Podcast appearances and mentions of stephen woessner

Would you like access to our advanced agency training for FREE? https://www.agencymastery360.com/training Are you doing great work but still feel like your agency's stuck in neutral? The truth is, talent alone doesn't scale a business. In this episode our guest, Stephen Woessner—author, agency growth strategist, and founder of Predictive ROI—reveals why most agencies hit a ceiling... and how to break through with a smarter, more strategic approach. From developing a true methodology to showing up with content that teaches, we dive into what's working now (and what's not) when it comes to agency growth, client expectations, and scaling with intention. If you've ever relied a little too heavily on referrals, be unsure of your niche, or found yourself winging it without a real system—this one's for you. Tune in to learn how to enhance your agency's approach to attracting clients and scaling your business! Stephen Woessner is the founder of Predictive ROI, an agency that helps clients build predictable and repeatable ROI so they can focus on doing the work they love alongside clients they choose. With over 30 years of experience, including a six-year stint in academia, Stephen discusses what's working right now to get more leads, why getting specific is vital for agencies, and why the journey to scaling your journey requires patience, as well as methodology. Stephen also hosts the "Onward Nation" and "Sell with Authority" podcasts and is the bestselling author of five books, including his latest, “Sell With Authority". In this episode, we'll discuss: Why you should be ridiculously specific. Developing a true methodology to showcase your process. How a softer approach can lead to bigger wins. 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. The Power of Specificity (and Content That Teaches) Stephen has had a long career in the agency world, starting thirty years ago, before ROI was a thing, and working alongside agencies and consultants — teaching them how to build their authority within the markets they serve. He worked six-years in academia while also sharing his knowledge in his first books on Viral Social Networking and SEO. The expertise shared in these books got him requests to work as a consultant for different businesses, which led to him starting his own agency in 2009. At his agency, Stephen commonly works with agencies and consultants that are going about sales and new business development in the least effective, most painful way possible. In fifteen years, he's seen a lot in the business and now brings his own perspective on what's currently working in the agency space. According to him, success comes from being ridiculously specific—about who you serve, what you offer, and how you market it. It's not about flashy gimmicks or one-size-fits-all strategies. Agencies that clearly communicate their expertise and share their knowledge generously (even for free!) are the ones building long-term trust. With the many AI tools available for marketers nowadays, there just isn't a valid excuse for not putting your own content out there to attract clients with valuable tips that show your expertise. These should be small, actionable pieces that solve real problems. That kind of generosity leads to high-quality leads who already trust you by the time they reach out. While the tools might not be polished yet, they show just how easy it is now to create content and show up consistently. The key is that agencies need to be intentional, have a point of view, know their clients' real pain points and speak to them clearly. Raise the Bar or Get Left Behind Today's clients are smart. They're looking for specialized, strategic partners—not generalists who throw spaghetti at the wall. Agencies that develop a true methodology, a real system for delivering results, stand out. It's not just about the work—it's about the process behind it. Simply put, a solid methodology builds trust. It shows prospects that you know what you're doing and that you've done it before. And yes, it's a big part of what makes an agency sellable down the road. If you're familiar with games like “Age of Empires,” the process of building your methodology will be a lot like starting scrappy in the stone age—just you, maybe a freelancer or two. But as you gather resources (aka leads, a team, and tools) and build systems (onboarding, sales, and delivery processes), you level up. The methodology evolves as you grow—and mastering each stage is what gets you to the next one. The path to growth requires structure, clarity, and an intentional approach. If you're still winging it with no repeatable system in place it might be time to rethink the game plan. How a Softer Approach Can Lead to Bigger Wins Other than a methodology, the journey to the top will also require patience. Scaling an agency is rarely instantaneous and each stage of development comes with its own challenges and learning experiences. Agencies at various levels of growth face unique challenges, and the aspiration to leap from a level two to level thirty-seven—is just unrealistic. You need to experience the wins and losses that truly gives you the expertise to sustain growth and learn to appreciate that they've prepared you for the next challenges and goals. Jason was actually confronted with this lesson while preparing for his latest event, which although did eventually sell out, but did so much more slowly than he would've liked. In the end, the team made the decision to stop being pushy about promoting the event and instead try to be more inviting. A pushy attitude will likely be met with resistance. Instead, a gentle nudge or an invitation to explore creates a sense of curiosity and openness. By reframing the conversation from one of pressure to one of invitation, he was able to build trust and rapport. People are more likely to engage when they feel they have the autonomy to make choices without feeling coerced. This is the same principle that drives successful business generation. Instead of being pushy, make sure you're sharing case studies, insights, or even hosting webinars that allow prospects to learn and engage with the agency's expertise. Trust that you're offering great value that resonates with the target audience, encouraging your audience to lean in and explore further, rather than overwhelming them with hard sells. Creating Content That Draws the Right Clients In So what is the type of content agencies should be creating to get prospects to lean in? The first thing that may make you feel like you're screaming into the void is trying to attract just any client who can sign a check. Successful companies have shown that focusing on a select group of high-performing clients can lead to tremendous success. This does not mean that if you start to work with plumbers you'll have to work with that niche in perpetuity. A niche can also be a specific problem you solve or an area you serve, not just an industry. When you focus on "right fit" clients, you'll attract people you genuinely enjoy working with who choose to stay with your business long-term. When agency owners narrow their focus, they can tailor their offerings to meet the unique needs of their chosen niche. This not only enhances the quality of service but also simplifies the content creation process. Once the target audience is identified, agencies can generate relevant and engaging content that addresses the specific problems and pain points of their clients. At this point, you can focus on sharing content that makes a lasting impression. By providing valuable information upfront, you'll no doubt capture the attention of potential clients and build credibility. 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.

As an agency owner, navigating the challenges of growth in a competitive landscape can feel overwhelming. Stephen Woessner, CEO of Predictive ROI, joins us today to share his expert insights on adapting to industry changes and building a foundation for long-term success. This week, episode 245 of The Digital Agency Growth Podcast is about transforming content creation, embracing specialization, and leveraging AI to strengthen agency-client relationships.Watch our latest video training, How to Take Charge of Your Agency's Future Revenue. In this training, you'll learn how to secure qualified appointments consistently with highly targeted and tasteful email outreach.In this episode, Stephen Woessner discusses the importance of treating your agency like your best client, creating cornerstone content, and fostering trust through effective team structures and metrics-driven strategies.Stephen Woessner is the CEO of Predictive ROI, a consultancy focused on helping agencies build authority and generate consistent revenue through content-driven strategies. With a deep understanding of agency operations and the evolving market, Stephen provides actionable advice for scaling your business.In this episode, Dan and Stephen cover:The benefits of building a dedicated internal team to handle your agency's content.Why specialization is key to standing out in a crowded market.How AI is reshaping agency operations and client expectations.The journey from being a vendor to a trusted strategic partner.Practical steps to measure ROI and ensure your content efforts generate revenue.Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to follow, rate, and review the podcast share your key takeaways with us!Learn more about The Digitial Agency Growth Podcast at https://www.salesschema.com/podcast/ and our Video training at http://salesschema.com/takecharge CONNECT WITH STEPHEN  WOESSNER: LinkedInPREDICTIVE ROISell with Authority PodcastCONNECT WITH DAN ENGLANDER:LinkedInSales SchemaStop relying on unpredictable referrals and take control of your agency's future growth. Go to salesschema.com/takecharge to access the free training now. Stop relying on unpredictable referrals and take control of your agency's future growth. Go to salesschema.com/takecharge to access the free training now.

Today we're kicking off 2025 with a special solocast of Sell With Authority designed just for you — agency owners striving to elevate your business and maximize your revenue. In this episode, I share an inspiring story that's all about grit, perseverance, and relentless focus. It's the incredible journey of Sylvester Stallone — yes, the legendary Rocky and Rambo — who overcame staggering setbacks and rejection to become one of Hollywood's most iconic figures. Stallone's story is a masterclass in following one course until success, or “F.O.C.U.S.” — a philosophy championed by John Lee Dumas on the Entrepreneurs on Fire podcast. From enduring over 1,500 rejections to navigating immense personal hardship, Stallone's unwavering commitment to his vision is a powerful reminder of what's possible when you refuse to give up. Relentless F.O.C.U.S. and dogged determination can turn dreams into reality. Whether 2024 has been triumphant or tough for your agency — this episode offers a dose of inspiration and practical insights to make 2025 your best year yet! A big dose of gratitude to our presenting sponsor for the podcast, Conduit Digital. By using their expertise in streamlining, upgrading & scaling your clients…they promise to reduce your risk so you can become the best digital agency in your market in 30 days. You can find Conduit and all their helpful insights and smarts here. What you will learn in this episode: Follow one course until success — F.O.C.U.S. How one of Hollywood's most successful actors of all time overcame over 1,500 rejections to become an icon You can transform rejection and adversity into fuel for your dreams Why changing your approach could be crucial to finding success How mindset and perseverance can set you apart from your competitors Free Resources: Website: www.predictiveroi.com Visit our newly expanded Resource Library Join us in our free How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline Facebook Group Stephen's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/ Order your free paperback or Kindle copy of our Book: Sell with Authority

For over 30 years, I've worked in the trenches of agency new business strategy, working alongside and consulting with hundreds of agencies, business coaches, and consultants — teaching them how to plant their flag of authority within the markets they serve, grow their audience, and fill their sales pipeline with a steady stream of right-fit clients so they can win new business. I founded Predictive ROI in 2009 and remain its CEO and co-owner, working alongside my business partner, Erik Jensen. I host the “Onward Nation” and “Sell with Authority” podcasts with listeners in over 140 countries and over 1,000 episodes. My agency new business and marketing insights have been featured in major media, and I'm the bestselling author of five books, including my latest entitled, “Sell With Authority.” Here's my hope for this solocast – to share an overall framework and principles for how you can architect your conversations with prospective clients so the discussions are super helpful to your prospects — and so the sessions feel like teaching. But — what you're actually doing is demonstrating your methodology in action. And when you do that with excellence — there will be a moment in your discussion where your prospect says something like, “Wait a minute…I see what you're doing here…and it's awesome!” It is absolutely possible to teach and sell simultaneously — and I'll show you how in this episode. A big dose of gratitude to our presenting sponsor for the podcast, Conduit Digital. By using their expertise in streamlining, upgrading & scaling your clients…they promise to reduce your risk so you can become the best digital agency in your market in 30 days. You can find Conduit and all their helpful insights and smarts here. During this Episode — you will learn how to: How the “10 Truths of what makes someone an authority” play a vital role in this process Why beginning with the end in mind is a must if you're going to architect the right conversation with a prospect Why teaching and selling simultaneously must begin with you “Eating your own dog food” How to demonstrate your methodology in action during the sales process How to “break the 4th wall” with your prospect in order to bring it all together Free Resources: Website: www.predictiveroi.com Visit our newly expanded Resource Library Join us in our free How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline Facebook Group Stephen's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/ Order your free paperback or Kindle copy of our Book: Sell with Authority

One of the biggest challenges agency owners and their teams face when it comes to business development is how to open doors efficiently, build meaningful relationships, and fill your sales pipeline without getting bogged down by a slow, one-by-one approach. Dan recently had the opportunity to guest on the Sell with Authority podcast hosted by Stephen Woessner to talk about Sales Schema's strategies to find commonalities between you and your potential clients, our approach to effective testing with smaller B2B sample sizes, and more. We're happy to present that episode for you today. This week, episode 236 of The Digital Agency Growth Podcast is about how to balance personalization and scale.Watch our latest video training, How to Take Charge of Your Agency's Future Revenue. During this training, you'll learn how we get qualified appointments every week using tasteful and highly targeted email outreach.In this episode of The Digital Agency Growth Podcast, Dan Englander and Stephen Woessner share the importance of building trust with potential clients through relationship-building and actionable steps you can take right now to identify commonalities you share with your potential clients. Stephen Woessner is the CEO and President of Predictive ROI, a company that offers community, coaching, and turnkey services to help you lead and grow your business strategically. Stephen is also the co-author of Sell With Authority: Own and Monetize Your Agency's Authority Position. For over 25 years, Stephen has been in the trenches of agency new business strategy working alongside agencies and consultants — teaching them how to build their authority within the markets they serve, grow their audience, and fill their sales pipeline with a steady stream of right-fit clients so they can win new business. In this episode, Dan and Stephen discuss the following:How outbound marketing can fine-tune your overall marketing efforts.Why agency owners should offload tasks to build an effective outreach system.The ideal team setup for outbound marketing.The role of testing in outbound marketing and the importance of running campaigns over a period of time.Don't forget to get your hand on a copy of Stephen's book, Sell With Authority: Own and Monetize Your Agency's Authority Position today!Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to follow, rate and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!Learn more about The Digitial Agency Growth Podcast at https://www.salesschema.com/podcast/ and our Video training at http://salesschema.com/takecharge CONNECT WITH STEPHEN WOESSNER:LinkedInFacebookPredictive ROISell with Authority podcastCONNECT WITH DAN ENGLANDER:LinkedInSales Schema

Stephen Woessner Shares How to Sell More, Charge Higher Fees, and Fill Your Pipeline with Right-Fit ClientsIn this episode, Chris Gunkle talks with Stephen Woessner, the CEO and co-owner of Predictive ROI. Stephen has been in the marketing and agency trenches for over 30 years, and he's now on a mission to help agency owners and their teams sell more of what they do for higher fees by building a position of authority.Stephen founded Predictive ROI in 2009, and he's helped agencies across the globe fill their sales pipelines with a steady stream of right-fit clients. He's also the host of two popular podcasts - "Onward Nation" and "Sell with Authority" - with over 1,100 episodes downloaded in 140+ countries. Stephen is the bestselling author of five books, including his latest, "Sell with Authority," which provides a proven framework for becoming an authority in your industry.During the conversation, Stephen breaks down the three essential elements of building an authority position: niche, cornerstone content, and point of view. He explains how these three ingredients can help you shorten the path to monetization and attract a steady stream of right-fit clients. Stephen also shares insights on pricing strategy, the benefits of authority positioning, and how to avoid the "generalist" trap that so many small business owners and consultants fall into.If you're an agency owner, consultant, or small business professional who's looking to sell more, charge higher fees, and work with your ideal clients, this episode is a must-listen. Stephen provides a clear, actionable roadmap for establishing your authority, differentiating yourself from the competition, and creating a sales process that practically eliminates objections.Connect with Stephen:Website:  PredictiveROI.comResources: PredictiveROI.com/resources"WHO" Framework: PredictiveROI.com/who

