Peter Levitan knows agencies. He ran Business development at Saatchi & Saatchi in Europe and North America, owned his own Portland agency and was a founder and CEO of two Internet companies. We were lucky enough to have him as our guest on Episode 38 of The PPC Show .

While we recommend giving the entire episode a listen, here are the top seven pieces of wisdom Peter Levitan shared with us while on the show:

1. “We’re in a world where specialization wins.” If you’re looking to start your own agency, know that clients are looking for specialists. We’re no longer in the grand old days where agencies were either television, print, or radio. Know your specialty and make sure clients know it, too.
2. “The more you blog, and the more you stick to a specific subject, then the more people will find you and love you.” Sticking to the theme of specialization, make sure your company blog follows this wisdom as well. People will seek out and enjoy your content if they know what to look for and what they’re getting once they find it.
3. “How are you making money?” Whether you’re starting your own agency or work in an established one, make sure you can answer that important question. What’s your business plan? What is it that you’re selling? To whom? How much will they pay you? How much will you keep? About half of agencies don't have consistent answers when faced with these topics.
4. Run SWOT analysis with your team and then do something about it. Firstly, the exercise alone focuses the mind and can help you answer the questions in number 3. Secondly, make sure you set aside time to actually act on your findings from the analysis. Many agencies have a plan but they don’t run it. Make a plan for your business development and then be consistent about executing it.
5. “Your website HAS to be a sales tool.” So many agencies fall into the trap of turning their websites into fun, creative projects or brochures. While that’s all well and good, if your website is not set up to make a sale, then it’s not doing much for you. Sales is a 24-7 game now and your website is doing a lot of that work for you. Make sure it’s set up that way.
6. “PPC works. The more you can use it, the better.” If you want to get more clients, try running PPC ads. Test the major networks - Facebook, LinkedIn - and see what works best for you. If they work, are easy, and can fit into your schedule then you have your answer. If they don’t fit in your schedule, find someone at your agency who can be in charge of them. That’s really key. If no one is assigned to be in charge of PPC, you’re not going to get a lot out of that money.
7. “There’s a light at the end of the tunnel.” Peter is a seasoned agency professional who now runs a completely internet-based business out of his house in Mexico and is thoroughly enjoying life. You can, too!

Not enough agency wisdom? Listen to the entire episode here:

https://soundcloud.com/adstage/is-ppc-the-smartest-way-to-sell-agencys-services

Want to hear more from Peter Levitan? Check out his blog (nearing 600 posts), buy his book , and follow him on Twitter .

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