It’s no secret that new business for agencies was brutal in 2023. And for some in 2024, it’s been equally difficult. So, for 2025, we want to challenge you to get unstuck from those difficult sales cycles and lay the groundwork for some new energy as we come to the end of this year.

This week, Susan Baier joined me again to help us look at the agency sales cycle a little differently. Next year, it’s all going to be about using research studies to build your thought leadership portfolio, create cobblestone content, and attract right-fit clients with little to no prospecting on your end.

If you haven’t done research studies before, it’s time to start. Get some data, find your unique perspective, and share it openly and with authority. In 2025, it’s going to be all about teaching and educating your audience to build trust so that by the time they pick up the phone to call you, they’ve already bought into your expertise.

If you’re looking to get out of the funk of 2 slow sales years, you’ll want to stop what you’re doing right now so you can take some notes on this episode.

A big thank you to our podcast’s presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They’re an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev, or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here.

• How does doing research make agency employees and the agency better?
• Why agencies need to constantly be adapting and learning new things
• Using new knowledge and research to make your team smarter
• How agencies can use their research to innovate and be better
• The surprising effects of new research and thought leadership on client budgets
• Using research to shorten the sales cycle, build trust, and promote thought leadership
• 3 big things that happen when agencies conduct their own research
• Innovative and creative ways to present new research to clients and prospects
• It’s not just about data — it’s about your unique perspective on the data
• Building cobblestone content out of larger research studies

With more agency owners wanting to step out of the agency’s day-to-day operations to focus more on being the company’s visionary leader, there are many areas of the business that can sometimes go overlooked.

To remedy this, many agencies are embracing the COO role to help keep things running smoothly.

With the fast growth of this role comes many questions, which we will answer in today’s episode. Carolyn Lodge, a COO and agency owner herself, has a unique perspective that will help us see both sides of the coin in the CEO/COO relationship.

We discuss what skills and qualities we should look for in a COO, the dynamic a CEO and COO should have when working together, the top concerns of current COOs like cybersecurity issues, and the role COOs should play in agency AI development.

This episode is packed with insights and advice for agency owners looking for extra support with their day-to-day operations, so be ready to take some notes and, hopefully, think a little differently about how you can best utilize your team in the future.

A big thank you to our podcast’s presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They’re an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev, or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here.

• What scaling effectively means for agency owners
• How to identify which areas of the agency are ready for growth
• Finding ways to replicate and systemize work in a custom industry like marketing
• Marrying customization and systems and processes for agency growth
• Letting go of identity attachment as an agency owner to better utilize your team’s skills
• Building an effective training program that helps team members and new employees be more self-sufficient
• The more time off you take, the more money you can make
• The often overlooked downsides of growing and scaling the agency
• Digging deeper to discover why you really want agency growth
• Finding your Minimal Viable Operation for what you need to reach your growth goals

This is a topic we’ve covered many times before, but it’s an important one. When was the last time you checked in with yourself about what agency growth really means to you? It can be more than just adding more team members and physically growing and expanding the agency.

It can also mean growing your AGI, getting higher paying clients, more interesting projects, more name recognition, or more freedom and time off. No matter how you personally define agency growth, there’s a method to achieve it.

This week, Marquel Russell is sharing his expertise in agency growth and scaling so we can learn how to do it in a way that works for us. From niching down, getting out of the day-to-day operations of the agency, or actually taking time off (a foreign concept to most agency owners), there are ways to reach your agency growth goals.

Join us to learn how Marquel has helped countless agencies grow and scale with just a few tweaks to their business models. And if you’re still not sure what agency growth looks like for you, this episode is even more important for you to listen to.

A big thank you to our podcast’s presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They’re an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev, or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here.

• What scaling effectively means for agency owners
• How to identify which areas of the agency are ready for growth
• Finding ways to replicate and systemize work in a custom industry like marketing
• Marrying customization and systems and processes for agency growth
• Letting go of identity attachment as an agency owner to better utilize your team’s skills
• Building an effective training program that helps team members and new employees be more self-sufficient
• The more time off you take, the more money you can make
• The often overlooked downsides of growing and scaling the agency
• Digging deeper to discover why you really want agency growth
• Finding your Minimal Viable Operation for what you need to reach your growth goals

As agency owners, we’re perpetual change-makers, striving to affect real and sustained transformation not just in our clients’ lives, but also in our own. But as we all know, creating transformational, lasting change within the agency can be an uphill battle.

Humans are hardwired to resist change because it can feel unsafe. So when we want to change our day-to-day operations, revise a strategy with a client, or even get a prospective client to say yes to something unfamiliar to them, it can be tough to find a way to get that “yes” we so badly want to hear.

Our guest this week, Tamsen Webster, is an expert in change. She joined me to dive into how we can be more effective in creating transformational change by understanding the principles that guide human behavior. We explore how traditional advice often falls short, leading Tamsen to write her book, which shares effective change strategies into actionable insights for the agency world.

