Today I want to share a few simple but surprisingly effective habits that helped our agency run smoother and deliver better quality. We trained our people in these habits, built them into our workflows, and stayed sharp on execution. I believe they might be helpful for you too. Let’s dive in.
1. Calendar clarity
At our agency, we had two simple rules for scheduling in our calendars. All calendars were open and visible to the team, whether it was a solo task or a shared meeting. These rules helped us stay organized and respectful of each other's time:
- Always block travel time separately. Add travel as a separate event before and after your meeting. That way, it's clear when you're actually available, and it prevents accidental double bookings. It’s also helpful for colleagues when they want to plan something with you.
- Use question marks for tentative meetings. When scheduling a meeting with a client, you’ll often propose two or three time slots. To avoid overbooking while you wait for confirmation, block all options in your calendar and add a “?” in front of them. It keeps your schedule realistic and flexible.
2. Define the meeting lead
If you’re going to a client meeting with a colleague, agree in advance who’s taking the lead. Who does the intro? Who keeps the agenda on track? Who wraps things up? This removes guesswork and makes the meeting more professional and efficient.
3. Ask for feedback after every meeting
After every client meeting (and most internal ones too), we asked our co-workers: “What could I have done better?”
It’s a small habit with big impact. Over time, it sharpens your communication, presence, and effectiveness. And it creates a culture of continuous learning.
4. Log your follow-ups
It might sound basic, but I’ve seen this go wrong too often: someone promises a follow-up… and doesn’t log it anywhere. Use your project management tool to note down every follow-up, even the small ones, like sending more info in a month or checking in after someone’s holiday. These little things build trust.
5. Capture meeting notes
After every meeting, we wrote a short summary: what was discussed, what stood out, what potential opportunities came up. We even built this into our workflow as a recurring task. It’s especially useful when someone else takes over an account later on.
6. Use standard workflows
We created workflows for almost everything, from technical SEO work to client meetings. It wasn’t about control, but about consistency. The goal? Never miss the small but important details. Like remembering to log your meeting notes.
7. Do what you say
This one’s deceptively simple: if you say you’ll deliver something today, do it today. Not tomorrow. Even if the client won’t notice right away, your reliability is being observed over time. And consistency builds trust.
These tips aren’t revolutionary. But together, they shape a more focused, trustworthy, and resilient agency. They’ve definitely helped us, and maybe there’s one or two in here that can help you too.
Let me know which ones you’re already doing, or where you see room to grow.
Have a great day,
Ralph Wolbrink
Founder @ Guram
P.S. Know someone who might find this helpful? Feel free to forward it. 💡
