Podcasts about agencies

This week, we kicked off our new series: Bare-Knuckle B2B, a partnership between Lesniak Swann and B2B Marketing. The first episode features Harry Davies, VP of Marketing and Strategy Investment and Effectiveness, Sage as he breaks down the evolving client-agency relationship. Hosted by Matt Hicks, Strategy Director at Lesniak Swann and Kavita Singh, Head of Growth Solutions Content, B2B Marketing, this episode strips away the fluff around the client–agency relationship. They dig into the real value an agency should deliver, and call out red flags like adversarial dynamics, “pitch team vs delivery team” bait-and-switch, and creative ideas that ignore commercial reality. The conversation also explores how AI and knowledge bases can close the information gap between clients and agencies—turning good people into better people rather than just cutting costs. If you've ever wondered whether your agency is truly an extension of your team, or how to spot when the relationship is drifting off-course, this episode is for you.

In the May 2026 edition of the PRmoment Podcast, host Ben Smith sits down with new business maestro Andrew Bloch (AAR, PCB Partners) to dissect a shifting UK communications landscape. The overarching theme of the month highlights a widening divide between agencies riding massive waves of momentum and those experiencing localized, procurement-driven hesitation.Before diving into the market data, Ben shares two critical industry diary dates for your radar:AI in PR Masterclass (July 2nd, 2026): Titled The Age of Algorithms, Predictive Analytics, and Risk, this event is a comprehensive guide to navigating future-facing tech. Secure your virtual or face-to-face London spot at PRmasterclasses.com.The Creative Moment Awards: The absolute final entry deadline is closing fast on Friday, 19th June 2026. Ensure your team's best creative work is in the running by submitting over at creativemomentawards.co.Key Themes1. The procurement squeeze and market polarizationAndrew Bloch defines the current climate as one of "cautious optimism" mixed with macro anxiety. Pipelines are active, but growth is unevenly distributed. Agencies with sharp specialisms—particularly in sports, consumer lifestyle, and social—are thriving, while others face gridlocked client sign-offs. Furthermore, clients are heavily relying on procurement to extract maximum commercial impact, shifting expectations entirely away from traditional "column inches."2. The independent "David vs. Goliath" surgeA massive takeaway from May's pitch cycle is the clear dominance of independent agencies over legacy network holding companies. Clients are progressively prioritizing agile storytelling and pure earned media capabilities over sheer corporate scale.3. M&A Strategy: earned media as strategic platform glueWhile private equity (PE) and trade buyers are exercising strict valuation discipline, high-quality independents remain hot targets. Private equity is increasingly viewing standout consumer PR agencies as anchor platforms to bolt on smaller social, data, and AI-enabled services.Major pitch wins & M&A DealsNotable Wins: Words and Pixels scooped the coveted UK/Ireland brief for tech giant Pinterest, beating out legacy networks. Newly launched Joe Public landed Sneak Energy, and The Romans expanded their sports footprint by securing Oakley's global and North American remit. Other wins included Grayling taking the Croatian National Tourist Board and Hope and Glory onboarding Ask Italian.M&A Highlights: Publicis made a massive $2.2 billion bet on tech infrastructure by acquiring data collaboration platform LiveRamp at a 30% premium. Meanwhile, Havas snapped up Paris-based corporate influence firm Format, and Mike Worldwide acquired workplace communications agency Hudson Lake.Quotes from Andrew BlochOn maintaining agency momentum:"In a market like this where budgets could disappear overnight, momentum is really the closest thing you can get to having security... You can't stand still in this market. Standing still is going backwards."On why private equity is hunting for PR firms:"What's really encouraging for the PR space is they're seeing earned media as actually the glue that ties together lots of different bits of the marketing mix."On the resurgence of pure storytelling:"A lot of agencies have almost forgotten the art of storytelling and the art of earned media... Let's not forget how important earned media is. That's where PR is."

Reaction from Maine Democratic voters after their party's  Senate hopeful Graham Platner faces a string of negative headlines. Plus, according to a new report, President Trump said he'd like his pick for acting Director of National Intelligence, Bill Pulte, who has zero experience in national security, to start the process of firing people at agencies charged with keeping America safe.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Most owner-led agencies know they should be doing more than media relations. One barrier has always been capability: you can’t execute paid media if nobody on your team knows paid media. AI is removing that barrier, and Chip and Gini dig into exactly how. Gini built a PESO model operating system AI that prompts you instead of you prompting it. Many agencies are strong in one or two media types and need scaffolding to think through the rest. The tool can be used to help agencies execute unfamiliar disciplines step by step. Chip frames this as an opportunity to do things that were theoretically possible two years ago but practically out of reach. A paid campaign to amplify a blog post no longer requires hiring a specialist. Beyond drafting, both hosts made a case for AI as a learning tool instead of merely a content machine. Gini tested this directly by vibe-coding a PESO model diagnostic, working through multiple versions with AI troubleshooting each step. The practical upshot is that you can use AI to build separate knowledge-rich agents for each media type, loaded with client messaging and context, and treat them as thought partners for areas where your team lacks depth. It won’t eliminate the need for people or strategic thinking, but capability is no longer a credible excuse for staying stuck at one letter of PESO. Key takeaways Chip Griffin: “AI is a great opportunity for all of the things that you wished you could have done two years ago that now become much more feasible for you to do without having to go out and bring in-house new expertise.” Gini Dietrich: “I have built my entire organization using agents. It doesn’t replace anybody. I still need people to do the work, and I still need people to do the strategic thinking, and I still need people to service the client work. It makes us smarter, it makes us faster, it makes us more productive, but it doesn’t replace anyone.” Chip Griffin: “It doesn’t have to do it for you, it can help educate you… You can make it tell you at whatever level of knowledge you need in order to become comfortable with it, and then you actually start to learn it.” Gini Dietrich: “If you don’t have shared or owned and paid expertise internally, you can use those agents to help you build those things.” Related The PESO Model evolves for the AI era (and why your website isn't dead) Has the PESO Model become a necessity for modern agencies? Agencies need the PESO model now more than ever How to allocate your client's PESO budget View Transcript The following is a computer-generated transcript. Please listen to the audio to confirm accuracy. Chip Griffin: Hello, and welcome to the Agency Leadership Podcast. I’m Chip Griffin. Gini Dietrich: And I’m Gini Dietrich. Chip Griffin: And Gini, I think we’re gonna let AI do our jobs today. I know we don’t ever talk about AI on this show. Gini Dietrich: We don’t. We don’t like it at all. Chip Griffin: But I think AI is gonna let us do so much more here. Awesome. Maybe even, maybe we can even implement the PESO model as part of the show. Gini Dietrich: Beautiful. Let’s do it. Chip Griffin: I’ve, I’ve heard that the PESO model is something that’s really important that we should- … we should focus on. So why not let AI help us with it? Gini Dietrich: Oh, I love it. Maybe we could use NotebookLM and have it create its, our voices too. We’ll just be done. We don’t have to do anything. Chip Griffin: That’s a great idea. Gini Dietrich: Yeah, let’s do it. Chip Griffin: So then, you and I could just connect and just do our gossiping and chit-chat. Gini Dietrich: Right. Yes. Chip Griffin: And we’d still get an episode even without having to take the time to record. Gini Dietrich: Yes. I like it. Let’s do it. Chip Griffin: I like it. I like that. That would be- That would be fun. Gini Dietrich: We don’t gossip. What do you mean? Chip Griffin: Gossip, talk about world events. Whatever, however you want. I mean- Gini Dietrich: Yes. It’s kind of good that those aren’t recorded. Ah. Chip Griffin: It is. I suspect we would get a lot of listeners, but we’d lose a lot at the same time, so. Gini Dietrich: Yes. Chip Griffin: In any event, we are going to talk about AI again because it is top of mind for all of us, and so we all ought to be thinking about it. And we are gonna talk about the PESO model because we just happen to have somebody here who knows a little bit about the PESO model. So let me explain it to you… Oh, no, I didn’t. Oh. I wasn’t talking about me. With the founder of the PESO model as one of the co-hosts. It, we’ve talked about the PESO model before, but I think, you know, one of the things that, that has occurred to me in recent times, and I’m sure it has occurred to you as well, is that AI can help more PR agencies go deeper into the PESO model, particularly in areas where they maybe don’t have as much in-house expertise. And, and one- Yep … of the things we’ve talked about with agencies a lot is that the PESO model touches a lot of different things, and it’s difficult for any small agency to have all of the skillsets needed to fully execute PESO properly. Gini Dietrich: Yep. Yeah. Chip Griffin: AI seems to open the door to more of that. Gini Dietrich: For sure, it does. One of the things that we did late last year is I built a PESO operating system AI. And instead of you prompting it, it prompts you. So it’s built to do exactly that, so that you can say, “Okay, well, we’re really good at media relations, but we don’t have any expertise in shared, owned, or paid,” or, “We’re really great at owned and shared, but we don’t have any expertise in earned and paid.” Whatever it happens to be, right? And so it will h- it will prompt you with questions to help you think through, “Okay, if we’re great at owned and shared, but we don’t have the E and the P, here are the things you need to be thinking about.” And it will help you either figure out how to execute it on your own with step-by-step instructions, or it will give you a creative brief that then you could hand off to a partner. So it, it’s built to do that, but the point is, is that- I mean, would I prefer you use the PESO OS AI that I built? For sure, but really any AI could do that. I think if you,you have to prompt it. It’s not gonna prompt you. But I think any AI based on information that’s out there in the, on the web that we’ve created around PESO, it will be able to take all of that and say, “Here are some things you should be thinking about.” And I think it’s really good at helping you think through things that you’re just not an expert at. And it’s really good at helping you think through, gosh, we should be using paid to amplify our content, for instance, but I don’t have any idea. Do– should I do it on LinkedIn? Should I do it on Instagram? Should I do it on TikTok? Should I do it on Google? Like, I have no idea. So AI is a really good thought partner from that perspective. Chip Griffin: Well, and I think that’s the, that’s the key point is that it allows you to, certainly you can look at it in, at a 30,000-foot level, you know, with your specialized OS that allows you to really think the whole big picture through. Yep. But you can also use it in a very granular way to say “Hey, look, I know I want to amplify this content. Let’s, let’s look at the various ways that we can do it, and help educate me about how we do that most effectively.” Yep. And, you know, to me, AI is a great opportunity for all of the things that you wished you could have done two years ago Gini Dietrich: Yeah Chip Griffin: That now become much more feasible for you to do without having to go out and bring in-house new expertise, or hiring someone if it’s, particularly when it’s focused, right? If it, it really is just, “I need a paid campaign to amplify this blog post.” That is a whole lot easier to do with AI, frankly, than it is to go hire somebody in-house- Yeah … and a lot cheaper. Gini Dietrich: Absolutely, yes. And it will give you the step-by, literal step-by-step instructions if you wanna do it yourself. Right. And if you don’t wanna do it yourself, you say, “Help me create a project brief or a creative brief that will, that I can hand off to a partner,” and it does that for you too. So one of the things that we do is, you know, I have a paid media expert in, on our marketing team, but then we hire out, depending on what we need, we’ll hire out sort of the day-to-day minutia piece of it. ‘Cause, you know, especially in paid media, you have to be in there every day and testing and tweaking and all that kind of stuff. And AI’s great at saying, “Eh, pay attention to this,” but not great at actually pushing the buttons. And so it has helped our paid media team even just outsource some of that stuff too. So it’s, I think it’s really great from that perspective. You know, it’s still, you, like, I think some, especially PR professionals, are using it for, like, list development and media pitching and things like that, which is fine, but it’s still not… it’s still a good first draft. You still have to add your personalization. You still have to do those kinds of things. One of the things that we were kind of struggling with, actually not struggling with, we were arguing over internally, was our outbound sales campaigns and what those said. And I felt like they were way too long. Our chief revenue officer felt like the calls to action weren’t right, and so we put it into AI, and we were like, “This is where we’re struggling. We’re not agreeing on these five points.” And it pumped out some stuff that we were like Okay, that’s– I– All right, let’s try that. So, you know, I don’t know yet if it’s gonna work ’cause we haven’t launched it, but it helped us think about things a little bit differently than we had just the three of us shooting the shit around a Zoom conversation. Chip Griffin: Well, and to your point, it’s a great jumping-off point. It’s not necessarily a final draft of everything, but, I mean, let’s say you, you know, you’re– you don’t consider your team very adept at creating social posts on their own, but you want to use PESO to amplify content. You can take that piece of content and say, you know, “Give me three to five drafts that I can look at.” Yep, yep. And you can pick the one that, that resonates most with you, and then, you know, hone that and use that as your post. So again, it just, it allows you to do things that either would’ve taken much longer a number of years ago or just you wouldn’t have been able to do without hiring someone new in-house or that sort of thing. And so having those opportunities means that you can adopt a lot more of the PESO model as an agency, which certainly benefits your clients, but it benefits your business as well. Because as we’ve talked about, pure PR agencies, despite the renaissance of the importance of earned media as a result of LLMs and all of that, you know, you still, I still think it is very difficult to have a media relations only agency in 2026. Gini Dietrich: Yeah. Chip Griffin: It’s not impossible. There are certain niches where it works and certain setups that work, but for the vast majority of old time traditional PR agencies, they need to be getting into more of the PESO model, even if it’s not all four letters. Even if you get into two of the letters- Gini Dietrich: Yeah Chip Griffin: that’s gonna help you a lot. Gini Dietrich: Yep. Yeah, for sure. And it does– definitely helps you, like I think I’ve mentioned before that I have several different agents, AI agents, and one is my co-CEO, and my co-CEO, like, it will argue with me, and it will tell me, like last week it said, “That’s a stupid idea.” And I was like, “Ah, well, screw you, too.” But it helps you think through those things. So you say, “Okay, what if I want to build an agency that is focused around the PESO model, and I’m gonna go through the certification so that I can create an agency that’s focused on it. What am I missing? What do I need to hire for? What can I use you, my AI, for? What can I…” Like it helps you think through all of those things. “Help me build a plan to be able to do this over the next two years. I want to create some intellectual property based on what you know about me and how I’ve used you in the past. What is some intellectual property that we might be able to create as an agency?” It can help you with all sorts of things. Chip Griffin: It can, and it, it also, you can calibrate it to your own knowledge level or your team’s knowledge level, so you can have it just help you with some, some drafts. You can have it just teach you how to do things. Gini Dietrich: Yep. Chip Griffin: And I think that’s an often overlooked use of AI. Yes. Absolutely. It doesn’t have to do it for you, it can help educate you. Yep. And part of that is just communicating with it and say, “Treat me like I’m an absolute idiot.” Gini Dietrich: Yep. Chip Griffin: “And give me out- actual step-by-step instructions. Assume I don’t even know how to click the mouse. Like, tell me to put downward pressure on the button in the middle of the…” Like, you can make it tell you at whatever level of knowledge you need in order to become comfortable with it, and then you actually start to learn it. I mean, I think we, we all think of AI as something that, that’s, you know, can just replace us, but it can also help us learn so that we develop our own skills, and maybe we don’t need the AI for what we need it for today, but instead we can use AI to take us to the next level because we’ve already built in that knowledge from having worked with AI previously. It should be viewed as a growth opportunity, not as just, you know, the lazy way out. Gini Dietrich: Yeah. I, absolutely. I love that because, you know, I kept hearing about this vibe coding thing, and everybody was talking about vibe coding. I was like, “Okay, I wanna try vibe coding. What do I want to vibe code?” And so I actually asked my AI boyfriend, “If you were me, what are some things you would vibe code just to test it out?” And it said, “You should do a PESO model diagnostic so that people understand where they sit on the PESO model maturity ladder.” And I was like, “Okay.” So I went into lovable.ai, and I built a PESO model visibility assessment is what I built first, and it was a really good first draft. And then I went through it and I had some friends take it, and I had my team go through it and got all of that feedback, and then I built the PESO model diagnostic from there. So it probably took– I probably had five or six versions before I was ready to take it public. Then I was like, Okay, now I have to figure out how somebody gets their results, and then how do I attach it to ActiveCampaign, which is our software, our email software, so that they can have their results emailed to them? It’s a little bit harder than it sounds. Chip Griffin: I, I think that’s, that’s part of the thing with vibe coding. People- Gini Dietrich: It’s absolute, yeah, a little bit harder. Yeah. But it did exactly what you said. Yeah. I was like, “I am lost.” Yeah. And I actually said, “I think this is above my pay grade.” And, and it said, “Okay, let me help you.” And so it broke it down step by step by step. We finally got it figured out, but then it wasn’t, it was doing everything that we needed it to do, but it wasn’t emailing. So I had all the tokens in the email, so like, “Hi, first name, here’s your…” Like, I had all those tokens, but it wasn’t triggering that. And so it helped me figure out, it like, it helped me troubleshoot and figure out why. And I, there’s no way on earth, not in a zillion years, I could have done that on my own two years ago. Absolutely not. Chip Griffin: Yep. And it really, it really is amazing how it can help you with some of those things. Now, it can also send you down some rabbit holes that are- Gini Dietrich: Yes, it did that too … Chip Griffin: not the right ones, and, and then- Gini Dietrich: Correct. I was like, “No, that’s not right.” Chip Griffin: And then it says, “Oops. Yeah, sorry. That’s, I, I didn’t mean to do… You’re right- Yep, you’re right. Mm-hmm … that I should’ve gone a different direction.” Gini Dietrich: Yeah. Yes, it does do that. Chip Griffin: And so, you know, that is always one of the challenges of vibe coding, is it opens a lot of doors, but it can lead to a lot of frustration, and you have to be ready to handle that. Gini Dietrich: Yeah. Chip Griffin: And particularly for someone like you, who has not been steeped in development in the past. Gini Dietrich: At all. Chip Griffin: You know, it probably takes more effort to get past that frustration than- Yeah … say, for someone like me, where I can spot early on that it’s going in the wrong direction, ’cause I’ve written code, and I’d be like- “Mm, I don’t- That does seem wrong, too … I don’t know if we really wanna do that.” Yeah. Yeah. And, but, but you can also ask it a lot of questions, and part- you know, I use Claude Code personally, and so, you know, it will often give options, or you can ask for options and say, you know, “Let’s go through the pros and cons of these different paths that we can do before we build out a whole product around something that we’re like, ‘Eh, that’s not gonna work.'” Gini Dietrich: Yep, yep. Chip Griffin: And you can think them through. You can think through what, what are the maintenance costs? What are the actual hard costs of it? Yep. And there are times where the tools will suggest something to you that, that costs something, and they’ll, it, it’s sort of like, you know, Waze. Waze sometimes likes to avoid tolls. I’m like, “Don’t, I don’t wanna avoid a toll. I wanna get there faster.” Gini Dietrich: I wanna get there faster, right. Chip Griffin: Like, to, to me, I don’t- Gini Dietrich: Yeah … Chip Griffin: don’t put me on all these weird side streets so I don’t pay a toll. Same thing with these tools. They often default to the free option, and sometimes you’re like, “Well, I’m willing to pay $5 a month to get this email sent to me correctly, and, and not have to, like- Right … go down to the command line and configure- Yeah … all this stuff. Yes. And then my computer’s always gotta be on, and all that kind of stuff. So, but the, the point is that that a lot of these tools open up the doors for the things that you can do, which then, again, expands that capability so that you are moving beyond just being one of the four letters and moving into at least two, if not all four, of PESO. Gini Dietrich: Yeah. And I would say also that if you, if you want to do this, it’s not a small undertaking, but if you want to do this, you can, there are lots of ways that you can do this, but I’ll make it super, super simple. Using Claude, you can create projects. And the projects can be focused on, okay, we’re gonna have one for earned, we’re gonna have one for paid, we’re gonna have one for shared, we’re gonna have one for owned. And in those specific projects, you build files, knowledge files that teach it what you wanna do from an earned media perspective. These are our clients. This is what we talk about. These are their messaging. Like all– Here’s our media list. All that kind of stuff goes into the knowledge files. You give it some instructions, and then it becomes your earned media thought partner, or same with your other media types. So if you don’t have, you know, shared or owned and paid expertise internally, you can use those agents to help you build those things. I will say, though, that, you know, people keep talking about how AI is going to replace us, and I have gone way down the rabbit hole from an agent perspective, and I have built my entire organization using agents. It doesn’t replace anybody. I still need people to do the work, and I still need people to do the strategic thinking, and I still need people to service the client work. Like, it makes us smarter, it makes us faster, it makes us more productive, but it doesn’t replace anyone. And so I say that because I want you– I don’t want you to be afraid of, oh my gosh, if we use this and we use this, I use it to help me think through the other media types that we aren’t doing, that it’s going to replace us, or the clients aren’t gonna wanna work with us. That’s not the case at all, at least not in my experience. So I would say test it out, play with it, get really good at it, because it will help you achieve some of the goals that you want to achieve a lot faster than you can do it on your own. Chip Griffin: Oh, absolutely. And, and it doesn’t even require you to know even the general direction. You can simply go in there and say, “Hey, look, you know, I’ve got this blog post. It’s not getting much traction, but I feel like it should. Help me to understand why it’s not.” And, and- Yep … so it’ll help, it’ll analyze the structure and content and maybe make some suggestions there. But then in the conversation you can say, “Well, you know, it doesn’t seem to be generating much in the way of inbound traffic from social. Help me think that through. How can I do that better or differently?” And it, it allows you to do a lot more, and I think particularly for those agencies who are doing any form of video, AI can be a really good tool for helping you to expand the use of that video into other things, right? I mean, the obvious that we’ve had for years is the automatic transcription, right? So you start from a point of you’ve got a transcription and so you’ve got, you know, more content that’s out there that’s more easily indexable by more tools. You know, some of the LLMs, you know, quote-unquote “watch video,” some only can use transcripts, so you wanna give both ideally. Yep. But you can go well beyond that. I mean, a lot of people are just kind of slapping stuff up on YouTube without any kind of a good description if they’re doing video. Use AI. Let it, let it give you a quick first draft and you can do that correctly. Let it start drafting social posts so you can get it out there. Make sure that you’re turning every video into a blog post. There are so many things that you can do from that one nugget. It’s one of the reasons why I love video so much, is because it can spiral out into these other formats so easily. But all of that then helps to fuel your efforts on the PESO model, and all of it can be done in an organization without all of the things that you would have needed five or 10 years ago. You don’t need a dedicated video producer or a high-end external video, you can use something like we’re using right here today with Riverside, where you can just- free plug there. We’re not, we’re not sponsored by them, but- … you know, we, we use it, and it, it does a nice job of cutting this up. If you’re watching this on YouTube, it switches camera angles. I don’t do anything except click a little button that says, “Do this,” and I get to choose how aggressive the, the camera switching is. Gini Dietrich: Yeah. Chip Griffin: That’s fantastic, right? But it will also then clip things that you can use for social media. And if I’m a traditional PR agency, I don’t know anything about any of that kind of stuff, but it’s all valuable to furthering the PESO model for my clients. So why wouldn’t I be taking advantage of AI to help me go down that path? Gini Dietrich: Yeah. And I would say if you are a traditional PR agency, even things like, “This pitch isn’t landing. Tell me what you think.” Sure. “How would I… Like, I’m trying to reach this, this, and this reporter with this pitch. Analyze it for me.” Like, that kind of stuff you should be doing every single day. Chip Griffin: Right, ’cause the PESO model isn’t just about ticking boxes. It’s about doing all those things well, right? Gini Dietrich: Right. Chip Griffin: You, you can have a nice little report card that says, “Check. I did the P. I did the E. I did the S. I did the O.” But are you doing all of those well? And, and- Right … maybe even what your agency is, is built around, whichever letter is the core of your personal expertise, there are certainly ways that you can use AI to improve even on that- Absolutely … even before you go down the other  avenues. Gini Dietrich: Absolutely. Yeah. And one of the things that we’ve been, you know, when we, we evolved the model for AI into an operating system, and that is because all of the media types build on one another, right? So it will help you figure that out. So I can say PESO model’s now an operating system, and I’m sure you’re like, “I don’t know what the freak that means.” And it, it will help you figure out what that means and how you can apply that to your business. Chip Griffin: Yeah, I mean, operating system may be one of the most overused product descriptions these days, but- Gini Dietrich: It works in an enterprise. Chip Griffin: everybody’s got an operating… you know, you read anything AI-related, everybody’s got an operating system. Gini Dietrich: Works in an, in an enterprise really well. Chip Griffin: It, it … Oh, I mean, I, I’m not arguing that. It’s just, it’s kind of, it, it’s kind of like 30 years ago where everybody used the word paradigm. Gini Dietrich: Oh, fair. Chip Griffin: Like, okay. Gini Dietrich: Really? PESO model paradigm. Chip Griffin: I gotta, gotta hear about- There, I like that. That’s nice … OS again. Ugh. Ugh. Of course- Ooh … I’m old enough to remember actual OSs back in the day. You know. MS-DOS, for example. Way, way long time ago. Gini Dietrich: That’s right. Chip Griffin: On that note, before I go down memory lane and really bore everybody, we’ll wrap this episode up. But use the PESO model, and use the AI to help you get there more effectively- Yes … faster. Gini Dietrich: Yes. Yes. Chip Griffin: Grow your business, help your clients. Gini Dietrich: Yes. Make lots of money. Chip Griffin: Make lots of money. On that note, I’m Chip Griffin. Gini Dietrich: I’m Gini Dietrich. Chip Griffin: And it depends.