Welcome to the Sell with Authority Podcast – I'm Stephen Woessner, CEO of Predictive ROI. If we happen to be meeting for the first time — Predictive ROI helps agency owners and their teams sell more of what they do…typically for a higher fee. We do that by helping our clients build an authority position in the niche they've decided to serve — and then — monetize that position by creating a steady stream of right-fit prospects flowing into their sales pipeline. If learning proven strategies, tactics, and best practices to help you sell more of what you do aligns with where you want to take your agency — you're in the right place. Today's episode is going to be a solocast. If you've been listening to the show for a while now – you know that about every 4-6 weeks, I record an episode where it's just you and me — so we can explore a topic with some real depth. But you may have noticed that within the last couple of months — I've recorded more solocasts than my normal cadence. I've done that for a couple of reasons. First — there have been a lot of biz dev situations, questions, etc., that we've helped agency owners in our community work through — and some are helpful examples that turn into specific teachable moments to share. Second — my Predictive team and I have been running at a breakneck pace with new experiments that we're putting through our Lab and then sharing the results during our Intensives. If you joined us for our July Intensive — you saw the results of an experiment that included 121,000 repetitions in the data set. Wowza. We're kicking off a brand new experiment in the Lab tomorrow that will include at least 50,000 repetitions, and we'll share the data set in full transparency during our next Intensive on November 6th & 7th. And Praise God — we've had the blessing of onboarding some new clients into the fold here at Predictive. All of that is to say — my schedule for interviewing guests has been challenging. But thankfully — that is changing. In fact — during our quarterly leadership team meeting — my fellow leaders…Erik, Megan, and Hannah — said, “Okay, Stephen — what needs to come off your plate so you can stay in the biz dev lane.” Staying in my lane will give me the time and space I need to interview the long list of guests that I have been wanting to invite to the podcast…so stay tuned. But for today — I'm going to start us off by looping back to the new experiment and the 50,000 repetitions that I mentioned a minute ago. For years — we've taught a nurture and lead gen cadence that we've called “The 6:1 Ratio.” It was published back in my second book and focused primarily on social media and how many personal or professional posts ought to be made — 6 — to every 1 “ask” post to create the optimal opportunity for conversion. One of our core values here at Predictive is “Life is not static,” and we're always testing, adjusting, testing, adjusting, and testing some more. So on Thursday — we're launching a brand new, 4-part nurture email campaign and sharing it with all 50,000 agency owners and their teams inside our community. If you're on our email list — you'll receive a new email every Thursday for the next four weeks. We're doing this for three reasons: One — 50,000 repetitions for the November Intensive — the full data set. Two — nurture matters — it removes friction from the sales process. Three — to break down and illustrate our “4-part Nurture Methodology.” A big dose of gratitude to our presenting sponsor for the podcast, Conduit Digital. By using their expertise in streamlining, upgrading & scaling your clients…they promise to reduce your risk so you can become the best digital agency in your market in 30 days. You can find Conduit and all their helpful insights and smarts here. What you will learn in this episode is: How to use the Transformational Triangle to create the foundation of your content strategy (Episode 124, “No Friction Lead Generation,” breaks down the Triangle in specific detail) How to write effective emails to give your audience the impression that you have an inexhaustible stream of helpful content (Episode 116, “Email Writing Workshop,” breaks down our email writing framework and process in specific detail) How to design and build your own strategic frameworks. Hannah Roth, our mad scientist and strategist here at Predictive, just authored a new ebook coming on strategic framework design. If you're part of our community — you'll receive a copy in your Inbox in mid-to late-September. And lastly — why creating a series of Transitional Moments that all work in unison will help nurture your prospects and move them up and down the sales funnel without them ever being made to feel like they're one of your prospects. You can go here for a specific video training on Transitional Moments. Download our Free Frameworks to Help You Sell More of What You Do: Go here to download our WHO Framework™: Replace your dry sales pipeline with a steady stream of right-fit clients. Go here to download our WHAT Framework™: Design your irresistible offer and sell it for a premium-priced fee. Go here to download our HOW Framework™: Put a proven sales process into place and close 80% of your proposals. Go here to download our How You Help Framework™: Use this framework to make yourself an easy YES! for clients. Resources: Website: www.predictiveroi.com Visit our newly expanded Resource Library Join us in our free How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline Facebook Group Stephen's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/ Order your free paperback or Kindle copy of our Book: Sell with Authority  

Today's episode of the podcast is a solocast so that you and I could take a strategy from last week's episode and explore it with more depth. Last week — you may recall — I shared that one of the strategies that we taught during our July Intensive was what we call “No Friction Lead Generation.” When you have built up enough trust, respect, and authority in the minds of your audience or prospects — that when they have an issue inside their business that aligns with your expertise — you get the call. Or — when you reach out to your audience and let them know you have a new program, service line, event, etc. at the agency — they raise their hands and want to attend or become your next new client. When that process runs smoothly — we call it No Friction Lead Generation — because, through your content and trust building, you have removed the “friction” from the sales process. And your prospects already know how you can help and they are eager for you to help when they have a need. No Friction Lead Generation is what we're going to focus on in this episode so you can create the right content — without it being a heavy lift on your shop — and you can build a steady stream of leads flowing into your sales pipeline because you followed the right recipe. Sound awesome? I promise you — if you put the takeaways into practice — you and your team will sell more of what you do — for a higher fee. A big dose of gratitude to our presenting sponsor for the podcast, Conduit Digital. By using their expertise in streamlining, upgrading & scaling your clients…they promise to reduce your risk so you can become the best digital agency in your market in 30-days. You can find Conduit and all their helpful insights and smarts here. What you will learn in this episode is: How to create what seems like an inexhaustible supply of helpful content for your audience

Last week (July 30th and 31st) — my Predictive team and I hosted our latest “2-day Intensive.” Every March, July, and November — we get our Predictive clients together for an “Intensive” where we peel back the curtain and share the results of the most recent experiment in the Lab, the actual results, and how to install it into their agencies. We promised all our clients—and the guests we invited- for the July Intensive—that we'd share the exact recipe for how we 10'xed our email list from 3,900 agencies to over 40,000 agency contacts in about six months. We walked everyone through the strategies, process, and every step-by-step ingredient in the recipe. After two amazing sessions, we looked back on the experience and thought, “Holy bananas—there were some really awesome takeaways here…not just the content we taught.” For this episode of Sell With Authority, I will share that debrief with you and all of those bonus takeaways. Hope it's helpful! I promise you — if you put the takeaways into practice — you and your team will sell more of what you do — for a higher fee. A big dose of gratitude to our presenting sponsor for the podcast, Conduit Digital. By using their expertise in streamlining, upgrading & scaling your clients…they promise to reduce your risk so you can become the best digital agency in your market in 30-days. You can find Conduit and all their helpful insights and smarts here. What you will learn in this episode is: Why, when your agency “Eats its own dog food,” you create trust with your prospects and clients Why you should never be scared about teaching the best of what you've got in full transparency How to build out and document your agency's methodology in a way that is unique and will set you apart Why you should never mix deliverables and outcomes — they are not the same, and clients will pay you much more when you deliver outcomes Why, when you include all five ingredients of our recipe in your proposals, you'll make your agency a much easier YES! for prospects Download our Free Frameworks to Help You Sell More of What You Do: Go here to download our WHO Framework™: Replace your dry sales pipeline with a steady stream of right-fit clients. Go here to download our WHAT Framework™: Design your irresistible offer and sell it for a premium-priced fee. Go here to download our HOW Framework™: Put a proven sales process into place and close 80% of your proposals. Go here to download our How You Help Framework™: Use this framework to make yourself an easy YES! for clients. Resources: Website: www.predictiveroi.com Visit our newly expanded Resource Library Join us in our free How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline Facebook Group Stephen's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/ Order your free paperback or Kindle copy of our Book: Sell with Authority  

Struggling with keeping your brand relevant in a fast-paced market? Elevate your strategy with high-impact personalization and cutting-edge AI techniques. In this episode, you'll learn how to stand out with targeted content, engage your audience, and remove sales friction seamlessly. You'll also hear inspiring success stories and practical tips for bold, risk-taking moves in marketing.And don't forget! You can crush your marketing strategy with just a few minutes a week by signing up for the StrategyCast Newsletter. You'll receive weekly bursts of marketing tips, clips, resources, and a whole lot more. Visit https://strategycast.com/ for more details.==Let's Break It Down==05:41 Innovators disrupting markets with visionary products.07:56 Marketers must lean in to embrace AI.10:05 Building services or products to meet needs.17:35 Friendship leading to lasting working relationships and respect.20:49 Combining friendship and business relationships is beautiful.23:13 Addressing the audience directly, emphasizing genuine passion.29:33 Utilizing data tools to gain consumer insights.33:18 Maintaining brand visibility, speeding up buying cycle.34:35 Diving into challenging context during current environment.38:35 Leaders focus on removing friction for clients.41:03 Brand success requires team alignment and personalization.46:09 Discussing strategy and lessons across disciplines.==Where You Can Find Us==Website: https://strategycast.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strategy_cast/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strategycast==Leave a Review==Hey there, StrategyCast fans!If you've found our tips and tricks on marketing strategies helpful in growing your business, we'd be thrilled if you could take a moment to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Your feedback not only supports us but also helps others discover how they can elevate their business game!

For this episode of Sell With Authority — I break down a sales strategy that we've used here at Predictive for nearly a decade — but not until recently — did we build a framework around it. We call it the “Sales Crucible” — and I will tell you — whenever we have a new service line to begin selling here at Predictive – I design what we call a “Sales Crucible.” And just like a literal “crucible,” — I design a schedule and accountability points that intentionally put me under pressure so I'm forced to figure out the best way to talk about our newest offering, get at-bats in front of real prospects, strike out, and then eventually get some hits and score some wins. I know this might sound ridiculous — why would someone want to do that to themselves? Right? I promise you — if you put our Sales Crucible framework into practice — you will cut the time it takes to gain traction in your sales process. But before we dive in — have you heard about our upcoming July Intensive? Three times a year — we get our Predictive clients together on Zoom. We call it the “2-day Intensive.” We slice apart our best strategies for helping agencies sell more of what they do — and we break everything down in full transparency so you can install it into your agency. I know I'm biased — but holy bananas — each Intensive is off-the-charts awesome. Our next “Intensive” is Tuesday & Wednesday, July 30th & 31st, from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon Central (on Zoom). Our goal for the July Intensive is to help you sell more of what you do. We have 30 guest passes available. Would you like to join us? And here's the magic. The Intensive is a private client-only event. That means no selling. No pitching. You just get to be one of us. If that sounds helpful — just send me an email at stephen@predictiveroi.com with the word “ONWARD,” and I'll get in touch with the full details, calendar invites, and Zoom links. A big dose of gratitude to our presenting sponsor for the podcast, Conduit Digital. By using their expertise in streamlining, upgrading & scaling your clients…they promise to reduce your risk so you can become the best digital agency in your market in 30-days. You can find Conduit and all their helpful insights and smarts here. What you will learn in this episode is: How to create your own “XYZ Statement” so you can easily introduce yourself to prospects using a statement that is designed for them and not you How to connect the dots between your strategies and tactics — with the outcomes delivered for your clients Why build a list of confidants to practice your pitch shortens your path to success How to move quickly into the real batter's box and swing away Download our Free Frameworks to Help You Sell More of What You Do: Get the WHO Framework™: Replace your dry sales pipeline with a steady stream of right-fit clients. Get the WHAT Framework™: Design your irresistible offer and sell it for a premium-priced fee. Get the HOW Framework™: Put a proven sales process into place and close 80% of your proposals. Get the How You Help Framework™: Use this framework to make yourself an easy YES! for clients. Resources: Website: www.predictiveroi.com Visit our newly expanded Resource Library Join us in our free How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline Facebook Group Stephen's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/ Order your free paperback or Kindle copy of our Book: Sell with Authority

For this episode of Sell With Authority, we're shaking things up a bit. Instead of our usual format — I've got something special in store for you. We're diving into an episode I recorded with Drew McLellan for his Build a Better Agency Podcast. Why this twist, you might wonder? There are a few reasons I'm excited to share with you. But before we dive in — have you heard about our upcoming July Intensive? Three times a year — we get our Predictive clients together on Zoom. We call it the “2-day Intensive.” We slice apart our best strategies for helping agencies sell more of what they do — and we break everything down in full transparency so you can install it into your agency. I know I'm biased — but holy bananas — each Intensive is off-the-charts awesome. Our next “Intensive” is Tuesday & Wednesday, July 30th & 31st, from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon Central (on Zoom). Our goal for the July Intensive is to help you sell more of what you do. We have 30 guest passes available. Would you like to join us? And here's the magic. The Intensive is a private client-only event. That means no selling. No pitching. You just get to be one of us. If that sounds helpful — just send me an email at stephen@predictiveroi.com with the word “ONWARD,” and I'll get in touch with the full details, calendar invites, and Zoom links. Okay — now for the twist with today's episode. Jody Sutter of The Sutter Company For this episode — I'm sharing the full recording of a recent LinkedIn Live that I did alongside Jody Sutter. Jody invited me — and I was like — Holy Bananas, yes!! And here's the thing — from the outside looking in — someone might look at Jody's company and Predictive as competitors — and yet — we share content, and support each other any way we can — because we both want the same thing for agency owners — for them to win more business. So we're going to play the entire LNKD Live recording here inside this episode. If you want to watch the video version of it – just go here. Enjoy. Hope you find it helpful. What you will learn in this episode is: How building an authority position can help you sell more of what you do. How you can make time to create or generate all that content. How long will it take before you see traction in your niche and results. How to easily get past the obstacle of thinking “What if I don't have anything interesting to say?” Download our Free Frameworks to Help You Sell More of What You Do: Get the WHO Framework™: Replace your dry sales pipeline with a steady stream of right-fit clients. Get the WHAT Framework™: Design your irresistible offer and sell it for a premium-priced fee. Get the HOW Framework™: Put a proven sales process into place and close 80% of your proposals. Get the How You Help Framework™: Use this framework to make yourself an easy YES! for clients. Resources: Website: www.predictiveroi.com Visit our newly expanded Resource Library Join us in our free How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline Facebook Group Stephen's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/ Order your free paperback or Kindle copy of our Book: Sell with Authority

