Discover Robin Waite's insights on scaling an agency with productised services, value-based pricing, and strategic partnerships to boost profitability.
In a recent episode of the Funnel Vision Show, renowned business coach Robin Waite dives deep into scaling an agency while maintaining quality and profitability. While creativity and innovation are often top of mind for many agency owners, consistent results, efficiency, and strategic growth are equally essential. In this post, we explore insights shared by Robin, a business coach and pricing expert, on how agencies can grow by focusing on productizing services, improving operational efficiency, and leveraging strategic partnerships.
Funnel Vision is a dynamic newsletter, podcast, and YouTube series that delivers 20 minutes of expert advice from the leading marketers and online entrepreneurs worldwide. Hosted by Mikael Dia, the founder of the innovative software company Funnelytics, the show features weekly interviews with some of the most accomplished digital marketers, agency owners, and entrepreneurs in the industry. Each concise episode is filled with actionable insights designed to help listeners enhance their marketing skills and elevate their business game. Tune in to discover strategies that can take your success to the next level!
One of the core principles Robin emphasises for agency growth is the importance of productising services. This involves transforming custom, one-off projects into repeatable processes that deliver consistent, predictable results.
Agencies that specialise in a specific service and deliver it over and over again for similar clients become extremely skilled at what they do. Over time, this expertise leads to more predictable outcomes, creating a track record of success that builds trust with clients. As you refine your service offerings, you’ll often find the same approach works well across projects, leading to satisfied clients and strong testimonials.
Many agency owners, however, resist productisation. Why? Because it feels like it limits creative freedom. Robin explains that some agencies want to experiment with different strategies for every client. But in most cases, especially in the business-to-business (B2B) space, clients aren’t looking for creativity—they want tangible results like more leads, sales, or revenue.
In reality, the most successful agencies often have what Robin describes as “boring businesses”—businesses that do the same thing repeatedly and become very good at it. While it may not feel glamorous, this focus on efficiency and consistency can lead to substantial growth.
As agencies productise their services, they naturally become more efficient. The more efficient you become, the quicker you can deliver results—but this can present a problem if you’re still billing by the hour.
One of the major challenges Robin highlights is the disconnect between hourly billing and efficiency. As you become more skilled at delivering a service, you reduce the time it takes to complete it. But if you’re charging by the hour, this means you’re actually making less money as you get faster.
Robin encourages agencies to shift away from hourly rates and toward value-based pricing. Instead of focusing on how much time a project takes, think about the value it delivers to the client. For instance, if you’re building a website for a client that helps them generate $100,000 in new business annually, charging them $5,000 for that website may not make sense. Pricing should be aligned with the results you deliver, not the time spent.
A key part of value-based pricing is understanding the client’s dream—the ideal outcome they want from your service. For many clients, the dream is often tied to acquiring new customers or increasing revenue. Once you understand what that outcome is worth to the client, you can adjust your pricing accordingly. When you show a client that your service will help them achieve a high-value goal, they’re more likely to see your pricing as an investment rather than a cost.
In addition to productising services and pricing based on value, Robin shares one of his most effective growth strategies: leveraging strategic partnerships, especially through podcast appearances.
Strategic partnerships provide agencies with high-leverage opportunities to expand their reach and acquire clients without upfront costs. By collaborating with podcasters, influencers, or businesses that have complementary audiences, you can tap into new networks while offering mutual value.
Robin explains how he discovered the power of partnerships 18 years into his career. Feeling burnt out by the grind of social media marketing and the pressure to constantly post content, he decided to focus on building relationships with a handful of podcasters he admired. This intentional focus paid off when he was invited to be a guest on the popular Ali Abdaal Deep Dive Podcast, a show with millions of subscribers.
The results from that one interview were astounding. Robin’s appearance generated 3,000 leads and nearly $200,000 in business—numbers that would have taken years to achieve through traditional marketing methods. The key, he explains, is delivering as much value as possible during these partnership opportunities and having a strong follow-up asset, like a book or resource, to keep the momentum going.
Podcasts are a particularly powerful platform for growth because they allow you to provide in-depth value over an extended period. Unlike short-form social media content, podcast appearances give you the space to share your expertise and connect with the audience on a deeper level.
However, Robin notes that it’s not enough to simply secure a guest spot. You must over-deliver on value during the interview and have a well-crafted marketing asset to back it up. In Robin’s case, he offered signed copies of his book to listeners of the podcast, which further helped build trust and establish his authority. This approach continues to generate leads long after the interview aired.
Agency growth doesn’t have to be a constant hustle. By productising your services, focusing on value-based pricing, and leveraging strategic partnerships, you can create a scalable business model that delivers consistent results. Robin’s approach shows that sometimes, the most successful strategies aren’t flashy—they’re rooted in efficiency, consistency, and value.
If you’re interested in learning more about Robin Waite’s methods, you can connect with him on LinkedIn or visit fearless.btys to receive a free signed copy of his book, where he explores pricing principles and growth strategies in more detail.
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This Scorecard has been designed to show Coaches, Consultants and Freelancers their blind spots and provide instant, actionable steps on how to increase their prices.