Here is roughly how every conversion rate optimization project I take on begins. We get through introductions, I sketch out an approach, everyone nods politely, and then, usually about forty minutes in, someone leans forward and asks the question. The quick wins question. The "what can we do this quarter" question. The "what's the easy thing we can ship before the board meeting" question. I always nod sympathetically. I always say yes, of course, there are some quick wins we can target. I always deliver them. And for a long time I told myself I was being responsive to client needs, which is the polite consultant phrase for "I know what they want to buy and I'm cheerfully selling it to them." But after enough years of this, I've started to notice that the clients who fixate on quick wins don't actually win much. The ones who do best treat quick wins as the opening move and then get on with the actual work. So, awkwardly, here we are. A grudging defense of quick wins I should be careful here, because it would be very easy to read what follows as "quick wins are bad and you should feel bad for wanting them." That isn't quite the argument. What quick wins actually do well Early in an engagement, a few well-chosen tests genuinely earn their keep. They build trust with stakeholders who've spent years being told that CRO is a black art performed by people who own too many ergonomic chairs. They prove that experimentation actually moves the numbers, which is how you get budget approval for anything bigger. They drag a team through the discipline of hypothesis, test, learn, iterate, which a surprising number of teams have not actually done before. And they cough up early data you can wave at finance when you eventually ask to look at the difficult stuff. That is a perfectly reasonable amount of value. The trouble starts when "a few quick wins to get us going" quietly becomes the entire strategy, and we all agree, very politely, to pretend that's fine. Why we end up here (and yes, that includes me) Clients call us in too late There's a timing problem sitting underneath all of this, and it's worth naming first. By the time a company calls someone like me in, the conversion rate has usually been quietly underperforming for a year or more. People will tolerate a slow leak for ages and then panic the moment it becomes a flood. Of course they want quick wins at that point. They want the bleeding to stop, and they want it to stop yesterday. Which is rational, in its way. But it biases the whole engagement before it's even started. We're not having a calm conversation about long-term value. We're triaging. Stakeholders are responding to terrible incentives It's tempting to roll one's eyes at stakeholders for being short-sighted, but honestly, they're not being stupid. The problem is that their incentives are just appalling. Quarterly bonuses reward this quarter's number. Senior leadership wants to see green arrows every month. Championing a structural fix that takes nine months to land is a career risk in a way that "we lifted click-through by three percent" simply isn't. Small experiments feel politically safe. Big bets feel like the kind of thing that ends up in a LinkedIn post about your unexpected career pivot. Agencies and consultants are complicit And while I'm cheerfully pointing fingers, some of them point straight back at me. Agencies and consultants are part of the problem. We are, in fact, a substantial part of the problem. Our business model rewards short engagements, monthly reports stuffed with reassuring green ticks, and the constant low-grade panic of needing to demonstrate value inside ninety days. We are structurally set up to find things to optimize. We are not structurally set up to walk into a steering committee and say, "Look, your returns process is the actual reason your customers leave. None of us can fix that with a button test. Sorry about that." The slow, accumulating cost The trouble with an all-quick-wins strategy is that the damage compounds out of view. The easy wins run out For a start, the easy stuff gets used up. Most pages have already had their obvious tests run, so what's left tends to move the needle less and less. Diminishing returns are a real thing in CRO, and I'm always slightly amazed we don't talk about them more, given how much of our work rests on the cheerful assumption that they don't apply to us. The structural issues never get touched Meanwhile, the bigger problems never get looked at. Refund policies, product photography, page weight, customer service quality, the post-purchase experience. These are the things that actually move lifetime value, and they sit serenely untouched while we hold a fourth meeting about whether the button should say "Buy now" or "Shop now." UX debt accumulates quietly But the cost I find most uncomfortable is the slow accumulation of UX debt. Take any homepage that's been A/B tested for eighteen months and look at what's actually there. Urgency timers. Exit-intent popups. Social proof badges. Micro-copy nudges. A polite little chatbot that won't go away. Each test won in isolation. The cumulative effect is a confused, faintly manipulative mess that erodes the trust we are theoretically there to build. Nobody owns the whole picture, because nobody's job is the whole picture. Which is, when you think about it, a slightly concerning way to run the customer experience.

