Hey Reader—this one's for service providers, businesses who hire them, or business owners with questions on how not to regret hiring someone in the future.
Something interesting is happening in the online business/contractor/freelance space and I don't think anyone's clocked it yet.
For biz dev purposes (that's "business development" to you), I low-key stalk decision-makers on LinkedIn and look at their job postings on the regular.
I've started to notice a curious phrase pop up.
At first, I thought it was a fluke.
But then I started seeing it everywhere.
The same line.
We're looking for candidates with…
…"agency experience."
This is a pretty big signal.
And I think it has major cultural/generational relevance.
Because I have "agency experience," and I don't think "agency experience" is what these decision-makers really mean.
Let me explain…
Every year I hire a handful of contractors to help with projects in my business—brand design, web design, Pinterest management, SEO, Dubsado help, you name it. As a service provider myself, I've experienced what it's like to be in the client position for everything from $ to $$$$ services.
Reader, I have had some interesting experiences as the client of other service-based businesses.
And it has changed who I'm willing to take a chance on, what questions I ask on a discovery call, and whose website I immediately X out of once I've reviewed their About page.
After one discovery call, I can tell who has worked for another organization in a professional capacity for at least 5 years and who hasn't.
I'm not knocking anyone who has stepped away from the "traditional" workplace, because, hello 🙋♀️it's a GREAT path for many.
Since starting my business over 6 years ago, however, I've seen more and more service providers who don't know how to deliver a professional client experience. 😬
Their work? Stunning!
But the delivery?
Left me hesitant to recommend them to anyone else.
As more and more people step out of or forgo the traditional workforce, traditional workplace skills are going out the window.
Don’t okay, Boomer, me. The skills I’m talking about are the kind that get you hired again!
BACK TO MY STALKING HABIT…
Current businesses hiring outside freelance help with “agency experience” want pros with traceable experience because contractors who have previous experience in the "real world" are more likely to get the job done in a way that matches their expectations.
There's less risk.
Or, at least, this is what these decision-makers are thinking. (So, don’t shoot the messenger!)
Here's what these companies really mean when they say they want "agency experience"—and how YOU can deliver it even if you've never stepped foot in an agency:
#1. What they say: "We want someone who can collaborate cross-functionally"
What they mean: "We want someone who knows how to work with other team members & contractors without making our lives harder"
How to deliver this: Get dang good at working with other service providers.
Know your role in the bigger project ecosystem. Most clients have multiple contractors working simultaneously. Your job is to sense other people's strengths and motivations and do whatever you can to help move the project forward.
If you're a copywriter, and you know your client has hired a brand designer and a photographer, your timelines and when you need materials will overlap. Find a way to coordinate so everyone stays aligned—otherwise, your client might end up with images that clash with the brand palette or messaging that fights with the visual direction.
Arrange a meeting with others on the team, or at the very least, send them an email introducing yourself and let them know you're down to chat if they have any Qs.
💫(BP copy clients can attest, I have a whole freaking handoff doc and "Designer Notes" section so there's never any guessing when it comes to implementing the copy I've written.)
#2. What they say: "We need someone with reliable communication skills"
What they mean: "We're tired of contractors who go MIA for weeks"
How to deliver this: For the love of Chappell Roan, communicate more.
I use Dubsado workflows for client communications and have built automated workflows for all my signature services so my clients never go more than a couple of days without hearing from me—even if that message is "I'm hard at work and you'll hear from me by the end of the week."
Your clients should always know what you're working on, when you plan to have it completed, when your next meeting is, and what the next steps will be (even if you've outlined the timeline in your proposal!) Become communications obsessed.
#3. What they say: "We want someone who understands client relationships"
What they mean: "We need someone who makes clients feel valued & prioritized"
How to deliver this: Prepare for your meetings. Seriously.
I, too, have sprinted up to my attic office in my workout kit 20 seconds before a meeting is set to begin. But you know what I did before logging off the day before? I prepped for this meeting.
Different clients need different versions of you—some need hand-holding, others need confidence, others need expertise, and some just need an update. Nothing erodes trust like feeling like the person you hired hasn't even thought about you since you handed over the deposit check. Take 5 minutes to think about what this client specifically needs from this interaction.
#4. What they say: "Looking for someone with project management experience"
What they mean: "We need someone who actually delivers when they say they will"
How to deliver this: Stick to the flipping timeline.