If you’re an agency owner looking for practical advice on how to communicate more effectively and make real, lasting changes — both for your clients and within your own team — you’re in the right place. So, grab a notebook, listen closely, and get ready to start making changes that actually stick.

A big thank you to our podcast’s presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They’re an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev, or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here.

• The missing link for agency owners in making transformational change
• Why behavioral economics and psychology are harder in business than in interpersonal relationships
• Creating long-term, lasting change over quick fixes
• The “why” behind how people approach change matters
• Why people have to agree with the “why” and the “how” when presenting a change
• We can’t want the change more than they do
• Why pain and stress isn’t a good change motivator for long-term, lasting change
• How to go after a committed yes over a quick yes

Your business should serve your lifestyle — not the other way around. Many agency owners got into the industry because it affords them a lifestyle and freedom most people dream of. But it’s easy to lose sight of that when the business gets overwhelming and we fall into agency owner fatigue.

For this week’s solocast, I want to do a deep dive into one of the ways we help agency owners sort out this fatigue and get back on the right track to achieving their goals and dreams — the agency owner life plan.

This plan is a free tool to help agency owners sit with their goals, dreams, aspirations, and legacies and write them down so they feel more tangible and achievable. These legacies don’t have to be lofty, lifelong goals but can be smaller goals that we can start working toward today.

Whether you have a charity you’d like to work with or just want to focus on spending more time with your family, you can use your agency (along with the agency owner life plan) to help you achieve these goals step by step. So if you’re feeling burnt out, fatigued, or discouraged, this episode will help you sort out your dreams and desires and help you get back to using the agency to fuel your legacies.

A big thank you to our podcast’s presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They’re an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev, or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here.

• 3 things that drive agency owner fatigue
• Our business should serve our life, not the other way around
• The agency owner life plan
• Finding 5 legacies you want to leave in your lifetime
• Uncovering 3 things you can do this year to start working toward your legacies
• Choosing 5 people you want to spend more time with to help you achieve your goals
• How to use the agency to support you in accomplishing your goals

Agency leaders have some of the most important roles in the agency. They’re key team members supporting the agency owner in the agency’s day-to-day operations and taking on roles that allow the agency owner to focus on business development and other key tasks.

The truth is, it can be a lonely position.

As agency owners, we need to consistently work on being more supportive to these key leaders — whether they’re our COO, creative directors, department heads, account leads, or even the company president.

These positions are mission-critical and will support the long-term growth and success of the agency all the way to its succession. So naturally, it’s our job to create opportunities for growth, career development, and constructive feedback that support our agency leaders to be better at their jobs.

This episode is a great one to sit down with your agency leaders and go through the different points we discuss so you can learn what opportunities you and your agency leaders can create together for their continued growth and development.

A big thank you to our podcast’s presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They’re an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev, or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here.

• Which agency leader positions typically qualify for leadership peer groups
• Why Del found value in sending his agency leaders to peer groups at least twice per year
• How agency peer groups help agency leaders feel less lonely in their positions
• Why money isn’t always the solution to keeping agency leaders happy
• The value of mentoring and coaching leaders, and how to structure time for it
• How to give your agency leaders more autonomy in their roles
• The importance of workshops, peer groups, and other leadership training opportunities
• Helping your agency leaders grow in their roles within the agency
• How agency leaders want feedback presented to them

Agency owners and leaders are no strangers to proposal writing. But despite our vast experience, there are things we still get wrong, and there is always something we can improve — especially as the industry shifts and changes so quickly.

I got to sit down with Robin Boehler and Emily Shapiro from Mercer Island Group to talk about the often-overlooked pitfalls in our agency proposals. This conversation is a game-changer for anyone looking to level up their agency’s pitch game.

You might even see yourself in some of the examples of what not to do in an agency proposal, cover letter, or bio, but don’t be too hard on yourself. This episode is all about unlearning the bad habits so we can replace them with ones that will get you to that next conversation with a prospect.

Quality over quantity is the name of the game when it comes to winning new business with agency proposals. So, if you’re ready to transform your proposal process and start landing those dream clients, this episode is a must-listen.

A big thank you to our podcast’s presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They’re an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev, or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here.

• Unintentional errors agencies make that cost them new business opportunities in their proposals
• Framing your proposal as client-centric instead of agency-centric
• Crafting a story with an agency proposal
• How to show a client you’re a good listener
• The most common reasons why clients move on to a new agency
• Using case studies to talk about other clients without going overboard
• Making sure it’s not too hard for prospects to work with you
• What we get wrong about our agency bios
• Misunderstood agency proposal best practices
• The most glaring mistakes we make with our case studies

When I was an agency employee, I admittedly hated being told what to do or how to do it. So naturally, systems and processes really rubbed me the wrong way.