On May 5, FBI Director Kash Patel went on a national podcast and said the Pima County Sheriff's Department did not initially cooperate with the bureau in the Nancy Guthrie investigation in the way the FBI expected. Sheriff Chris Nanos has publicly disputed Patel's characterization of the relationship between the two agencies. That on-record split has become one of the defining moments of the case.This Hidden Killers episode walks through the entire Nancy Guthrie timeline, beginning to now. The 41-minute window. The doorbell footage of the masked man at Nancy's front door. The clump of weeds covering the camera lens. The blood on her porch. The medication she left behind. The discarded gloves found two miles away — and the searchers' own gloves that contaminated the same area during the canvass. The Hostage Rescue Team out of Quantico arriving in Tucson and pulling back to Phoenix by the end of February.The Arizona Republic's reporting on the sheriff's resume. The recall campaign launched against him. The unanimous Pima County Board of Supervisors vote compelling testimony under oath. The People magazine confirmation that the sheriff's department is no longer communicating directly with the Guthrie family. The million-dollar reward sitting on a table with no claim. The 100-day mark passing in near-silence.The full picture, in one piece. Without conclusions forced on you. Every development. Every disputed fact. Every open question. So you can build your own view of where the Nancy Guthrie case actually stands.SOCIAL LINKS:Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodLEGAL DISCLAIMER:This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.HASHTAGS: #NancyGuthrie #SavannahGuthrie #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #FBI #PimaCounty #ChrisNanos #MissingPerson #TrueCrimePodcast #FindNancyGuthrie

Delve into the shadowy world of unsanctioned "bush track" racing and the significant risks it poses to horse welfare, jockey safety, and the broader U.S. equine industry. Julie Broadway is joined by AHC Legislative Affairs specialist Amanda Kadilak and intern Aditri Singh to discuss their multi-year investigation into these illicit operations. Additionally, this month's legislative report explores how current trade policies and tariffs are directly impacting the economic landscape for horse owners and businesses.HORSES IN THE MORNING Episode 3963 –Show Notes and Links:Your Hosts: Julie Broadway (President) and Emily Stearns (Health, Welfare, and Regulatory Affairs Liaison) of the American Horse CouncilSponsors: Populous and SmartEquineSubscribe to the American Horse Council Podcast - Search American Horse Council Podcast on your podcast player.Guest: Amanda Kadilak, Government Affairs Liaison for the AHCGuest: Aditri Singh, Intern for AHCFollow Horses In The Morning on FacebookFollow the American Horse Council on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter)Time Stamps:01:06 - Bush tracks explained03:00 - Guest introductions06:00 - Scale of bush tracks08:24 - Research and legal gaps12:16 - Disease spread and EIA16:00 - Impact on sanctioned racing19:01 - Agencies and strategy22:19 - Enforcement examples24:35 - Cultural and community angle25:30 - What listeners can do27:54 - Smart Equine sponsor + tariffs topic31:36 - Hay and live horse trade38:50 - Tariffs, prices, and wrap-up

Finding the government contracting decision maker before an RFP is posted is the difference between a reactive bid and a winning pursuit. In this episode, Randie Ward walks you through the exact research process she uses to identify program managers, contracting officers, and end users at target agencies long before a solicitation ever hits SAM.gov. If you've been waiting for the RFP to drop before you start your outreach, this episode will change how you run your pipeline. How to use Acquisition Gateway to pull names from upcoming opportunities and identify the first person of interest at a target agency or office Why the small business liaison is your first line of defense and exactly how to frame your outreach when they don't respond The SAM.gov search technique that reveals whether a contracting officer regularly awards in your NAICS code, so you know which relationships are worth building How to cross-reference names from SAM.gov against LinkedIn to map the decision-making team at a specific office before any questions are allowed on an RFP Why govcon consultants log contracting officers by contract type across clients, and how that intelligence compounds into a repeatable business development system EPISODE CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Mindy AI intro and govcongiants.com ad spot 0:30 - Welcome to the Federal Help Center podcast with Eric Coffie 0:57 - Why pre-RFP relationship building wins more contracts 1:59 - How to find decision makers at your target agencies and offices 2:36 - Using Acquisition Gateway to identify names on upcoming opportunities 3:15 - Identifying SDVOSB set-aside contacts at the National Cemetery Administration 3:51 - Why the small business liaison is your first outreach point 4:36 - How to frame outreach when the small business person does not respond 5:05 - Searching LinkedIn to locate program managers and administration specialists 6:28 - Using SAM.gov to find contracting officers by NAICS code 7:03 - How to confirm a contracting officer's contract history and NAICS patterns 7:43 - Why consultants log decision makers across clients for long-term BD leverage 8:05 - Closing and join the Federal Help Center community Mindy gives you the federal opportunities, agency signals, recompete intel, and pursuit briefs that tell you not just what contracts exist, but which ones to chase and how to win them. Sign up for free Daily Alerts and get opportunities delivered to your inbox before the day starts.

Delve into the shadowy world of unsanctioned "bush track" racing and the significant risks it poses to horse welfare, jockey safety, and the broader U.S. equine industry. Julie Broadway is joined by AHC Legislative Affairs specialist Amanda Kadilak and intern Aditri Singh to discuss their multi-year investigation into these illicit operations. Additionally, this month's legislative report explores how current trade policies and tariffs are directly impacting the economic landscape for horse owners and businesses.HORSES IN THE MORNING Episode 3963 –Show Notes and Links:Your Hosts: Julie Broadway (President) and Emily Stearns (Health, Welfare, and Regulatory Affairs Liaison) of the American Horse CouncilSponsors: Populous and SmartEquineSubscribe to the American Horse Council Podcast - Search American Horse Council Podcast on your podcast player.Guest: Amanda Kadilak, Government Affairs Liaison for the AHCGuest: Aditri Singh, Intern for AHCFollow Horses In The Morning on FacebookFollow the American Horse Council on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter)Time Stamps:01:06 - Bush tracks explained03:00 - Guest introductions06:00 - Scale of bush tracks08:24 - Research and legal gaps12:16 - Disease spread and EIA16:00 - Impact on sanctioned racing19:01 - Agencies and strategy22:19 - Enforcement examples24:35 - Cultural and community angle25:30 - What listeners can do27:54 - Smart Equine sponsor + tariffs topic31:36 - Hay and live horse trade38:50 - Tariffs, prices, and wrap-up

Host: Lalo Solorzano, Denise Smalls-Altagracia Published: June 2, 2026 Length: 20:17 Presented by: Global Training Center Summary In this Simply Trade Tips episode, Lalo Solorzano and Denise Smalls-Altagracia break down one of the most important but often misunderstood parts of U.S. import compliance: Partner Government Agencies, or PGAs. While many importers focus mainly on CBP, duties, tariffs, and broker filings, Denise explains why customs clearance is often much bigger than paperwork and duty payments. PGAs regulate the products themselves, covering areas such as public health, safety, agriculture, environmental standards, transportation, and security. That means an entry may look correct from a customs perspective but still be delayed, detained, or refused if agency-specific requirements are missed. Denise also highlights common agencies importers may encounter, including FDA, USDA, APHIS, EPA, and CPSC, and explains why documentation, product classification, and early planning are essential. This episode matters because PGA compliance directly affects speed, predictability, cost control, and supply chain reliability. Importers who understand agency requirements before shipments move are far better positioned to avoid costly surprises and keep trade moving. Main Topic / Discussion This episode focuses on Partner Government Agencies and their role in the import process. Lalo and Denise explain that CBP may serve as the primary border authority, but PGAs are the subject matter experts that determine whether certain products meet U.S. requirements and can legally enter commerce. The discussion covers what PGAs are, why they matter, which agencies importers commonly encounter, what documentation may be required, and how PGA compliance should be treated as a business function rather than a last-minute customs task. Key Takeaways • PGAs are federal agencies that work with CBP to regulate specific imported products. • Import compliance is not only about duties, tariffs, and customs paperwork. • Agencies such as FDA, USDA, APHIS, EPA, and CPSC may require additional documentation or review depending on the product. • Missing or inaccurate PGA information can lead to delays, detention, refusal, penalties, or supply chain disruption. • Strong PGA compliance improves shipment speed, predictability, cost control, and business reputation. • Companies should identify agency requirements before purchase orders are issued or goods are shipped. Resources & Mentions • Global Training Center • Lalo Solorzano on LinkedIn • Denise Smalls-Altagracia on LinkedIn • Import Training Courses from Global Training Center Credits Host: Lalo Solorzano – LinkedIn Denise Smalls-Altagracia – LinkedIn Producer: Lalo Solorzano

In a marketing landscape shaped by lean teams, rising expectations, and an ever-expanding stack of AI tools, many leaders are asking the same question: do agencies still have a role to play? In this episode, Galen Low sits down with Tammy Valentine, President of LuckyTamm Marketing Group, to explore how boutique agencies are evolving in the age of AI—and why human expertise, trust, and collaboration still matter.Together, they unpack where AI genuinely adds value, where it falls short, and how marketing leaders can build stronger agency partnerships that help them achieve more with less. Along the way, they share practical lessons on experimentation, brand trust, onboarding, and the fundamentals that continue to drive marketing success regardless of technology shifts.Resources from this episode:Join the Digital Project Manager CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Tammy on LinkedInVisit LuckyTamm

Episode 221: Automate Your Lead Generation with our FREE online course: https://go.digitaltrailblazer.com/auto-leads-course-freeWithout strong testimonials and case studies, online business owners are forced to rely solely on their own claims to make sales — a much harder and slower path to conversions, especially with higher-ticket offers.In this episode, Preston Zeller teaches us how to build a powerful library of social proof by conducting structured video interviews with past clients, how to reach out in a personalized way that gets a "yes," the three types of testimonials and which ones actually move buyers, and how to extract compelling before-and-after stories even when results are hard to quantify.About Preston Zeller: Preston is a faith-tech founder, growth executive, documentary filmmaker, and abstract artist with 15 years of experience scaling companies from $25M to $300M ARR. As founder of Psalmlog, he's building an AI-powered biblical guidance app that helps believers find relevant Scripture for any life situation. His growth expertise includes serving as Chief Growth Officer at BatchService, leading digital marketing at A Cloud Guru (acquired by Pluralsight for $2B), and contributing to ZoomInfo's IPO.Preston is also the creator of the documentary The Art of Grieving (2022), which follows his year-long journey of painting daily after the sudden loss of his brother. The film has won Best Documentary at multiple festivals and is available on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and Tubi.Connect with Preston:https://prestonzeller.com https://linkedin.com/in/prestonzellerWant to SCALE your online business bigger and faster without the endless hustle of networking, referrals, and pumping out content that nobody sees?Grab our Ultimate Ad Script for Coaches, Agencies, and Course Creators.Learn the exact 5-step script we teach our clients that allows them to generate targeted, high-quality leads at ultra-low cost, so you can land paying customers and clients without breaking the bank on ad spend.Grab the Ultimate Ad Script right HERE - https://join.digitaltrailblazer.com/ultimate-ad-script✅ Connect With Us:Website - https://DigitalTrailblazer.comFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/digitaltrailblazerTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@digitaltrailblazerX (Twitter): https://x.com/DgtlTrailblazerInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/DigitalTrailblazer

In dieser Folge spricht Arno Langbehn auf den 10. Hamburger Kosmetiktagen mit Dr. Stephanie Reinhart (Rechtsanwältin und Partnerin der Kanzlei REINHART Rechtsanwälte) über die aktuellen rechtlichen Entwicklungen, auf die sich die Lebensmittelbranche einstellen muss. Vom Trend, Humankosmetik künftig auch als Tierkosmetik zu vermarkten, über den Status der Green Claims Directive und die Umsetzung der EmpCo-Richtlinie bis hin zur neuen Verpackungsverordnung (PPWR) und dem erweiterten Bezeichnungsschutz für Fleischprodukte – Dr. Reinhart ordnet ein, was rechtlich verbindlich wird und wo Auslegungsspielräume bleiben. Für Fachleute aus Lebensmittelrecht, Qualitätsmanagement und Produktentwicklung ein kompakter Überblick über die Themen, die Hersteller und Wettbewerber in den kommenden Monaten beschäftigen werden. Die wichtigsten Themen dieser Folge: Human- als Tierkosmetik: Warum Kosmetikfirmen Produkte wie Shampoos zunehmend auch für Haustiere vermarkten – und welche rechtliche Lücke entsteht, weil die Vorschriften für Humankosmetik auf Tierkosmetika nicht anwendbar sind (Stichwort Sicherheit, Zusammensetzung, Kennzeichnung und Gefahrensymbole). Green Claims Directive & EmpCo-Richtlinie: Die Green Claims Directive liegt derzeit auf Eis, während die EmpCo-Richtlinie bereits neue Definitionen und Vorgaben zu Umweltaussagen bringt – anwendbar ab dem 27. September 2026, mit Auswirkungen vor allem auf Nachhaltigkeitssiegel und das UWG. Aufbrauchfristen & Wettbewerb: Warum es keine Aufbrauchfristen gibt, wie sich Behörden voraussichtlich verhalten und weshalb das eigentliche Risiko in wettbewerbsrechtlichen Auseinandersetzungen liegen könnte. PPWR – die neue Verpackungsverordnung: Konformitätsbewertung und -erklärung, erweiterte Herstellerverantwortung, besorgniserregende Stoffe (PFAS, Schwermetalle) sowie das Minimierungsgebot mit der 50-Prozent-Leerraumgrenze – inklusive der Frage nach dem „erforderlichen Mindestmaß". Bezeichnungsschutz Veggie/Vegan: Der Kompromiss beim Bezeichnungsschutz – warum der Veggie-Burger zulässig bleibt, während Bezeichnungen für Fleischstücke wie Steak und Filet künftig geschützt werden. Artikel-8-Verfahren: Was hinter dem Verfahren der Anreicherungsverordnung steckt, warum Pflanzenstoffe im Fokus stehen und welche Rolle die Liste der Heads of Agencies bei der Prüfung möglicher besorgniserregender Stoffe spielt. Timestamps für Schnellhörer: 02:03 – Human- als Tierkosmetik: neues Marktsegment und die rechtliche Lücke 03:30 – Green Claims auf Warteschleife: Verknüpfung mit der EmpCo-Richtlinie 05:14 – Aufbrauchfristen, Behördenpraxis und das Wettbewerbsrisiko 07:34 – PPWR: Konformität, Herstellerverantwortung und Anwendungsfristen 09:30 – Minimierungsprinzip und die Frage nach dem erforderlichen Mindestmaß 11:22 – Veggie/Vegan: Bezeichnungsschutz für Fleischstücke und der gefundene Kompromiss 12:44 – Das Artikel-8-Verfahren und die Liste der Heads of Agencies Unsere Expertin: Dr. Stephanie Reinhart Rechtsanwältin & Partnerin der REINHART Rechtsanwälte Partnerschaft mbB, München E-Mail: info@reinhart.legal

CMS has paused new home health and hospice Medicare applications nationwide — and if your senior living organization was planning to start, acquire, or expand a home health agency, this could change your timeline fast.In this episode of Senior Living Executive Strategy, Melissa Brown sits down with Devin Kasey, Vice President of Home Health Operations at Gravity Consulting, to break down what the new CMS home health and hospice moratorium means, what providers should do right now, and why waiting until the moratorium lifts could put your organization months behind. If your organization needs help with home health strategy, startup planning, operations, reimbursement, or acquisition due diligence, visit Gravity Consulting here: https://gravityconsulting.comIn this episode, we cover:• What the CMS home health and hospice moratorium means • Why the pause applies nationwide • What to do if you had not submitted your 855A before the deadline • Why state licensure and startup preparation should continue • How to prepare now so you can submit quickly when the moratorium lifts • What providers already in the queue should focus on next • How the moratorium affects home health mergers and acquisitions • Why accreditation may help providers move faster once applications reopenFor senior living leaders, this episode is especially important because home health is becoming a more strategic part of the senior living continuum. The moratorium may slow the Medicare application process, but it does not mean your organization should stop preparing.Subscribe to Senior Living Executive Strategy for more conversations on senior living operations, home health, skilled nursing, reimbursement, growth, and executive strategy.Learn more about Gravity Consulting: https://gravityconsulting.com#SeniorLiving #HomeHealth #Hospice #CMS #SkilledNursing #HealthcareLeadership #HomeHealthStartup #SeniorLivingStrategy #GravityConsultingSupport the show

Agencies will soon be able to pay as much as $400,000 a year to certain employees with skillsets in the national security sector. President Donald Trump told the Office of Personnel Management on Friday to establish new regulations to pay experts in specific fields related to supply chain resilience, secure access to critical minerals and advanced technologies and advance priority investment programs essential to our national defense and economic security. The memo says this increase in the top line pay for these positions is necessary to advance the rapid recruitment of the exceptionally skilled investment, engineering, financial and legal professionals needed to expand the nation's capacity.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Automation alone does not create a scalable insurance agency. Clear leadership, documented workflows, and behavior-driven systems are what make automation actually work. Daniel Metcalf and Mike Stromsoe break down why many agencies struggle to adopt automation successfully and how leaders can build systems that improve efficiency, reduce operational drag, and create sustainable growth without overwhelming their teams. Through real agency examples, they share practical ways to align automation with team behaviors, strengthen accountability, and unlock more time across sales, service, and operations.Key Topics:Why unclear workflows and poor accountability cause automation to failThe importance of leadership adoption and “AI Fridays” for agency growthHow documented processes create consistency and scalabilityThe three automation areas that create the greatest time savingsWhy service teams benefit from batching work instead of constant firefightingHow automation can reduce “swivel chair” work and unnecessary handoffsThe role of behaviors in designing effective workflows and systemsWhy agencies should build processes around people instead of software featuresHow AI and automation are changing customer and employee expectationsThe importance of aligning technology, workflows, and team culture for long-term growthConnect with Daniel:LinkedInWebsiteConnect with Mike: LinkedIn TwitterSuccessful automation is never just about the software. Agencies that scale effectively focus on leadership adoption, clear workflows, accountability, and behaviors that support long-term growth. When teams reduce operational friction and build systems that actually fit the way people work, automation becomes a powerful tool for increasing efficiency, improving service, and creating a business that can grow without constant overwhelm.

