Small agencies often set goals around new revenue and forget the two things that decide whether that revenue is worth having: margin and client retention. These three examples cover both, with the work behind each.
How to read these examples
Each OKR has an objective in plain words, key results with a start and a target, and the first tasks. The numbers are examples. Measure your own starting point before you set a target.
Example 1: Every client account makes money
Objective: Every client account makes money.
Key results by the end of the quarter:
- Average margin on retainers, from 28% to 40%
- Retainers over budget on hours, from 5 of 12 to 2
First tasks:
- Track time by client for every person, including calls
- Review the three least profitable retainers and reprice or rescope
- Add a change request step for any work outside scope
Example 2: Work is approved in fewer rounds
Objective: Work is approved in fewer rounds.
Key results by the end of the quarter:
- Average revision rounds per deliverable, from 3.1 to 1.8
- Deliverables approved first time, from 30% to 55%
First tasks:
- Use one creative brief template for every job
- Add an internal check against the brief before work goes to the client
- Agree two included rounds in every new contract
Example 3: Clients stay and grow
Objective: Clients stay and grow.
Key results by the end of the quarter:
- Client retention over 12 months, from 70% to 85%
- Clients who buy a second service, from 2 to 5
First tasks:
- Send a one-page monthly report to every retainer client
- Hold a 30-minute review with each client every quarter
- Write a short case study for the three happiest clients
Mistakes to avoid
- Revenue without margin. Winning more clients at a loss makes the problem bigger. Put a margin KR next to any revenue KR.
- Blaming clients for revisions. Most extra rounds start with an unclear brief. Measure revisions, then fix the brief.
- Setting and forgetting. Check each key result every week, in five minutes, with a goal check-in.
Write your own
Describe what your agency team wants to change and any numbers you know. The OKR generator drafts an objective and key results you can edit.
Connect the goal to the work
In agencies, margin leaks through revisions and unscoped extras. When tasks link to the margin and revision KRs, it becomes obvious which clients and which kinds of work are eating the hours. M-Tracker links tasks and projects to objectives and key results, so you can see each week how much of the team's time goes to the goal. No screenshots and no activity tracking.
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Questions people ask
How many OKRs should one team have?
One to three objectives, each with two to four key results.
Should OKRs be tied to bonuses?
Most teams keep them separate. Tying them to pay makes people set safe goals.
What if we miss?
Scoring 0.7 on a stretch goal is a good quarter. Look at what you learned, and set the next one.
Work you can trust, without redoing it.
Your team gets feedback before work reaches you, or your client.
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