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WHAT THEY NEVER TAUGHT YOU ABOUT GROWING AN AGENCY Making smart people choices, retaining top talent, overcoming crisis, and more.

Bob Ruffolo, IMPACT

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• Founded in 2009

• Current Staff of 30 People

• Became a HubSpot Partner in 2011

• HubSpot Diamond Partner

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THE BEGINNINGS

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GETTING IMPACTOFF THE GROUND

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FOR THE FIRST 4 YEARS, THINGS WERE GOING

SMOOTHLY.

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• Built the team up to 18 people, profitably.

• Partnered with HubSpot.

• We were consistently selling retainers.

• Became a Gold Partner within 9 months.

BETWEEN 2009 AND 2013

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AND I WAS ASKED TO PRESENT TO THE PARTNERS AT INBOUND ’13 ON

“HOW AGENCIES CAN POSITION THEMSELVES FOR LARGER RETAINERS AND GROWTH.”

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THINGS WERE EASY. I THOUGHT I HAD IT FIGURED OUT.

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I DIDN’T.

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2013

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THINGS WERE NOT AS GREAT AS THEY APPEARED.

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AND I HAD A LOT TO LEARN.

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WHAT HAPPENED AFTER INBOUND ‘13…

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WE MADE EVERY MISTAKE AN AGENCY COULD MAKE.

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WE MADE EVERY MISTAKE AN AGENCY COULD MAKE.

2015 FELT LIKE ROCK BOTTOM.

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IN EARLY 2015…

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BY THE SUMMER OF 2015…

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IT SEEMED LIKE IT HAPPENED ALL OF A SUDDEN, AND

IT HAPPENED FAST.

MUCH LIKE…

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I HAD TO LOOK INTO THE MIRROR, TAKE RESPONSIBILITY,

AND FIX THINGS.

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IF ANY OF THIS SOUNDS FAMILIAR…

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YOU CAN TURN IT AROUND LIKE THAT!

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WHAT WE DID

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Get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the

right people in the right seats.

“

”- Jim Collins

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THIS BROUGHT OUR TEAM FROM

36 23TO

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WE GOT ALIGNED.

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• We had the highest revenue & profit.

• Employee & client NPS had significantly improved.

• We were operating as a collective unit.

Q4 OF ‘15 WAS THE BEST QUARTER WE EVER HAD

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Q1 OF ‘16 WAS SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER

THAN THAT.

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MY GOAL FOR TODAY:

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SHARE THE LESSONS I’VE LEARNED AND THE CHANGES I’VE MADE IN HOPES THAT IT

HELPS YOU ALONG YOUR JOURNEY.

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10 LESSONS

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1BUILD & MAINTAINA COHESIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM

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IMPACT’S LEADERSHIP TEAM

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2 GET YOUR AGENCY ALIGNED ON WHERE YOU’RE GOING

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THIS ACTIVITY WAS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT COMPONENTS OF OUR

TURNAROUND

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HOW WE DID IT

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3 DEFINE YOUR CULTURE

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A culture is a way of life of a group of people--the behaviors, beliefs, values, and

symbols that they accept, generally without thinking about them, and that are

passed along by communication and imitation from one generation to the next.

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OUR PURPOSE:TO HELP PEOPLE AND THEIR ORGANIZATIONS SUCCEED.

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OUR VISION: A WORLD WHERE ITS EASIER FOR

BUSINESSES TO GROW.

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OUR CORE VALUES

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HOW WE DEFINED OUR CULTURE

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4 LIVE YOUR CORE VALUES

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HOW WE HIRE

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HOW WE EVALUATE TALENT

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HOW WE FIRE

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HOW WE USE CORE VALUES TO RECOGNIZE AND REWARD

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5 LISTEN TO YOUR PEOPLE& TAKE ACTION

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WHAT WE DO TO GET HONEST FEEDBACK

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• Recognize and Appreciate Candid Feedback

• CEO 360 Degree Feedback

• Weekly One on Ones

• Employee Surveys

• Really Care to Listen

WHAT WE DO TO GET HONEST FEEDBACK

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HOW WE USED FEEDBACK TO TURNAROUND RETENTION

ISSUES

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“PEOPLE NEED TO SEE THEIR FUTURE AT IMPACT”

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6 DON’T HOLD ON TO‘B’ PLAYERS FOR TOO LONG

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7 PEOPLE CAN ALWAYS DO MORE

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8 NO ROOM FOR BAD MANAGERS

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9 DON’T DELEGATE HIRING

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QUESTIONS?

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ONE FINAL LESSON…

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10 ENJOY THE RIDE

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WHAT THEY NEVER TAUGHT YOU ABOUT GROWING AN AGENCY Making smart people choices, retaining top talent, overcoming crisis, and more.

Bob Ruffolo, IMPACT