Now, as an agency owner, I’ve learned to embrace the same systems and processes I used to rebel against because I know they help me run my agency better. Despite how constricting they can feel at first, they’re there to help you get a zoomed-out look at how your agency is running and collect data on how to make strategic improvements.

For Misty Larkins, systems and processes have really helped her grow and scale her agency from 4 employees, to just over 20. This week, she’s joining us to share how she and her team started documenting systems and processes from ground zero to get them the well-oiled machine they have today.

Even if you hate the idea of systems and processes, they can really be helpful in the case that you lose a top employee or have someone essential out sick for a month or two. So join us to discover what Misty learned about establishing systems and processes in her agency and how we can do it, too.

A big thank you to our podcast’s presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They’re an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev, or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here.

• What it looks like when you have no documentation of systems and processes
• Starting to define your processes from ground zero
• Implementing tools and project management software after establishing a baseline
• Having a person or team take ownership of documentation
• Making changes stick with your team
• Knowing when the established systems and processes are scalable
• Balancing the desire to be creative and innovative with following systems and processes
• Setting expectations about what success looks like in the agency
• Creating an environment for employees to learn and grow

Finding right-fit clients is one of the never-ending juggling acts of agency ownership. We need to keep the pipeline full, but we don’t want to rely only on referrals or say yes to clients who don’t fit our niche or values.

The solution lies in how you build and maintain relationships. Not just any type of relationship — relationships that are aligned with the mission, vision, and values of the agency.

On this week’s episode, Matthew Kimberley shares his expertise in finding right-fit clients through tactics like the Red Velvet Rope Policy, which makes it clear who you are (and aren’t) for. His strategies make it simple to get clear on your right-fit client criteria so you can focus on working only with those who excite you.

As any good agency owner knows, we’re in the relationship business. So Matthew also shares how to nurture relationships with clients and prospects once you dial in on who you want to serve.

This episode serves as a good reminder that even though building and nurturing relationships with right-fit clients might seem like a simple concept, we can always take the opportunity to reevaluate who we want to work with and how to go after them.

A big thank you to our podcast’s presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They’re an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev, or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here.

• The core tenets of attracting right-fit clients
• Determining who your ideal right-fit client is
• The Red Velvet Rope criteria
• Setting boundaries that make it clear who you are and who you want to work with
• Diversifying your offers to different tiers of clients
• Maintaining and nurturing client and prospect relationships
• Prioritizing who to keep in touch with
• Identifying your outreach network of 90

Every agency should be able to run at 20% profitability on a consistent basis. But as agency owners, sometimes we get in our own way and become the bottleneck to our agency growth.

For this week’s solocast, I’m breaking down the five biggest things agency owners do to stifle their agency’s growth. Whether it’s not being able to get out of the day-to-day operations, or not trusting what your numbers are telling you, these are all things most agency owners encounter at least once while growing and scaling the business.

The good news — you’re not alone. These five issues are very common. The bad news — they can be a tough pill to swallow and difficult to course correct once you realize what’s happening.

This episode will give you a detailed guide to recognizing these common patterns and behaviors for agency owners and what to do to get your agency back on the path to growth and profitability.

A big thank you to our podcast’s presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They’re an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev, or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here.

• Why doing everything your way won’t work forever
• The impact of this on agency growth and profitability
• The importance of documenting SOPs and systems and processes and updating them regularly
• How to start documenting SOPs if you don’t do this already
• Why serving clients instead of the agency will leave you stuck
• The 3 S’s of growing an agency
• Why you need to listen to what your numbers (AGI) are telling you
• Prioritizing performance-based growth over selling on personality or individual reputation

For many agency owners, sales is a necessary evil. For others, it’s your natural gift, and you look forward to doing it. Either way, you can always benefit from making it easier and better for you.

One of the biggest benefits we cover in today’s episode is shortening the sales cycle. Many agencies struggled with elongated sales cycles last year, but that doesn’t need to become par for the course. Stephen Steers joined me on the podcast to teach us how storytelling in sales is one of the most effective ways to make sales faster and easier.

He shares a ton of nuggets of info from understanding why people buy, why agency owners need to stay in contact with prospects (and how), and how to use storytelling to catch the attention of prospects and keep them interested.

The bottom line is sales doesn’t have to feel icky. By embracing storytelling, you can build trust, forge deeper connections, and get prospects excited to work with you.

A big thank you to our podcast’s presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They’re an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev, or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here.

• Why founders and agency owners should aim to fire themselves from sales
• The Magnificent 7 reasons why people buy
• Maintaining relationships with prospects throughout the sales cycle
• What is storytelling in sales?
• Unlocking urgency for prospects
• 4 questions to ask yourself before telling a story to a prospect
• Why storytelling is so effective and what we get wrong about it
• Preparing for 3 types of objections from prospects
• The AREA Framework