US and European based agency owners are fightly vigilantly as the coronavirus pandemic unfolds in their region of the world. It’s affecting agencies and their clients in significant ways. I’ve been talking to agency owners non-stop for the last two weeks and one thing is for sure – one agency’s experience is not like another’s. For some, business and AGI has never been better. In others, 50% of their AGI has walked out in less than ten days. I wanted to connect with an agency owner who had already experienced everything we are going through today and could tell us what’s coming next.

Kiri Sinclair owns the 50-person PR shop aptly named Sinclair. They’re based in Hong Kong with hubs in several cities in China and they are about three months ahead of us in dealing with the coronavirus. Needless to say, there are some good lessons for us to learn from her experience.

Hong Kong and mainland China reacted differently to the initial outbreak than European countries and the US have reacted so our experience may not be perfectly parallel. However, the timeline still provides us with some idea of what to expect moving forward. The good news is – there’s good news.
Two and a half months in, client business in Hong Kong has picked up and things are moving back to normal. Every country and every agency is different, but Kiri’s story serves as a beacon of hope and helps us anticipate what is coming next.

A big thank you to our podcast’s presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They’re an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here.

What You Will Learn in This Episode:

How agency owners across the globe are responding to the COVID-crisis
The experience of Hong Kong-based agency owner Kiri Sinclair since the outbreak first occurred there over two months ago
How clients responded to the global pandemic in Asia
How to be proactive in protecting client relationships and the team amidst the crisis
How to consider handling internal changes such as pay and lay-offs
Mistakes our guest made and what she would have done differently if she knew then what she knows now

The Golden Nuggets:

“Agencies in the U.S. and Europe are very lucky to have an additional two months of knowledge to make difficult decisions.” @SinclairTalkCLICK TO TWEET“Get your contingency plans in order. Then, communicate what those contingency plans are, how your business is operating at this moment in time, and how you are supporting the community to contain this outbreak.” @SinclairTalkCLICK TO TWEET

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Ways to contact Kiri Sinclair:

Website:
LinkedIn:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirisinclair/
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/sinclaircomms/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SinclairComms
Twitter:
- @KiriSinclair
- @SinclairTalk

Tools & Resources:

Recovery plan for agencies and brands that Sinclair authored
AMI’s covid-19 survival resources page
Sweet Spot Client Filter: agencymanagementinstitute.com/client-filter
New Book: Sell With Authority

EP 234: Surviving the pandemic – where will your agency be in 60-90 days? with Kiri Sinclair

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