Welcome to the Sell with Authority Podcast – I'm Stephen Woessner, CEO of Predictive ROI. If we happen to be meeting for the first time — Predictive ROI helps agency owners and their teams sell more of what they do…typically for a higher fee. We do that by helping our clients build an authority position in the niche they've decided to serve — and then — monetize that position by creating a steady stream of right-fit prospects flowing into their sales pipeline. If learning proven strategies, tactics, and best practices to help you sell more of what you do aligns with where you want to take your agency — you're in the right place. Today's episode is a solocast — just you and me. I'll take you behind the curtain into the content we created for an email writing workshop we delivered for Predictive ROI clients and then recently transformed into a new guide entitled “How to Write Effective Emails and Improve Your Open Rates.” The guide is so new that it hasn't been added to our Resource Library yet. But — if you'd like a copy — just email me at stephen@predictiveroi.com and I'll be sure to send it your way. During this episode — I'm going to share with you in full transparency our “Where to Begin” process for writing effective emails on behalf of our clients and as part of our own content strategy. How the content we create leans into the common questions we know our audience cares about. How our emails address the pain points we know our audience is feeling and how each message is designed to be helpful by sharing a relevant story. Honest — writing effective email content can be that simple. I look forward to your thoughts. A big dose of gratitude to our presenting sponsor for the podcast, Conduit Digital. By using their expertise in streamlining, upgrading & scaling your clients…they promise to reduce your risk so you can become the best digital agency in your market in 30-days. You can find Conduit and all their helpful insights and smarts here. What you will learn in this episode is: How Box 1: What are the common questions you know your audience, clients, and prospects typically ask you when you're spending time together? How Box 2: What are the pain points, business issues, roadblocks, and challenges you know your prospects are trying to overcome? How Box 3: What are the outcomes they desire the most — so that when they look back on the last year — they will feel like they made measurable progress? How Box 4: What are the strategies, tactics, and solutions you know will help make a difference in their business — if they only took the time to apply what they learned from you? How Box 5: And lastly — what is a relevant story you can share that packages all of that into an easily digestible piece of content…an email? Download our Free Frameworks to Help You Sell More of What You Do: Get the WHO Framework™: Replace your dry sales pipeline with a steady stream of right-fit clients. Get the WHAT Framework™: Design your irresistible offer and sell it for a premium-priced fee. Get the HOW Framework™: Put a proven sales process into place and close 80% of your proposals. Get the How You Help Framework™: Use this framework to make yourself an easy YES! for clients. Resources: Website: www.predictiveroi.com Visit our newly expanded Resource Library Join us in our free How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline Facebook Group Stephen's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/ Order your free paperback or Kindle copy of our Book: Sell with Authority Build a Better Agency Summit 2024: https://agencymanagementinstitute.com/babasummit/  

Welcome to the Sell with Authority Podcast – I'm Stephen Woessner, CEO of Predictive ROI. If we happen to be meeting for the first time — Predictive ROI helps agency owners and their teams sell more of what they do…typically for a higher fee. We do that by helping our clients build an authority position in the niche they've decided to serve — and then — monetize that position by creating a steady stream of right-fit prospects flowing into their sales pipeline. If learning proven strategies, tactics, and best practices to help you sell more of what you do aligns with where you want to take your agency — you're in the right place. Today's episode is a solocast — just you and me. I'll take you behind the curtain into what we call the “Help Me Understand” framework here at Predictive — and how we use it every single time we have a conversation with a prospective client. We use it every single time because the framework keeps us on track and focused on the most important thing during those meetings…the person we're meeting with. This type of meeting is never about selling — and the last thing we ever want to do is look like we're trying to close a sale. You don't like when someone tries to close you so we would never suggest you try to “close” one of your prospects. Instead — the Help Me Understand framework sets the stage for a great business conversation where you ask helpful questions. Then — there's some leaning in, peeling back the layers, asking more questions…and if you've applied the framework in full…your prospective client will ask you, “So — I've done all the talking. How do you think you can help us?” Honest — it can be that simple. I look forward to your thoughts. A big dose of gratitude to our presenting sponsor for the podcast, Conduit Digital. By using their expertise in streamlining, upgrading & scaling your clients…they promise to reduce your risk so you can become the best digital agency in your market in 30-days. You can find Conduit and all their helpful insights and smarts here. What you will learn in this episode is: How Box 1: “Who you help” sets you and your prospective client for success because you'll find out how focused they are or if they're generalist. How Box 2: “What problems do you solve” will give you a glimpse into the strategies and tactics they consistently deploy to help their clients. How Box 3: “How does it work” will quickly show you if your prospective client has a methodology in place. Or — are they throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something sticks? How Box 4: “Top 3 Most Vital Priorities…” gives you permission to ask about their goals — the data points agencies always want to know, but few are bold enough to ask. How Box 5: “Roadblock in your way…” will peel back the curtain and show you the “back of stage” problems and constraints — and if you can solve them — holy bananas — you may have just won your agency a brand new client. Download our Free Frameworks to Help You Sell More of What You Do: Get the WHO Framework™: Replace your dry sales pipeline with a steady stream of right-fit clients. Get the WHAT Framework™: Design your irresistible offer and sell it for a premium-priced fee. Get the HOW Framework™: Put a proven sales process into place and close 80% of your proposals. Get the How You Help Framework™: Use this framework to make yourself an easy YES! for clients. Resources: Website: www.predictiveroi.com Visit our newly expanded Resource Library Join us in our free How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline Facebook Group Stephen's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/ Order your free paperback or Kindle copy of our Book: Sell with Authority Build a Better Agency Summit 2024: https://agencymanagementinstitute.com/babasummit/  

For this episode of Sell With Authority, we're shaking things up a bit. Instead of our usual format — I've got something special in store for you. We're diving into an episode I recorded with Drew McLellan for his Build a Better Agency Podcast. Why this twist, you might wonder? There are a few reasons I'm excited to share with you. First off — Drew and I delved deep into the topic of niche, but from a perspective that might surprise you. We explored how Predictive pivoted its niche a few years back, the reasons behind it, and, candidly, how we got a bit too comfortable in our previous niche. Secondly — I believe the insights we share about building community and adding value will resonate with you, especially if you attended Day 1 of our March Intensive, where community was at the forefront. And third — buckle up for some powerful takeaways from Drew's keynote at the Build a Better Agency Summit. He discusses steering our agencies out of safe harbors, embracing the storm, and why those risks we fear might not be risks at all. Drew's wisdom adds a brilliant layer to the conversation. If you take and apply what we talk about in this episode — you're going to be in a much better position to roar through 2024 by selling more of what you do. What you will learn in this episode is: Why breaking away from the playbook and charting a new course could be the right strategic move for your agency How to identify the client types you excel at serving, potentially uncovering your agency's new niche in the process How to redefine your agency's approach and positioning Why your agency niche can establish you as the authority on how to become “The Authority” The pivotal role of cultivating a community of eager learners, facilitating more streamlined sales processes Resources: Website: www.predictiveroi.com Visit our newly expanded Resource Library Join us in our free How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline Facebook Group Stephen's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/ Order your free paperback or Kindle copy of our Book: Sell with Authority Build a Better Agency Summit 2024: https://agencymanagementinstitute.com/babasummit/

Welcome to the Sell with Authority Podcast – I'm Stephen Woessner, CEO of Predictive ROI. If we happen to be meeting for the first time — Predictive ROI helps agency owners and their teams sell more of what they do…typically for a higher fee. We do that by helping our clients build an authority position in the niche they've decided to serve — and then — monetize that position by creating a steady stream of right-fit prospects flowing into their sales pipeline. If learning proven strategies, tactics, and best practices to help you sell more of what you do aligns with where you want to take your agency — you're in the right place. Today's episode is going to be a solocast—just you and me. We'll explore a topic at both a high level and an eye level so you and your team can take it and apply it. The goal is to answer the question, “How do you get it all done?” Back when Drew McLellan, CEO of Agency Management Institute, and I decided to write our Sell with Authority book — we knew we needed to include some very practical and tactical recipes and guides on how to get all the work done. And I will tell you — when he and I teach our “Build and Nurture Your Sales Funnel” workshop — we spend a chunk of time on Day 2 helping attendees calendar and map out who in the shop is going to do all of the work so their plan doesn't fall apart when they get back home. For today's solocast, I'm going to take you behind the curtain into Appendices A and B in the back of our Sell with Authority book and share more about how we get it all done here at Predictive so you can take the same recipes and apply them to your shop. What you will learn in this episode is: How and why the WHO Framework and Transformational Triangle should serve as the foundation of your content strategy How to decide which form of cornerstone content is right for your gifts and talents How to leverage the cornerstone content to best grow your email list How do you decide on your cobblestones (they always come off the cornerstone, and the recipes in Appendix A will help) and the right cadence How to apply advanced strategies like knitting together your cobblestones to create a new and different cornerstone  

For over 25 years, Stephen Woessner has been in the trenches of agency new business strategy working alongside agencies and consultants — teaching them how to build their authority within the markets they serve, grow their audience, and fill their sales pipeline with a steady stream of right-fit clients so they can win new business. Stephen founded Predictive ROI in 2009 and remains its CEO and co-owner, along with his business partner, Erik Jensen. Stephen hosts the “Onward Nation” and “Sell with Authority” podcasts with listeners in over 140 countries and over 1,000 episodes. His agency new business and marketing insights have been featured in major media, and he's the bestselling author of five books, including his latest entitled, “Sell With Authority.” In this episode of the Progressive Agency Podcast, I interview Stephen about the importance of proactive tax planning for agency owners to maximize deductions and savings. Stephen emphasizes how proper tax planning and financial literacy force agency owners to think differently about money and the business. We discuss some confusing aspects of running an agency, especially around financial operations like cash flow, overhead costs, AP, and AR. Stephen shares how it took his agency years to implement an effective system for managing invoices and finances. Now they utilize solutions like Bill.com and consistently check in with their systems and processes. Stephen later shares his "Big 3" framework for saving time — identifying the 3 priority activities that drive both personal joy and business growth. Everything else gets deprioritized or delegated elsewhere.    What you will learn in this episode:  Reframing thinking around money and taxes Assumptions about tax deductions that cost agency owners tens of thousands of dollars Growing operations is a huge part of growing a business Financial education is critical for agency owners Time-saving tactics for agency owners Finding experts who care about the work they do for the benefit of others   Resources: Website: www.predictiveroi.com Visit our newly expanded Resource Library Join us in our free How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline Facebook Group Stephen's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/ Order your free paperback or Kindle copy of our Book: Sell with Authority  

Who do you spend the majority of your time with? Do their values, align with yours? Are they heading in the same direction that you want to be going? Have they accomplished things that you would like to do someday? Today's guest Stephen Woessner opens up about just how important this is. How the people and things that surround your life, truly make a difference in the trajectory of your goals.    In this episode, you'll discover…  What is the key trait to winning at work and at home? (1:12) When do you know to be patient? (5:50) How Stephen grounds himself (12:05) Your greater story. (17:49) Who you spend time with, matters. (31:31)   Stephen's Bio: For nearly two decades, Stephen Woessner has been in the trenches consulting with hundreds of clients and teaching them how to leverage Web 2.0 tactics like search engine optimization (SEO) and social media to expand into new markets, introduce new products, decrease costs, and increase revenues. Woessner is a leading Web 2.0 authority, bestselling author, and instructor at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Small Business Development Center. Woessner is also a business owner and has made costly mistakes along the way. He built one of his previous companies up to a valuation of $10 million and was planning an initial public offering. However, he lost millions when the dot com bubble imploded. This expensive lesson taught Woessner the valuable principle of always measuring the return on investment (ROI) before any action is taken. These lessons formed the foundation of his latest company, Predictive ROI. The company is based on a trademarked Web 2.0 method developed by Woessner. Instead of focusing on increasing traffic to a company's website, Predictive ROI increases the right traffic...the traffic that provides the lowest bounce rate, the traffic that increases conversions...and Predictive ROI measures the increases in traffic and conversions before a single optimized content page is ever created. For example, the social networking aspect of Predictive ROI can increase website traffic by 23 percent and conversion rates by 780 percent. Woessner's practical and tactical training sessions and keynote presentations are exactly aligned with this ROI principle. Attendees have commented that the most valuable benefit is that his processes empower executives, business owners, and managers so they can implement the steps and action plan themselves without needing technical skills. Woessner has been quoted in Inc. Magazine, E-commerce Times, B-to-B Online Magazine, Counselor Magazine, The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Wisconsin Public Radio, and other media for his Web 2.0 insights. He frequently teaches training sessions throughout the University of Wisconsin system including the prestigious UW-Madison School of Business. Woessner is a bestselling author. His first book is entitled The Small Business Owner's Handbook to Search Engine Optimization. The book has been ranked as high as #3 on Amazon.com United States, #1 on Amazon.com United Kingdom, and #16 on Amazon.com France for its category. His second book is entitled Increase Online Sales through Viral Social Networking and was released in March. He is currently writing his third book. Woessner earned his MBA and Bachelor of Science in marketing from UW-La Crosse. Woessner is also a graduate of Black Hills State University and the Community College of the Air Force. He lives in La Crosse, Wisconsin with his wife and daughter. Learn more at www.predictiveroi.com   What's Next?  Are you struggling to win at both home and work? Maybe you're crushing it at work, but home life is tough. Or maybe home life is great, but work is challenging.  I want to give you 10 tips that I share with clients. Go to my website at www.corymcarlson.com/subscribe and download your free copy of “10 Ways To Win At Home and at Work.”   Have you read ‘Rise and Go'? All leaders get knocked down from time to time, so this is a resource to help you get back up quicker.  Check it out on Amazon. Also, if you have not checked out my first book, please do! It is called Win At Home First and you can purchase it on Amazon Here. Forbes Magazine rated it one of 7 books everyone on your team should read.

How do you sell agency services with authority? Now that's a million-dollar question. Luckily, today's guest has the answers. Let's welcome to the show Stephen Woessner, Founder and CEO of Predictive ROI and a bestselling author, to discuss content marketing, agency sales, and so much more. Back to the question; Stephen explains on the show that building niche authority takes a recipe of getting really clear on your vertical, honing in on your point of view, and delivering all of that consistently through content marketing. In this episode, Corey and Stephen discuss content programs, how agencies should divide their output between cornerstone content and cobblestone content to maximize distribution and reach, and why so many agencies dive head-first into content programs that quickly fizzle out. Stephen believes that most agencies go about business development in the least effective, most painful way. His methodology, Selling with Authority, offers agency leaders a better way to approach and organize their sales efforts. Listen to the full show to learn just how. Corey and Jonathan discuss: How content builds authority. What the recipe for successful content marketing looks like. Notes on defining a niche. Build a unique POV showing you care about your industry beyond selling services. Here are some actionable key takeaways for agency founders: Building authority in a niche takes years to accrue. You sell more of your smarts as opposed to deliverables. Repurpose your cornerstone content into social media posts, checklists, emails, and so on. Master one content channel before moving on to the next. This episode covers topics like agency content marketing, defining your niche, and driving sales at an agency. The resources mentioned in this episode are: - Connect with Stephen on LinkedIn Here - Learn About Predictive ROI Here - Listen to Sell With Authority Here Join us for a goldmine of lessons in verticalized agency revenue growth.