AI (we may have ranted a little) - Working with Private Investigators - Responding to Calls from other Agencies - MORE! Policing & the Community - Cold/Active Cases - Safety Tips - Famous/Infamous Cases - Special Guests AND all Wrapped in Entertainment and Stories! Share us with your friends - leave us reviews - help us spread the word! - Hosted by Clint Powell and David Roddy Powered by: https://www.kubotaofchattanooga.com/ Sponsored by: 1st Lead U Podcast - www.1stleadu.com Optimize U Chattanooga - https://optimizeucenters.com/locations/chattanooga-tennessee/ (Welcome to our NEW sponsor) Signal Investigations: https://www.signalpi.com/ ===== THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: (Welcome to our NEW sponsor) Signal Investigations: https://www.signalpi.com/ Nutrition World: https://nutritionw.com/ Vascular Institute of Chattanooga: https://www.vascularinstituteofchattanooga.com/ The Barn Nursery: https://www.barnnursery.com/ Optimize U Chattanooga: https://optimizeunow.com/chattanooga/ Guardian Investment Advisors: https://giaplantoday.com/ Alchemy Medspa and Wellness Center: http://www.alchemychattanooga.com/ Our House Studio: https://ourhousestudiosinc.com/ Team Montieth Real Estate - Lori Montieth: https://www.findchattanoogarealestate.com/ Ballinger and Associates - Risk Management: https://ballingerandassociates.com/ AirSpace Acoustics: https://www.airspaceacoustics.com/ BWELL4EVER: Labs and IV Therapies: https://www.bwell4ever.org/ ALL THINGS JEFF STYLES: www.thejeffstyles.com PART OF THE NOOGA PODCAST NETWORK: www.noogapodcasts.com Please consider leaving us a review on Apple and giving us a share to your friends! This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

In this episode of Insurance Shoptalk, Eric Stein sits down with Jake Cash, founder of CynrX Group and former marketing leader at GEICO, to discuss what insurance agencies need to do to grow in today's rapidly changing marketing environment. Drawing from his experience managing large-scale insurance marketing campaigns and helping hundreds of agencies grow their books of business, Jake shares practical insights on lead generation, marketing systems, retention, automation, and the growing role of AI in agency operations. The conversation dives into how agencies can create more sustainable growth by reducing dependence on any one carrier, producer, vendor, platform, or marketing channel. Eric and Jake also discuss the importance of backend automations, speed-to-lead, differentiated messaging, retention strategy, and how AI tools are helping agencies streamline content, communication, and operational workflows without losing the human element that clients still expect. If you're an agency owner looking to improve your marketing strategy, modernize your processes, and build a more resilient business, this episode is packed with actionable ideas and practical takeaways. #InsuranceShopTalk #InsuranceMarketing #CommercialInsurance #AgencyGrowth #Insurtech #AIinInsurance #LeadGeneration #InsuranceAgency #DigitalMarketing #InsuranceSales

Julius Korfgen, Co-Founder von Uplane, spricht im "Marketing From Zero To One" Podcast über seinen persönlichen Lebensweg vom Fashion-Startup Unternehmer zu Schulzeiten über seine Zeit als Founders Associate bei Enpal bis zur Gründung seines KI-Startups Uplane. Im Mittelpunkt steht die Idee, Performance Marketing durch KI massiv zu automatisieren: von der Erstellung und Optimierung von Ads bis hin zu personalisierten Landingpages und datengetriebenen Kampagnen. Außerdem geht es um die frühen Vertriebserfolge über LinkedIn, die Bewerbung und Aufnahme bei Y Combinator, seinen bevorstehenden Umzug nach San Francisco und um die Frage, wie KI aktuell Marketing-Agenturen, Unternehmensstrukturen und Produktentwicklung verändert. 04:19 - Erste unternehmerische Schritte & FREISCHWIMMER 06:51 - Rocket Startup in Kopenhagen & Responsibly 08:26 - Virales T-Shirt & erster Durchbruch 09:20 - Studium in Maastricht & Nebenprojekte 11:07 - Familie, Kreativität & Unternehmertum 12:03 - Einstieg bei Enpal & Hypergrowth 14:16 - Entstehung der Uplane-Idee bei Enpal 16:38 - Die Grundidee hinter Uplane 19:09 - Erste Ads, KPIs & Marketing-Experimente 20:10 - Erste Kunden & Startphase von Uplane 22:44 - Erste Vertriebserfolge 24:46 - Pilotkunden & Vertrauensaufbau 26:11 - KI, Daten & schnelle Marketingzyklen 28:15 - Bewerbung beim Y Combinator 31:13 - YC-Interview & Zusage 34:05 - Funding & Umzug nach San Francisco 36:07 - Launch-Video & erste große Aufmerksamkeit 37:32 - Zielgruppen, Startups & Enterprise-Kunden 39:55 - Markenführung & Brand-Compliance mit KI 42:07 - Schnelles Wachstum & erste Enterprise-Cases 42:57 - Service Company vs. Software Company 44:19 - Managed Growth & Enterprise Software 47:26 - Vertrieb, LinkedIn & Account-Based-Marketing 49:11 - KI im Unternehmen & interne Prozesse 50:28 - Brand-Compliance & Grenzen generativer KI 51:50 - Daten, Feedback-Loops & Marketing-Optimierung 53:33 - KI-gestützte Produktentwicklung & Coding 55:29 - YC-Mindset & großes Denken 58:23 - Umzug in die USA & neue Wachstumsphase 58:55 - Namensfindung & Entstehung von Uplane 01:00:29 - KI-Agenten, Automatisierung & Zukunft der Arbeit 01:03:22 - Eigene KI-Tools & tägliche Nutzung 01:03:45 - Arbeitsalltag, Produktivität & Routinen 01:05:19 - Abschluss & Ausblick

America's foster care crisis is serious for nearly 400,000 kids who rely on the system. In the latest episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay looks into the shortage of licensed foster homes – and the wide range of agencies and nonprofit organizations who offer help navigating what can be a complicated system. The post How A Wide Range Of Agencies Are Tackling The Foster Care Crisis, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

In this episode of the Marketing Boost Solutions Podcast, Capt. Marco Torres sits down with Chris Pistorius, founder of Kickstart Dental Marketing, to uncover one of the biggest mistakes businesses make when trying to grow: focusing on getting more leads instead of fixing the systems that convert them.Chris reveals why many dental practices and service-based businesses are operating with what he calls a “Leaky Bucket,” spending heavily on ads while silently losing revenue through missed calls, poor follow-up, broken systems, and weak customer experiences. With over 17 years in digital marketing, Chris breaks down what actually drives predictable growth in today's competitive market and why conversion matters more than traffic.From AI search optimization and follow-up strategies to customer experience and scalable systems, this conversation is packed with practical insights, hard truths, and no-BS strategies every business owner needs to hear. This isn't just for dentists, it's for any service-based ⏱ Timestamps00:00 – Meet Chris Pistorius 02:14 – The biggest lie in dental marketing05:41 – What is the “Leaky Bucket” problem? 09:26 – Why businesses lose revenue after leads come in 13:52 – Missed calls, poor follow-up & broken systems 18:37 – Why conversion matters more than traffic 23:08 – The power of the 7-touch follow-up rule 27:54 – AI search, ChatGPT & the future of marketing 33:11 – Website mistakes costing businesses customers 38:26 – Building predictable, measurable growth

Episode 220: Automate Your Lead Generation with our FREE online course: https://go.digitaltrailblazer.com/auto-leads-course-freeRunning paid ads without a profitable funnel structure is one of the fastest ways to burn through your budget — leaving coaches, course creators, and agency owners frustrated with little to show for it. Without the right offer architecture and ad strategy, most business owners either lose money on ads or attract low-quality leads that never convert to high-ticket clients.In this episode, Paul Meldrum teaches us how to build a self-liquidating funnel where your leads essentially pay for themselves. He breaks down the difference between low-ticket and high-ticket offer strategies, why your lead magnet must solve a specific problem (not mirror your main offer), how ad frequency impacts conversions, and how to structure your front-end offers to naturally lead prospects toward your premium programs.About Paul Meldrum: Paul has spent 21+ years building acquisition, delivery, and operational systems for fitness, coaching, and service-based businesses. His work across thousands of clients has earned him industry recognition, including Personal Trainer of the Year (2005/2006) and the Clinical Excellence Award from the Australian Sports Kinesiology Institute.Today, Paul runs Ascend Collective, where he helps trainers, coaches, and service-based business owners turn their skills into scalable systems — building real businesses with predictable revenue and no reliance on hype or shortcuts.Get Paul's free gift here: https://www.ascendcollective.com.au/Connect with Paul:https://www.facebook.com/paul.meldrum.7 https://www.instagram.com/thepaulmeldrumWant to SCALE your online business bigger and faster without the endless hustle of networking, referrals, and pumping out content that nobody sees?Grab our Ultimate Ad Script for Coaches, Agencies, and Course Creators.Learn the exact 5-step script we teach our clients that allows them to generate targeted, high-quality leads at ultra-low cost, so you can land paying customers and clients without breaking the bank on ad spend.Grab the Ultimate Ad Script right HERE - https://join.digitaltrailblazer.com/ultimate-ad-script✅ Connect With Us:Website - https://DigitalTrailblazer.comFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/digitaltrailblazerTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@digitaltrailblazerX (Twitter): https://x.com/DgtlTrailblazerInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/DigitalTrailblazer

In this episode, we sit down with brand strategist and verbal identity specialist Emily Penny to unpack the growing challenge of differentiation in an increasingly saturated market. Learn more at https://justcreative.com/podcast Emily is the creator of the Fully Saturated report and founder of a micro studio focused on positioning and voice. Together, we explore why so many agencies struggle to stand out, what strong positioning actually looks like today, and how agencies can build relevance in an AI-enabled world. We discuss: • Why agency positioning often falls flat • The real meaning of “fully saturated” • How verbal identity creates distinction • The role of personality and point of view • What agencies can offer that AI can't • How micro studios and modern agencies can stay valuable Whether you're a strategist, designer, consultant, or agency founder, this conversation will challenge how you think about differentiation, positioning, and the future of creative businesses. Grab the report @ https://fully-saturated.com/ Use code: LASTCHANCE for 75% off Now only £95. Ends: 30th June 2026

In this episode of the DecaMillionaire Decoded podcast, host Justin Goodbread tackles a major statistical contradiction in the financial services industry: while the vast majority of advisors claim to specialize in high-net-worth clients, very few actually narrow their focus enough to achieve rapid scale. He explains to scale an advisory practice successfully, the business model must be designed entirely around a single, highly refined target avatar. Your practice's systems, messaging, and future value depend heavily on this strategic clarity. Avatar Builder: https://relentlessvaluecoaching.com/avatar-builder-page Relentless AI Toolkit: https://tools.relentlessvaluecoaching.com/ Learn more about Relentless Value Coaching:  https://www.justingoodbread.com/coaching/ DecaMillionaire Decoded on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JustinGoodbread

