Agencies should leave open calendar slots instead of booking months ahead. When a client's biggest problem hits, they need you available now. Raise your rates to make the lost billable hours worth it.
Leave white space in your calendar for new clients and emergent questions from your existing ones. I talk to a lot of agencies who are quite proud of the fact that they are booked for 6 or 12 months in advance. They know what their income's going to be, assuming of course their clients come through with payment. But the— what I found, particularly in more boutique practices and especially for individual practices, when you are creating value, because it can be at the high end of what your customers need, And if you can be more responsive to them, you are going to be far more valuable, right? As a trusted advisor, because you're there when they have— when their biggest issue strikes. To do this and also be able to make the economics fit, I come back to something I often say, which is you should be raising your rates so you can be acting in that more senior capacity. Remember, it's not being about being full and being scheduled that make you wealthy. It's about being valued and trusted by the client.
