Agency Growth Analysis

Calculate your Agency Growth Index

Analyze and score your business operations in the four pillars and their related impact areas of the Q4i Growth Platform. Read each slide and select the score that best illustrates your current situation. You’ll receive your Agency Growth Index (AGI) when you complete the Analysis. We recommend retaking the Analysis every six months to track your progress.

Growth Pillars

Marketing
Sales
Service
Leadership

Start the analysis

Agency Growth Analysis

Marketing

Sales

Service

Leadership

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Impact Areas
Defined plan
Messaging and content
Sharing the message
Leveraging technology

Impact Areas
Sales process
Solution optimization
Healthy pipeline
Effective prospecting

Impact Areas
Client experience
Cohesive teams
Re-sell strategies
Processes & procedures

Impact Areas
Vision
Culture
Multi-level planning
Effective communication

Marketing is the first step of the sales process because many people will see your marketing before they meet you. Map our your activity to use as a guide for intentional and systematic execution. Your plan should address what you will say, where you will say it, how often you will say it, and to whom you will say it. What does your marketing plan look like?

1 2 3

Plan? Yeah, we don't have one of those.

4 5 6 7

No plan, but we react effectively when we see opportunities.

8 9 10

Everything is planned and happens according to the plan.

Plan? Yeah, we don't have one of those.

No plan, but we react effectively when we see opportunities.

Everything is planned and happens according to the plan.

Marketing messaging and content must be focused on the challenges faced by your target audience and be educational in nature. Your content should explain potential solutions and guide the prospect through their buyer’s journey to a purchasing decision. How much thought have you put into creating your messaging?

1 2 3

We only have messaging for a basic website.

4 5 6 7

Honestly, we sound like a polished version of most agencies.

8 9 10

Our audience makes changes based on the content we share.

We only have messaging for a basic website.

Honestly, we sound like a polished version of most agencies.

Our audience makes changes based on the content we share.

It’s not enough to simply have quality content. It must be communicated strategically and effectively through a variety of mediums and a variety of platforms that reach your target audience where they spend time. When done properly, interested prospects will contact you. How are you sharing your message where your audience will find it?

1 2 3

We are counting on prospects to somehow find our website.

4 5 6 7

We’re pretty good at crafting messages as needed.

8 9 10

We are dialed in; most prospects contact us because of our marketing.

We are counting on prospects to somehow find our website.

We’re pretty good at crafting messages as needed.

We are dialed in; most prospects contact us because of our marketing.

CRM technology for prospecting and marketing automation is critical to executing an effective and efficient strategy and plan. It must be leveraged to distribute content, track prospect engagement, and to create a buyer profile as the prospect becomes sales qualified. How are you using and leveraging technology for sales and marketing?

1 2 3

We don’t even put prospects into our CRM consistently.

4 5 6 7

We automate sending email campaigns, but that’s it.

8 9 10

We capture consistent data on our prospects and run our activities with automation.

We don’t even put prospects into our CRM consistently.

We automate sending email campaigns, but that’s it.

We capture consistent data on our prospects and run our activities with automation.

A sales process is critical for both seller and buyer. The seller needs a process to have a consistent message, control the conversation, and systematically move opportunities forward. Buyers need a process to make the buying process less overwhelming. What does your sales process look like and how often do you follow it?

1 2 3

We take the “beg, quote, and pray” approach.

4 5 6 7

We quote most of the time but also document the buyer’s story.

8 9 10

Others marvel at our close ratio as well as our short time-to-close.

We take the “beg, quote, and pray” approach.

We quote most of the time but also document the buyer’s story.

Others marvel at our close ratio as well as our short time-to-close.

In today’s increasingly complex business world, buyers need help in ways they never have before. Ensuring you can provide clients with solutions to meet these needs has become the ante into the game. However, ensuring they use the resources effectively is the real goal. Thinking of your solutions, which ones get used regularly?

1 2 3

We depend on price, insurance products, and service.

4 5 6 7

We have a robust set of solutions, but they’re rarely used.

8 9 10

Every solution we provide is used, and used effectively.

We depend on price, insurance products, and service.

We have a robust set of solutions, but they’re rarely used.

Every solution we provide is used, and used effectively.

Nothing is more important to growth than maintaining a healthy pipeline. ”Healthy” means that, if maintained, the pipeline will produce enough opportunities for you to reach your new business goal. It also means prospects are engaged and moving forward. What does your pipeline look like?

1 2 3

A healthy pipeline is nothing more than a pipe dream for us.

4 5 6 7

We have enough opportunities to stay busy, but they often aren’t the right ones.

8 9 10

We refer to our pipeline as “ol’ faithful” in producing new business.

A healthy pipeline is nothing more than a pipe dream for us.

We have enough opportunities to stay busy, but they often aren’t the right ones.

We refer to our pipeline as “ol’ faithful” in producing new business.

It’s not enough to simply have a large number of opportunities; they need to come from the right sources. For example, referrals from clients and other centers of influence are 5-7x more likely to close than those resulting from a cold call. Where are your opportunities coming from?