If you want to see what relationship-first marketing looks like, spend a few weeks inside Stephen Woessner's How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline facebook group. It's free, and he legitimately gives away every ounce of what he's got. He never holds back, and he never stops giving more. It's humbling, really, to watch from the outside. He's the embodiment of generosity and the living example of what happens when you lead with your values. For over 25 years, Stephen Woessner has been in the trenches of agency new business strategy, consulting with hundreds of agencies, business coaches, and consultants — and teaching them how to plant their flag of authority, grow their audience, and fill their sales pipelines with a steady stream of right-fit clients. Stephen founded Predictive ROI in 2009 and remains its CEO and co-owner, working alongside his business partner, Erik Jensen. Stephen hosts the "Onward Nation" and "Sell with Authority" podcasts with listeners in over 140 countries and over 1,000 episodes. His marketing insights have been featured in major media and he's the bestselling author of five books, including his latest entitled, “Sell With Authority." Links + Resources from this episodeReach Stephen at stephen@predictiveroi.comFind Stephen at predictiveroi.comConnect with Storyhouse FifteenFind Lindsay on LinkedIn STORYHOUSE is a production of Storyhouse Fifteen, a strategic coaching and branding studio that helps small business owners and do-good organizations find the clarity, the story, and the strategy to reach more people and grow their impact. Find Lindsay at storyhousefifteen.com or connect with her on LinkedIn.

For over 30 years, Stephen Woessner has been in the trenches of agency new business strategy working alongside and consulting with hundreds of agencies, business coaches, and consultants — teaching them how to plant their flag of authority within the markets they serve, grow their audience, and fill their sales pipeline with a steady stream of right-fit clients so they can win new business. Stephen founded Predictive ROI in 2009 and remains its CEO and co-owner, working alongside his business partner, Erik Jensen. Stephen hosts the “Onward Nation” and “Sell with Authority” podcasts with listeners in over 140 countries and over 1,000 episodes. His agency new business and marketing insights have been featured in major media, and he's the bestselling author of five books, including his latest entitled, “Sell With Authority.” In this solocast episode of the podcast, Stephen shares his insights and strategies around how to architect your next sales call so you help your prospect move closer to becoming your next new client — without feeling like you are trying to “close” the sale. This solocast also serves as a preview of Day 2 of our upcoming 2-day Intensive on November 15th & 16th, 2023. More details below. During this Episode — you will learn how to: Create your own version of our “Help Me Understand…” worksheet Link the “Vital Priorities” and “Issues” from the worksheet into the proposals you write Structure your proposals using five ingredients that will make it easy for a prospective client to say “YES!” Apply our “seeding and opening loops” sales closing technique Share your value ladder / service levels / offers with your prospective clients in full transparency you are selling without selling November Intensive We're getting our Predictive ROI clients together for our next 2-day Intensive on Wednesday & Thursday, November 15th & 16th, from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon Central on Zoom. It's a private client-only event designed to help everyone in the room move their businesses further faster. We have 30 guest seats available. Would you like to join us? Just email Stephen (Stephen@predictiveroi.com) with the word “ONWARD,” and we'll be in touch with the full details, calendar invites, and Zoom links. Free Resources: Website: www.predictiveroi.com Visit our newly expanded Resource Library Join us in our free How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline Facebook Group Stephen's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/ Order your free paperback or Kindle copy of our Book: Sell with Authority

Angela Ficken, LICSW is a full-time psychotherapist in private practice. She specializes in OCD, eating disorders, and anxiety-related concerns. She started her career at McLean Hospital, which is one of the top-ranking psychiatric hospitals in the country and is affiliated with Harvard University. She was the head social worker on an inpatient unit that focuses on anxiety and depression. During her time at McLean, she trained in exposure therapy and became certified in CBT and DBT. Shortly thereafter, she worked at Harvard University as a primary therapist for undergraduate and graduate students. During her time there, she taught students CBT and DBT skills to help them manage a range of challenging emotions that young adults face daily. Along with her work at McLean and Harvard, Angela had a small private practice for years before she decided to move full-time in 2013. From there, she focused her attention on working with young adults and entrepreneurs primarily after noticing that both groups struggled with anxiety disorders and stress-related issues due to life transitions and the uncertainty of what was coming next in their lives. The struggle, as they say, is "real". She spent years fine-tuning her practice and building her business into something more than a standard full-time private practice. She began writing for Huffington Post as an expert, which then catapulted her into writing for other major online sources, which include Marriage.com where she is a verified expert, YourTango.com, ThriveGlobal.com, and has been quoted in Oprah Magazine, and Fastcompany.com, Inc.com, Forbes.com, MSN.com, Bustle.com, Popsugar.com, Buzzfeed.com, Nylon magazine, Getstigma.com, and Justluxe.com. She has also been a guest on Onward Nation with Stephen Woessner where she talked about OCD and intrusive thoughts, as well as on the radio in Chicago and Reno speaking about stress and anxiety. Through her writing and hearing from her clients how difficult it was to find an understanding therapist—one who could teach coping strategies to manage difficult emotions—she decided to create the Breaking Every Day into Slivers Not Chunks: Practical Skills to Deal With Everyday Stressors: Worried to Well-balanced course to reach more people other than those she could meet within her office. The course is designed to help those with significant stress in their lives and struggle to cope with stress and anxiety. Progresswellness.com Worriedtowellbalanced.com

For over 25 years, Stephen Woessner has been in the trenches of agency new business strategy working alongside agencies and consultants — teaching them how to build their authority within the markets they serve, grow their audience, and fill their sales pipeline with a steady stream of right-fit clients so they can win new business. Stephen founded Predictive ROI in 2009 and remains its CEO and co-owner, along with his business partner, Erik Jensen. Stephen hosts the “Onward Nation” and “Sell with Authority” podcasts with listeners in over 140 countries and over 1,000 episodes. His agency new business and marketing insights have been featured in major media, and he's the bestselling author of five books, including his latest entitled, “Sell With Authority.” Free Resources: Website: www.predictiveroi.com Visit our newly expanded Resource Library Join us in our free How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline Facebook Group Stephen's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/ Join our next QA Session: https://predictiveroi.com/qa/ Order your free paperback or Kindle copy of our Book: Sell with Authority Share this episode on:

For over 25 years, Stephen Woessner has been in the trenches of agency new business strategy working alongside agencies and consultants — teaching them how to build their authority within the markets they serve, grow their audience, and fill their sales pipeline with a steady stream of right-fit clients so they can win new business. Stephen founded Predictive ROI in 2009 and remains its CEO and co-owner, along with his business partner, Erik Jensen. Stephen hosts the “Onward Nation” and “Sell with Authority” podcasts with listeners in over 140 countries and over 1,000 episodes. His agency new business and marketing insights have been featured in major media, and he's the bestselling author of five books, including his latest entitled, “Sell With Authority.” Free Resources: Website: www.predictiveroi.com Visit our newly expanded Resource Library Join us in our free How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline Facebook Group Stephen's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/ Order your free paperback or Kindle copy of our Book: Sell with Authority

For over 25 years, Stephen Woessner has been in the trenches of agency new business strategy working alongside agencies and consultants — teaching them how to build their authority within the markets they serve, grow their audience, and fill their sales pipeline with a steady stream of right-fit clients so they can win new business.   Stephen founded Predictive ROI in 2009 and remains its CEO and co-owner, along with his business partner, Erik Jensen. Stephen hosts the “Onward Nation” and “Sell with Authority” podcasts with listeners in over 140 countries and over 1,000 episodes. His agency new business and marketing insights have been featured in major media, and he's the bestselling author of five books, including his latest entitled, “Sell With Authority.” At Predictive ROI — we believe most agencies and consultants go about sales and new business development in the least effective, most painful way possible — and that there's a better way. We call it the Sell with Authority Methodology. Here's the reality — we're entering the era of the authority. And while you may already be sick of the phrase “thought leader,” — the truth is — there aren't that many of them in our industry. Thought leaders don't write content anyone could claim. Thought leaders don't write about anything and everything. And thought leaders never compete on price. Thought leaders are afforded the highest level of confidence and trust because they have a depth of knowledge and a point of view that can't be denied or easily replicated. Thoughts leaders are also very clear on how and where they can help their clients. And their time is now. Building your authority position will help you grow a thriving, profitable business that can weather the constant change that seems to be our world's reality. How do you future-proof your shop? How do you attract your right-fit clients so they're proactively asking you how you can help them? How do you step away from the sea of other agencies and stand out? Building a defensible authority position is the solution for all that. And having a razor-sharp understanding of who you help (niche) and the business issues and challenges you help them solve (how you help) gets you down the path further faster. Today's episode is another installment in our desire to help you and your team help you accomplish the goal of further faster. Free Resources: Website: www.predictiveroi.com Visit our newly expanded Resource Library Join us in our free How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline Facebook Group Stephen's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/ Order your free paperback or Kindle copy of our Book: Sell with Authority

Staying Ahead of the Curve: Growing a Resilient Business in a Changing World w/ Stephen Woessner Stephen Woessner is the CEO of Predictive ROI, bestselling author, and host of the Sell with Authority - a podcast for agency owners, business coaches, and strategic consultants who are looking to grow a thriving, profitable business that can weather the constant change that seems to be our world's reality. Stephen is the author of numerous books, including the #1 best-selling Profitable Podcasting. What you'll learn in the episode: What is planting the flag of authority and why is it important? How can a podcast episode or a book could be sliced and diced into a certain number of pieces of content? What are the substantial and valuable pieces of contents that we can utilize as a foundation to convey our message effectively? How to assist clients to get into the zone of clarity? Connect with Stephen: Website: https://predictiveroi.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephenwoessner LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PredictiveROI Book a Free-30 Minute Coaching Session with Brian O'Neill MORE FROM BRIAN: Download the FREE 5 Step Guide to learn Brian's 5 steps to jumpstart your W2 Prison Break! Connect with Brian on TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn or Facebook Subscribe to W2 Prison Break on YouTube LINKS TO OUR PARTNERS: Grab Brian's Recommended Mic on Amazon Learn How to Get all the Money You Need to Fund Your Business with Fund & Grow Learn What Brian's Favorite Book is on Amazon

I am thrilled to welcome back to this episode of Sell With Authority the brilliant Hannah Roth. Hannah is our very own mad scientist and strategist here at Predictive ROI. She is no stranger to our community of rock-solid awesome agency owners and strategic consultants, as she consistently shares her expertise through various platforms like open-mic Q&As, 2-day Intensives, Teach & Do sessions, and our Facebook group. This marks Hannah's fourth appearance on the Sell with Authority podcast, with her previous insightful contributions in Episodes 35, 48, and 54 — all of which I highly recommend adding to your must-listen list. What truly sets Hannah apart is her unwavering dedication to being relentlessly helpful in all her interactions with our audience, whether in-person or virtually. Every time she takes the stage, her curriculum is meticulously prepared with one overarching goal: to provide immense value to our community and right-fit clients. Let me set the stage for what we explore. I can assure you that the issue and challenge Hannah helps us tackle today has likely hindered your results, or left you feeling like you're trying to grow your business with one hand tied behind your back. We delve into the critical topic of building an email list — more specifically, how to accomplish this from scratch without relying on paid ads or complicated technology. Holy Bananas – it's one of those episodes where you ask yourself, “What in the world was that — because that was awesome!” What you will learn in this episode:  Context around siphoning an audience What happens when you approach an audience with intentionality behind the strategy Why showing up helpful will grow your sphere of influence Potential opportunities to get in front of other audiences The advantages of deepening relationships by providing helpful, informative, and actionable information Resources: How to Siphon Other's Audiences Into Your Own Framework Predictive ROI Frameworks Library: https://predictiveroi.com/resources/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-roth-387a6b223/ SWA Episode 35: Stephen Woessner in the Hot Seat, with Hannah Roth SWA Episode 48: Sales Closing Techniques Without Feeling Like You're Closing, with Hannah Roth SWA Episode 54: Turn Ranting Into Revenue, with Hannah Roth

Stephen Woessner is the founder and CEO of Predictive ROI (PROI), a digital marketing agency, and the host of Onward Nation and Sell With Authority Podcasts. Since the advent of the commercial Internet, Stephen has collected tens of thousands of data points that have given him the ability to identify what he calls the “8 Money Draining Mistakes” and the “8 Money Making Opportunities.”In today's episode of Smashing the Plateau, you will learn you can increase revenues online consistently and repeatedly.Stephen and I discuss:Why you need to have a purpose for your podcast [00:38]The concept of a platform to grow your business revenue [00:57]The link between content creation and business development [03:34]How he uses a podcast to help other businesses [05:34]Relating dry sales to 8 kinds of mistakes [10:02]How to identify your target audience when you're a corporate refugee [12:43]Stephen's experience in communities [18:10]Learn more about Stephen atwww.predictiveroi.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/Thank you to Our Sponsor:The Smashing the Plateau Community

Noah sits down with Stephen Woessner—CEO of Predictive ROI, a marketing agency that helps agencies, coaches, and consultants grow their audiences, nurture more leads, and increase their sales.Connect with Noah: noah@profitwithpodcasting.comTune in every Wednesday for a new episode of The High-Ticket Offer. Subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform and never miss an episode!

For over 30 years, Stephen Woessner has been in the trenches of agency new business strategy working alongside and consulting with hundreds of agencies, business coaches, and consultants — teaching them how to plant their flag of authority within the markets they serve, grow their audience, and fill their sales pipeline with a steady stream of right-fit clients so they can win new business. Stephen founded Predictive ROI in 2009 and remains its CEO and co-owner, working alongside his business partner, Erik Jensen. Stephen hosts the “Onward Nation” and “Sell with Authority” podcasts with listeners in over 140 countries and over 1,000 episodes. His agency new business and marketing insights have been featured in major media, and he's the bestselling author of five books, including his latest entitled, “Sell With Authority.” In this solocast episode of Sell With Authority, Stephen shares his insights and strategies for finding and attracting ideal clients for your business. Drawing from his own experiences as a lifelong baseball fan, Stephen explores the parallels between the game and the world of business, highlighting key strategies and insights that will help you and your team be more successful. While exploring the parallels, Stephen uses baseball analogies to illustrate the concept of getting “at bats” with potential clients and how to scout out and attract clients who are right-fit for your business. He also discusses the importance of having a well-defined customer avatar and using data to track and optimize your marketing efforts. Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out, this episode offers valuable tips and strategies for finding and attracting your ideal clients and taking your business to the next level. What You Will Learn: The concept of getting “at bats” with potential clients and how to scout out and attract clients who are right-fit for your business The importance of understanding your own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to attracting right-fit clients The power of building relationships and delivering value to win over clients The role of communication and feedback in maintaining successful client relationships How to continuously evaluate and adjust your approach to attract and retain the right-fit clients Strategies for crafting a compelling message that resonates with your audience The power of social media and networking in attracting clients and building relationships Resources: Website: www.predictiveroi.com Visit our newly expanded Resource Library Join us in our free How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline Facebook Group Stephen's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/ Order your free paperback or Kindle copy of our Book: Sell with Authority

Stephen Woessner - For over 25 years, Stephen has been in the trenches working alongside and consulting with hundreds of clients — teaching them how to plant their flag of authority within the markets they serve, grow their audience, fill their sales pipeline with right-fit prospects, and ultimately, drive revenue. Stephen founded Predictive ROI in 2009 and remains its CEO and owner. He's the host of the Sell with Authority podcast and his marketing insights have been featured in Inc. Magazine, Forbes.com, Entrepreneur.com, The Washington Post, and other media. He's the bestselling author of five books including his latest entitled, Sell With Authority, which he co-authored with Drew McLellan, CEO of Agency Management Institute.