The House Appropriations Committee wants to reduce EPA's budget for fiscal 2027 by $1.8 billion or 20%. At the same time as part of the Interior, Environment and related agencies spending bill, lawmakers are increasing funding for the Interior Department by almost $700 million. The funding bill also supports President Trump's effort to unify Interior firefighting entities and cuts funding for climate programs. Additionally, the bill would reduce funding for the Smithsonian Institution, the National Gallery of Art and the National Endowment for the Humanities.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Senate Republicans cancel floor debate and votes on a $70 billion immigration agencies package known as the Budget Reconciliation bill because of concerns among Republicans about who would qualify to receive compensation under President Trump's $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund; President announces a rollback of environmental regulations on greenhouse gas releasing refrigerants, he says, to lower grocery costs by reducing costs on supermarkets & transportation companies; Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) is asked about President Trump endorsing his primary opponent Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R); Democratic National Committee releasing a report on why the party lost the 2024 presidential election, along with a disclaimer that the DNC 'cannot independently verify the claims presented.' We will talk about it with Dan Merica, co-anchor of the Washington Post Early Brief (16); House Republican leaders delay a vote on an Iran War Powers Act resolution offered by Democrats to force the President to end the war; House defeats a National Women's History Museum bill. Many Democrats opposed it because the bill specifically excludes transgender women from being represented in the exhibits; Justice Department announces Medicaid fraud indictments in Minnesota; actor Noah Wyle rallies on Capitol Hill on behalf of health care workers; National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration are predicting a below-normal Atlantic hurricane season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The SAGA Agency AI Survey results are in, and small agency owners are feeling great about AI. Maybe too great. In this episode, Chip and Gini dig into the numbers and find the gap between how owners think they’re using AI and the reality of what's happening inside their businesses. The headline figures look impressive: 89% of respondents report regular or widespread AI use, 74% use it daily, and 88% say they’ve seen productivity gains. But Chip isn’t buying it. He questions whether the sample skews toward early adopters, or more likely, whether agency owners simply don’t have a clear enough picture of what “good” AI use looks like elsewhere. When 53% say they’re ahead of their peers but only 13% say they’re behind, the math doesn’t work. As Gini puts it, they’re probably grading themselves on usage habits, not operational depth. Next, Chip and Gini look at what agencies are actually doing with AI. Most activity falls squarely into what Chip calls “generative AI 101” — drafting emails, writing social posts, generating blog content. The more interesting stuff is largely absent. AI-assisted design work barely registers. Only 74% are even using AI to revise or edit content, a number both hosts find inexplicable given how easy and useful that is. Gini’s own example of running an article through an AP style agent before sending it to a notoriously precise editor at PR Daily illustrates exactly the kind of practical, low-friction habit that should be universal by now. Another data point they discuss is the disconnect between productivity gains and revenue. Agencies report getting faster, but their top-line numbers are flat or down. Gini’s read is that AI efficiency is getting absorbed into existing scope rather than converted into new value. Agencies are over-servicing clients at the same fees, filling freed time with more of the same work instead of building something new. On the pricing side, almost no one reported clients pushing for discounts tied to AI use. Instead of a reduction in cost, the larger enterprise clients are asking about data governance, usage policies, and procurement compliance. Chip advises unless your agency has the infrastructure to manage those requirements consistently, that’s a market best left to someone else. Key takeaways Chip Griffin: “There’s nothing in this data that suggests that there is widespread innovative use of it, widespread use of it for internal operations or for business development or any of those things.” Gini Dietrich: “AI is being absorbed into the existing scope. There’s silent commoditization so that clients are getting more for the same fees.” Chip Griffin: “Now is the time to experiment and figure out what works and what doesn’t when the cost of failure is much lower.” Gini Dietrich: “I don’t believe that AI is going to replace us. I believe that people who know how to use AI effectively are what’s going to replace you.” Resources Survey shows most owner-led agencies think they're ahead on AI. Most aren't. Related How agency owners can use AI as an always-on thought partner How AI impacts PR agencies and solos (featuring Karen Swim and Michelle Kane) Focus on AI value, not cost View Transcript The following is a computer-generated transcript. Please listen to the audio to confirm accuracy. Chip Griffin: Hello and welcome to another episode of the Agency Leadership Podcast. I’m Chip Griffin. Gini Dietrich: And I’m Gini Dietrich. Chip Griffin: And Gini, as, as we sit here on a Monday and record this, I am truly optimistic. I have published my planned photo schedule for the evenings this week, and despite the fact that- … it says it’s gonna rain Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, I still have games on that calendar, and I am optimistic that we will actually get those games in even though they don’t generally play baseball and softball in the rain. Gini Dietrich: I don’t know if that’s optimistic or masochistic. Chip Griffin: Oh. No, masochistic would be they were lacrosse games and I know they’re gonna be played in the rain, and I’m still looking forward to getting  wet while I take the photos. Gini Dietrich: And you’re still looking forward to it. Chip Griffin: No, I suspect if the forecast is what it is, I think it is highly unlikely that any of those games will be played. Gini Dietrich: Well, good, then you can be optimistic that you don’t have to go and shoot photos. Chip Griffin: There you go. Yeah. I can be optimistic to have some, some evenings to catch up on, on real work instead of- Gini Dietrich: That’s right. That’s right … Chip Griffin: photography. But- That’s right … optimism is kind of the theme of the day here though, because we have recently completed the SAGA Agency AI Survey, and it, it turns out that agency owners, to nobody’s surprise, are eternally optimistic, and they are astoundingly optimistic about AI, and how they’re using it and what it means for their businesses. Gini Dietrich: Yes, indeed. So I looked at the results, and that is my takeaway as well, is that they’re extremely optimistic. 89% have regular or widespread use, 74% use it every day, 89% expect AI use to grow over the next 12 months. And so, yes, it is very optimistic. 88% report productivity gains, and 79% report quality gains. Chip Griffin: It is amazing how much work AI is doing for agencies today. It is, it is frankly unbelievable, and I mean that literally. Gini Dietrich: Literally, yes. Chip Griffin: I do not believe it. Yeah. I have either stumbled across a sample of the earliest adopters who are most interested in AI and have really taken it the furthest, or more likely, people don’t really understand what’s out there and so therefore think they are further ahead than they are. Gini Dietrich: Yeah. I think it’s… Well, I mean, I will, I will say that the head of, the ahead of peers piece of it, so the data said that 53% believe that they’re somewhat or further ahead than their peers, and only 13% think they’re behind. That’s mathematically impossible. And so I think my take on it, and I’d love your take as well, is that they’re grading themselves on their usage and not on the operational depth of it. So for instance, they’re using ChatGPT every day as a habit, but they’re not operationalizing AI as a business model, and I think that 53% are confusing the two. Chip Griffin: Yeah, I mean, I, I think it’s probably a multitude of factors. I think part of it is that agency owners visualize a very low bar for their peers when it comes to AI. Gini Dietrich: Okay. Chip Griffin: And I, I think part of that is that people aren’t hearing a lot of examples of how agency, other agencies are using- Gini Dietrich: Sure … Chip Griffin: AI. They’re not as active as some of us may be in going out and seeing how other industries, similar industries are using AI and really testing the limits and understanding what’s possible. So I think part of it is that they don’t have an appropriate baseline to know whether they are indeed ahead or not because they’ve set the bar so low in their own minds. And I think that part of it is, you know, this point that if they’re just using it at all, they think that puts them ahead. Gini Dietrich: Yeah, I think that that’s what’s going on. I think that they’re, that they’re saying, “Well yeah, I use it every day.” And that’s, and that’s what makes them think that they’re ahead. Chip Griffin: Right. But I, I think as we dig in deeper and we look at how they’re actually using it, it’s pretty obvious that, that most of the usage by these owners is what I would call generative AI 101. Draft me an email. Yep. Help me create a blog post or a social post. Gini Dietrich: Yep. Chip Griffin: It is– There’s nothing in this data that suggests that there is widespread innovative use of it, widespread use of it for internal operations or for business development or any of those things. It really appears to be sort of the basics, sort of the things that people were talking about a year or two ago in terms of generative AI, and that seems to be where most of the activity and most of the stated value is. But even in those areas, there’s a good swath of agencies that aren’t even doing that. Gini Dietrich: Right. Chip Griffin: I think the, if I recall correctly, the number was only like 74% are using AI to help revise or edit content. It’s mind-boggling to me that that’s not almost 100%. Gini Dietrich: Yeah, I agree. Yes. Chip Griffin: Because it’s the easiest way to improve the quality of your content. Gini Dietrich: Yes, it is. Yes. Chip Griffin: So I just, I can’t even imagine not just saying, “Hey, take a quick look at this.” I mean, even if it’s just to proof it. Just take a look through- Right … make, make sure I haven’t- Right … missed anything obvious here, and you know. Right. Because anytime I run it through, it tends to find something. Gini Dietrich: Yep. Chip Griffin: So why aren’t you at least doing that? Gini Dietrich: Yeah, I mean, it’s funny you say that because we just submitted an article to PR Daily, and I know that Allison Carter is a huge, huge, huge, huge stickler for AP style. So I have an AP style agent, and I ran it through there, and it, I think it got five or six different things that I had missed. I was like, “Thank heaven.” Like, ’cause she, she will send it back. She’ll be like, “Nope.” I mean, huge stickler. So, and like, yes, to your point, like you should be using it for that, 100%. Chip Griffin: Yeah. I mean, that’s just– to, to me that’s a very basic use, but there are so many great things that you can do with it. I mean, the, the tiny percentage of people that are using it for anything design related- Gini Dietrich: Right. Yeah … was- It was almost 0%. Yeah. Yeah. It was, it was shocking to me- It was shocking, yep … Chip Griffin: that such a small percentage seem to be using it for that, at all. I mean, we didn’t say you’re using it for every image or every video or those kinds of… But if you’re not even experimenting with it- Gini Dietrich: Yeah … Chip Griffin: you’re missing a real opportunity because there’s a lot that you can do with it. Now, I don’t– you know, one of the things that, that I don’t know is, you know, what percentage of these people may not do this because they have the ethical concern, right? And I’ve, I’ve been at a few events recently and watched a few talks online where, you know, there, there’s, there is an, what I consider an unnatural resistance to AI because of use of electricity or- Gini Dietrich: Yeah Chip Griffin: or because of- Data centers and, yeah … concerns over copyright and that kind of stuff. And so it causes people to swear off the platforms and tools altogether, rather than saying, “Let’s try to find solutions to all of these things.” And l- and let’s face it, there are solutions being sought for all of it, whether it’s the electricity angle, whether it’s the copyright angle. There’s a lot of work being done in that area, and for individuals to just say, “No, I’m just, I’m not even gonna do this,” is extraordinarily shortsighted in my view. Gini Dietrich: Oh, 100%, yeah. I, I mean, I think we’ve both talked about this ad nauseam, that you should… I don’t believe that AI is going to replace us. I believe that people who know how to use AI effectively are, is what’s gonna replace you. So if you’re putting your head in the sand, you are, you will be replaced for sure. Chip Griffin: Yeah, absolutely. I, I think the other place that was interesting, and you flagged this in, in your pre-show notes, is that they’re reporting largely productivity gains, and yet revenue seems to be flat or declining. Doesn’t really match up. Gini Dietrich: Nope. Again, doesn’t work. AI’s making everyone faster at work, but it’s not growing the business. That is not what we’re trying to do. So what it tells us, right, is that AI is being absorbed into the existing scope There’s silent commoditization so that clients are getting more for the same less, for, for the same fees, so we’re, we’re over-servicing. We’re filling our freed hours with admin, more client servicing or more meetings, and more billable work on undifferentiated services rather than building anything scalable. So that’s what I think is happening, is all of the work, all of the AI that… All the work that AI is doing is being absorbed into existing services, into existing fees, and we’re over-servicing rather than building new product lines or new service lines. Chip Griffin: Yeah, and there are so many opportunities for agencies to truly be innovative and to find these new things that it seems to me that, that any agency owner should be thinking about that and not so much just, you know, “How can we incrementally improve productivity? How can we make sure that we’re claiming we’re ahead of the rest of the pack?” How can you actually make a difference for your business for the long term? Because there is, there is huge runway to be had here, and now is the time to be experimenting when costs are much more reasonable than they are likely to be in the not-too-distant future. I can’t put a particular timeline on it- Yep but it is, is blatantly obvious that the cost of all of these tools is going to go up. Gini Dietrich: Yep … Chip Griffin: as it has with everything else. I mean, I remember the early days of the land grab of Google Ads, and I built an entire business on the back of really cheap Google ads in the early days. And those same ads that I got for pennies back twenty-five now are twenty dollars or more per click for the exact same search terms. And so the, these costs are going to increase. Now is the time to experiment and figure out what works and what doesn’t when the cost of failure is much lower. Gini Dietrich: Yeah, I mean, I think you’re right. Like, the cost of failure is lower. The risk to failure is lower. Like, it’s… And it’s actually fun. You know, I did an, a webinar for IABC last week, and I showed them the PESO Model diagnostic that we just launched, and people were like, “How did you do this?” And I’m like, “I vibe coded it.” Like, I did it. Right. I was like, “Here’s what I want. Here’s what I want it to do,” and it took two or three iterations for me to get it exactly right, and there will be a version two because now that I’m seeing people take it, I’m like, “Oh, okay, we should change that question or move this around.” Like, right? But I launched a version one out there just to see, and we’re getting data from it. I get all of the data, which is fantastic. I can see where people sit in the PESO Model maturity ladder. You don’t have to have a copyright like I have with the PESO Model. You can absolutely do… Like, we just vibe coded an ROI calculator for our lead nurturing program for, you know, prospects. Here’s an ROI calculator. Here’s the four things that we hear prospects say they have challenges with. Here’s how much we think it… Like, and you can move the numbers around, and you can toggle things. We vibe coded that. Right. We didn’t have to hire a developer for it. We did it internally, and it was super fun to work on as a team. So there’s so many things that you can do. Chip Griffin: That really there’s no shortage, and there are plenty of people out there who are sharing different ideas- Yes … and so the inspiration that you can take- Gini Dietrich: Yes. Yes … Chip Griffin: from others is immense. Gini Dietrich: Yes. Chip Griffin: But I, but I do worry that, you know, that this survey sort of reinforces what you and I have talked about which is that, that there’s not enough awareness and incentive apparently amongst agency owners to be pursuing these paths, and it does seem to be much more of a complacent attitude towards the use of AI in their businesses. I will say, it, I mean, at least it is… I was encouraged by the fact that agencies do not seem to be seeing clients calling up and saying, “Hey, we wanna cut your fee.” So that’s- Yep. Yeah, that’s good. Yep … that’s, that’s been a widespread fear- Yep … but it was- Yep … the, the data was quite clear that that is not something that is happening at least at the moment. We obviously don’t know whether clients are just deciding to do things on their own internally, and so, you know, maybe agencies are losing renewals or pitches to internal use of AI. Didn’t ask that question in particular. Maybe for a follow-up on somewhere down the road, that would be a good follow-up question. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. But honestly, I was a little surprised that, that there didn’t seem to be any direct pricing pressure, at least from AI from clients. Gini Dietrich: Yeah, and I will, I mean, focus group of one, I will agree with that. One of the things that we are seeing is not pricing pressure, but we work with big companies, and going through procurement, which is always fun, the questions that we’re getting are, “How are you using AI? What environments do you use? How are you protecting our data? You know, how will you use this specific data?” So they, they ask those really specific questions, and we have to outline exactly what we’re going to do, and we can’t stray from that. So if something comes along six months from now that will improve it or make it better, we have to go back and revise sort of the AI policy that we’ve created with them with procurement. But that’s what we’re seeing so that it’s less about you should charge us less and more about we wanna know exactly what you’re doing with our information so that we can protect it, and we can firewall it and do all of the things that we need to do to make sure that it stays safe. Chip Griffin: Yeah, and the largest enterprise clients are always more worried about that stuff than anybody else. Of course. And so if- Of course … you know, as, as we’ve talked about before, if that’s a market you’re gonna play in, then you need to understand the impact not just on AI but other things. You need to price accordingly for that headache. And more importantly to your point about, you know, making sure that you don’t make a change six months from now that, that it violates the agreement, that, you know, it’s, it’s important that you have the infrastructure in place to manage those kinds of accounts. Which is, you know, these are all just more reasons why I would encourage most smaller agencies to steer clear of these because while they, they sound like great opportunities- … they come with a whole lot of extra headaches- Oh, yes … that you’re probably not- Gini Dietrich: Yes … Chip Griffin: thinking about. And if you’ve never had to experience it directly yourself, you have a, a real good chance of stepping in something somewhere along the way because you, you didn’t set up and you didn’t make sure that everything you do gets vetted by somebody who is familiar with the contract terms. Yeah. Which in a small agency is probably you, the owner, and do you- Yeah … really wanna be- Yep … filtering all of that kind of stuff? Gini Dietrich: Yeah. Yeah. Chip Griffin: Go ahead. Gini Dietrich: Oh, I was just gonna say, there’s also the, which we started to talk about, but 99, 98% are using AI in client work, 13% put it in contracts, 15% charge for it, 61% have no plans to charge, and you mentioned that 88% haven’t had a client ask for a discount. Chip Griffin: Yeah, I mean, I guess this is an area where I had less concern, honestly, because, I think that I, I’m not sure I would agree that agencies should be charging for AI explicitly. I think it should be creating new value that you can charge for. Gini Dietrich: Yes. Yes. Chip Griffin: But I, you know, one of the reasons why I put that question in there was because I was actually a little concerned that agencies might be explicitly trying to charge- Gini Dietrich: Interesting Chip Griffin: for some of these AI tools, and I, and I think that you shouldn’t because to me that’s like, you know, charging specifically for a freelancer or something like that. You, you need to be in a position where you’re focused on what are you producing in terms of deliverables, results, et cetera, for the client, and not the mechanics of how you get there. Because if you get into the, the space where you’re charging for the tools or for the use of AI, it takes away some of your flexibility in the future- Gini Dietrich: Mm-hmm … Chip Griffin: to either earn a greater profit or shift how you’re just doing things operationally or any of those kinds of things. So I’m actually not a fan of calling it out specifically, but it should create additional value for you- Yeah that you can charge for that. Gini Dietrich: Yes. Chip Griffin: I, I don’t- my guess is that people looked at it as a more direct are you charging for AI itself, and- Yeah … and so I was actually happy that there wasn’t a lot of that. Gini Dietrich: Yeah, I would agree with that. You know, I think if you think about using AI to create new service lines, to create new opportunities- And really, I’m, I’m sure that every single person listening to this has a list of things they’ve always wanted to do. Our ROI calculator’s a great example of that. The PESO model diagnostic is another one. Like, I have probably four pages in my notebook of things that I would love to try at some point. This makes it accessible. You can do it yourself. You don’t have to wait until you can hire a developer. You don’t have to wait if you wanna build an app. You don’t have to wait until you can afford to hire an app developer. You can actually do this on your own. Will it be perfect? Will it be, you know, as great as, as if you hired a developer? No. But taking it out there as a beta test or a version one, absolutely you can do that, and test it out and see if it works, see if your idea has legs and has merit. And then use that to generate some income that then eventually you would hire a professional to help you repackage it and make it beautiful. Chip Griffin: Yeah, because I mean, you know, a lot of people are vibe coding apps and that kind of thing, and, and it is, it’s great that it gets you there, and it’s great that it, it’s causing you to expand your horizons. I think people do need to keep in mind that maintaining these applications over time- Yeah … requires a little bit more effort than- Yeah … than I think some people realize. Yeah … I’ve seen plenty of people vibe code these apps and be like, “Oh, cool. We’re all done.” Well, yeah, but if you’re gonna have a lot of users on it over time, there are gonna be hiccups. People are gonna do things that, that you don’t imagine. So if it’s something simple- Gini Dietrich: And I saw on Reddit yesterday that somebody had vibe coded an app and, and took it to, like, 40 people to beta test it, and it worked so well that it was costing him a significant amount of money- Yeah … to keep it going and he was like, “I don’t know what to do.” So there are those pieces of it, too, but I think just experimenting with some of your ideas, AI can help you do that for sure. Chip Griffin: Yeah, and if you can get to the proof of concept stage, that at least opens the door- Yeah … for you to, to begin to think through a rational business model for it. But you know, you, if you don’t even experiment, then you’re never gonna have that opportunity. And that brings us to the last point that I wanted to raise from the survey, which is this, the disconnect between how owners perceive their own capabilities with AI and their team’s capabilities- Mm-hmm … with AI. Gini Dietrich: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Chip Griffin: And owners, their optimism, extends very much to themselves, and they see them as at the – themselves as at the leading edge of AI, with their teams lagging behind. Not incompetent or inept or anything like that, but it was, I think it was 84% of owners rated themselves as moderately or very knowledgeable about AI, and 61% of their team as the same. So obviously a meaningful difference between those two. I think that, that 84% is extraordinarily generous scoring for the owners in terms of their knowledge of AI because I have conversations with a lot of owners. I would describe very, very few as very knowledgeable- And a small percentage as moderately knowledgeable. I think slightly knowledgeable is where I would put more- Gini Dietrich: Yes, I would agree with that … Chip Griffin: at least if we’re not grading on a curve. If we’re, if we’re grading on, you know, comparison to other similar professionals, I, I just don’t see small agencies as a place where AI today, at least, is thriving. Gini Dietrich: Yeah. I totally agree with that, and like you, I mean, I’m not so much in the coaching business anymore, but I have lots and lots and lots of friends who run agencies, and same thing. Like, it’s… I would say it’s slightly knowledgeable. Chip Griffin: Yeah. And, but I do agree that probably many of their teams lag behind them because the teams don’t have the time. The owner isn’t making the investment in them in terms of time- Yep … or products or services. Gini Dietrich: Yep. Chip Griffin: And so if you want to see that change in your agency, you know, you do need to drive that. You do need to encourage your team to be using more of these things. I mean, I… One of the numbers that did concern me was, I think half of the owners said that one of their biggest concerns with AI was their team’s over-reliance on AI. I am not seeing any evidence anywhere of over-reliance on AI by any agency employee. Gini Dietrich: Oh, I do. Chip Griffin: Over-reliance? Gini Dietrich: Mm-hmm. Chip Griffin: Okay. Gini Dietrich: Yeah. Chip Griffin: Do tell. Gini Dietrich: Mm-hmm. My own team. Sometimes I’m like, you guys- Chip Griffin: And I suppose part of this is how you define over-reliance. Gini Dietrich: Let’s not use AI for everything. You gotta actually use your brain. Chip Griffin: Fair enough. Mm-hmm. I guess, yeah, I, I guess to me, in the use cases that I see, with most agencies, it’s not relying on the AI enough and less so over-reliance, but I’m sure there are cases. Gini Dietrich: It is over-reliance in my organization for sure. Chip Griffin: Okay. That is good to know. So in any case, lots of room for agencies to continue to improve on AI, but happy that, that there is this optimism. I, I much prefer this to… I, you know, I when I put this survey out, I wasn’t sure if it was gonna be just all fear and doom and gloom and oh my God, you know- Yeah, sure … what is AI gonna do to my business? Yeah. ‘Cause you hear a lot of that- Mm-hmm … you know, when you’re talking with- Mm-hmm … agency owners. But for the most part, it doesn’t seem to be the case. It, it does… I think there are certainly pockets of over-optimism to a degree that, that needs to be addressed, and there needs to be more experimentation, more innovation, more investment and all of those things if agencies are really going to thrive with AI in the future. Gini Dietrich: Yeah. I totally agree. Chip Griffin: So with that, that will wrap up this episode of the Agency Leadership Podcast. I’m Chip Griffin. Gini Dietrich: I’m Gini Dietrich. Chip Griffin: And it depends.