Especially when other projects depend on your completion or milestone dates. This doesn't mean you can't let life happen. I have two kids. Someone is always puking. Happy clients who trust you will understand when sick days and emergencies cause a minor delay. But when your email pops into their inbox and their first thought isn't "I'm so excited!" and is instead "Oh, god, I wonder what the issue is this time", you've got a real problem.
→ Know thyself. If you think something will take you 3 days, tell the client it will take 5. Then deliver on day 4 and take a "rot day", or work on other parts of your business stress-free. It's like buying time!
#5. What they say: "Must be detail-oriented and follow through on commitments"
What they mean: "We're sick of people who say they'll do something and then don't + deliver sloppy work."
How to deliver this: Be meticulous about tracking action items and deliverables & triple-check everything before it goes out the door.
In an agency, someone else always reviews your work before it reaches the client. When you're solo, that quality control falls entirely on you. I've worked with several web designers who have a pre-delivery checklist to catch things when our tired brains are tapped out. I perform "Copy Sweeps" to review everything from clarity to specificity to SEO to grammar.
After every client conversation, immediately document what you promised to deliver or look into. Did you say you'd research a competitor? Send over examples? Fix that one tiny thing on page 4? Track it, schedule it, and then—this is the important part—actually DO IT. Nothing builds trust faster than consistently delivering on every promise you make, no matter how small.
#6. What they say: "Must be open to feedback and revisions"
What they mean: "We need someone who is open to making changes to the project."
How to deliver this: Learn how to interpret feedback and apply it.
This one isn't about staying emotionally regulated when a client says they want something to "pop" or doing something you think is ill-advised. It's about reading what's underneath that feedback and intelligently adjusting the deliverables going forward.
Is their feedback actually about not feeling heard? Is it about feeling overwhelmed or not knowing enough to give a confident approval? (Remember that your clients are often hiring you because they don't know how to do your job, which means they also don't know how to evaluate it.)
Maybe you're giving them too many options and they really need you to say, "Based on these options, I recommend taking this path because of X reasons related to your goals." Maybe you need to take a step back and realize that you misinterpreted parts of their questionnaire and went in a not-wrong-but-not-quite-right direction. (This happened to me, recently!)
#7. What they say: "Looking for someone with industry expertise"
What they mean: "We have audience-specific needs and generic advice from an Instagram marketing guru isn't going to cut it."
How to deliver this: Develop expertise beyond the usual suspects.
I see way too many service providers parroting the same advice they heard from some course or guru. Instead, pull from diverse sources—traditional marketing textbooks, psychology research, competitor analysis, adjacent industries, or even completely unrelated fields. The best insights often come from unexpected places.
Create a personal "swipe file" of interesting approaches, campaigns, ideas, and strategies from outside your industry. I get my best marketing insights from bus stop ads and non-business podcasts that interview a wide range of experts. This gives my recommendations relevancy and a perspective clients can't find elsewhere.
#8. What they say: "Seeking a strategic thinker who can add value"
What they mean: "We want someone who's a partner, not just a task-completer"
How to deliver this: Show your strategic thinking at every touchpoint.
During each milestone or delivery, walk your clients through your deliverables and explain why you made certain decisions that align with their immediate and long-term goals.
You want people to hire you for your brain. Not for your ability to turn on a couple of Zapier integrations. Once those Zaps are done, there's no more work for you to do! At the end of each project, send a "Next Steps" document with 2-3 ideas for improvements or extensions to the current project. These should be things the client could hire you for next, but frame it as "strategic guidance" rather than a sales pitch. I've been testing this approach, and it's already led to two follow-up projects.
We're seeing this "agency experience" requirement pop up everywhere, and I think it's totally unfair to the MAJORITY of service providers who not only deliver excellent service but have probably honed their skills more in one year of being a business owner than anyone sitting at a desk, repeating the same mind-numbing work five years in a row.
Instead of fighting the trend, let's lean into delivering a polished, professional experience our clients deserve—while maintaining all the flexibility and innovation that makes us freelancers and small business owners worth the hire in the first place.
I'm curious if these observations resonate with you or if you've noticed something completely different in your corner of the business world.
Hit reply and tell me your thoughts—especially if you disagree! And yes, I actually read and respond to every email.