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Uncorking bottlenecks

Bedevilled by bottlenecks, these Mailchimp partners found solutions.

Bottlenecks slow down workflow, diminish output, and ultimately shrink your bottom line. Eliminating them can be a challenge, but if there’s one group that’s primed for this challenge, it’s our community of Mailchimp partners. We chatted with 4 agencies—all Mailchimp partners—about how they banished the productivity blockages plaguing their businesses.

Here’s how these efficiency-minded partners unplugged their works, upped their billable hours, and increased profits.

Worksmiths

The agency: This London, England-based branding studio specializes in naming, positioning, and all the other aspects of brand articulation.

The bottleneck: After 20+ years in the industry, WorkSmiths found that people, for the most part, weren’t aware of the true cost of branding. Educating potential clients on this topic was eating away at their billable hours. Instead of accepting this stumbling block as a necessary part of the onboarding process, they decided to make the cost—and value—of their services crystal clear.

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The solve: “We’re not in the £200-logo market, or the £100,000-brand identity market,” says WorkSmiths co-founder Mo Saha, and the branding studio’s new, straightforward pricing framework reflects this. The agency now offers 4 clearly defined packages, ranging in size from small (£1,200 for a single concept/consultation) to XL (£40,000 for a full concept deck, workshop, roadmap, and brand assets labored over by all 4 WorkSmiths principals).

How it’s working out: According to Mo, “There are always a few curveballs, U-turns, and surprises with every scope. Now, that’s built into the time allocated to each project.” Because WorkSmiths is so transparent with their pricing—it’s listed upfront on their website—their bottlenecks have disappeared, because “all parties get on the same page quickly.”

“There are always a few curveballs, U-turns, and surprises with every scope. Now, that’s built into the time allocated to each project.”

— Mo Saha, WorkSmiths co-founder

Pearler

The agency: This Sydney, Australia-based micro-agency run by Katie Zana makes “websites that young-blooded people just get.” Known for her funky design aesthetic, Katie helps entrepreneurs define their brand identity and refine their email marketing.

The bottleneck: With 60% of her clients located in North America, Katie found that time zones were a consistent roadblock to her productivity. “Projects were dragging out. I’d be replying to emails when they were asleep, and it would sometimes take a full 24 hours to get a simple answer,” says Katie.

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The solve: Pearler’s book-me-for-a-day offering is exactly what it sounds like. For $1,200, you get a full day of 1-on-1 Katie time. Prior to delving into the to-do list, Katie has her clients fill out quizzes that prime her in terms of their needs and their brand’s personality. Then, they hit the ground running in a race to get as much done as possible.

How it’s working out: “It’s just so efficient for both parties,” says Katie, who can get full websites or welcome email series done in an 8-hour stretch. Not only does the book-me-for-a-day model solve Katie’s time zone dilemma, it also helps her clients address their own bottlenecks. “I'm all about reframing those big, ever-looming website tasks into a fun, inspiring yet fast process for people. It's super satisfying,” she says.

“I'm all about reframing those big, ever-looming website tasks into a fun, inspiring yet fast process for people. It's super satisfying.”

— Katie Zana, Pearler founder

The Social Content Factory

The agency: Australia’s first subscription-based email marketing and social media content service, run by husband-and-wife team Dominique Varendorff and Cory Hoy.

The bottleneck: This bespoke marketing agency was spending too much time with client onboarding and administrative tasks. “We were getting bogged down fielding questions and doing one-off tasks (We don't like to say no to our clients),” says Dominique. This everything-on-the-table approach also meant clients had trouble deciding on the scope of work.

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The solve: A subscription model. Dominique and Cory launched new packages that allowed clients to pick an offering best suited to their monthly social media and email marketing needs. “Simplifying our services into packages was best for all parties. Now, our clients know exactly what is and isn't included from the beginning,” says Dominique. Through a combination of Mailchimp and their own CRM, they also automated many previously time-gnawing admin and onboarding tasks.

How it’s working out: Pretty darn well. The Social Content Factory is planning to quadruple their customer base this year. Their clients, too, are delighted by the new service. Now, they simply fill in a monthly brief, and then get one round of changes before everything goes live. It’s a no-fuss process that saves everyone time.

“We were getting bogged down fielding questions and doing one-off tasks...Simplifying our services into packages was best for all parties. Now, our clients know exactly what is and isn't included from the beginning.”

— Dominique Varendorff, Social Content Factory founder

Adored Designs

The agency: This Somerset, UK-based boutique agency is elevating brands with their design and strategy expertise.

The bottleneck: Although Adored Designs founder Alex Rogala-Jacek was creating impressive new brand identities and websites for clients, she noticed many were floundering despite their flashy new assets. Without a proper strategy in place, these businesses were struggling to build momentum and attract a keen audience, causing them to suffer from low conversion rates.

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The solve: Alex rebranded—putting strategy front and center. Her new program, Brand Elevation, is a 6-12 month branding and strategic overhaul. This new format allows her to define and implement long-term strategic goals for clients, while giving them dedicated 1-on-1 attention. “We were able to go from working with many clients on a shallow level, to working with very few clients, on a very deep level, achieving real results for their brands,” she says.

How it’s working out: By identifying a customer bottleneck, Alex was able to transform her business, too. “Rebranding and employing the A.D.O.R.E.™ formula completely transformed our business, too. As a result, I was able to increase my prices by 300% in 12 months.”

“Rebranding and employing the A.D.O.R.E.™ formula completely transformed our business, too. As a result, I was able to increase my prices by 300% in 12 months.”

—Alex Rogala-Jacek, Adored Designs founder

The takeaway? Regardless of the nature and size of the bottleneck you’re facing, there’s always a solution. Not sure where to start? When you join Mailchimp & Co, you’ll have the added support of 10,000+ industry peers. No matter the logjam you’re up against, someone in this community is likely to have battled the same issue and conquered it.

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