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1
Overhead and the Truth
about Efficiency
Metrics
2
Why This Topic Matters
• Cost based compensation agreements are still the norm with clients and agencies.
• Confusion exists about what can be determined from an agency’s overhead rate.
• Many people incorrectly believe overhead rates are indicators of efficiency.
• We have to provide simple and effective ways of correcting the misperceptions if we are to have production negotiations.
3
The Fundamental Myth
Efficiency can not be determined from Overhead RatesHigh overhead ≠ inefficient
Low overhead ≠ efficient
There are no benchmarks of standard overhead rates
4
Where Did Overhead Rates Come From?
Circa 1990,when moving from media commissions….
Clients wanted to pay the agency so it could earn a reasonable profit without any windfalls - or losses. The agency’s internal cost accounting reports were the source of the agency’s overhead rate.
5
An understanding of overhead rates is essential to correcting the misperceptions that surround the marketing industry.
Where to Start
6
Cost Total (000)
Client Time(“Direct’)
Overhead (“Indirect”)
TOTAL
Cost Total (000)
Client Time(“Direct’)
Overhead (“Indirect”)
1. Senior Person
2. Junior Person
3. Support
Sub Total
Rent, Utilities
IT, Office Supplies
Travel, New Biz, Other
Sub Total
TOTAL
Cost Total (000)
Client Time(“Direct’)
Overhead (“Indirect”)
1. Senior Person 100
2. Junior Person 75
3. Support 25
Sub Total
Rent, Utilities
IT, Office Supplies
Travel, New Biz, Other
Sub Total
TOTAL
Cost Total (000)
Client Time(“Direct’)
Overhead (“Indirect”)
1. Senior Person 100
2. Junior Person 75
3. Support 25
Sub Total 200
Rent, Utilities 50
IT, Office Supplies 50
Travel, New Biz, Other 50
Sub Total 150
TOTAL 350
Cost Total (000)
Client Time(“Direct’)
Overhead (“Indirect”)
1. Senior Person 100 100
2. Junior Person 75 75
3. Support 25
Sub Total 200 175
Rent, Utilities 50
IT, Office Supplies 50
Travel, New Biz, Other 50
Sub Total 150
TOTAL 350 175
Cost Total (000)
Client Time(“Direct’)
Overhead (“Indirect”)
1. Senior Person 100 100
2. Junior Person 75 75
3. Support 25 25
Sub Total 200 175 25
Rent, Utilities 50
IT, Office Supplies 50
Travel, New Biz, Other 50
Sub Total 150
TOTAL 350 175
Direct staff costs are “marked up” to adequately recover all the
other agency expenses
Cost Total (000)
Client Time(“Direct’)
Overhead (“Indirect”)
1. Senior Person 100 100
2. Junior Person 75 75
3. Support 25 25
Sub Total 200 175 25
Rent, Utilities 50 50
IT, Office Supplies 50 50
Travel, New Biz, Other 50 50
Sub Total 150 150
TOTAL 350 175 175
Overhead = indirectdirect
× 100
Overhead = 175175
× 100
Overhead = 100%
Simplified Overhead Calculation: 3-person Agency
7
How Real Life Overhead Calculations Differ
Calculating the overhead rate for a 3 person, 30 person or a 300 person office follows the same process as this example.
The only difference between these examples and real life is this:
For each client facing employee, the time spent on non-client time is treated as overhead (Indirect) and not as a Direct cost.
8
Four examples of how high (and low) overhead rates are misinterpreted
9
We’ll explore four different agencies, each of them a simple 3-person shop,
with similar services, space and infrastructure.
Our starting point: this 3-person agency, with a 100% overhead rate, is
the baseline for comparison to the next four agency examples.
10
Agency 1: 3-Person Agency (baseline)Cost Total
(000)Client Time
(“Direct’)Overhead
(“Indirect”)
1. Senior Person 100 100
2. Junior Person 75 75
3. Support 25 25
Sub Total 200 175 25
Rent, Utilities 50 50
IT, Office Supplies 50 50
Travel, New Biz, Other 50 50
Sub Total 150 150
TOTAL 350 175 175
Overhead = indirectdirect
× 100
Overhead = 175175
× 100
Overhead = 100%
11
This is what this exercise will show2. An agency with a lower overhead rate than our
baseline is more expensive.
3. An agency with a higher overhead rate than our baseline is less expensive.
4. A decision to be more efficient, by reducing staff costs creates a higher overhead rate.
5. Faster growing markets – like India - with lower staff costs, have extremely high overhead rates - but still have lower fees.
12
Agency #2:
Pays its employees 10% more, on average, than our baseline agency, and the overhead rate goes down.
