping watch for the latest digital marketing success story. Though, while you are doing this, the foundation of your agency’s marketing strategy must remain firm and unwavering, covering the fundamentals of a strategic marketing strategy.

You can’t ditch traditional marketing strategies and tactics to embrace social media and expect to see growth in sales. A good marketing strategy takes every communication channel into consideration and clearly shows how they’ll work together accomplish tangible goals. It maintains its vision and focus, yet is open to input and adaptability as new strategies prove to be successful. Each quarter your agency should be evaluating its marketing plan. What’s working? What isn’t?

Everyone wants marketing and sales just to happen when in reality it takes a lot of work, strategic planning, and proper implementation. If you don’t have someone in your agency spearheading your sales and marketing efforts, it’s time to consider your next hire. Sure, that’s a substantial amount of money to invest in your agency, but if you’re not making investments to ensure your ability to compete, then why not close the doors now?

Consumer demands are changing, digital marketing has impacted the marketing landscape, and carriers are stealing marketing share. What are you doing to evolve your agency? Start by hiring a marketing professional who will look at your entire agency operations with a fresh perspective. This person will always be thinking from the perspective of the consumer, but with the expertise and knowledge to outline a plan of action. An entry-level marketing manager is all your agency needs to get started. Someone who will be the cheerleader for consistency, for branding, and for communications. Someone who will maintain the foundation for the agency’s sales efforts.

Lead with a vision. Lead with consistently and stability. Lead with marketing. They will follow.