The Deep Specialization™ Podcast

Is Generative AI a Threat or an Ally for Agencies? Join us for a special episode of the Vertical Go To Market Podcast featuring Russ Perry, CEO of Design Pickle, where we discuss effective strategies for agency owners to approach new tools such as generative AI and chat GPT.  Our conversation explores how these tools can save time, improve efficiency, and add value for agencies.  We also delve int...

What happens when you take a multi-vertical business and turn it into a vertical-focused powerhouse? That's exactly what my guest, Dave Hansen, president of Client Tether, did to skyrocket his company in the CRM space. Join us as we discuss Dave's journey, from his background in sales to making the bold decision to focus on one niche - the franchising industry. We dive into the developme...

Are you a generalist agency thinking about specializing? In this episode, I had an insightful conversation with Joe Sullivan, co-owner of Gorilla 76, a marketing agency focused on the manufacturing ecosystem in the B2B space. We explored their journey from a creative shop to a specialized industrial marketing agency, discussing the importance of positioning and building a relatable brand and the b...

Ready to unlock growth for your bootstrapped startup? 🚀 In this episode of the Vertical Go To Market podcast, I had the pleasure of talking with Ethan Butte, Chief Evangelist at BombBomb, a software company that makes it easy to record and send video messages. We discussed BombBomb's journey from a small team to now having over 75,000 active users, and how their vertical focus in the real es...

Tired of blending in? My guest is John Rougeux with Category Design Advisors In this episode, John breaks down the key concept of being radically different and addresses the question, ‘But is Category Design just another marketing strategy or a holistic business approach?’ We also talk about overcoming the perceived risk of specializing your business, the symptoms in your business of needing a mor...

My next guest is Sarah Durham, Founder and CEO of Big Duck. I recently sat down with Sarah to learn how she transformed her generalist marketing agency into a 7-figure PR and Communications firm specializing in the non-profit sector.  We get into the details of why she decided to specialize her firm, how she did it, what led her company to become the premier PR and Communications firm in the non-p...

Want to grow your business using your personal brand? My next guest is Adam McChesney, owner of Hite Digital in St. Louis. I recently sat down with Adam, who shared how he uses his personal brand to rapidly grow his agency. He also shares:  Why relying on his personal brand for lead gen has created a content bottleneck in the business.  The importance of attending home services conferences The imp...

Is being a Platinum Hubspot Partner a lasting differentiator? It wasn’t for this agency. I recently sat down with Carman Pirie, co-founder of Kula Partners to unpack his journey from Platinum Hubspot Partner to a leading agency specializing in the manufacturing sector.  In this episode, you’ll hear the market forces that provoked them to specialize, why they chose manufacturers as their focus vert...

Want to know what it takes to become an 8-figure agency in a vertical market? My guest is Chris Yano, the Founder and CEO of RYNO Strategic Solutions I recently sat down with Chris to uncover his insights on scaling his agency to 8 figures by specializing in the home services vertical market. In our conversation, he shares why having a natural connection to the buyer is important, why specializing...

Want an inside look into how an agency founder landed an 8-figure exit? My guest is entrepreneur, advisor, and Fanscape’s co-Founder and President, Terry Dry. In this episode, you’ll hear why focusing on one vertical eventually led to selling his agency to Omnicom for 8-figures, why Terry left a great career at a world-famous record label to start his entrepreneurial journey, why focusing on a ver...

Want to hear how an agency owner broke through the 7-figure ceiling by transforming his typical, run-of-the-mill agency into a vertical specialist? My guest is Cardinal Digital Marketing’s Founder and CEO, Alex Membrillo In this episode, you’ll hear how being a generalist marketing agency kept him in 7 figures, why transforming his agency from a generalist to a vertical specialist unlocked revenue...

Want to master the art of selling to franchise brands? My guest is Hot Dish Advertising’s CEO and Co-Founder, Dawn Kane. Discover how she grew Hot Dish into the #1 marketing and advertising agency for franchise brands. Hear how building real, authentic relationships within the franchise community resulted in 80% of new business coming from word of mouth. You’ll also hear about franchising’s inside...

Want to know the secrets of Scorpion’s enormous growth from $20M to $200M in 7 years? My guest is Scorpion’s Chief Growth Officer (sales), Jamie Adams. In this episode, you’ll get a rare peek into Scorpion’s multi-vertical go-to-market strategy. In our candid and revealing conversation, Jamie shares the changes he made to the sales process, building an outbound sales culture, the power of vertical...