Would you like access to our advanced agency training for FREE? https://www.agencymastery360.com/training Are you charging for execution when clients are about to stop paying for it? Are you building your sales process around your offer instead of around your prospect's trust? Today's featured guest built a growth workshop that converts 78% of buyers into long-term retainer clients. In this episode, she'll get into what that workshop actually contains, why the entry offer might be the thing keeping it from scaling, how to stop your CEO from chasing shiny quarters mid-engagement, and what happens when you position strategy as the product instead of execution. Jen Jurgens is the founder of 1 Bold Step, a revenue operations agency based in Michigan. Her background is in supply chain management, which is where she developed the belief she will die on: sales and marketing is a process, and processes can be measured, improved, and optimized. One Bold Step is a HubSpot partner and works primarily with B2B clients on pipeline growth, campaign optimization, and revenue systems. In this episode, we'll discuss: Focusing on pipeline growth as a primary metric Creating a foot in the door for Jen's growth workshop Selling the process, not the deliverable Subscribe Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio Sponsors and Resources E2M Solutions: Today's episode of the Smart Agency Masterclass is sponsored by E2M Solutions, a web design and development agency that has provided white-label services for the past 10 years to agencies all over the world. Check out e2msolutions.com/smartagency and get 10% off for the first three months of service. Toggl: Most agencies are losing 15–30% of their profit every year: lack of time tracking, messy manual timesheets, scope creep, untracked revisions, and all those "quick" client requests that never get billed. Toggl has created a fast, interactive way to uncover exactly where your margins are leaking. Start your investigation now at toggl.com/smartagency and use the code SMARTAGENCY10 at checkout for a 10% off annual plans. The Case for Charging for Strategy Before Execution Jen comes at pricing from a supply chain logic: if you can measure the outcome, you can defend the price. Her agency focuses on pipeline growth as its primary client metric because it is the number most directly connected to revenue and the one she can credibly influence within a defined timeframe. Monthly reports go out, and every quarter there is a two-hour retrospective with the client covering what was committed to, what actually happened, what worked, what did not, and what the next 90 days look like. The reason this cadence holds is that it makes the strategic layer of the engagement visible. Most agencies send reports that clients stop reading after the first month because the data is wrapped in jargon and disconnected from business outcomes. Jen's approach is the opposite: tie everything to pipeline, show up in person or on screen quarterly, and use an Agile sprint structure to keep the client's attention from jumping to whatever crossed their desk that morning. That level of structure is the thing clients are actually paying for, and most of them do not know it until it is explained to them directly. Why Your Entry Offer Might Be the Reason Deals Stall Jen's growth workshop has a 78% conversion rate from buyer to long-term retainer. That is a strong number. The problem is on the other side of the funnel: getting prospects to say yes to the workshop in the first place. The workshop is currently priced between $10,000 and $15,000, takes 100 to 120 hours of agency time to deliver, and goes deep enough that Jen describes it as showing clients not just what they want but what they actually need. It is comprehensive. It is also a significant ask before any trust has been established. The Foot-in-the-Door principle exists precisely for this situation. A $10,000 to $15,000 entry requires founder-level credibility to close and has no on-ramp for prospects who are not yet convinced. What it needs is a smaller version that a prospect can say yes to at low risk, that delivers a real insight in a short window, and that makes the full workshop the obvious next step rather than a leap of faith. The mechanics are straightforward: charge $1,000 to $2,000 for a focused diagnostic session, frame it as a mutual qualifier, and let the output do the selling. The trust the mini-session builds is what removes the friction from the larger close. Selling the Process, Not the Deliverable Jen describes what she actually does in the growth workshop as taking the client's assumptions about what is blocking their growth and replacing them with what is actually blocking their growth. Nine times out of ten, a CEO who says they need more leads is sitting on an unconverted database, a sales team sitting on two-year-old proposals, or five product lines with no prioritization. More leads into a leaky bucket is not a solution. The reason this framing is powerful is not just diagnostic accuracy. It is positioning. When Jen walks into a growth workshop, she is not selling marketing services. She is functioning as a strategic operator who knows how revenue systems work and is willing to tell the client something they did not ask to hear. That is a fundamentally different position than an agency responding to an RFP. The clients who pay $10,000 to $15,000 for that workshop are not buying a deliverable. They are buying the read, and the confidence that what comes next will be built on something real. Pricing for Strategy When AI Is Changing What Execution Costs The conversation landed on a reality every agency is navigating right now. Execution is getting cheaper and faster. Four websites in three hours is not hypothetical anymore. Clients who used to pay for time spent are starting to ask why the price has not moved if the time has. The answer is not to lower prices. The answer is to make the case clearly that what they are paying for was never the hours. It was the 20 or 30 years of judgment that knows which inputs to use, which levers to pull, and what not to build. Jen's framing for clients who push back on process costs is direct: you can manage this yourself and be the general contractor on your own build. But you will not, because you do not have the time, and if you did, you would not need us. Agencies that can hold that position without flinching are the ones that will not have their margins compressed by AI. The ones that cannot articulate what strategy is worth beyond hours delivered are already in trouble. Do You Want to Transform Your Agency from a Liability to an Asset? Looking to dig deeper into your agency's potential? Check out our Agency Blueprint. Designed for agency owners like you, our Agency Blueprint helps you uncover growth opportunities, tackle obstacles, and craft a customized blueprint for your agency's success.

Brad Farris, founder of Anchor Advisors and executive leadership coach to agency and expert-firm owners, joins Sales POP! to explain why most service businesses plateau between $1M and $2M — and the founder mindset, pricing, and hiring shifts that take them into a profitable $3M-$5M business. Learn more at https://anchoradvisors.com/.

Artificial intelligence is no longer a future concept in policing. Agencies are already using AI-assisted tools to analyze digital evidence, identify crime patterns, process body-worn camera footage and accelerate investigations that once took days or weeks to solve. But as adoption spreads, law enforcement leaders are also confronting major questions about transparency, policy, cybersecurity and the risks of overreliance on automation. In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, host Jim Dudley speaks with Fairfax County Police Major Brendan Hooke about where AI is delivering real operational value, where agencies need guardrails and why human oversight remains critical as policing enters a new technological era. Hooke, commander of Fairfax County Police Department's Cyber and Forensic Division, says AI's biggest impact is helping investigators manage overwhelming volumes of digital evidence. From analyzing jail calls and surveillance video to identifying vehicles through distinctive features beyond license plates, AI tools are helping agencies surface critical leads faster while keeping investigators focused on higher-value work. He also discusses Fairfax County's use of real-time crime center technology, AI-assisted report writing, predictive analytics and live translation tools, while emphasizing that AI should serve as a force multiplier — not a replacement for human judgment, investigative rigor or community trust. About our sponsor This episode of the Policing Matters podcast is sponsored by Oracle. Today's public safety professionals face new and evolving challenges every day. The expectations of the communities you serve have never been higher, and your duties have never been more complex. Oracle recognizes the importance of the work you do, and has set out to make a meaningful difference in how you deliver on your oath to service. Oracle's unified public safety hardware and software suite provides first responders with the advanced tools to boost efficiency and enhance real-time situational awareness, which can help improve issue resolution. To learn more, visit oracle.com.

Episode Info Jason Cass is the co-owner of The Insurance Alliance, co-owner of Virtual Intelligence, founder of Agency Intelligence, and one of the most recognized voices in the independent insurance industry. A veteran agency owner, speaker, and podcaster, he built a profitable three-location agency that runs both virtually and digitally. He was named Illinois Young Agent of the Year in 2005, served as Chairman of the National Young Agents Council from 2011 to 2013, and authored Customer Service is Just Foreplay in 2013. His newest book, Future Ready: The Strategic Case for Structure, Routing, and Scale, co-authored with Mitch Gibson, lays out how independent agencies must evolve in the age of AI and automation. Jason hosts the Agent's Influence and Agency Intelligence podcast series and continues to be a leading advocate for independent agents across the country. Episode Overview: This episode of The Future of Insurance features Jason Cass, a prominent voice in the independent insurance agent channel, as he discusses the transformative impact of AI on the industry. Cass, who has been in the insurance industry since 2002 and owns multiple companies, shares his insights on how AI, particularly "agentic AI," is poised to reshape the role of agents and brokers. Key Takeaways: AI as a Disruptor and Enabler: Cass emphasizes that while AI won't eliminate agents, it will fundamentally change how they operate. He draws parallels to past technological shifts like the internet, noting that while agents feared obsolescence, the channel adapted and evolved. AI, however, presents a more significant shift. Efficiency and Cost Reduction: AI's primary impact will be on operational efficiency, significantly reducing the cost of labor within agencies. Cass predicts that within two to three years, agencies adopting AI could see their people costs drop from 55-65% of revenue to 20-30%. This translates to substantial savings, enabling agencies to reinvest or grow. The Evolving Workforce: The adoption of AI will lead to a shift in agency staffing. While immediate layoffs are unlikely, there will be a transition. Smart agencies will retrain existing staff, focusing on tasks that AI cannot perform. The "swing efficiency score" will be crucial in measuring this transition. Shift in Licensed vs. Virtual Roles: Cass forecasts a significant change in the makeup of agency staff. Agentic bots, costing around $3,000-$5,000 annually, will replace some licensed roles that currently command salaries of $80,000+. Agencies will likely hire more virtual employees at lower costs to manage these bots, leading to a reduction in the number of highly paid, licensed individuals within an agency. Regulatory and Licensing Considerations: The question of whether AI can be licensed as an agent is a complex one. Cass believes that currently, AI cannot be licensed, and there are significant regulatory hurdles to overcome. He speculates that this may evolve in the future but emphasizes the current need for licensed human oversight. Opportunities Created by AI: Beyond cost savings, AI opens up new avenues for growth. Cass highlights the potential for AI to help agents better understand risk quality, align clients with the right markets, and navigate the complexities of policy forms and carrier appetites. The emergence of AI itself is also creating a need for new insurance coverages, similar to the rise of cyber insurance. The Importance of Adoption and Education: Cass stresses that agents who embrace AI will thrive, while those who resist will be left behind. He advocates for education and training within agencies to help staff become comfortable with AI tools like Claude. The "Artificial Intelligence Utilization Score" (AIU) will become a key metric for success. The Role of Carriers and Technology Providers: Carriers need to adapt by developing their own AI solutions and partnering with agents to facilitate AI adoption. Technology providers must focus on creating practical, integrated solutions that solve real agency problems, such as routing engines that effectively manage the workflow between humans and AI. Beyond Fear: Embracing the Future: Cass acknowledges the fear surrounding AI but encourages a proactive approach. He believes that embracing AI will lead to greater job satisfaction, improved client service, and a more robust and attractive insurance industry overall. The key is to focus on the opportunities and develop a culture of adaptation. This episode is brought to you by The Future of Insurance book series (future-of-insurance.com) from Bryan Falchuk. Follow the podcast at future-of-insurance.com/podcast for more details and other episodes. Music courtesy of Hyperbeat Music, available to stream or download on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music and more.

