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How to Productize Your Services as a B2B Agency

Writer's picture: Robb ConlonRobb Conlon

In this episode of B2B Business Class, Max Traylor, the “consultants’ consultant” and author of The Consultant Survival Guide, shares actionable advice for B2B agencies on productizing services, creating value-driven offerings, and building stronger client relationships. 


Here’s what we learned from his engaging conversation with host Robb Conlon.


The Cost of Giving Away Your Expertise


Max highlights a critical mistake many B2B agencies make — giving away strategic knowledge for free during the sales process. 


According to Max, this practice diminishes the perceived value of your expertise and leads to less commitment from clients. Instead, agencies should charge for strategic planning and consultations.


“If you charge $10,000 for the strategy, they see you as a strategist or a planner. If you give it away for free and only charge for a website, like renting a dumpster, then you’re ‘the dumpster people.’”

By placing a premium on strategy, agencies position themselves as valued partners and ensure their recommendations are taken seriously.“ If you give people recommendations, and they've paid for those recommendations, they are very likely to take your


recommendations,” Max suggested. “If you recommend things for free, they have no obligation to follow those recommendations, especially if they represent difficult change.”


The Power of Specialization


When asked about the key to long-term success, Max emphasized the importance of narrowing your focus to a specific type of client. 


By tailoring services to a particular niche, agencies can offer unparalleled expertise and charge a premium for their insights.


“ If you can tell me that there's a best client of yours — financially, strategically — if you make your entire book of business look exactly like that best client, that is best case scenario.  The challenge is not what to do. Nobody's going to argue with that.  The challenge is the psychology… the psychological aspect of fear and hunger.”

Max encourages agencies to identify their ideal client — the one that delivers the most profit and satisfaction — and build their business around serving that niche.


“ I will be able to fix your problem faster because your type of company, your exact situation, is all I do,” he stated. “ If you take somebody that eats, sleeps, and breathes your business, it's just tapping in. It's just activating. It could be one conversation.”


Conversations First, Content Second


A key takeaway from another of Max’s books, The Agency Survival Guide, is that conversations drive content — not the other way around. 


Instead of creating content in isolation, Max suggests using content creation as an opportunity to engage with your target audience directly.


“Can’t you short-circuit the process by saying, ‘Hey, ideal client, I’m writing this blog. Want to contribute?’ Now you get the conversation first, and the content is a result.”


This approach not only builds stronger relationships but also ensures the content is more relevant and impactful.


“ All of a sudden, you realize where all your business is coming from. It's not coming from content. It's coming from inviting people to participate in the content creation process.” 

Simplifying Client Engagement


Max underscored the importance of simplifying client engagement through clear, phased action plans. Overloading clients with a laundry list of initiatives often leads to overwhelm and inaction.


“ Your greatest skill, your greatest contribution, is not what can be done but what needs to be done first,” he advised. “It is for you to say, ‘Out of these 10 things, I am going to give you a one-at-a-time roadmap to give your whole organization permission to be patient, to be focused, to be effective on this one thing right here.’”


By prioritizing actionable steps, agencies can foster trust and ensure measurable progress with their teams.“ They're very, very hardworking people,” Max implied. “So do you think that they would appreciate a communication that says, ‘Here are some phases.

We're going to do one step at a time. We're going to be really conscious of how it's going to impact your role.’”


Humanizing the Process


Throughout the episode, Max stressed the value of creating personal connections with clients. 


From leveraging shared interests to ditching virtual backgrounds that obscure personality, he emphasized that genuine relationships drive better business outcomes.

“ Everyone needs to figure out how to inject that personality into the content that they're creating and reduce the stuffiness in the room,” Max said. “Talk about stuff that you're passionate about that has nothing to do with business. You'll develop much stronger relationships and have better conversations with people.”


At the end of our discussion, Max reminded us that by focusing on meaningful conversations, agencies can position themselves for long-term success.


“ Make people feel more comfortable and connect with them on a deeper level. Make sure whatever content you are creating embodies that deeper passion or purpose.”


For more insights from Max Traylor, you can listen to this episode of B2B Business Class on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

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