Agency Journey

Slowing Down to Speed Up: 3 Strategies to Unblock Your Sales with Jen Allen-Knuth

"Don't lead with the solution. This is my number one tip for agency operators. And it's my number one tip for traditional sellers, SaaS sellers—anybody who is trying to get someone to work with them." Are your sales suffering? Are you finding it harder to get calls and close deals? Are you looking for ways to run cold outreach or follow-up after an event that actually gets responses? If so, this episode of Agency Journey is for you. Jen Allen-Knuth is the founder of DemandJen, where she helps B2B sales and marketing teams build more pipeline when it might seem harder than ever before. With over 18 years of experience in sales, Jen now works with mid-market and enterprise organizations to help train their sales teams. In this episode of Agency Journey, Jen shares her insights on effective sales strategies, particularly in challenging economic times. She emphasizes the importance of focusing on the problem rather than the solution, slowing down the sales process to build trust, and using data-driven analysis to improve your approach. Whether you're looking to refine your agency's sales process, improve your cold outreach, or build stronger relationships with prospects, this episode is packed with actionable advice and real-world examples. Episode Insights: 💡 Focus on the problem your solution solves, not just the features of your offering. Help prospects understand why they need to change before pitching your solution. 💡 Use signal-based prospecting to identify potential clients who might have the problem you solve. Look for cues like new leadership, product launches, or industry shifts. 💡 Slow down your sales process when things get tough. Analyze your wins and losses to identify patterns and areas for improvement. 💡 Use "unsure tonality" in your outreach to demonstrate thoughtfulness and respect for the prospect's expertise. 💡 When following up after events or webinars, provide additional value rather than immediately pushing for a sales call. 💡 Consider reaching out to lower-level employees to test your problem hypothesis before approaching top decision-makers. 💡 Use the "five whys" technique in discovery calls to uncover deeper motivations and needs of clients. Resources Mentioned: 🌐 Jen's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/demandjen1/ 🏢 DemandGen website: https://www.demandjen.com?utm_campaign=agency-journey-ep-312-jen-allen-knuth 🛠️ Lavender (email writing tool) 📚 The Challenger Sale (sales methodology) ---------------------------------- Brought to you by ZenPilot, ClickUp’s #1 Solutions Partner with 3,000+ agency ops makeovers under our belt. 📕 Read our in-depth, 8000-word How to Use ClickUp Guide: https://www.zenpilot.com/blog/how-to-use-clickup/?utm_campaign=agency-journey-ep-312-jen-allen-knuth 👉 Don’t forget to follow and rate us on your preferred podcast platforms. We’re also on YouTube: @ZenPilot

How to Win and Manage Enterprise Clients with Alex Birkett

Are you struggling to differentiate yourself in a saturated market? Are you finding it hard to win enterprise clients and manage complex relationships with them? On the other hand, perhaps you’re looking for ways to create high-quality content at scale, or demonstrate the long-term value of SEO to your stakeholders and clients? If any of those resonate, the latest episode of Agency Journey will be useful for you. Alex Birkett is the co-founder of Omniscient Digital, an organic growth agency that partners with B2B brands to build SEO programs. With a background in scaling agencies and working with enterprise clients like SAP, Adobe, and Loom, Alex shares his expertise on agency differentiation, content operations, and winning big clients. In this episode of Agency Journey, Alex dives into the strategies behind building a successful SEO agency, from differentiating your services to managing enterprise client relationships. He emphasizes the importance of developing a clear point of view and consistently delivering value to your target audience. Whether you're looking to scale your agency, improve your content operations, or land more enterprise clients, this episode is packed with actionable advice and insights from Alex's experience. Episode Insights: 💡 Differentiate your agency by understanding how decision-making processes work in purchasing your services, and compete on edges beyond just price. 💡 Use podcasts and newsletters to showcase your agency's personality and give potential clients a sense of what it's like to work with you. 💡 When working with enterprise clients, focus on managing multiple stakeholders and understanding the complex approval processes. 💡 Build a strong freelance writer network with subject matter experts who can contribute unique insights to your content. 💡 Leverage original research and data to create thought leadership content that's difficult for competitors to replicate. 💡 Focus on being the best version of yourself rather than obsessing over competition in the saturated agency space. Resources Mentioned: 🌐 Alex's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamalexbirkett/ 🌐 Omniscient Digital website: https://beomniscient.com/?utm_campaign=agency-journey-ep-311-alex-birkett 📰 Alex's newsletter, Field Notes: https://beomniscient.com/newsletter/?utm_campaign=agency-journey-ep-311-alex-birkett 🎙️ The Long Game podcast: https://beomniscient.com/podcast/?utm_campaign=agency-journey-ep-311-alex-birkett ---------------------------------- Brought to you by ZenPilot, ClickUp’s #1 Solutions Partner with 3,000+ agency ops makeovers under our belt. 📕 Read our in-depth, 8000-word How to Use ClickUp Guide: https://www.zenpilot.com/blog/how-to-use-clickup/?utm_campaign=agency-journey-ep-311-alex-birkett 👉 Don’t forget to follow and rate us on your preferred podcast platforms. We’re also on YouTube: @ZenPilot

