025: The Retention Strategy: More Revenue, Less Cold Pitching

Agency Darlings

In today’s episode, Meredith and Melissa dive deep into the power of organic growth for agencies, emphasizing the importance of nurturing long-term client relationships over constantly chasing new business. They share their strategies for turning one-time projects into long-term partnerships and how retention can drive more stable revenue and higher profit margins. The episode covers offboarding strategies, communication templates, and how to identify expansion opportunities that clients actually want. Tune in to learn how organic growth can be the game-changer for your agency!

What to Expect in This Episode:

• How to turn initial client projects into bigger, long-term brand partnerships.
• The importance of client retention for driving stability and higher profit margins.
• An offboarding strategy that ensures clients stay engaged beyond the initial project.
• Specific communication touchpoints to maintain client relevance between engagements.
• A systematic approach to identifying and presenting expansion opportunities that clients actually value.

Actionable Takeaways:

• Invest in client retention to reduce pressure on new business development, creating a more sustainable and profitable agency.
• When offboarding, don’t just hand off deliverables—make time for a meaningful handoff call to ensure clients feel supported.
• Implement a 90-day check-in post-launch to address any concerns and deepen the relationship.
• Use strategic data to stay involved in clients’ business, making sure your services are still aligned with their needs.
• Regularly assess how much revenue is coming from existing clients and adjust your focus to prioritize retention over acquisition.

Real Talk Moments:

• Client Retention is Key: Acquiring new clients is much more expensive than retaining existing ones. According to research, it’s 5-25 times more costly to acquire new customers than to keep the ones you have.
• The Power of Relationship-Based Sales: Rather than just focusing on the sale, focus on building a relationship that continues to evolve. When clients feel valued, they’re more likely to stay and refer others.
• Strategic Offboarding: Offboarding should be a strategic process that sets the stage for future collaboration. It’s the last impression you leave with clients, so make it count.

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For all inquiries, contact us at [email protected]

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About Your Hosts:

Melissa Lohrer is the Founder of Waverly Ave Consulting, a Growth Consultancy for indie agencies. She partners with agency owners to create seven-figure growth through strategic repositioning, modern revenue models, and relationship-based sales. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Meredith Fennessy Witts is the Founder of Le Chéile, the go-to finance and strategy consultancy for creative agencies scaling beyond seven figures. She helps creative founders clarify their cash flow, restructure niche offers and pricing, and ensure they’re running a profitable business...in a mindful way. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Instagram.