I was invited onto another podcast to talk about how marketing agencies can form meaningful client relationships, and the conversation reminded me how much the fundamentals have stayed the same even as the tools have multiplied. Agencies ask me this question constantly. How do we become the trusted partner the client actually calls first, instead of the vendor they reach for when the next RFP comes out?
The Confusion for Local Business Owners Has Only Grown
When I started at Vendasta as the first sales hire, we were serving a few hundred local businesses. Today the platform supports more than 60,000 marketing agencies selling services to more than 5.5 million small and medium-sized businesses around the world. The scale is staggering, but so is the confusion.
A business owner can go online, run a few searches, and find software for almost every problem they have. What they cannot do is put all of it together into a coherent plan that works. That gap is the entire opportunity for agencies. If you are the person who simplifies the chaos and delivers outcomes, you become indispensable.
Be the Marketing Brain, Not the Media Vendor
Back in my radio days, I figured out that the business owner did not want a radio pitch. They wanted help with their whole marketing strategy. Radio was one ingredient, not the meal. I would walk in prepared to talk about newspaper, TV, yellow pages, direct mail, anything. That was technically against the “sell what you sell” rule, but it also got me more business than any of my peers.
The same principle applies to agencies today:
- Be the expert on the whole marketing problem, not just your line item
- Diagnose before prescribing
- Bring multiple options, not just the one with your best margin
- Reserve your strongest recommendation for the solution that fits them, not the one that fits you
For more on this mindset, see my post on converting leads with existing clients.
People Search Before They Shop
The agencies winning in 2026 understand that their clients’ customers are researching before they ever walk through the door or fill out a form. That reality changes what the agency must deliver on.
Essentials for every local business client:
- Accurate and consistent online listings
- Current information on hours, curbside options, and delivery
- A reputation management motion for reviews
- An online showroom or buying experience for the categories where it applies
- A content presence that answers common customer questions
If any one of those is broken, the other channels leak revenue.
What Changed During the Pandemic
The pandemic accelerated every one of those essentials. A chunk of customers permanently changed the way they shop. Some business owners tried to return to pre-pandemic habits and immediately lost market share. The smart operators accepted the new reality, doubled down on digital, and built the relationships they needed for the next cycle.
Agencies that helped their clients through that transition locked in multi-year loyalty. Agencies that waited for things to “go back to normal” lost accounts.
Be the Trusted Local Expert
The whole point of any agency relationship is to become the trusted local expert. When you get there, your client picks up the phone when they have a question, even if they are not buying that day. Your lifetime value per account compounds. Referrals become the majority of new business.
For more on the mechanics of this, pair this with my piece on the trust matrix in every sales conversation.
What I Took Away From the Conversation
- Simplify the chaos. That is the agency’s real product.
- Diagnose before prescribing. Always.
- Fix the digital basics before chasing shiny tactics.
- Become the trusted local expert your client calls first
If you run an agency or sell into one, the single best question you can ask yourself this week is this. Would my top client describe me as their marketing brain, or as one of their vendors?
The answer decides whether your next quarter is a renewal conversation or a scramble.