13
Cost Total (000)
Client Time(“Direct’)
Overhead (“Indirect”)
1. Senior Person 110 110
2. Junior Person 83 83
3. Support 28 28
Sub Total 221 193 28
Rent, Utilities 50 50
IT, Office Supplies 50 50
Travel, New Biz, Other 50 50
Sub Total 150 150
TOTAL 371 193 178
Overhead = indirectdirect
× 100
Overhead = 178193
× 100
Overhead = 92%
Agency 2: 10% Higher Staff Costs
Overhead is reduced to 92% - but there is no implicit
improvement in efficiency
14
Agency #3:
Pays it’s employees 10% less, on average, than our baseline agency, and the overhead rate goes up
15
Cost Total (000)
Client Time(“Direct’)
Overhead (“Indirect”)
1. Senior Person 90 90
2. Junior Person 68 68
3. Support 22 22
Sub Total 180 158 22
Rent, Utilities 50 50
IT, Office Supplies 50 50
Travel, New Biz, Other 50 50
Sub Total 150 150
TOTAL 330 158 172
Overhead = indirectdirect
× 100
Overhead = 172158
× 100
Overhead = 109%
Agency 3: 10% Lower Staff Costs
Overhead is increased to 109% - but there is no implicit
decline in efficiency
16
Agency #4:
Invests in productivity tools and replaces the junior person with someone less expensive, the overhead rate goes up.
16
17
Cost Total (000)
Client Time(“Direct’)
Overhead (“Indirect”)
1. Senior Person 100 100
2. Junior Person 50 50
3. Support 25 25
Sub Total 175 150 25
Rent, Utilities 50 50
IT, Office Supplies 60 60
Travel, New Biz, Other 50 50
Sub Total 150 160
TOTAL 335 150 185
Overhead = indirectdirect
× 100
Overhead = 185150
× 100
Overhead = 123%
Agency 4: Invest in Productivity Tools
Productivity tools to reduce staff costs with a minimal increase in IT costs cause an increase in the
Overhead rate
18
In Mumbai, rent is more expensive than New York. Expenses such as phones, computers, office equipment and IT are no less expensive.
Salaries paid to employees are dramatically lower leading to a significantly higher overhead rate.
18
19
Agency 5: Developing Market - MumbaiCost Total
(000)Client Time
(“Direct’)Overhead
(“Indirect”)
1. Senior Person 40 40
2. Junior Person 20 20
3. Support 10 10
Sub Total 70 60 10
Rent, Utilities 50 50
IT, Office Supplies 50 50
Travel, New Biz, Other 50 50
Sub Total 150 150
TOTAL 220 60 160
Developing markets have extremely high Overhead
rates, but are not considered inefficient
Overhead = indirectdirect
× 100
Overhead = 16060
× 100
Overhead = 267%
20
Overhead, Fee and Hourly Rate Summary
20
AgencyOverhead
RateAgency Cost
(000)Fee (000) 20%
ProfitHourly Rate
(1,800 year)
Agency 1(Baseline) 100% 350 438 $122
Agency 2(10% increase) 92% 371 464 $129
Agency 3(10% decrease) 109% 330 413 $115
Agency 4(Productivity) 123% 335 419 $116
Agency 5(Mumbai) 267% 220 275 $76
2121
22
Sample Overhead Rates for US Agencies
Office Size - Headcount
Overhead %
Sample Creative / PR / Media Agencies 2012 data- % based on salary and all related staff costs - Assumes 75% direct / total staff cost ratio
Many data points, no benchmarks
23
If overhead recovery rates can’t be benchmarked, what can?
1. Total fee relative to service provided
2. Total fee per person
3. Blended hourly billing rate across a team
4. Hourly billing rate by function
24
In Conclusion
• Overhead rates are not efficiency metrics and do not imply high or low cost of agency services.
• Assorted data points should not be confused as benchmarks. Benchmarks of actual overhead can not be calculated.
25
Overhead and the Truth
about Efficiency
Metrics
Thank you
26
1. Benefits as Employment Cost: Common Method
Cost Total (000)
Client Time(“Direct’)
Overhead (“Indirect”)
1. Senior Person 100 100
2. Junior Person 75 75
3. Support 25 25
Sub Total 200 175 25
Rent, Utilities 50 50
IT, Office Supplies 50 50
Travel, New Biz, Other 50 50
Sub Total 150 150
TOTAL 350 175 175
Overhead = indirectdirect
× 100
Overhead = 175175
× 100
Overhead = 100%
Social taxes and benefits are costs of employment and are included in
the ‘Direct Costs’ allocation
27
Cost Total (000)
Client Time(“Direct’)
Overhead (“Indirect”)
1. Senior Person 85 85
2. Junior Person 65 65
3. Support 20 20
Sub Total 170 150 20
Social taxes, benefits 30 30
Rent, Utilities 50 50
IT, Office Supplies 50 50
Travel, New Biz, Other 50 50
Sub Total 180 200
TOTAL 350 150 200
Overhead = indirectdirect
× 100
Overhead = 200150
× 100
Overhead = 133%
2. Benefits in Overhead: The less common calculation
When social taxes and benefits are moved into the Indirect column, the calculated overhead rate is higher