How to Get More Money Per Client Without Doing More Work with Raul Hernandez Ochoa

Tired of working harder for the same (or less) money? Frustrated by clients who don't value your expertise?  Or perhaps you’re dealing with: – Razor-thin profit margins; – Clients who nickel and dime you; – Difficulty scaling without burning out; – Sales processes that feel like pulling teeth? If so, this episode of Agency Journey is for you. Raul Hernandez Ochoa is the founder of Do Good Work, a growth consultancy helping agencies scale and increase profitability. With experience building multiple agencies and leading teams to significant revenue growth, Raul brings a wealth of knowledge on pricing strategies, sales processes, and delivering high-value outcomes to clients. In this episode of Agency Journey, Raul shares his framework for increasing revenue per client without increasing workload.  He tackles the mindset shifts you need to make, shows you how to ditch "selling services" for good, and reveals his value-based pricing approach that'll have clients eager to pay premium rates. Whether you're looking to boost your agency's profitability, improve your sales process, or deliver more impactful results for clients, this episode will be well worth your listen. Episode Insights: 💡 Focus on selling outcomes and transformations rather than specific services or deliverables. 💡 Develop a deep understanding of your ideal client's pain points and desired outcomes. 💡 Use discovery calls to mirror the client's language and demonstrate a true understanding of their challenges. 💡 Create a "methodology" or unique mechanism that delivers your outcomes, rather than selling individual tasks. 💡 Offer different tiers of service, but ensure all options are profitable based on your ideal profit numbers. 💡 Productize your services on the backend for efficient delivery, while presenting custom solutions to clients. 💡 Continuously reinvest in yourself and bet on your own capabilities to drive agency growth. 💡 Build patience with yourself, the process, and others as you implement new strategies. Resources Mentioned: 🌐 Do Good Work website: https://dogoodwork.io/?utm_campaign=agency-journey-ep-310-raul-hernandez-ochoa 🌐 Raul's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dogoodwork/ 📚 "The Magic of Thinking Big" by David J. Schwartz ---------------------------------- Brought to you by ZenPilot, ClickUp’s #1 Solutions Partner with 3,000+ agency ops makeovers under our belt. 📕 Read our in-depth, 8000-word How to Use ClickUp Guide: https://www.zenpilot.com/blog/how-to-use-clickup/?utm_campaign=agency-journey-ep-310-raul-hernandez-ochoa 👉 Don’t forget to follow and rate us on your preferred podcast platforms. We’re also on YouTube: @ZenPilot