Episode 219: Automate Your Lead Generation with our FREE online course: https://go.digitaltrailblazer.com/auto-leads-course-freeAI is fundamentally changing how people find information online — and if you're relying on Google search traffic or organic content to drive leads, you've likely already felt the impact.For coaches, course creators, and agency owners, this shift isn't just an algorithm update; it's a complete disruption to the visibility strategies that have worked for years.In this episode, Tim Woda teaches us how to adapt and stay profitable, including why building a recognizable brand makes you more likely to appear in AI-generated responses, how platforms like YouTube and Reddit represent overlooked opportunities for discovery, and why moving toward high-ticket offers can dramatically reduce your dependence on traffic volume — and the stress that comes with it.About Tim Woda: Tim is a digital strategist, entrepreneur, and growth architect who helps businesses win when the rules change. As Founder and CEO of White Peak, he builds scalable marketing systems that turn underperforming traffic into profitable growth, even as AI reshapes search and ad costs rise. With 25+ years in marketing and growth leadership, Tim has helped lead companies through major disruption eras, including the dot-com bust, the 2008 recession, and the 2020 COVID crash. He brings additional startup experience from BuySafe, uKnow.com, and Channel IQ.Visit White Peak here: https://whitepeak.ioConnect with Tim:https://www.linkedin.com/company/white-peak-growth-partners-llc/ https://www.facebook.com/whitepeak.io/ https://x.com/WhitePeak_io https://www.instagram.com/whitepeak.io/Want to SCALE your online business bigger and faster without the endless hustle of networking, referrals, and pumping out content that nobody sees?Grab our Ultimate Ad Script for Coaches, Agencies, and Course Creators.Learn the exact 5-step script we teach our clients that allows them to generate targeted, high-quality leads at ultra-low cost, so you can land paying customers and clients without breaking the bank on ad spend.Grab the Ultimate Ad Script right HERE - https://join.digitaltrailblazer.com/ultimate-ad-script✅ Connect With Us:Website - https://DigitalTrailblazer.comFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/digitaltrailblazerTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@digitaltrailblazerX (Twitter): https://x.com/DgtlTrailblazerInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/DigitalTrailblazer

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Doug Brown, the new President and CEO of the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency, discusses the steps that IMEA has taken to receive top-tier ratings from the major credit rating agencies. He also details the development of a Request for Proposal to be issued to member municipal utilities to apply to host a pilot battery energy storage system project in their community. Along with his role at IMEA, Brown is also President and CEO of the Illinois Municipal Utilities Association and the Illinois Public Energy Agency.

FREE DOWNLOAD: How to Set Up the Hermes Agent → https://value.8figureagency.co/hermes Ready to become an AI-native agency? Book a call at 8figureagency.coGuest: Ben Fisher, founder of Skinny and Bald. Hampton member. Been coding since fifth grade. Has been CEO twice, CTO three times. Describes himself as 60% product, 40% engineer.The pull: Ben is one of the sharpest guys in the Hampton AI channel. This is his second time on the pod. Jordan came with real questions about funnels, databases, and skills — Ben answered live, then pulled up his actual meeting-processing skill on screen share.What we coveredThe build vs. buy question. Jordan's giveaway funnel pulls comments → emails → form fills → booked calls across LinkedIn and X, six campaigns a week. His partner said use GoHighLevel. Ben's framing: build custom with Claude when you control the maintenance, use a tool when it solves 80%+ without workarounds. Texting is the exception — Twilio's regulatory rabbit hole can eat days even with Claude Code.Databases and custom funnels. Jordan wants the funnel experience to mirror what the user clicked — landing page copy, follow-up sequence, everything. Ben's example: he still uses Kit.com for his newsletter, but layered custom API logic on top. He didn't rebuild Kit. He enriched it.The thing that separates real builders from vibe coders. “What distinguishes really effective builders really comes down to workflow.” Same models. Same Claude. Different results because of how people work. Ben's non-negotiable: test-driven development. Plan first. Write the tests. Then build. Otherwise Claude tells you it shipped something that doesn't exist.The “your friend Ben is absolutely correct” story. Hampton buddy building a chief of staff agent in Slack and WhatsApp. Asked Claude if it was secure. Claude said yes. Ben listed four gaps. Buddy pasted Ben's message into Claude. Claude wrote back: “Your friend Ben is absolutely correct. We don't do this, this, this, and this.” Lesson: you cannot ask the AI to verify the AI.Claude Skills, real talk. Skills are mostly plain English text files the AI reads. They get highly personal fast — Ben said his public repo of skills is becoming less useful to others because the nuances are his. Best move for most people: use someone else's skill as a reference, have Claude analyze how it works, then build your own flavor.Ben's content-from-meetings workflow (live demo). Fireflies records every call → transcripts get stored as markdown files in a local folder → a Claude skill called process meeting notes runs on demand, pulls the last 3 days, formats each meeting in EOS Level 10 format (clear accountability, agreements, action items), and routes to-dos to the right project repo. Why local files instead of remote Fireflies calls? Speed. His second brain reads disk faster than it makes API calls across nine months of transcripts.Writing in your voice with AI. Ben studied journalism and advertising. He uses Claude as a sparring partner first, last-mile editor second. Reference for anyone serious about this: every.to publishes their full editorial AI process, including how to build an anti-AI style guide. Ben also actively removes em-dashes from his AI output now because they've become the tell.Markdown files as the convention. .md is what the AI world runs on. Pound signs for headers, asterisks for bold. Doesn't really matter if you use .txt or .docx — but markdown gives the AI hierarchy it can parse.Tools and references mentionedFireflies, Claude Code, N8N, Zapier, Kit.com, GoHighLevel, Twilio, Obsidian, every.to, Superpowers (Claude skill harness), Hampton, EOS Level 10 format, Ruben's “How AI” Substack.Where to find Benskinnyandbald.com — consulting offersdearben.ai — Ben's AI podcast where execs submit questions and he answers live with screen share, plus his newsletterReady to build an AI-native agency that runs on systems, not scrambling?8 Figure Agency helps seven-figure agency owners install the agents, automations, and AI workflows that turn your team into a 10x operation. Done-for-you implementation starting at $2K/month.Book your call: 8figureagency.covalue.8figureagency.cohermesThis playbook shows you the exact stack. Install instructions, the 30-day roadmap, the five daily prompts that turn your agent into a second brain, and eight use cases pulled straight from agencies doing it right now.8figureagency.coAI Solutions for Marketing Agencies | 8figure agencyOptimize your marketing agency with our AI solutions. Join 1,000+ agencies and scale your revenue today!every.toEveryEvery — The only subscription you need to stay at the edge of AI. Ideas, apps, and training from practitioners who build with AI daily.http://every.to/skinnyandbald.comBen FisherI help companies figure out where AI fits — and then build it.

Scotty O finally gets to sit down with his old friend and mentor Eric Heller. Back in the day, Eric created one of the first Amazon only agencies in the country, maybe the world? Marketplace Ignition was the blueprint on how to build an Amazon only agency and get it sold. Well, WPP purchased Eric's firm and it started a whole new opportunity for everyone doing Amazon work, including Scotty O. He had The Cairn Co as the Amazon division of the rep group Frontier Group. Once he met Eric, things were changing and we talk about how it all came to be! The Always Off Brand is always a Laugh & Learn!    FEEDSPOT TOP 10 Retail Podcast! https://podcast.feedspot.com/retail_podcasts/?feedid=5770554&_src=f2_featured_email   Guest: Eric Heller  LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericheller/ QUICKFIRE Info:   Website: https://www.quickfirenow.com/ Email the Show: info@quickfirenow.com  Talk to us on Social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quickfireproductions Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quickfire__/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@quickfiremarketing LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/company/quickfire-productions-llc/about/ Sports podcast Scott has been doing since 2017, Scott & Tim Sports Show part of Somethin About Nothin:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/somethin-about-nothin/id1306950451 HOSTS: Summer Jubelirer has been in digital commerce and marketing for over 17 years. After spending many years working for digital and ecommerce agencies working with multi-million dollar brands and running teams of Account Managers, she is now the Amazon Manager at OLLY PBC.   LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/summerjubelirer/   Scott Ohsman has been working with brands for over 30 years in retail, online and has launched over 200 brands on Amazon. Mr. Ohsman has been managing brands on Amazon for 19yrs. Owning his own sales and marketing agency in the Pacific NW, is now VP of Digital Commerce for Quickfire LLC. Producer and Co-Host for the top 5 retail podcast, Always Off Brand. He also produces the Brain Driven Brands Podcast featuring leading Consumer Behaviorist Sarah Levinger. Scott has been a featured speaker at national trade shows and has developed distribution strategies for many top brands. LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-ohsman-861196a6/   Hayley Brucker has been working in retail and with Amazon for years. Hayley has extensive experience in digital advertising, both seller and vendor central on Amazon. Hayley lives in North Carolina.  LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayley-brucker-1945bb229/   Huge thanks to Cytrus our show theme music "Office Party" available wherever you get your music. Check them out here: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cytrusmusic Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cytrusmusic/ Twitter https://twitter.com/cytrusmusic SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6VrNLN6Thj1iUMsiL4Yt5q?si=MeRsjqYfQiafl0f021kHwg APPLE MUSIC https://music.apple.com/us/artist/cytrus/1462321449   "Always Off Brand" is part of the Quickfire Podcast Network and produced by Quickfire LLC.  

College marketing teams are being asked to do more than ever before, often with limited time, staff, and resources. So how do you move beyond production work and become a strategic partner across campus? In this QuickTake episode of the Higher Education Conversations Podcast, Cheryl Broom shares the mindset shifts community college marketing teams need to make to operate more strategically, efficiently, and effectively.Drawing on her experience as a former community college marketing director and now an agency CEO, Cheryl shares practical lessons on how even small teams can function like high-performing in-house agencies. If your team feels overwhelmed by requests, struggles to move from “vendor” to “strategic partner,” or is looking for ways to operate more efficiently, this conversation is for you.What You'll Learn:Why colleges need to position marketing teams as strategic partners, not production vendors How saying no to the wrong projects can improve your team's effectiveness Why building flex time into your schedule is critical for handling campus “emergencies” How understanding billable vs. non-billable time can transform team productivity Why the best in-house marketing teams know when to bring in outside supportThanks for listening!Connect with GradComm:Instagram: @gradcommunicationsFacebook: @GradCommunicationsLinkedIn: @gradcommSend us a message: GradComm.comHigher Ed Conversations is hosted by Cheryl Broom, CEO of GradComm, a marketing and branding agency specializing in community colleges and public education.

Shaping environmental outcomes isn't limited to writing legislation. In many cases, it comes down to knowing how federal decisions actually get made, through regulation, procurement, data and funding choices that shape behavior across the system. That's the approach being taught to climate professionals by Mai Sistla, Senior Climate Policy Advisor at the Aspen Policy Academy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, Jay Wolfberg shares his remarkable journey from a small Connecticut town to leading a $32 million agency in Florida, and discusses his insights on scaling, client relationships, and franchise models in the insurance industry. Whether you're an aspiring agent or an industry veteran, Jay's strategic approach to responsiveness and authenticity offers valuable lessons for growth and success.Timestamps00:00 - Introduction and episode overview 02:24 - Meeting Jay Wolfberg and intro06:17 - The importance of selling on value versus price09:02 - How Jay figured out his agency's unique value proposition 11:37 - Handling commoditized auto coverage and understanding customer needs & growth y to a $32 million book14:40 - The secret to hyper-responsiveness and proactive customer service 18:48 - Creating an effortless, customer-centric experience 22:41 - Building and leading a franchise with WeInsure 37:21 - The structure and benefits of the WeInsure39:00- how to find JAY1Fort: AI for insurance agencies, automating submissions, quoting, and binding to save time and win more commercial PNC.Canopy Connect: The one-click solution for getting deck pages needed to quote prospects.MAV: AI-powered insurance expert managing unlimited leads with friendly text to qualify, quote, and connect prospects to agents.Resources & LinksWeInsure GroupJay Wolfberg's emailConnect with Jay WolfbergLinkedInTwitter

Today: A tense overnight standoff in Bucyrus ended Monday with a suspect dead, after police say he fired on officers during a nearly 12-hour ordeal that brought agencies from across north central Ohio to the scene.Support the show: https://richlandsource.com/membersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of the The Mission Matters Podcast, Matthew Ellison and Ted Esler sit down with  Dennis Martin (of One Challenge's Sexual Wholeness Initiative) to address a largely unspoken issue in global missions: sexual sin/brokenness. Drawing from both personal experience and global research, Dennis explains how silence, shame, and isolation have allowed struggles like pornography, abuse, and other sexual challenges to persist among missionaries. He highlights that these issues are far more widespread than many assume, often intensified by the pressures of cross-cultural ministry and lack of safe, honest community. The conversation points toward a different path forward—one centered on grace, honesty, and restoration rather than punishment. Dennis shares how mission agencies are beginning to shift their culture by creating safe environments, equipping leaders, and walking alongside individuals through long-term healing processes. Through practical examples and real stories, he emphasizes that freedom is possible when people are no longer alone. The episode challenges churches and mission leaders to break the silence, rethink their approach, and build communities where confession leads to healing, not exit.OC's Sexual Wholeness Initiative (SWI), spearheaded by Dennis Martin, seeks to change the culture of silence and shame and, by bringing these secret struggles to light, offer freedom and restoration to those whose lives have been shackled by sin. By equipping our staff to create a climate of openness, safety, and redemption and integrating sexual wholeness into our ministry efforts, OC envisions a future in which generations of laborers live and minister out of sexual wholeness and relational health in Christ.The Mission Matters Podcast is a place to talk about the importance of our Mission as Christians. The Mission Matters is a partnership of Missio Nexus and Sixteen:Fifteen, who have a shared passion to mobilize God's people to be a part of His mission.SWI@oci.orgRegister for the MissioNexus Mission Leaders Conference 26https://web.cvent.com/event/654a1d2b-f757-4491-a480-fc3f68a2ccc5/websitePage:42fd7167-2fba-4de5-9c38-1540ddbaed85?RefId=events

KC Holiday sold Qalo at 30. What came next surprised him more than building it did.He moved to Australia, worked in venture capital, came back, and spent two and a half years coaching ecommerce founders at Daily Mentor. Almost 1,700 sessions in, one pattern kept showing up across every brand he worked with: the founder is the ceiling of the business.In this episode, KC and Cody cover the grief that hits after an exit, why going from founder to employee was one of his most eye-opening experiences, and the difference between founders who grow past the plateau and the ones who stay stuck.He also gets honest about whether he'd start an ecommerce brand today, who is actually making money in the industry, and what the middle class of ecommerce looks like right now.Subscribe for more conversations on DTC strategy, eCommerce growth, and what it really takes to build a brand past eight figures.Grow your bottom line: https://www.kynship.co/Key Takeaways:00:00 Introducing KC Holiday, Co-Founder of Qalo02:36 The Grief Nobody Talks About After Selling06:50 From Founder to Employee: What KC Learned09:20 How Onboarding Determines If Someone Succeeds12:22 Hiring Is Inventory Management14:02 What KC Actually Looks for in a Hire19:22 When People Show You Who They Are, Trust Them20:38 Agencies vs. Internal Hires26:52 The Founder Is the Ceiling of the Business29:18 Why Being Around Bigger Founders Changes Everything33:22 Energy Management Over Identity Management35:36 Would KC Start an Ecommerce Brand Today?40:30 Who Is Actually Making Money in Ecommerce43:00 The Middle Class of EcommerceAdditional Resources:Featured Guest KC Holliday — Co-Founder, Qalo https://www.kcholiday.com/ Follow us on X:

Understanding how federal agencies and primes actually buy is the competitive edge that most small business owners never develop — and in this episode, seasoned contractor David Hernandez breaks down exactly why your certification alone will not get you in the door. If you have been chasing work without understanding the procurement chain, this conversation will reframe your entire BD approach. Know your real buyer before you pitch: The insulation subcontractor story reveals why targeting the general contractor directly was the wrong move — the mechanical sub controlled that purchase, and no amount of veteran status changed that reality Use pre-bid meetings as a positioning tool: David explains how showing up to a $30 million Army Corps deep tunnel project and signing in as SDVOSB and 8(a) signaled to every prime in the room that he was the set-aside solution they needed to meet Price your certifications into your strategy: When David bid the control building at double his standard rate, he understood the prime's pressure to meet SBA set-aside requirements — and that leverage is available to any certified small business willing to study how contracts are structured When agencies push back, know when to walk: Whether it was the Port Authority denying a compliant 51% joint venture or a Chicago tow authority twice awarding to a higher bidder, David's lesson is the same — fighting bureaucratic discretion costs more than moving on Qualifications must match execution reality: Winning a contract you cannot deliver is worse than losing the bid — Army Corps quality control, safety, and reporting requirements are nonnegotiable, and certifications do not substitute for operational readiness Subscribe and join the Federal Help Center community at federalhelpcenter.com, where contractors help contractors win. EPISODE CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Welcome to the Federal Help Center podcast 0:27 - The insulation sub who complained to the wrong person 1:52 - Why understanding how primes buy changes everything 2:51 - Showing up to a $30 million Army Corps pre-bid meeting 4:19 - Bidding the control building at double standard rate 5:15 - Using certifications as strategic leverage not just identity 6:11 - When the Port Authority denied a compliant joint venture 8:01 - Lessons from being low bidder and still losing the award 10:26 - Knowing when to walk away and redirect your energy 10:42 - Community close and call to action Market Intelligence gives you the federal opportunities, agency signals, recompete intel, and pursuit briefs that tell you not just what contracts exist, but which ones to chase and how to win them. Sign up for free Daily Alerts and get opportunities delivered to your inbox before the day starts.