For over 30 years, Stephen Woessner has been in the trenches of agency new business strategy working alongside and consulting with hundreds of agencies, business coaches, and consultants — teaching them how to plant their flag of authority within the markets they serve, grow their audience, and fill their sales pipeline with a steady stream of right-fit clients so they can win new business. Stephen founded Predictive ROI in 2009 and remains its CEO and co-owner, working alongside his business partner, Erik Jensen. Stephen hosts the “Onward Nation” and “Sell with Authority” podcasts with listeners in over 140 countries and over 1,000 episodes. His agency new business and marketing insights have been featured in major media, and he's the bestselling author of five books, including his latest entitled, “Sell With Authority.” Here at Predictive ROI — we believe that most agencies, coaches, and consultants go about sales and new business development in the least effective, most painful way possible — and that there's a better way. We call it the Sell with Authority Methodology. We also believe that we're entering the era of the AUTHORITY. And if you occupy the coveted “expert” status — you'll be afforded the highest level of confidence and trust from your clients, prospects, and other stakeholders during the new business process because you have a depth of knowledge and point-of-view that can't be denied or easily replicated. Everything we teach and share in our practical and tactical agency new business strategy sessions are designed to help agencies, coaches, and consultants capitalize on the huge shift taking place in business development today. In our hyper-competitive market for awareness and attention — you should look to plant your flag of authority and then leverage this position to fill your sales pipeline with right-fit prospects while developing deeper relationships with existing customers. And we hope today's episode that breaks down our fastest agency new business strategy will help you move closer to the goal of building and scaling your business. Agency new business strategies that we break down in this episode: What is our fastest agency new business strategy How we refined the Trojan Horse of Sales Strategy and linked it with building our “Dream 25” list of prospects How to decide which prospects make the list and which don't (You can download the WHO Framework here) What's the ideal cadence for staying in touch with each prospect, and will you just send gifts? How much budget should you invest in building a relationship with each Dream 25 prospect? Will your Dream 25 list — and the criteria you used to build the list — ever need to shift? Other helpful business development resources: Increasing sales through the Trojan Horse of Sales Strategy (podcast episode) Why you need the Trojan Horse of Sales Strategy (podcast episode) How to build your Dream 25 strategy (podcast episode) Go long with your Dream 25 strategy (podcast episode) Why your Dream 25 matters (podcast episode) Download the WHO Framework here to “find & identify,” “emotionally and logically connect,” and “niche deep dive.” Our fastest agency new business strategies are detailed in our Sell with Authority book. Order your free paperback or Kindle copy here. Why pivoting your agency niche will help you sell better (Interview with Drew McLellan for the Build a Better Agency Podcast)