The 10 FTE Wall: How to Scale Your Agency Past 10 Team Members

"The value of an hour of your time as an agency owner, if you're growing, is never going backwards." In this episode of Agency Journey, Gray “The Martian” MacKenzie joins Kuba to discuss the challenges and strategies for agency owners scaling their businesses beyond 10 full-time employees (FTEs).  Gray shares valuable insights on both the psychological and operational aspects of this critical growth phase. If your agency is past the 10 FTE threshold—or close to it—this is a must-listen to prepare you for the obstacles that you’re about to navigate. Episode Insights: 💡 The "messy middle" for agencies is typically between 10-30 employees 💡 There are specific skills owners need to develop at this stage: prioritization, forecasting, decision-making, and clear communication 💡 Creating the next layer of leadership is crucial to reduce direct reports and manage growth 💡 Move out of delivery roles first, and focus on the growth side of the business 💡 Building robust systems and processes is key to supporting consistent delivery and hiring 💡 Implementing capacity and workload tracking becomes critical at this stage 💡 Leaning into your agency's unfair advantage is crucial for sustainable growth Resources Mentioned: 🌐 Gray’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/graymackenzie/ 🛠️ ClickUp: https://www.clickup.com/?utm_campaign=agency-journey-ep-309-gray-10-fte-wall 🛠️ EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) ---------------------------------- Brought to you by ZenPilot, ClickUp’s #1 Solutions Partner with 3,000+ agency ops makeovers under our belt. 📕 Read our in-depth, 8000-word How to Use ClickUp Guide: https://www.zenpilot.com/blog/how-to-use-clickup/?utm_campaign=agency-journey-ep-309-gray-10-fte-wall 👉 Don’t forget to follow and rate us on your preferred podcast platforms. We’re also on YouTube: @ZenPilot

From Agency Exit to Building Companies on the Back of an Audience with Marketing Max

“If a handful of 20 year olds can service millions of dollars a year in revenue—your agency can, with very little stress and very little complications. And your newsletter can, too.” Marketing Max is a serial entrepreneur and growth marketer with a seven-figure agency exit under his belt. He's the man behind the Growth Daily marketing newsletter, read by over 50,000 world-class CEOs, founders, and marketers every day. In this episode of Agency Journey, Max shares his journey from Wall Street to agency owner to media mogul. He discusses the pivotal moment when he niched down his agency services, leading to explosive growth and eventual exit. Max also dives deep into his current ventures, including his portfolio of marketing software, media, and service businesses built on the back of a massive audience. Whether you're looking to scale your agency, grow a newsletter, or build a media empire, this episode will help you get there. Episode Insights: 💡 Read "Built to Sell" by John Warrillow - it can be a game-changer for agency owners looking to scale and eventually exit. 💡 Niching down to one or two core services can lead to exponential growth and profitability for agencies. 💡 Growing a newsletter through strategic ads can be a powerful way to generate leads and revenue for your agency. 💡 Consider building a portfolio of businesses on the back of a large audience, using unsold ad inventory to promote your own products and services. 💡 Create a "coloring book" template for your newsletter content to streamline production and maintain consistency. 💡 Don't underestimate the power of systems and processes in scaling both agencies and media businesses. Resources Mentioned: 📚 "Built to Sell" by John Warrillow 🌐 Marketing Max on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxbidna/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxbidna/] 🐦 Marketing Max on X (Twitter): https://x.com/MarketingMax 🌐 Growth Daily website: https://growthdaily.com/?utm_campaign=agency-journey-ep-308-marketing-max 🏢 The Newsletter Team: https://thenewsletterteam.com/?utm_campaign=agency-journey-ep-308-marketing-max 📺 Mad Men (TV show) 👤 Russell Brunson ---------------------------------- Brought to you by ZenPilot, ClickUp’s #1 Solutions Partner with 3,000+ agency ops makeovers under our belt. 📕 Read our in-depth, 8000-word How to Use ClickUp Guide: https://www.zenpilot.com/blog/how-to-use-clickup/?utm_campaign=agency-journey-ep-308-marketing-max 👉 Don’t forget to follow and rate us on your preferred podcast platforms. We’re also on YouTube: @ZenPilot