As a mid-sized business, growth isn’t a background goal, it’s a necessity. If you want to achieve success and stay ahead in your industry, you need to grow and evolve. You’re past the startup phase, so trial and error is no longer acceptable. You probably have a bit of a budget to play with, but you’re unlikely to have deep pockets. You’re also not a global enterprise boasting multiple departments and bottomless budgets. This means you need to scale smart, fast and efficiently, and you’re likely in need of help to do so.
This is where most businesses turn to agencies, but that also tends to be where things go wrong. While agencies promise specialised skills and results, mid-sized businesses often miss out. It’s not that the agency is lacking the experience or talent, it’s that mid-sized businesses need specialist services.
Why Do Agencies Fail Mid-Sized Businesses?
There are a lot of talented agencies out there, and some are able to successfully steer mid-sized businesses towards success. But, that’s not guaranteed, and many agencies fall short. This has led to a lot of businesses looking for agency alternatives, seeking a better, more effective service. So, why do most agencies fail mid-sized businesses?
● They Don’t Understand Your Industry
There’s a lot of industries out there, and who’s to say your chosen agency understands yours? Most agencies are built to serve a wide range of clients, in varying sectors. That breadth of knowledge is impressive, but it does come at the expense of depth. They may be great at marketing in general, but understanding the specific complexities of your industry – including your customers, competitors, terminology, regulatory challenges and product nuances – is another story. This can lead to generic strategies that don’t quite meet the needs of your audience.
● You’re One of Many Clients
A successful agency will have many clients, which means you’re unlikely to be a priority. After all, how could you be? With lots of clients to keep on top of, there’s always a risk of your business falling to the bottom of the pile. Agencies survive by managing volume, and working with as many clients as they can. Their teams are split across multiple accounts, with senior talent maybe only checking in once or twice a month. This can lead to long delays, inexperienced junior talent, miscommunications and missed opportunities, all because your business isn’t a priority.
● They Don’t Understand Being an “In-Between” Business
Mid-sized businesses have unique needs, and that includes needing a marketing campaign designed for a mid-sized business. You’ve grown beyond small business tactics, but you don’t quite have the structure or funding of a much larger enterprise. You need strategy and execution, but both must be right for your stage and size. You don’t fall into the same category as startups and small businesses, nor do you fall in with bigger, more established players. Agencies often default to one-size-fits-all models, and there’s no guarantee that will work for you.
● They’re Not Personally Invested in Your Outcomes
Most agencies work within a defined scope of work. Their job is to deliver what’s on paper and what they’ve contractually agreed to, not to step back and think strategically, or proactively solve issues outside that scope. That lack of ownership shows, and it can hold your mid-sized business back. A lot of agencies treat working with clients as a transaction, not a partnership. They’re there to provide a service, and they have very little investment in your outcomes. As long as they’re doing what they’ve agreed to, they’re holding up their side of the deal.
How Agency Alternatives Solve the Problem
At Profici, we’ve been on the other side of the problem. We know that many agencies fail mid-sized businesses, which is why we’ve set out to do something different. As an agency alternative, we use a unique, in-house execution model to drive business growth. We integrate directly into your business, becoming a true extension of your team, not just another third-party vendor.
● We Provide Industry-Specific and Business-Aligned Talent
At Profici, we don’t just assign you a random team, hoping they’ll be able to navigate your industry from afar. Instead, we embed experts who understand your industry, your audience and your goals into your business. Regardless of industry, we bring specialists who already know what works, and what doesn’t. There’s no long onboarding. There’s no hand holding, and there’s no ‘crossing our fingers and hoping for the best’. When you work with an agency alternative like Profici, it’s all about using experience and data to drive results.
● We Offer Focused Attention and Dedicated Resources
With Profici, you’re not one of many, many accounts. You’re a strategic partner, and we’re just as dedicated to achieve success and growth for your business as you are. We purposely work with a limited number of clients, so we can provide dedicated attention, faster turnaround times and deeper collaboration. We’re focused on getting things done and dedicating all of our resources to you. There’s no worry of our team or our resources being spread too thin.
● Our Approach is Built for Mid-Sized Business Realities
At Profici, everything we do is designed with the needs of growing mid-sized businesses in mind, tailored to companies that are in the middle of small startups and large organisations. As a mid-sized business, you need scalable systems, smart marketing, sales support and operational efficiency, all of which we provide. We tailor everything we do to your growth stage, resource availability and internal capabilities, making sure that you get the highest return for every penny spent.
● We’re Fully Invested in Your Business’ Success
There’s no risk of us sitting on the sidelines, offering the odd critique here and there. When you choose Profici as an agency alternative, you get a team that shows up as part of your business. We see ourselves as full-time team members, and we’re just as invested in your business’ success as you are. We’re partners and collaborators, not a third-party that pipes up once in a while. That accountability changes everything. Your wins are our wins. Your challenges are ours to overcome.
When you consider the advantages of agency alternatives, it’s easy to see why our unique in-house model appeals to mid-sized businesses.
Thinking About Handing Over the Reins to Agency Alternatives?
As you can see, there are a lot of benefits that come with using our unique in-house model. But, we haven’t yet mentioned the relief you’ll feel. When you work with external agencies, someone on your internal team still has to manage them. You’re stuck in project management mode, checking timelines, reviewing work and providing feedback. A lot of your time is spent making sure the agency is on the same page as you, that they’re doing what needs to be done. That can be exhausting, and it’s not where your leadership energy should be going.
With Profici, you can actually delegate with confidence. As our team is embedded and aligned with your objectives, you don’t have to micro-manage everything. You can hand over the reins, knowing it will get done the right way, by people who care as much as you do. That means you can spend more time on high-impact leadership, planning and actually running your business, leaving the growth and marketing side of things to us.
Ready to Take Your Business Forward?
External agencies weren’t designed for mid-sized businesses. They don’t understand your world, your pressures or your audience. They operate from the outside, looking in. They juggle many clients, and they aren’t always invested in your success the way an in-house team is. This is why so many businesses are switching to agency alternatives, like Profici.
Profici offers a hands-on and in-house model that’s built for mid-sized businesses. We know that you need more than advice, so we bring strategy, talent, execution and commitment to the table, all under one roof.
If you’re tired of managing agencies and you’re ready for a team that thinks, works and cares like you do, we’re here. We’re an agency alternative that becomes part of your team, not an outside team keeping themselves at a distance. Get in touch to find out more.
No Blogs