“I was paying $5,000/month with an SEO agency to be more discoverable in searches…but
“I paid $20,000 for our new website that looks clean and professional…but
“I hired an ad agency to produce and manage campaigns for months…but
…my business didn’t grow.”
It’s not uncommon to hear these types of stories in initial meetings between Ignite XDS and new or prospective clients. With a past agency experience leaving them rightfully jaded, these companies are feeling burned by the sale of a siloed service rather than overall business growth.
Oftentimes, business owners hear:
"More [insert: Web Traffic, Higher Ranking, Professional-Looking Website]"
And they equate that to "More Business".
When we ask in hindsight, did the hired agency (or you!) invest the time to understand IF the recommended tactic or service was the solution your company needs? Was it specifically designed to generate more SALES?
How in depth was their research into your operational structure, your customers, and your competition?
How were the metrics they promised specifically tied to your bottom line?
The service outcome that agency sold you on, may likely be what they actually delivered. If promised, you have realized increased web traffic, or ranked higher in searches. But these tactics alone do not necessarily equate to revenue growth.
The Perceived Promise
Many business owners lean on marketing companies to quickly bring about strategies to grow their companies. We’ve been in the meetings…we’ve heard: “we need to act NOW!” Couple that with marketing companies that are not truly “Marketing” companies, but rather service providers with a service to sell.
The result: Business owners are sold a service, that assuming the marketing company is above board, is likely delivered. In other words, “We sold you the idea of more traffic, and here are the stats that prove you got more traffic.”
At Ignite XDS we believe that when the required introspective work on your organization, markets, and customers is bypassed, marketing efforts oftentimes become irrelevant and wasteful.
After all, how on earth could an agency understand (or have the audacity to assume!) what your business holistically needs after a couple of surface level or demo calls?
Ignite XDS’ differentiator is staying disciplined to the introspective work before developing any strategy implementation with our partners. We need to understand a company’s current situation completely, including their operational deficiencies, opportunities, their markets, customers, and all, as a foundation from which to build on.
Our clients typically cringe when we’re initially introducing them to the format of our Discovery Process. To a business owner who’s been eager for growth, it can feel like we’re asking them stand in molasses.
BUT, this pivotal phase is where their mindset evolution begins, and the value is realized.
The time spent invested into understanding where a company stands – especially one that has plateaued or experienced inconsistent revenue – outweighs any plan, service, or package that is proposed to you upfront as a solution.
Truth bomb: there is no silver bullet to sustainable, predictable growth. But for the last 35 years, Ignite XDS’ Discovery Process is the next best thing…
The Ignite XDS Difference: Discovery
Throughout our Discovery Process with clients, we’ll uncover existing opportunities and barriers, prioritize items that should be addressed immediately, then begin constructing a holistic plan that will build predictable growth long-term.
Discovery consists of 6 defined meetings that challenge executives through every layer of their company’s current position (take a deep dive on our process here).
- Overview and setting the stage
- Customer exploration
- Sales and marketing
- Competitive landscape
- Operations and culture
- Goals and velocity
Without this introspective foundation, marketing efforts can oftentimes be aimless. That’s why Ignite XDS does not sell pre-determined packages of services, but rather we start with Discovery as a requirement for new clients.
The holistic strategy that is developed for a client may absolutely involve an SEO refinement, an enhanced website that engages with prospective customers, targeted advertising, yes… but these are tactics that are one piece of the puzzle to your company’s growth.
Discovery makes us aware that your plans may also require addressing a cultural pinch, operational bottlenecks, or mystery customer churn first, in order to be worthwhile.
Marketing cannot be conducted in a silo, it requires a holistic approach woven throughout the organization – every customer touch point and every operational efficiency (or inefficiency) must be acknowledged and understood.
If you’re curious enough to unlock a new perspective and dissect why your company’s former approaches to marketing have failed, schedule a complimentary growth session with Ignite XDS.
