“If you don’t ask, you won’t receive.” I’ve said it for years, and it’s shaped how I’ve built three agencies doing $6.5 million in annual revenue.

But I still see agency owners playing small. They wait for clients to magically upsell themselves, wait for employees to read their minds, or wait for partners to cut them a deal without ever speaking up.

Waiting is a losing strategy.

When we formed Array Digital, one of my employees joined as a digital marketing specialist. He asked for the title of manager, and we gave it to him. Not just to make him feel more significant, but also because it helped the agency present itself better to prospects.

Later, he came to me asking for more responsibility. What he really wanted was the Creative Director role, a role we did not have at the time. He wasn’t ready at first, and I told him that. But because he asked, we built a plan. He developed the skills and worked hard for over a year. And he kept asking, and I kept saying, No. But then at some point, promoting him became a no-brainer.

What would have happened had he not asked? He might still be stuck in the same role years later.

This principle applies to every part of running an agency. For months, I struggled with an arbitrarily low daily limit on bank transfers, hacking around it by scheduling staggered payments. Eventually, I asked my banker if he could raise the limit. His response? “Sure, just fill out this form.” That was it. Months of frustration solved in thirty seconds because I finally asked.

Even partnership deals are driven by this. One strategic partner asked me for a benefit that wasn’t included in his plan. He simply asked, “Is that possible?” I’d put that restriction there myself to nudge people toward the higher tier, but because he asked, I said yes. It mattered to him, and it didn’t cost us much. He got what he needed, and we got a great partner, all because he asked.

During COVID, I reached out to our web hosting provider and asked for relief. I told them some of our clients were folding, and cash flow was uncertain. They gave us a 25 percent discount for two months, just like that. Again, all I did was ask.

Most agency owners don’t ask for what they want: more help, more sales results, better margins, better terms. But then they wonder why they’re stuck.

At The Business of Agency Mastermind, we teach agency owners how to run profitable firms that give them back their time and scale without chaos. And we start with fundamentals like this: speak up, take control, and ask for what you want.

If you’re ready to grow, visit businessofagency.com and apply to join us.

~ Erik

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