Is your agency a 98-pound traffic, workflow and estimating weakling? Do more efficient agencies kick sand in your faces? On September 21 and 22, 2010, at The Gleacher Center, Chicago, IL, Second Wind offers The Certified Agency Operations Daily Workflow and Efficiency Seminar to help you become a workflow-managing, project-estimating, template-building, vendor-honchoing, client-billing super-agency! This two-day event includes a review of how agency production work fits into an agency’s overall financial picture. You look stronger already… Read More or Register Now. Learn more about Second Wind Certification.

Agency Traffic, Workflow and Operations

As the third quarter of 2010 winds down, many parents are trying to organize their kids for a new school year. In the agency business, organization is something that must be built into daily operations. If your firm has grown to 10+ people and 50 or more active projects, you cannot survive without strong workflow processes; the tide of chaos will drag you under. This month, we’ll featuring content on agency traffic, workflow, production and estimating. Watch for more content here on our home page, and check out our Certified Agency Operations School seminar for training that will help you get your workflow under control.

In our most recent Quick Poll, we asked site visitors about their creative philosophy. When asked, “How ‘silo-ed’ is your creative department?” 46 percent of respondents said, “all agency employees are creative.” Another 16 percent said their “creatives collaborate with anyone.” While the all-agency-people-are-creative approach seems to be the current trend, 19 percent of respondents also said, “only creatives do creative work”; and the remaining 19 percent said “creatives collaborate with strategists.” Among smaller agencies and design firms, hiring people with a creative mindset for all positions is a good strategy for building a creative powerhouse. Respond to our new Quick Poll at right.

Our annual report of advertising agency salaries is now available for purchase. Small Agency Salaries and Hourly Rates, June 2010 includes data from the Second Wind 2009 Annual Agency Survey specific to agency personnel issues and salaries. Because it focuses on smaller and mid-size advertising, graphic design, PR, marketing and interactive firms, this data is particularly valuable for assessing how your smaller agency compares to similar firms. Learn more or order now.