Inversion For Technology Leaders from Digital Agencies
Digital Agency
Revenue Leadership
Leaders from digital agencies - R/GA, Razorfish, AKQA, Huge, Critical Mass, Possible, Droga5, Digitas, VML - bring specific strengths when they move into revenue leadership roles at mid-market technology services companies. They also bring specific blind spots.
The Context
When the Old Playbook
Stops Working.
The creative and strategic thinking that defines great digital agency leaders is genuinely valuable in technology services revenue leadership. The problem is the revenue model. Digital agencies monetize ideas and execution. Technology services companies need to monetize outcomes. That's a different go-to-market.
Kevin French works with technology services companies whose revenue leaders came up through digital agencies. The transition from agency thinking to outcome-accountable technology services is a specific problem that requires a specific solution.
01
The Pitch Culture Doesn't Scale
Digital agencies win business through pitches - speculative creative work designed to demonstrate capability. That model doesn't translate to technology services, where the procurement process requires reference checks, case studies, and outcome evidence.
02
The Retainer Assumption
Agency leaders often assume that long-term retainers are the right revenue model for technology services. They can be. But the retainer needs to be structured around outcomes, not hours. That's a different conversation with a different buyer.
03
The Relationship Model
Digital agencies sustain revenue through account relationships managed by senior creative and strategy leaders. Technology services companies need a system - a pipeline, a qualification process, a forecast model - that doesn't depend on any single relationship.
04
The Pricing Transition
Moving from hourly or project billing to outcome-based pricing is the most important go-to-market transition a technology services leader from an agency background needs to make. A CGO architects it. A CRO executes it.
"Most companies hire a CRO when they actually need a CGO. I know the difference - and I play both roles."
If Any of This
Landed, Let's Talk.
If I'm wrong about your situation - if this is a product problem or a market problem instead of a revenue leadership problem - I'll tell you in the first 15 minutes. No deck. No demo.