Riches in Niches and How to Attract High-Paying Clients I'm excited for you to meet our special encore guest expert today — Henry DeVries. If you're meeting Henry for the first time — he's the CEO of Indie Books International. He's the former president of an award-winning “Ad Age 500” marketing agency — and — Henry is also a weekly columnist for Forbes.com. Henry was my guest for Episode 15 of the podcast, where he shared his expertise around strategies and tactics for writing a book — and then — how to use the book as your primary marketing strategy — or, as Henry likes to say — “Marketing with a Book.” We'll be sure to add a link to Episode 15 to today's show notes.  Okay — I invited Henry to join me for this encore interview so we could focus our time and attention on Chapter 5 of Henry's latest book entitled, “Marketing with a Book for Agency Owners.” He titled Chapter 5 — “Riches in Niches.” If you've been listening to this podcast for a while now — or if you've read our books — or attended any of our open-mic Q&As or live workshops — you know that here at Predictive ROI…we're big fans of building a riches in niches strategy. I'm going to quickly quote Henry from Chapter 5… Henry writes, “To attract high-paying clients, agency owners must be clear on their ideal prospects. But a target market with a problem is not enough. Agency owners also must find target clients that can afford to pay what you want to charge.”  Okay — it's here at the intersection of these two points that Henry and I focused our riches in niches discussion. How to find right-fit prospects who are willing to pay what you want to charge — and I would argue that when you do this work correctly and your content strategy is on point and generous — your right-fit prospects will be EAGER to pay your premium price. To help us get there — I asked Henry to walk us through what he calls the “10 filter questions” that you and your team can use as you work through the process of niching down.  In my opinion — Henry's 10 filter questions are critically important to the process of seeking riches in niches because if we don't get it right at the beginning — HOLY BANANAS — it's most likely not going to feel right 2-3 years into your “niche” strategy.  I promise you — if you take and apply Henry's advice and build a strategy around riches in niches — and then — have the courage to build an authority position deep in the niche (instead of being sort of committed), you consistently create helpful cornerstone and cobblestone content that shares your smarts with your audience. If you do this work — you'll not only be seen as the AUTHORITY in the niche, but your sales pipeline will go from being dry to being filled with a steady stream of right-fit clients from within the niche who are eager to work with you — AND — willing to pay your premium price to do it.  That's the recipe for riches in niches.   What you'll learn from this episode about riches in niches: Why your riches in niches strategy needs to include stories that matter and where you ought to share them Why it's so important to share the right social proof with your prospective clients How to find prospects in niches who are willing to pay what you want to charge How to identify and then properly step into the right pond within the right niche How to work through the 10 filtering questions to do the right work up front to help ensure you tap into the riches in niches     Speaker 1: (00:03) Welcome to the Sell With Authority podcast. I'm Stephen Woessner, c e o of predictive roi. And my team and I, we created this podcast specifically for you. So, if you're an agency, agency owner, a business coach, or a strategic consultant, and you're looking to grow a thriving, profitable business that can weather the constant change that seems to be our world's reality, then you're in the right place. You want proven strategies for attracting a steady stream of well-prepared right fit prospects into your sales pipeline. Yep. We're gonna cover that. You wanna learn how to step away from the sea of competitors, so you actually stand out and own the ground you're standing on. Yep. We're gonna cover that too. You wanna futureproof your business so you can navigate the next challenges that come your way. Well, absolutely. We'll help you there as well. I promise you. Speaker 1: (01:02) Each episode of this podcast will contain valuable insights and tangible examples of best practices, never theory from thought leaders, experts, owners who have done exactly what you're working hard to do. So I want you to think practical and tactical. Never any fluff. Each of our guests have built a position of authority and then monetized that position by claiming their ground, by growing their audience, by nurturing leads, and yes, by converting sales. But all the while they did it by being helpful. So every time someone from their audience turned around there, they were with a helpful answer to an important question, so their prospects never felt like they were a prospect. I also promise you every strategy we discuss, every tool we recommend will be shared in full transparency in each episode. So you can plant your flag of authority, claim your ground, and fill your sales pipeline with a steady stream of right fit clients. Speaker 1: (02:09) So I am super excited for you to meet our very special encore guest expert today, Henry DeVries. If you're meeting Henry for the first time, he's the c e o of Indie Books International. He's the former president of an award-winning ad age 500 marketing agency, and Henry is a weekly columnist for forbes.com. Henry was also my guest for episode 15 of the podcast where Henry shared his expertise around strategies and tactics for writing a book, and then how to use the book as your primary marketing strategy, or as Henry likes to say, marketing with a book. So, we'll be sure to add a link to episode 15 to today's show notes to make it super easy to find. It's a great episode. Okay, so I invited Henry to join me for this encore so we could focus our time and attention on chapter five of Henry's latest book, which is entitled Marketing with a Book for Agency Owners. Speaker 1: (03:09) He titled Chapter Five, riches in the Niches. And if you've been listening to this podcast for a while now, or if you've read our books or attended any of our open mic q and as or live workshops, you know that here at Predictive roi, we are big fans of itching. So I'm gonna quickly quote Henry here, uh, from chapter five of the book, Henry writes, to attract high paying clients, agency owners must be clear on their ideal prospects, and then he goes on to write, but a target market where the problem is not enough agency owners also must find target clients that can afford to pay what you wanna charge. Okay? So it's at the intersection of these two points that Henry and I will focus our discussion today, how to find right fit prospects who are willing to pay what you want to charge. Speaker 1: (04:05) And I would argue that when you do this work correctly and your content strategy is on point and generous, your right fit prospects will be eager to pay your premium price. To help us get there, I'm going to ask Henry to walk us through what he calls the 10 filter questions that you and your team can use as you work through the process of nicheing down. Because in my opinion, Henry's 10 filter questions are critically important to the process of seeking riches in the niches. Because if we don't get it right at the beginning, well, holy bananas is most likely not gonna feel right two to three years down the road. I promise you, if you take an apply Henry's advice and seek the riches in the niches, and then have the courage to actually build an authority position deep in the niche and not be kind of committed to the niche, so you're consistently creating helpful cornerstone and cobblestone content that shares your smarts with your prospective clients, clients in the niche, you'll not only be seen as the authority in the niche, but you will fill your sales pipeline with a steady stream of right fit clients who are eager to work with you and who are willing to pay your premium price to do it. Speaker 1: (05:29) So without further ado, my friend, welcome back to the Sell With Authority Podcast. Henry, Speaker 2: (05:36) Thank you for inviting me to talk about riches niches. You're very welcome. April, 2022, the place, Oceanside, California. I'm celebrating the eighth anniversary of Indie books. Okay? We've published over 150 authors. Life is great. I'm not happy. Okay? I'm at a crossroads. Sounds like there's a story there. You're gonna start a hospital. There's a story there. I'm at Crossroads and I go, I teach this riches and niches and I've helped so many people, and I don't feel that we've really found ours, huh? Because I had focused on consultants and coaches, okay? And there was just something missing. And the, the ponds and the groups that I, the watering holes and Pamela Slim of the Whitest Nets language, you know, the, they just weren't feeling totally right for me. Okay? So I did a, I did an exercise. I, I went on a retreat, just me in a car to a motel to think of this through, okay? Speaker 2: (06:45) Made a list of all our authors and divided them into groups, okay? And there was this one group that I liked to work with the most agency owners, because I was an agency owner. And matter of fact, indie Books International is an agency. It's a marketing agency in disguise, as a publishing company, okay? And we, we help people get speaking, but part of it was this training aspect where we train you to give speeches, get on podcasts, do these things to amplify your work. That's my word for the years, Steven. Amplify. We need to amplify our work. That's a good word. Talk about that. So I went and, and the agency owners were, and I said, well, where could I go meet agency owners? So I researched, and there were 10 places where they gather that I found, and one was called the Baba, b a b summit, build a Better Agency Summit. Speaker 2: (07:44) Uhhuh. . And it was over $2,000 to attend a little problem. I didn't have an extra $2,000, but I do cover marketing for forbes.com. I've been a paid columnist for five years. So I contacted the Baba Summit people into my surprise, they said, yes, you can have a media credential come cover us, um, at the Western in Chicago. Mm-hmm. . So meanwhile, I start to call some of these agency owners that I'd helped do their books. And I said, you know, whatever happened as a result of the book. And Tom Young, uh, one of my authors said, oh, you helped us get to the million dollar level. And then we, we leveraged that book, and now we're at 2 million a year. Um, I talked to another person and she said, oh, I didn't have any Fortune 500 companies when we started. I've tripled my revenues, and now I'm working for the one of the top five banks in America, one of the top five financial houses in America, a a billion dollar Japanese technology company. Speaker 2: (08:51) As a result of this, I'm going like, well, those are some, I said, would you, would you put that in writing? Could I put that in writing? Well, of course. Would you tell other people? You know, could I put you on video? Oh, yeah. Send anybody my way. I'm going like, okay, check. We, we've got something going here. Right? Also, they were the, um, most willing to pay. Some of them told me, uh, you know, you, you're not charging enough. This is what the agents, this is what the agency owners were sharing. They were telling me that I wasn't charging them enough, right. Uh, for what they were getting from me. Okay? So I go to the, the Baba Summit. I did not know you were involved, Steven, I knew you from being in a, a couple of appearances on Onward Nation. Um, I, I think I had written about a couple of your clients and Forbes, so that was our relationship. Speaker 2: (09:39) But I see you were one of the sponsors there and involved, and that was great. Within an hour of being there. Everything I've been teaching for the last 15 years in writing about, but unwilling to do as a service, you were preaching at, at Baba, the p baba speakers were preaching, and they had people there to do it. You know, if you wanted podcasts, you could go to predictive roi. If you wanted a, um, a proprietary research study, you could go to audience audit. So it was like, these are my people. Mm-hmm. , uh, this is so great. And I had decided then, okay, I'm going all in. Now. Let me tell you, fear never sleeps. To go all in on a target niche is a scary proposition. Um, you're worried that by declaring I work for these people, your referral sources are gonna dry up Uhhuh, . Speaker 2: (10:35) I can assure you, they do not. Right? The the other thing that happens is you're, you're afraid that somebody will read your website and go, oh, well, that's not for me. I can assure you it's not. I have people call me up and say, look, I, I know I'm not an agency owner, but, uh, I run this consulting company and could I please convince you to work with me? Right. You know, go on . I'll say, you know, and, and, uh, some have and have done wonderful projects. Meanwhile, , so I, I commit to this. This is May and I, I think I've gotta write a book. I've gotta write a book about this, but I am very busy. When am I gonna have time to write another book? So, um, and we all have different faiths, and I respect that. And, um, in, in California, I have to say the universe or the universe will manifest when I'm, when I'm out in, uh, the Midwest with you, I can say God helps those who help themselves. Speaker 2: (11:35) So, but I, I prayed on it and I prayed for time to get this book done. Be careful what you pray for . I was give, in August, I was giving five workshops for CEOs on how to persuade with a story. Mm-hmm. , uh, that's what I'm paid to speak on. I've written books on that. And on, uh, day five, I contract covid. So I'm in Memphis, Tennessee, um, thousands of miles from home. Nobody there. I have to check into this, uh, cheap motel to quarantine for a week. Yep. And, uh, my healthcare got right on it got me into a doctor who prescribed the drug, PAX Lobin for me. Mm-hmm. . So I'm on a, a five day protocol of Pax Lobin. Well, it knocked it down right away. And I thought, well, I don't wanna watch TV and I'll just start writing the book. Five days later, the book was written, you know, thank you. Speaker 2: (12:38) I'm grateful for that time, . I wish it could have been like a little more enjoyable, but I got the book done and started rolling. I know I needed refinements. So, uh, signed up with predictive roi. We did the, the 90 day program, really refined it. Um, Eric, on your team, uh, I, I love Eric dearly because he challenged me on everything. Um, he gave me pushback on everything. It wasn't like, oh, great, this, like, no, this and that. What happens if this happens? And like, oh man, that would've been a huge mistake if I'd gone that way. So, very grateful to predictive roi. And then I saw, um, workshops by you and Drew McClellan of AMI in, in Florida. Um, didn't have the money for that. Went to the board and said, we need to personally borrow money, uh, so I can go to Disney World for a conference in December and January. Speaker 2: (13:34) Um, and then when I explained it, all my wife said, a hunch. Henry had a hunch. And we bet on the hunch. And the hunch worked. So, um, I've been picking up agency clients. You told me I needed to double my prices and hire better people. I went out and did that. Yep. Um, and then when people would call me, I would give that higher price, and they didn't blink. So it all came back to what we're gonna talk about today, these filter questions. Yep. Um, agency owners pass the filter questions test for me, and I hope the filter questions help the listeners today. Speaker 1: (14:15) Awesome. Well, so let's, I, I want to tease out just one piece outta outta what you just said about the, the workshop and not, and not, and not like promoting the workshop or advertising the workshop, but your recognition about how the Baba Summit and how the workshop and how you participate in our community, how you participate in the Agency Management Institute community and, and so forth. And how you've been very strategic in, uh, aligning partnerships and friendships and all of that, because those are efforts to get deeper into the niche. And, and I'm not saying that those are not great relationships and personal relationships and turning into friendships and that kind of stuff. I, I'm, I'm not saying that those are like surfacey, they're, and they're not genuine because I know that they absolutely are. What I am saying is that they are, excuse me, that they're also indicative of when you go deep into the niche, it's about really understanding the people in the niche, really understanding the pond, really understand who is in the pond, swimming around and all of that, and developing those relationships. That's part of getting deep into the niche. Would, would you agree? Speaker 2: (15:26) Oh, absolutely. And I have to do a shout out to Susan Byer, a member of the Community of Audience Audit. And I heard you and Susan speak at the Baba Summit, and I shook her hand and, uh, gave her my card and said, I'd like to interview her for forbes.com. And, uh, she's the world's busiest woman who's going at mock five with her hair on fire. So that wasn't happening, but I, I was on, uh, a call with you and there were other people, you, you had me, I think, on a q and a talk about the book mm-hmm. , and Yep. Susan was there, and she calls me up afterwards and said, we have to talk, says this. I was where you were at a few years ago. I know who you are. Uh, and I know where you're at, and I just get deep into this. Speaker 2: (16:13) Do this, this is what you need to do. Yep. And I said, thank you. I appreciate that. Uh, what is the best piece of advice you have for me right now? Okay. She said, go to the workshops in December and January, you know, beg, borrow Steele, do whatever you have to. She says, I went from having eight clients to 40 when I went into this niche, uh, really strong. And so go there. And she says, you're gonna learn things. Mm-hmm. from the content that Drew and Steven teach, you're gonna learn more about your target audience, because you're gonna listen to them. You're gonna hear them. You're gonna have a drink with them, uh, you know, breakfast with them, and you're gonna be this listening machine at one of the agencies where I cut my teeth. Um, I was the head of research too. I was the head of creative services and research. That's a, that's a schizophrenic kind of person. Speaker 1: (17:09) I'm like, that's a bit of a juxtaposition, but o okay. Speaker 2: (17:11) Yeah. Right. Sounds and research. So I, I know about depth interviews and research and, and, uh, you know, listening. And that was so true, because you're amongst them and you can relate to them, of course. And when they tell a story, you can go, oh, I understand that. Yeah. You know, um, I've been there, done that. Um, so that's important to, you've gotta go where your target rich audience is. Um, not so much that, oh, I'm gonna find clients. I did, I will, but I wanna understand their worries, frustrations, doubts. Mm-hmm. . Um, I need, you know, the fear, uncertainty and doubt, the FUD factor. You need to know their FUD factor. And that's the number one thing they want to know. Do you understand my pain? Speaker 1: (18:07) Yeah. The, not only do you speak my language, do you speak my dialect? And when, when, when we talk through the niche deep dive, you know, like in our q and a's and in the, the WHO framework and so forth, that, that part of that starts with the first two ingredients in that are what are the problems, hence the FUD factor that you just mentioned. Then what are the stories? How can you speak to those problems within a story? Because we're just d n a wired to receive stories, right? How can we talk about the FUD factor in the form of a story? And then to your earlier point, how can we step into the right ponds to tell the stories, right? Because then they feel appropriate and, and, and, and they land correctly. It feels weird to step into a non-agency owner pond, if you will, and start talking about agency owner stories. Speaker 1: (19:01) It, there, there's incongruency when that happens, right? So like, all of this is part of the, the great recipe. You've done a great job of stepping into the pond and finding the rich in the niche or the riches in the niches. And I know that they're, you're, you're actively mining that. Let's start going through the 10 filter questions, because I think they're, not only do I think that they're smart, um, but I, but I also think that they're smartness, if you will, , uh, in the layers, right? So some of the questions are multi-layered. Some of the questions are deeper than maybe what somebody might think as they're quickly going through them, and that, oh, I don't have to answer that one. I could just bypass that one. Or I'll just, I'll focus on, you know, question two, six and 10. And that should be good. Speaker 1: (19:46) And it's not good. The 10 filtering questions are 10 filtering questions on purpose. So, so let's, let's go through them first. I'm, I'm just gonna go through them, uh, quickly and then, and then we'll go back and slice 'em apart. So, question one, are you interested in solving the problems this group has? Question two, have you worked with any already? Three, can they afford to pay you four? Are they willing to pay more for better service? Five, do they already know they need an agency like you? Six? Are they numerous? Seven, do you, uh, do you have only a few real competitors? Eight. Can you find them easily enough through listen associations? Uh, nine, can you find a target rich environment where they gather? Uh, and then 10, will you or will some make marquee clients advocates and references? Okay. So let's slice all of these apart and go through them in depth. So walk us through, number one, are you interested in solving the problems this group has and why you put that first? Speaker 2: (20:53) Okay. So first let me grab my book, my 17th book. Amazing. And Stephen, my books are my children. Hmm. And like my children, I expect them to take care of me in my old age. Okay. So let's go to chapter five and that first one. Um, are you interested in solving the problems if solving their problems doesn't energize you? It's a non-starter. Um, when I was looking at the different groups, I've done a lot with technology services companies, okay. Speaker 2: (21:24) And I thought, huh, do I wanna spend all my time with technology services companies? Um, I had a chance once to buy the agency I'd started at and worked my way up to president. And, um, I didn't know this strategy, it was just instinctive and I followed it. And we were the leader in real estate, community marketing, you know, new home communities, master plan communities throughout Southern California. Okay. Um, we had all the top people, and and you eat on that whale for years, you catch a whale, like a master plan community that's a eight, seven, you know, seven, eight year project. You bet. Um, but I didn't buy, and one of the reasons was I didn't wanna spend the rest of my life talking about cathedral ceilings and low flow toilets. You know, it was just like, uh, it didn't excite me. Yeah. So, uh, I went out on my own and formed my own lemonade stand and went looking for the, for the right niche. So agency owners, I love the problems they have. Oh, by the way, research. Yep. Number one problem for two outta three agency owners is, and you know it, Steven, the dry sales pipeline, not enough qualified prospects in that pipeline. Yep. And business development is their heartburn, it's their pain. Second problem for, uh, 50% of agency owners, not enough time to do business development. Um, should we move to two? Have you worked with them already? Speaker 1: (23:03) 1, 1, 1 more piece to to number one. Speaker 2: (23:05) Okay. Speaker 1: (23:07) Because if we don't get right what you just said, you know, that, that we're interested in solving the problems that's gonna come through also in the content. When, when, when you know that Drew and I, uh, teach the point of view piece, right? So, predictive roi, we believe, like in our core, we believe, uh, that most agencies, business coaches and strategic consultants go about business development in the least effective, most painful way possible. There's a better way we call it. So with authority methodology, yeah. That is our belief system. It is our truth. So if you're just kind of like, eh, on point number one here, which is why it's an important filter that's gonna show through in your content, that's gonna show through how you show up in the pond, right? Speaker 2: (23:51) Right. We have an energy meter. Yeah. Everybody has it. And they can tell if you have energy around this topic or not. Are you just there? Oh. Because you're trying to serve that, you know, it's like if you're not genuinely energetic about it mm-hmm. , um, nor, uh, was famous author about, uh, you know, the power of enthusiasm. You know, so if you don't have enthusiasm, right? Um, it comes across and you can't fake it. Speaker 1: (24:26) No, Speaker 2: (24:26) You can't fake sincerity. Speaker 1: (24:28) No. Cuz cuz then you look like you're trying to get rich in the niche and Right. And then that, and that feels a whole lot of yucky to everyone in the pond. So, um, okay. So let's, and Speaker 2: (24:37) By the way you just said that Yeah. The riches are not just money. Yeah. Um, there are 12 different riches, uh, that you get from a, a money finishes 12th on the list. Um, when you're, one of the riches is you love to work. You love to work because you love solving their problems. Uh, you love these people. So that comes through Speaker 1: (25:03) 100%. Yeah. When, when, when somebody goes to the Baba Summit, the builder Better Agency Summit, this May, um, as the previous two summits, when, when Drew McClellan gets on stage to do his keynote, like he has the previous two, there will be there, there will be tears, there will be shouts of joy, there will be, it's an emotional delivery of a keynote. Why? Because everyone, all 300 and plus whatever number of people who are going to be there this year will know that he is there for them. And that he not only speaks their language, his stories align with that. His passions all about helping them. It, it is clear through his words and actions that he is their guy. And, and, and that rings through. If he was there to just be playing niches in the, or riches in the niches, it, it, it, it, I mean, it would fall flat, right? It would be easy to suss out and see the difference. Speaker 2: (26:03) They were yelling, we love you, drew. It was like a rock concert. I was thinking like, what's going on Speaker 1: (26:10) Here? Right? And that does not happen by accident, right? Speaker 2: (26:12) No. And it comes across and Drew is an agency owner. Yep. And Ami is this other thing he's doing to help other agency owners. Eric, from predictive ROI stepped on my toes and said, you don't talk in any of your materials, that you're actually an agency owner right now. And, and that you know this and you know, when you get up in the morning, you have to worry about your pipeline and, and you have to worry about the clients and the billing. And I says, you don't tell 'em that you're walking the same journey. So that's important. Speaker 1: (26:48) It is important. Okay. So now, now let's move to number two. Speaker 2: (26:52) Well, have you worked with them already? And, and I've coached a thousand people on this, and we'll come up to this and they say, well, I'd like to work with, you know, maybe hospitals, healthcare. I heard there's a lot of money there. Um, or I could work with financial advisors. I said, well, you know, how many hospitals have you worked with? None. How many financial advisors have you worked with? Dozens and dozens. I said, okay, here's our answer. . You know, it's like, uh, uh, yes, you could pick a niche you've never been in and worked to get in there, but you're swimming upstream. Uh, there's a German proverb I like to quote, and it i'll, it translates like this. It doesn't matter how fast you're going if you're on the wrong road. Speaker 1: (27:40) Amen. Speaker 2: (27:42) And in fact, it's actually worse because you're getting farther away from where you need to be. Um, so you need to get the right road. And the right road is people who you've already helped you have some credibility with. There needs to be a story there that you, as you said, the stories you tell. Yeah. They need to be your stories. Your stories matter. Human brains are hardwired for stories. So you need to be telling stories for that target group. Speaker 1: (28:10) Amazing. Okay. Perfect. Uh, how about three, can they afford you? Speaker 2: (28:15) Can you, they afford you? Um, I always say money isn't everything. The author Zig Ziegler said, money is not the most important thing, you know, oxygen, but it's next to oxygen. So we need money to keep going. It's the fuel that keeps the, the rocket ship going here. And, um, some people just don't have the money, right. For you to have abundance, the abundance you need for your team members, uh, for causes you wanna support. Mm-hmm. , um, all the things you need to do requires filthy luer. No. It requires money. Yeah. Speaker 1: (28:53) Well, and that ties into number four. Are they willing to pay more for better service, uh, so that you're not having a race to the bottom right. That you can actually afford to invest in delighting your clients? Am I on the same page with you? Speaker 2: (29:05) You, you're absolutely right. So they have to see the value in the investment. Okay. So when we were in the real estate niche, um, they saw the value and they'll pay more. There was a quick story. This, um, one, one client wanted to talk to us. And I have to say he was a little shady. You know, they were, they were big, burly people, uh, outside his office and, uh, you know, so let's just say shady. And so I made the mistake as, as agency president, I said, just double the amount that we normally charge, and that way he'll kick us out is too expensive, you know? And he said, but what happened was he said, okay, you charge twice as much as anybody else. Must Speaker 1: (29:53) Be good. Speaker 2: (29:53) Well, obviously you're good . So okay, you're hired . And then, then he gave us some secret information and said, if it ever gets out, you're gonna have to look over your shoulder all the time. Do you understand what I'm saying? And I said, I understand. I walked out and my, uh, my, my account executive young sweet woman said that threat, do you really think he could cause us to lose other clients? I said, Linda, he was threatening to kill us. He would've us murdered if this got out. She was like, . Like, thankfully the campaign went well, and, and, uh, we moved on. Yeah. Okay. Speaker 1: (30:38) . Well, so I, I, here, here's, here's one of the reasons why, uh, I feel like number five is multi-layered. Um, so do they already know they need an agency like you? When, when I read it now, it could be just my lens and my bias, um, that when I read it, I think, oh, okay. It's because, you know, we've planted a flag of authority. We've, you know, become the authority in this space, in the niche and, and all of that. And you say you must educate the prospects that need an agency like yours. Um, so, so tell us all about five, because when I read five, I'm like, that's pretty meaty. Number five, Speaker 2: (31:12) Five is meaty. So you're looking for clients who hire agencies. They've worked with an agency before. They know the value proposition of the agency. They're not that people go like, eh, I could hire somebody in-house, or I could hire an agency. Yeah. You don't want those people. Hmm. Um, because they're asking the wrong questions. You know, an agency buys time by the year, sells it back by the hour, and gives you top talent. Yep. You're competing for the bottom talent who's willing to work for you. It's like the old joke about you're an astronaut. Are you comforted by the fact that your rocket was built by the lowest bidder ? You know? And, and, uh, so so you don't want that. So you want something they, they hire agencies. Yeah. And, uh, I, I landed a million dollar account when I was president of someone else's agency. Speaker 2: (32:15) Okay. And I got it from teaching. And, and somebody took the course and brought me in and, and they talked about their business for 45 minutes. I understood nothing about their business or what they did. Hmm. And then they said, our current agency is Manning, salvage and Lee, but, um, we've had a little falling out, so we need a new agency. Well, that was the first thing I understood, because I knew that agency wouldn't touch an account for under a million dollars . I thought, oh, um, I said, give me a week and I'll come back with a proposal. So I educated myself on this, uh, industry. Nobody was a specialist in it, and, um, won the account. Mm-hmm. . Um, another time I was brought in by a, um, fortune 500 company, and they had this project, and it, it, you'd say, this wasn't in my niche, it was about energy and gas and electric and new things like this. Speaker 2: (33:16) And I talked to 'em and I said, you know, I really don't think we're the agency for you, uh, because I have no background in this area. And they called me a week later and said, you had the account. And I, I went in and I said, and it was a, it was a great account. I said, um, why, why did you hire me? But I don't know this area. He said, actually, nobody knows this area. We were looking for something else. We were looking for somebody who could come in and completely dissect a problem and then explain it to our people how to implement it. Hmm. And we talked around and people said, oh, these are the four magic words in English language, by the way. They said, I know a guy, Henry DRIs mm-hmm. . And that's how he got it. So sometimes you'll be brought in for a certain skill you have that people recognize for, and, and that can work for you too. I give you permission to work for anybody. I want to stress you should market to one target niche, niche in Canada, niche in America, as in, you know, there's riches and niches, witches. Uh, so, uh, we don't even know how to pronounce the word, but we know that it works Speaker 1: (34:38) Well, it is, it is kind of funny. Uh, you've mentioned Eric a couple of times and he, he too says, uh, pronounces it as niche. But when, when you said, I know a guy that, that, uh, reminded me of something that I thought about mentioning, but then just forgot in the fact of how that that is actually an ingredient of how Drew and I define niche. And so if, if anyone listening, um, has heard, uh, Eric and I teach niche before, um, you know, yes, it could certainly be industry that's one of the ingredients in the recipe. Two, it could be your superpower as you just described, skill, right? It could absolutely be a superpower. Uh, three, maybe it's a business issue or challenge, uh, that, that you solve better than anybody else. And you're, your certain skill example was kind of teetering into that. So you're putting a couple ingredients together, which is awesome in, in the fourth. It, it could be an audience, maybe, you know, an audience better, maybe you know, an audience better than the client or your perspective client. So like when we, we knit all of those ingredients together, it becomes a pretty, a pretty strong recipe. So let's move into number six, which is, are they numerous? Speaker 2: (35:47) Ah, and, um, I'm a big fan of David C. Baker. I've written about 'em for years. Mm-hmm. , uh, wrote the, uh, the business, let's see, the business of expertise. Mm-hmm. . And in the business of expertise, he says, you need to have 2000 to 10,000 prospects in the area to really consider it. Less than that, it's, uh, too small of a fishing pond. Too much you're trying to drain the ocean. Um, so you, you find that for me, there are 7,800 small to medium sized agencies in America. That's a pond I can fish in for the rest of my life. Yep. And, uh, still have prospects I couldn't get to. Um, so that's what you're, you're looking for. Okay. Some other people along the way, they, uh, one chose pest control companies. Hmm. Um, and they became the pest control agency for America. And when people say, oh, I need an expert in pest control and, and marketing and all this is, I know a guy this works for our female listeners, I asked some of them and they said, yeah, we, we get called guys too. So it's okay. So I know a guy, you know, if you need an, an, uh, a research study for a agency, I know a guy Susan Byer out of Arizona audience audit. So it works that same way. Speaker 1: (37:12) Okay. So, so let's, let's go to, uh, seven. Um, do you have only a few real competitors? Speaker 2: (37:21) Yeah. So it's, um, if somebody says, I have no competition, I'm really worried. Yeah. Now, now as far as I've researched and, and we keep mentioning Eric Jensen, you know, helped me with this. There are no agency book guys other than me. The per is like, they're like, their whole thing is doing agency books. Yeah. Now, there are other ghost writers, there are other publishers. Sure. Those are still viable choices. Somebody will look at them as they look at me. I might have an edge that I specialize in the niche, um, but that doesn't mean I don't have competition. Um, so, but I don't have tons of people who can do the soup to nuts for planning a book, preparing, you know, I'm a ghost writer. Uh, I'm an developmental editor publishing the book mm-hmm. . And then what happens, our motto at indie books is publishing the book is not the finish line. Speaker 2: (38:24) It's the starting line. Right. It's about the journey that happens after that. And it's a marathon. Uh, because no author gets discovered. I, that's a myth out there. I'm gonna write this book and people discover me. You don't get discovered. I, I love the actress Margot Robbie, if you, if you know her, um, I do. And, and she was being interviewed and somebody said, what would've happened if you moved from Australia to America and you weren't discovered? And she said, I'm sorry. Well, what's the question says, well, what would you have done if they didn't, if you weren't discovered? She says, you thought I was discovered. I knocked on every door in Hollywood, every agent, every producer. And I kept knocking until somebody let me in and finally give an addition. I was not discovered. So as an author, you're not gonna be discovered either. You need to slice and dice that content. You need to go on podcasts. You, I have a magnificent seven things you have to do. There's a great book, 1,001 Ways to Market your book. That's the problem. There's 1,001 Way Ways to Market your book. Uh, I'll give you the seven most pragmatic things to do that are gonna get results. Speaker 1: (39:37) So is, is that something that we can, uh, either link in the show notes or share with our audience, or maybe point them to a blog post? I, I know you teach on the seven, but is there, Speaker 2: (39:47) I didn't teach on the seven and I've had articles on it, uh, in Forbes. Uh, okay, great. And, and we could link to it. Okay. Speaker 1: (39:54) Perfect. Um, so I will link to one of your forbes.com articles on that for some additional insight. Thank you for that. Um, the, the discovery thing is, is is really great. Like people think that, um, who don't know the backstory of Sylvester Stallone, he did the same thing in New York and went to every agent, uh, and, you know, did it multiple times, uh, until finally he wrote the script. And it's a really interesting story, but it's all about perseverance. So eight, Speaker 2: (40:21) The Rocky story is interesting because he also didn't know what he was worth. And one of his first meetings when they asked him how much for the screenplay, and he gave a number, the meeting was over because they thought he was an amateur. Yeah. I'm sorry, we're going to eight. Right? Speaker 1: (40:36) . All right. Can, uh, and this really speaks to your, uh, builder, a better agency example that you mentioned from, from last year. Can you find them easily enough through lists and associations? Speaker 2: (40:46) Right? You're looking for places where they go to get smarter. So the Baba Summit, they go to get smarter. The David C. Baker has a mind your own business conference where they go to get smarter. Um, there's, uh, you know, the, what is it, tan, t a a and, uh, agencies get together and they go there to get smarter. So where are these places? Pamela Slim and the whitest that calls 'em the watering holes or the ponds? Yes. So can you find them? Sometimes people come to me, there's this group they want, they're describing this psychographic, and there's, I go like, yeah, we can't buy a list of those people. They don't have any meetings where this psychographic all gathers. Hmm. Uh, so, uh, this is, this is a dry hole, uh, as they say in, in the, all this down in Texas. You got a dry hole here. Um, and no amount of fracking is gonna help you get anything out of that hole. So, uh, gee, that was probably politically incorrect. . Um, so, uh, what we need to do is find where they gather, and there's this amazing tool I have, if I could share, can I share it, Steven? Of Speaker 1: (41:56) Course you can. Speaker 2: (41:57) It's called Google . You Google, where does, you know, agency owners gather? Where do agency owners meet? Where do agency owners, uh, you know, what do agency owners read? Yeah. And, and the Google machine as one old timer called it to me. So yeah, the Google machine will, will spit out your answers there. Speaker 1: (42:20) Yeah. Well, here, here's, here's what I love about eight and nine. Um, so, so nine is, can you find target rich environments where they gathered? And you mentioned Baba, you mentioned some of the other agency centric associations when, when I think of eight and nine, I see some real cool interdependency between eight and nine. Eight. Can we buy a list of the 7,800 that you mentioned before? Yes. Uh, can then we use that list to maybe do some strategic prospecting, if you will. I wonder if this person's gonna be at the Baba Summit this year. I wonder if that person's gonna be a sponsor to the Baba Summit. And then you can start sort of pre-planning so that you can take your list and then head to nine the pond, and then make sure you're meeting the right people while in the pond. Right. Speaker 2: (43:07) Right. And there are all kinds of strategies, and you've used them, um, that there might be some pre-event, you know, a cocktail party or, uh, I know we're kicking around some kind of donut party morning donut excursion, Speaker 1: (43:21) But no running If Car Cunningham, Carly Cunningham, if you're listening to this right now, donuts Yes. Long distance running through the streets of Chicago. No, no, Speaker 2: (43:30) No. Have you seen Henry and Stephen? Do we look like marathon runners, or do we look like donut eat? Speaker 1: (43:37) I have two tight hips for peace sake. I, I'm not running. Come on. Speaker 2: (43:42) . My doctor did say that I've already eaten my lifetime supply of donuts, and I should let other people have the donuts now. But, uh, for Carly, I might, I might consent to have one in Chicago. No, the point of that is you can get together, uh, I do Q and as, uh, modeled after your campfire q and as for authors and agency owners, and I encourage people to be part of the community, come there, ask questions, to get to know other members. I, I call the 150 authors, uh, the family. Yep. And my word is I want the family amplifying each other's work. It's, it's not a quit pro quo or anything like that, but it is the law of reciprocation that the more people you help, the more you will get helped to amplify your work and share it with others. And as we said, where these gatherings are, you can do extra things. David Maister, Dr. David Maister, I recommend him. Former professor at the Harvard Business School. Mm-hmm. . Uh, he let me take one page from one of his books 20 years ago and make a career out of it. A and he always said, this is what you need to do and you need to gather, and you just don't come in and out. Um, you need to be part of the community and contributing to that community anyway. You can. Speaker 1: (45:06) Right. 100%. I I know that we're, uh, quickly running out of time. So, so bring us home with number 10. Uh, will some make marquee clients advocates and references? Speaker 2: (45:17) Well, right. If, if you have some group where they say, what would be your client, but here's the condition, you can never mention that you worked with us. Uh, this is not a good place because prospects want social proof. They want several things. They want, they wanna know that you have a proprietary problem solving process, that you're not winging it. Uh, they want to know that you have experience. Uh, they wanna know some marquee clients. They wanna be able to talk to some people that you've worked with. Um, they need all these social proofs because they can't really judge how good of a service our agency provides. Um, and everybody says the same thing. Oh, I've done focus groups with people who hire agencies. Don't say these things. Don't say how long you've been in business. Uh, they laugh at you for that. I've been golfing longer than Tiger Woods. Speaker 2: (46:09) It doesn't make me a better golfer. Okay. The other thing is, don't say we're just the right size, big enough to get the job done small enough for personal attention. They, they laugh at us for that. They say firms with five people say that firms with 500 people say that. What they wanna hear is research about their peers. Not you naming peers. But, you know, we've worked with, you know, this many people or we've done a study and, uh, our research shows, like I shared that two outta three agency owners. And the number one pain is a dry sales pipeline. Not enough qualified prospects. Yep. I surveyed over a thousand people to learn that. So they wanna learn about themselves. They wanna know that you know about them. They want to be able to tell somebody, oh, well, we hired the agency that worked for A, B, and C, and they go, oh, they're good. Um, so that's why this is important. Speaker 1: (47:07) A hundred percent love that and great way to, to, to bring us home and, and emphasizes, uh, when, when we kicked off going through that list, or actually in the introduction, um, I, I've mentioned the, the, the, the piece that you use as your bottom line to close out this chapter. You, you, you say, so I'm gonna quote Henry again here, um, what he wrote, bottom line, the more quality thinking you do upfront meaning through these 10 questions, the easier business development will be 100%. Well, well said, Henry. So I, before we go, uh, before we close out and say goodbye, um, any final advice, anything you think we might have missed? And then please do tell, uh, our audience, uh, the best way to connect with you. Speaker 2: (47:52) Thank you for asking. Sure. If anybody ask you a good question like that, you're to pause three seconds for dignity and say, thank you for asking . The, the main message is stay on the journey. And then when you do a book, is the number one marketing tool. Talking about the book is the number one fill your pipeline strategy. Yeah. So you get on podcasts, you, you give speeches, you talk about the book, the book opens the doors to do that. And also, as you taught me in Sell with authority, you can't spell authority without the word author. An author is an authority and people get your best thinking in the book. So share that with them. So for anybody in the predictive ROI world, if they wanna have a no cost, no selling zone strategy call with me on this. I'm happy to do it. Speaker 2: (48:51) Yeah. So you can just contact me at henry indie books i ntl.com. Steven will put it in the show notes, and, uh, we'll have what I call a book chat. I'll help you get clear on the goals for doing a book, what hidden assets you have to get a book done. A lot of people don't realize they're already have these assets. Uh, three, what are the roadblocks, uh, roadblocks. Don't stop agency owners, but you gotta figure a way around them, over 'em, through 'em. And then, uh, four, I'll tell you how others have gotten from where you are right now to where you want to go, because the path and the plan of others leaves the clues you need for your journey and your quest to sell with authority. Speaker 1: (49:36) Yeah. A a good friend of mine and one of my accountability partners, Don Yeager, um, often says this, this quote is not his. I just can't remember the, uh, person who originally said it. But anyway, Don often says, success leaves clues. And, and I think that that's a hundred percent correct. And Henry, uh, thank you very much for saying yes to come back to the show for this encore. And everyone, uh, no matter how many notes you took or how often you go back and re-listen to Henry's words of wisdom, which I sure hope that you do, the key is you have to take what he's so generously shared with you, the 10 filtering questions and all of the story in stories in each of those. 10, take them and apply them. Because again, the bottom line, how much work you put into the front end of this is what will determine the success. Success leaves clues, and he just gave you a bunch of them. Take it and apply it. Because when you do that through application, that's where the results will come. And again, Henry, thank you for saying yes, we all have the same 86,400 seconds in a day. And I'm grateful that you came onto the show to be our mentor and guide, uh, yet again. Thank you so much my friend, Speaker 2: (50:46) As they say at Chick-fil-A. My pleasure.

