The Digital Agency Growth Podcast

It’s common for merging and acquisition to be on an agency owner’s mind from the very beginning, even if it is not part of their original goals. Even if you find yourself still wanting to scale your business before selling, it’s never too early to start taking steps that will make the M&A process easier down the road. Jonathan Baker is here today to share how the M&A landscape looks right...

Every agency owner wants to make sure that their business is as profitable as possible. But as an agency grows and there are more clients and employees to take care of and line items to consider, how do we peel back the layers to discover what’s holding us back from being more profitable? Marcel Petitpas is back again this week to share his insights into improving your profitability, positioning y...

Last week on the show, we talked about taking a proactive approach with outbound by reaching out to their prospective clients and building authentic relationships. This week, Dan talks about Sales Schema’s actual methodology for doing so, the Targeted Outreach System, and focuses on giving you practical tips for optimization and a peek into the program. This week, episode 229 of The Digital Agency...

The role of outbound marketing has changed as marketing has developed over the years. The original playbook of reaching out thinking potential clients don’t know what they need no longer works. Knowledge isn’t what’s missing in the business equation anymore. It’s trust. Dan is here this week with Sales Schema’s revamped training to teach you the ins and outs of building trust in your business rela...

We’ve seen a big shift in employment and the workforce over the last few years, and it can be hard to know what to expect going forward and what decisions are best for your agency. Danny Markstein is a seasoned professional when it comes to workforce solutions, and he’s here today to talk about the demographic shift in the workforce, the Great Recession and Pandemic’s effect on employment, and mor...

Whether or not to niche down is an age-old agency question and comes with lots of things to consider. But have you considered your team’s dynamic in preferences when taking on clients and forming relationships? Friend of the show Jon Tsourakis is back again this week to talk about how his team helps focus the niches the company focuses on, insights on sales strategies, the challenges of M&A, a...

When scaling an agency, the CEO is usually deeply ingrained. But CEOs are supposed to work on the business rather than in the business, right? So how can a CEO make their agency scalable and run smoothly without them being present in the company's day-to-day operations? Mandi Ellefson of the Hands-Off CEO is here to offer her insights and guidance on doing just that! This week, episode 225 of...

We all know that trends in everything, especially marketing, come and go quickly. But just because a certain style or type of marketing isn’t in vogue in 2024 doesn’t mean it isn’t worthwhile. With the marketing landscape moving at a fast pace, it can be helpful to look at past techniques to see what worked in the past and how you can apply it to your business today.  Mike Brevik, Owner and Chief...

Almost all businesses start getting clients based on referrals. And while that might feel less necessary as your business grows, referral marketing offers you a lot of options to make yourself stand out among your competitors, grow your email lists, and so much more. Josh Ledgard, founder of KickoffLabs, is here today to talk about how to take advantage of referral marketing for your business ever...

There is so much information out there on growing and scaling your agency that it can be easy to lose sight of the strategies that matter most: offering your clients stellar results and making your services stand out in the market so you can find the clients that are the best match for you. Friend of the show Raul Hernandez Ochoa is here today with lots of practical advice and food for thought on...

Sustainable agency growth is possible for an agency of any size. The keys to success? Generating qualified leads and structuring sales teams who understand your business, want to see themselves and your company succeed, and have the capacity to rise to the challenge. Chelsea Olsen is here today to talk about her work as a Fractional Chief Growth Officer, what she’s learned with over 20 years of sa...

So many of our conversations here on the Digital Agency Growth podcast are about the businesses and clients we serve. But one important group often overlooked is the employees, both those of our clients and of our own. Ethan McCarty makes employee experience and excellence his priority at Integral, creating award-winning programs that inspire and motivate employees to do their best work. Ethan is...

Here at Sales Schema, we know our podcast listeners are all at different stages of growth with their agency. And after hundreds of interviews with professionals across the agency space, one key takeaway stands out: to grow an agency, you have to build a system that keeps your sales funnel full without the owner having their hand in the process. Dan is here today to talk about the different stages...

The game that is sales outreach is always changing, and with so many schools of thought, it can be hard to keep up with best practices to keep your pipeline full. Matt Lincoln with Apollo.io is here this week to offer insight into how sales outreach has changed, what data is important for targeting your best leads, tips for making a cold outreach feel like a warm inbound and much more! This week,...

The agency space has seen its fair share of ups and downs over the past several years.  However, as the industry landscape has changed, agencies have also adapted to meet their clients' needs and what they need to stay afloat. Drew McLellan is no stranger to the changes in the industry and is here today to talk about the state of the agency industry in 2024, shifting your agency model to emph...

No matter what industry you work in, you will learn lessons and gain valuable skills that will carry over into other industries. Transferring to the agency space from the restaurant industry was easier than expected for Mark Scrivner due to the lessons and skills he learned about sales, marketing, and quality of service in his restaurant career. Today, Mark is here to share those transferable skil...

Operations are the unsung heroes in the agency space. Though not talked about as often as sales and marketing, having robust operations through efficient procedures and documentation keeps an agency running smoothly and profitably. But what are the right tools and techniques for your agency? Melissa Morris is here today to help you identify what will work best for you, tell us why SOPs are overrat...

Specializing and niching down are topics we talk about a lot on the show simply because of their importance and effectiveness in scaling your agency. Hand-in-hand with specializing is scaling based on expertise in your niche instead of relying on founder-driven sales to keep the pipeline full. Friend of the show Corey Quinn is back this week to talk about his upcoming book, Anyone, Not Everyone ,...

Risk assessment, setting an example of leadership for your employees, and looking to the future are all part of an agency owner’s daily schedule. But how often do we take the time to slow down, take a breath, and reflect on what leadership means to us and our company, now and going forward?  Matt Phillips thinks we don’t do this as often as we should. He’s here today to discuss why taking time to...

Setting a strong foundation for your agency’s operations is key to its success and growth. While operations feels like the last department a new small agency needs to consider, it becomes incredibly important once you have several employees. Outsourcing to operations professionals can be an excellent choice, especially those like Leah Leaves and her team at Alderaan, who embed themselves into the...

PR agencies have seen tremendous changes over the last few decades, just like many industries. Kim Sample, President of the PR Council, has spent her whole career in the PR space and has her finger on the pulse of the PR space. Today she’s here to talk with us about current trends, future predictions in the space, and more! This week, episode 206 of The Digital Agency Growth Podcast is about Kim’s...

Silicon Valley is the heart of the tech industry. And since tech is a growing sector, it is often used as a gauge for the rest of the economy. Times have been tough for tech startups lately, but the agencies that work with them have also seen changes.   Morgan McLintic of Firebrand Marketing works in the heart of the Valley, working with startups at all stages to improve their marketing and increa...

Agencies vary greatly, so finding helpful advice can feel daunting. With so many different agencies and approaches to running them, where do you turn to find reliable advice that has been tested thoroughly? Someone like Jason Swenk, who has worked with over 10,000 agencies in the last decade, fits that perfectly. This week, episode 204 of The Digital Agency Growth Podcast is about lessons learned...

The agency world has two predominant models: the traditional agency and the new school agency that emphasizes productized services. No matter which model you work in, scaling an agency is never easy. But there are ways to make it easier, like monetizing your expertise and prioritizing having good quality clients in fewer numbers rather than a large amount of small-ticket clients.  Greg Hickman has...

Selling an agency can be a time-consuming, lengthy process full of large decisions. Now imagine going through that three times. David Rodnitzky has done just that, selling his agency 3Q Digital (now part of DEPT) multiple times, to several different types of owners until finding the right fit. He’s here to talk about what he’s learned from this journey and how he’s helping other business owners pr...