1 2 3

Our producers are just “too busy” to prospect.

4 5 6 7

We stay busy with referrals, but they leave a lot to be desired.

8 9 10

We always ask clients and COIs for specific intros and get them.

Our producers are just “too busy” to prospect.

We stay busy with referrals, but they leave a lot to be desired.

We always ask clients and COIs for specific intros and get them.

While there are certain expectations that are common to every client, every client also has expectations unique to them. It is important to establish, document, and systematically execute on both the routine and specific expectations of each client. What is your process for managing client expectations?

1 2 3

Our retention rate is the Achilles heel to our growth.

4 5 6 7

We are timely and dependable regarding clients’ price and service needs.

8 9 10

Clients voluntarily sing our praises about the impact we make.

Our retention rate is the Achilles heel to our growth.

We are timely and dependable regarding clients’ price and service needs.

Clients voluntarily sing our praises about the impact we make.

As important as it is for each team (Marketing, Sales, Service, and Leadership) to achieve excellence, this can’t happen in silos. There must be clearly defined individual roles, but everyone must also operate in a disciplined, accountable, and cooperative manner. How are you defining and dividing roles and responsibilities?

1 2 3

We are siloed and spend too much time looking out for ourselves.

4 5 6 7

Everyone helps one another, but usually only when we reach panic mode.

8 9 10

Watching our team is like watching a world class relay race.

We are siloed and spend too much time looking out for ourselves.

Everyone helps one another, but usually only when we reach panic mode.

Watching our team is like watching a world class relay race.

Service teams need to be recognized as an integral part of the sales efforts by actively contributing to renewal and client strategy conversations. This leads to improved retention but also to referral opportunities by building client promoters. How do you engage your service team in the selling and renewal processes?

1 2 3

Our service team barely has time to meet basic service needs of clients.

4 5 6 7

For large clients, senior service team members participate at renewal.

8 9 10

Our service team is THE reason we have raving fans making referrals.

Our service team barely has time to meet basic service needs of clients.

For large clients, senior service team members participate at renewal.

Our service team is THE reason we have raving fans making referrals.

To run an effective and efficient organization, all critical processes must be defined, documented, and consistently executed. At a minimum, these processes should include marketing, sales, client onboarding, client renewal, and how to handle service issues. What processes do you have documented and how are they followed?

1 2 3

We respect the creativity and spontaneity of our team to get it done.

4 5 6 7

Mostly, each team member has their own consistent way of working.

8 9 10

All activities are documented and executed with exacting precision.

We respect the creativity and spontaneity of our team to get it done.

Mostly, each team member has their own consistent way of working.

All activities are documented and executed with exacting precision.

To achieve your potential, especially during times of change, it is critical to describe, in detail, the organization you must become, why it’s important, the plan to make the transition, the things that will change as a result, and how everyone will contribute. Where is your vision stored and shared?

1 2 3

We know we need to change but are at a loss as to what that looks like.

4 5 6 7

It is clear in the minds of leadership (only), but we have no formal plan.

8 9 10

Everyone on the team can describe our complete vision.

We know we need to change but are at a loss as to what that looks like.

It is clear in the minds of leadership (only), but we have no formal plan.

Everyone on the team can describe our complete vision.

Perhaps nothing affects the performance of an organization more than its culture. The existing culture must be intentionally developed, nurtured, and protected. It should be the very filter through which all decisions (especially hiring) are made. How intentionally have you developed your culture?

1 2 3

If culture eats strategy, strategy has nothing to fear in our office.

4 5 6 7

While we are a pleasant place to work, we have a few too many cliques.

8 9 10

Our culture allows the full potential of everyone on the team to be met.

If culture eats strategy, strategy has nothing to fear in our office.

While we are a pleasant place to work, we have a few too many cliques.

Our culture allows the full potential of everyone on the team to be met.

Healthy organizations don’t just happen. They are the result of thoughtful reflection, strategic planning, and intentional execution. Because organizations are the aggregation of individuals, it is critical to plan at the organization, division, and individual level. What type of planning do you do, and how well do you follow it?

1 2 3

We mostly show up and simply do what we did yesterday and the day before.

4 5 6 7

We plan at the agency and producer level, but our plans are loosely followed.

8 9 10

We plan at every level and execute with military precision.

We mostly show up and simply do what we did yesterday and the day before.

We plan at the agency and producer level, but our plans are loosely followed.

We plan at every level and execute with military precision.

Communication is way more than simply talking to one another. Effective communication is the result of planning for what will be communicated, the cadence for each, the mediums to be used, and to whom those messages will be targeted. What does your communication look like, both formal and informal?

1 2 3

Honestly, we kinda suck at communication within the organization.

4 5 6 7

We communicate effectively but it isn’t because of any formal plan.

8 9 10

We believe culture eats strategy and communication fuels the culture.

Honestly, we kinda suck at communication within the organization.

We communicate effectively but it isn’t because of any formal plan.

We believe culture eats strategy and communication fuels the culture.