Stephen Woessner is the founder and CEO of Predictive ROI, a digital marketing agency, and the host of Onward Nation and Sell With Authority Podcasts. Since the advent of the commercial Internet, Stephen has collected tens of thousands of data points that have given him the ability to identify what he calls the “”8 Money Draining Mistakes”” and the “”8 Money Making Opportunities.”” Darren Hardy, then-publisher of SUCCESS Magazine, interviewed Stephen to discuss how business owners can identify and fix the mistakes. Stephen served in the United States Air Force, spent six years at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse as a full-time academic staff member and taught digital marketing classes to small business owners throughout the state including the prestigious School of Business at UW-Madison, has owned five businesses, and is the author of three books, “The Small Business Owner's Handbook to Search Engine Optimization”, “Increase Online Sales Through Viral Social Networking”, and “Profitable Podcasting.” His digital marketing insights have been featured in Forbes.com, Entrepreneur.com, The Washington Post, and Inc. Magazine. We are doing something a little different for this episode of Sell With Authority by sharing my full length interview from an episode of the Build a Better Agency Podcast with Drew McLellan. Drew is the owner of McLellan Marketing Group and the owner and leader of the Agency Management Institute. In episode 354 of the Build a Better Agency Podcast, we have an important conversation about finding right-fit clients by going narrow and niching down – and how pivoting that niche can lead to fears of stepping into scarcity, instead of abundance. We talk through how pivoting agency niche can actually help improve sales and build community. What you will learn about in this episode: Why choosing your agency niche doesn't have to be a permanent decision Why sometimes throwing out the playbook and pivoting in a different direction is a better move for your agency, even if it doesn't seem that way at first How to know which types of clients you're already serving the best (this could be your new niche) What is cornerstone content, and why is it so important to establish? The importance of building a community of people wanting to learn from you and others to make more effortless sales You have permission to think differently about your agency and how you want to position it in your industry