Send us Fan MailIf you've tried building a remote team and lost weeks to time zone gaps, miscommunication, and the slow grind of async feedback, this episode is your pivot point.I sat down with Brian Samson, founder of Plugg Technologies, a leading nearshore firm connecting Latin American talent with US companies. Brian has spent over 10 years in the nearshoring space, lived as an expat in Argentina, and grown three separate companies from zero to $4M ARR each. He's made 500+ placements and earned the pattern recognition most agency owners don't have yet.We unpacked why nearshore talent from Latin America is one of the most underused advantages in the agency world: US time zone alignment, cultural fluency, and a scrappy resilience that's almost impossible to hire for domestically. Brian also shared the costly founder mistake he made (so you don't have to): trying to buy sales instead of learning to sell. If your agency's growth is stalling, the answer might not be a better system; it might be better people. And they might be closer than you think.Books / Podcasts MentionedWhale Done by Ken BlanchardMy First Million podcastConnect with Brian and learn more about nearshore talent solutions at plugg.tech. Fill out the contact form and Brian or a member of his team will personally reach out for a conversation tailored to your business.Join Dr. William Attaway on the Catalytic Leadership podcast as he shares transformative insights to help high-performance entrepreneurs and agency owners achieve Clear-Minded Focus, Calm Control, and Confidence.Free 30-Minute Discovery Call:Ready to elevate your business? Book a free 30-minute discovery call with Dr. William Attaway and start your journey to success.Special Offer:Get your FREE copy of Catalytic Leadership: 12 Keys to Becoming an Intentional Leader Who Makes a Difference.Connect with Dr. William Attaway:WebsiteLinkedInFacebookInstagramTikTokYouTube

Eric Mayhew, Chief Innovation Officer and Co-Founder of Fluency, shares how his experience in automotive advertising inspired the creation of Fluency and its mission to eliminate repetitive AdOps work through automation. Eric dives into the difference between automation and AI, the future of agentic systems, and why human creativity still matters most in advertising. From scaling ad operations to building compliant AI workflows, this conversation explores where marketing technology is headed next. Takeaways • Automation should eliminate repetitive tasks so teams can focus on strategy and creativity. • AI and automation are complementary, but they are not the same thing. • Human oversight remains critical for compliance, governance, and brand safety. • AI is powerful, but context quality determines the reliability of outputs. • Personalization in advertising may finally become practical with AI and automation. • Agencies want customizable workflows, not one-size-fits-all automation. • Fluency focuses on deterministic workflows that execute advertiser strategies at scale. • Agentic systems will combine rule-based automation with probabilistic AI decision-making. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Eric Mayhew and Fluency 01:20 How Dealer.com Inspired the Creation of Fluency 04:07 The Real Problem with Manual AdOps Workflows 05:45 Fluency's Approach to Automation and AdOps Efficiency 07:45 Why AdOps Professionals Should Embrace Automation 10:41 The Difference Between Automation and AI 15:21 AI Risks, Hallucinations, and Governance Challenges 19:21 Where Humans Still Outperform AI 22:54 How Fluency Onboards and Automates Campaign Workflows 27:02 The Future of Agentic AI and Advertising Personalization Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ann Carlson, UCLA law professor and former NHTSA administrator, talks about her new book, Smog and Sunshine: The Surprising Story of How Los Angeles Cleaned Up Its Air, revealing how community advocates and government agencies collaborated to do what many thought couldn't be done.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Lake County's largest public safety expo is returning to Gurnee Mills this weekend, bringing together dozens of police and fire agencies for live demonstrations, family activities and public safety education.

For years, it was Lucy Studey-McKiddy's word against silence. She alleged her father killed dozens of women in rural Iowa. Agencies investigated, found nothing, and closed the case. Her siblings were divided. The public moved on. Now, reportedly, someone else is talking. The Paramount+ documentary My Killer Father: The Green Hollow Murders features what's described as testimony from an alleged accomplice — someone who reportedly witnessed what happened in Green Hollow and kept quiet for years. That's a significant shift. If credible, it means Lucy is no longer the sole source. The documentary is a three-part series that's the product of more than three years of investigation by director Aengus James and his production team. They reportedly spent hundreds of thousands of dollars funding private forensic work — including the exhumation and re-autopsy of Charlotte Studey, whose 1984 gunshot death in Omaha has been officially reclassified from self-inflicted to undetermined. They brought in cadaver dogs, ground-penetrating radar, and forensic anthropologists from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. And they say they found evidence that hasn't been made public until now. No human remains have been conclusively recovered. Donald Studey died in 2013. The alleged victims are still nameless. But the pressure is building. Criminal defense attorney Bob Motta, who investigated this case independently in Green Hollow, discusses the documentary, the new testimony, and whether this is finally enough to reopen the case.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#MyKillerFather #GreenHollow #DonStudey #ParamountPlus #TrueCrimeDocumentary #LucyStudey #ColdCaseBreak #IowaSerialKiller #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime

Here's what reportedly happened in December 2022. Cadaver dogs alerted at multiple locations on a rural Iowa property where Lucy Studey-McKiddy alleges her father buried dozens of women he allegedly killed. The FBI arrived. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation arrived. The Fremont County Sheriff's Office was on site. They drilled into a well. Spent parts of three days. Found nothing. Closed the case. Done. Except Lucy says they drilled the wrong well. She reportedly wasn't on site to show them where to look. The property allegedly spans over 400 acres near Thurman, Iowa, with numerous wells scattered across it — and Lucy has insisted from the beginning that the dry well, not the water well, is where her father allegedly dumped bodies. That was nearly four years ago. Since then, Charlotte Studey's death — a gunshot wound to the head in Omaha in 1984, ruled self-inflicted for decades — has been officially reclassified as undetermined after a re-autopsy reportedly funded by documentary filmmakers. Charlotte's three daughters are reportedly in a legal battle with Omaha police to get the original case files unsealed. A private forensic dig in 2025 reportedly produced new cadaver dog hits and ground-penetrating radar anomalies in areas that had never been searched. Nobody has pulled conclusive human remains from that hillside. But nobody has been able to explain the dog alerts, either. Criminal defense attorney Bob Motta investigated this case firsthand in Green Hollow and explains what went wrong and where this case stands.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#DonStudey #GreenHollow #ColdCase #FBIInvestigation #CharlotteStudey #MyKillerFather #IowaSerialKiller #CadaverDogs #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers

Episode description In this episode of Next in Media, Mike Shields sits down with Kristina Canada, CMO at Net Conversion, a 19-year-old independent marketing and analytics agency based in Orlando that's in the middle of a serious growth push — with a new Chicago office, a recent acquisition of CTV specialists Elevate the Outcome, and a philosophy rooted in measurable business outcomes over vanity metrics. Kristina and Mike dig into why independent agencies are experiencing a renaissance right now as clients seek out agility and transparency. They unpack Net Conversion's approach to making CTV a true performance channel without losing the brand-building benefits, and get into the agency's pragmatic but skeptical stance on AI — from arguing with Google reps about Performance Max to building their own internal chatbot and copilot tools for analysts. Key Highlights

Something's not right in the woods, at least if you're a white-tailed deer. In this episode, the guys dig into chronic wasting disease (CWD), a strange illness reshaping deer populations in many areas of the Lower 48 (and Scandinavia!). It's not caused by a virus or a bacteria, but it is related to mad cow disease. They break down what it is, how it spreads, what's happening inside infected animals, and why it's so dang hard to contain. The deer are not alright… and there's a reason.This episode was recorded on April 23, 2026 at Walton Woods Park in Amherst, NY (a suburb of Buffalo). Episode Notes and Links· Are there different CWD strains in a single animal? Chronic wasting disease isn't a single, uniform pathogen. It's more like a shifting swarm. Infected deer can carry multiple prion “strains” at once, meaning different misfolded shapes of the same protein that behave in slightly different ways. They could spread through the body differently, build up in different tissues, and cause disease at different rates. Lab experiments show this most clearly: when CWD prions are passed through model systems, what looks like one strain can split into multiple distinct variants, or reveal that a mixed population was there all along (e.g., Angers et al. 2010 PNAS; Béringue et al. 2012 Journal of Virology; Li et al. 2010 Journal of Virology). In actual deer, the picture is harder to pin down, but studies comparing prions from different tissues and individuals show real strain diversity and suggest that more than one strain can exist within a single animal (e.g., Angers et al. 2009 Journal of Virology; Moore et al. 2016 Emerging Infectious Diseases). The takeaway is that CWD behaves less like a single disease agent and more like a moving target: a cloud of protein shapes, some dominant, some hidden in the background, that can shift over time, giving the disease more chances to adapt, persist, and potentially jump into new hosts.· Does repeated exposure to CWD reduce incubation time in deer? Repeated exposure to CWD prions does likely shortens incubation time, mainly because prion diseases are strongly dose-dependent. Higher cumulative exposure, whether from a single large dose or many smaller ones over time, can both increase the chance of infection and accelerate disease progression. Experimental studies in deer and elk show that animals exposed to higher or repeated doses tend to develop symptoms faster than those exposed once at low levels. In the wild, this likely plays out through repeated contact with contaminated environments like soil, plants, and carcass sites. That said, factors like genetics and prion strain can still influence how quickly the disease develops in any given animal.· Is CWD the only prion disease that affects wildlife? CWD is the only prion disease currently thriving as a self-sustaining epidemic in wild populations. The others mostly sit at the edges and are livestock diseases that occasionally spill into wildlife or appear in captive/wild interface cases. For example, scrapie occasionally “leaks” into the wild (it has been found in bighorn sheep), but it doesn't take over. It flickers at the edges of livestock systems. Nothing like the landscape-level, self-sustaining spread we see with CWD. That's what makes CWD so concerning: it's not just present in wildlife, it seems to be built for it.· Steve talked about the possibility of vampire bats and wild hogs spreading CWD. What's the story? There's currently no evidence that vampire bats are spreading CWD, but the wild hog story has gotten more interesting recently. Blood-feeding bats like the Common Vampire Bat (Desmodus rotundus) are often mentioned because prions can occur in blood at low levels, but there are no peer-reviewed studies showing bat-mediated transmission, nor any field patterns linking bats to CWD spread. So the bat idea remains speculative. Wild hogs (Sus scrofa), on the other hand, have moved beyond pure theory. A recent peer-reviewed study (e.g., Soto et al. 2025 Emerging Infectious Diseases) detected low levels of CWD prion activity in free-ranging pigs in endemic areas, suggesting they can pick up and carry prions after scavenging infected carcasses. Combine this with earlier work showing prions can survive digestion and still remain infectious (e.g., Nichols et al. 2009 PLoS ONE), it all points to hogs as plausible mechanical vectors: in other words, organisms that can move infectious material without necessarily developing the disease themselves. The takeaway: vampire bats are still a biologically interesting but unsupported idea, while wild hogs are emerging as potential “messy middlemen,” capable of redistributing prions across the landscape, even if they're not a primary engine of CWD transmission, which is still driven by deer-to-deer contact and long-lived environmental contamination.· Why doesn't NYS do more free testing?New York doesn't offer broad, free testing for every deer. Not because it's ignoring CWD, but because it uses a more targeted, strategic approach. There are a few key constraints on broad, free testing:Cost & logistics: Each test isn't just a swab. It involves lab processing (often PCR or amplification assays), trained staff, and sample handling. Scaling that to hundreds of thousands of deer is a major lift.Low prevalence (right now): When disease prevalence is near zero, mass testing tends to return very few positives, so agencies prioritize early detection in hotspots instead.Management strategy: Agencies often invest more in prevention (carcass transport rules, feeding bans, education) than broad surveillance.Hunter participation: “Free for all” testing can overwhelm systems unless tightly managed, and many states have learned that targeted programs get better data per dollar.So NYS is focusing its efforts on where they see it mattering most: high-risk areas, roadkills, sick/dead deer, and zones near known outbreaks—because testing every hunter-harvested deer statewide would be extremely expensive for relatively low yield in a state with no established CWD population.More info on NY's response, as well as what's happening nationally:The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation's page on CWD (including information on how you can help, scroll down to “Members of the Public”)CWD in Captive Deer: DEC's Response in 2024Chronic Wasting Disease Detection and Management: What Has Worked and What Has Not? A report by the CWD Alliance, a nonprofit organization focused on education, coordination, and outreach around chronic wasting disease. It was created to bring together a mix of stakeholders: state wildlife agencies, federal partners, scientists, and hunting/conservation groups to help share reliable information and improve how CWD is managed across North America. Sponsors and Ways to Support UsThank you to Always Wandering Art (Website and Etsy Shop) for providing the artwork for many of our episodes.Support us on Patreon.Works Cited Bian, J., et al. (2022). Transmission of cervid prions to humanized mice demonstrates the zoonotic potential of chronic wasting disease. Acta Neuropathologica Communications, 10, 149.Edmunds, D. R., Kauffman, M. J., Schumaker, B. A., Lindzey, F. G., Cook, W. E., Kreeger, T. J., Grogan, R. G., & Cornish, T. E. (2016). Chronic wasting disease drives population decline of white‑tailed deer. Ecology, 97(3), 620–632.Henderson, D. M., Denkers, N. D., Hoover, C. E., Garbino, N., Mathiason, C. K., & Hoover, E. A. (2015). Longitudinal Detection of Prion Shedding in Saliva and Urine by Chronic Wasting Disease-Infected Deer by Real-Time Quaking-Induced Conversion. Journal of virology, 89(18), 9338–9347. https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.01118-15Küry, S., et al. (2023). The zoonotic potential of chronic wasting disease—A review. Pathogens, 12(3), 342.Miller, M. W., et al. (2024). U.S. Geological Survey science strategy to address chronic wasting disease. U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1546.Monello, R. J., Powers, J. G., Hobbs, N. T., Spraker, T. R., O'Rourke, K. I., & Wild, M. A. (2014). Endemic chronic wasting disease causes mule deer population decline in Colorado. PLOS ONE, 9(10), e110353.Pirisinu, L., et al. (2024). Zoonotic potential of chronic wasting disease after adaptation in sheep. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 30(12).Sandberg, M. K., et al. (2022). Humanized transgenic mice are resistant to chronic wasting disease prions from reindeer and moose. Journal of Infectious Diseases, 226(5), 933–942.Saunders, S. E., Bartelt‑Hunt, S. L., & Bartz, J. C. (2012). Occurrence, transmission, and zoonotic potential of chronic wasting disease. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 18(3), 369–376.Visit thefieldguidespodcast.com for full episode notes, links, and works cited.