Stephen Woessner is the founder and CEO of Predictive ROI (PROI), a digital marketing agency, and the host of Onward Nation and Sell With Authority Podcasts. Since the advent of the commercial Internet, Stephen has collected tens of thousands of data points that have given him the ability to identify what he calls the “8 Money Draining Mistakes” and the “8 Money Making Opportunities.” Darren Hardy, then-publisher of SUCCESS Magazine, interviewed Stephen to discuss how business owners can identify and fix their mistakes. Stephen served in the United States Air Force, spent six years at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse as a full-time academic staff member, and taught digital marketing classes to small business owners throughout the state, including the prestigious School of Business at UW-Madison. He has owned five businesses and is the bestselling author of five books, including “Profitable Podcasting” and “Sell with Authority.” His digital marketing insights have been featured in Forbes.com, Entrepreneur.com, The Washington Post, and Inc. Magazine. What you will learn about in this episode: How to conquer the fear that can set in when presented with opportunity How to break past the temptation to quit before even starting down the path Why the exterior trappings of success are not the true measure Real life lessons around the power of persistence, tenacity, and grit How if you take care of your clients — they will take care of you How to knit all of this together so you never, ever quit Free Resources: Order a free paperback or Kindle copy of “Sell with Authority”: https://predictiveroi.com/free-book Download the “WHO Framework”: https://predictiveroi.com/who Download the “WHAT Framework”: https://predictiveroi.com/what Download the “HOW Framework”: https://predictiveroi.com/how Newly expanded “Resource Library”: https://predictiveroi.com/resources/ “How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline” Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/b2bsalesfunnel LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephenwoessner Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ And — join us for our next open-mic Q&A

Stephen Woessner is the founder and CEO of Predictive ROI, a digital marketing agency, and the host of Onward Nation and Sell With Authority Podcasts. Since the advent of the commercial Internet, Stephen has collected tens of thousands of data points that have given him the ability to identify what he calls the “”8 Money Draining Mistakes”” and the “”8 Money Making Opportunities.”” Darren Hardy, then-publisher of SUCCESS Magazine, interviewed Stephen to discuss how business owners can identify and fix the mistakes. Stephen served in the United States Air Force, spent six years at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse as a full-time academic staff member and taught digital marketing classes to small business owners throughout the state including the prestigious School of Business at UW-Madison, has owned five businesses, and is the author of three books, “The Small Business Owner's Handbook to Search Engine Optimization”, “Increase Online Sales Through Viral Social Networking”, and “Profitable Podcasting.” His digital marketing insights have been featured in Forbes.com, Entrepreneur.com, The Washington Post, and Inc. Magazine. Hannah Roth is currently Predictive Roi's Mad Scientist and Strategist. Hannah has a background as a wildlife biologist, and she started her own home decor and carpentry business that she ran quite successfully for 6 years, which segued into her current position with PROI. Hannah loves her work family, clients, and the fast paced environment of the agency world. She believes there is nothing quite as rewarding as walking alongside someone while they achieve their business goals. What you will learn about in this episode: Predictive ROI's origin story What the Predictive team does differently for their clients The transformation that comes with confidently stepping into your smarts The importance and benefits of PROI's full transparency approach Stephen's advice for instilling confidence and trust with clients that come from all points of the business spectrum The impact of being within a community that fosters collaboration and inspiration Resources: Newly expanded “Resource Library”: https://predictiveroi.com/resources/ “How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline” Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/b2bsalesfunnel LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/predictive-roi/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-roth-387a6b223/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephenwoessner Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PredictiveROI

Stephen Woessner is the founder and CEO of Predictive ROI (PROI), a digital marketing agency, and the host of Onward Nation and Sell With Authority Podcasts. Since the advent of the commercial Internet, Stephen has collected tens of thousands of data points that have given him the ability to identify what he calls the “8 Money Draining Mistakes” and the “8 Money Making Opportunities.” Darren Hardy, then-publisher of SUCCESS Magazine, interviewed Stephen to discuss how business owners can identify and fix their mistakes. Stephen served in the United States Air Force, spent six years at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse as a full-time academic staff member and taught digital marketing classes to small business owners throughout the state including the prestigious School of Business at UW-Madison. He has owned five businesses, and is the author of three books, “The Small Business Owner's Handbook to Search Engine Optimization”, “Increase Online Sales Through Viral Social Networking”, and “Profitable Podcasting.” His digital marketing insights have been featured in Forbes.com, Entrepreneur.com, The Washington Post, and Inc. Magazine. What you will learn about in this episode: How to find and identify the right-fit clients How to become the known expert in a niche by solving the right problems, telling the right stories, and fishing in the right ponds Why a simple set of 6 criteria can help you design your compelling HERO offer How to identify the 3 “Measures for Success” that will give you the ability to charge a premium price — as a result — drive profits How to connect the “WHO” and “WHAT” frameworks to build your authority position Free Resources: Order a free paperback or Kindle copy of “Sell with Authority”: https://predictiveroi.com/free-book Download the “WHO Framework”: https://predictiveroi.com/who Download the “WHAT Framework”: https://predictiveroi.com/what Download the “HOW Framework”: https://predictiveroi.com/how Newly expanded “Resource Library”: https://predictiveroi.com/resources/ “How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline” Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/b2bsalesfunnel LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephenwoessner Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PredictiveROI

This week we are joined by Stephen Woessner to discuss "Sell with Authority: how to plant your flag of authority, claim your ground, and monetize your position". For over 25 years, Stephen Woessner has been in the trenches working alongside and consulting with agency owners, business coaches, and strategic consultants — teaching them how to plant their flag of authority within the markets they serve, grow their audience, fill their sales pipeline with right-fit prospects, and ultimately — drive revenue in predictable and repeatable ways. Stephen founded Predictive ROI in 2009 and remains its CEO and owner. He's the host of two podcasts with listeners in over 140 countries and over 1,000 episodes. His marketing insights have been featured in major media, and he's the bestselling author of four books, including his latest entitled, “Sell with Authority.” Free paperback or Kindle copy of Sell with Authority. No shipping cost — no hoops to jump through. Just a free copy. https://predictiveroi.com/free-book/ Please visit our website to learn more https://indiebooksintl.com Marketing With A Book Podcast Episode 85 Recorded 10/18/2022

As agency owners, we're often dedicated to the niche we've carved out for ourselves and can get very comfortable serving our clients within those parameters. It's easy to become highly committed, and stubbornly so, to that one niche. When it stops working for us the way we want it to, deciding to pivot can be difficult. Today, the CEO of PredictiveROI, Stephen Woessner, came on the podcast to share his experience with this exact situation. His agency had been working in a niche for many years as a podcast shop that helped clients produce content. After some time, it started to become clear to the team that there was a better way they could be approaching business. Thus, a new agency niche was born, which began their great pivot to becoming the authority in teaching clients how to be the authority of their industries. Stephen shares with us what led to the decision to pivot, the decisions he and his team made during the shifting process, and how they re-established their cornerstone content to align with their new niche. If you take nothing else away from this very transparent and open discussion today, you should at least know that you have permission to think differently about how you want to position your agency to potential clients and that it's okay for your agency niche to not be permanent. Sometimes, to build better, you need to pivot. A big thank you to our podcast's presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They're an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev, or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here. What You Will Learn in This Episode: Why choosing your agency niche doesn't have to be a permanent decision How Stephen Woessner of PredictiveROI knew it was time to pivot to a new niche Why sometimes throwing out the playbook and rebuilding in a different direction is a better move for your agency, even if it doesn't seem that way at first What pushed Stephen and his team to rethink their agency niche and the value they were providing to their clients How to know which types of clients you're already serving the best (this could be your new niche) What is cornerstone content, and why is it so important to establish? The importance of building a community of people wanting to learn from you and others to make more effortless sales You have permission to think differently about your agency and how you want to position it in your industry

Erik Jensen is an owner and Chief Strategy Officer at Predictive ROI, a strategic digital marketing agency focused on helping agencies, coaches and consultants build and monetize an authority position. If you have ever been told you need to be creating and sharing all sorts of content with your audience, but no one has shown you how it moves the needle for your business…PROI solves that. Erik is all about helping business owners build more stable, profitable, and scalable businesses, not by shouting directions from below, but by helping shoulder owners' burdens and hiking up the mountain alongside them. What you will learn about in this episode: How Erik got started at PROI and what he does as our Chief Strategy Officer What “niching down” is — and how Erik helps agencies do it. How to find your niche, and what to do when you find it What to do when you fit into more than one niche? 3 ways businesses can niche down — and how to know which works best for yours How to filter potential clients to see if they fit into your niche Why niching down makes your business more helpful, consistent, and profitable Resources: Weekly Q&A: https://predictiveroi.com/pipeline-1 Book — “Sell with Authority,” by Drew McLellan and Stephen Woessner: https://predictiveroi.com/resources/books/ Predictive ROI Free Resource Library: https://predictiveroi.com/resources/ “How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline” Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/b2bsalesfunnel Website: https://predictiveroi.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-jensen-b9946068/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/predictive_roi Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PredictiveROI  

Stephen Woessner is the founder and CEO of Predictive ROI (PROI), a digital marketing agency, and the host of Onward Nation and Sell With Authority Podcasts. Since the advent of the commercial Internet, Stephen has collected tens of thousands of data points that have given him the ability to identify what he calls the “8 Money Draining Mistakes” and the “8 Money Making Opportunities.” Darren Hardy, then-publisher of SUCCESS Magazine, interviewed Stephen to discuss how business owners can identify and fix their mistakes. Stephen served in the United States Air Force, spent six years at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse as a full-time academic staff member and taught digital marketing classes to small business owners throughout the state including the prestigious School of Business at UW-Madison. He has owned five businesses, and is the author of three books, “The Small Business Owner's Handbook to Search Engine Optimization”, “Increase Online Sales Through Viral Social Networking”, and “Profitable Podcasting.” His digital marketing insights have been featured in Forbes.com, Entrepreneur.com, The Washington Post, and Inc. Magazine. What you will learn about in this episode: What winning the Kentucky Derby and building a position of authority have in common Why Stephen believes the latest derby win was not an overnight success — and why there's no such thing How Stephen and Erik ended up at the derby in the first place, and what they learned from it The impressive amount of strategy, analysis, and research that go into the probability odds for every single horse in the race Why Stephen decided to place a bet on this year's biggest underdog…that's right, Rich Strike What we as thought leaders can learn from this year's Kentucky Derby winner, Richard Dawson — and why he entered the race in the first place Resources: Photos from Stephen: Book — “Sell with Authority,” by Drew McLellan and Stephen Woessner: https://predictiveroi.com/resources/books/ Predictive ROI Free Resource Library: https://predictiveroi.com/resources/ “How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline” Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/b2bsalesfunnel Website: https://predictiveroi.com/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephenwoessner Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PredictiveROI  

We are entering the era of Authority. Learn more about what this means for marketers from host Lori Jones and her guest Stephen Woessner of Predictive ROI on this episode of the Integrate & Ignite Marketing Podcast. Tune in as Stephen shares his three essential elements to building your brand authority and discusses his strategies for creating transitional moments for your audience and inspiring trust.

Stephen Woessner is the founder and CEO of Predictive ROI (PROI), a digital marketing agency, and the host of Onward Nation and Sell With Authority Podcasts. Since the advent of the commercial Internet, Stephen has collected tens of thousands of data points that have given him the ability to identify what he calls the “8 Money Draining Mistakes” and the “8 Money Making Opportunities.” Darren Hardy, then-publisher of SUCCESS Magazine, interviewed Stephen to discuss how business owners can identify and fix their mistakes. Stephen served in the United States Air Force, spent six years at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse as a full-time academic staff member and taught digital marketing classes to small business owners throughout the state including the prestigious School of Business at UW-Madison. He has owned five businesses, and is the author of three books, “The Small Business Owner's Handbook to Search Engine Optimization”, “Increase Online Sales Through Viral Social Networking”, and “Profitable Podcasting.” His digital marketing insights have been featured in Forbes.com, Entrepreneur.com, The Washington Post, and Inc. Magazine. What you will learn about in this episode: What makes somebody a thought leader? What thought leadership and baseball have in common — and why Stephen loves both of those things so dang much Why becoming a great thought leader starts with allowing yourself to be bad at it What audiences are looking for when they seek out thought leaders in their industry Why instant gratification is a common trap for thought leaders — and how to avoid it The “10 Truths of Thought Leadership” — what they are and how to apply them How to start adopting the mindset of a thought leader Resources: Book — “Sell with Authority,” by Drew McLellan and Stephen Woessner: https://predictiveroi.com/resources/books/ Predictive ROI Free Resource Library: https://predictiveroi.com/resources/ “How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline” Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/b2bsalesfunnel Website: https://predictiveroi.com/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephenwoessner Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PredictiveROI

​​Stephen Woessner is the founder and CEO of Predictive ROI, a digital marketing agency specializing in building thought leadership and authority to drive growth. He is also the host of the Onward Nation podcast and a bestselling author of two books. Stephen joins me to share his journey as an agency owner, podcast host, and author, and he talks about his unique business growth strategy of “niching down.”  What you will learn in this episode: Why living transparently helps you grow your business How depth of ownership makes a difference  Why sharing your goal and your numbers with your teams helps move the needle Why creating a roadmap to success helps with the visualization of key metrics Why it was easy for Stephen to motivate his team when he started to share the numbers Why Predictive ROI has an open and candid attitude to developing teammates and investing in their career goals What the Predictive ROI Everest Mission is, and how Stephen uses it in his business Resources: Website: https://predictiveroi.com/ (https://predictiveroi.com/)  Free Executive Leadership Summary report from Predictive ROI: https://predictiveroi.com/research (https://predictiveroi.com/research)  Predictive ROI Free Resource Library:https://predictiveroi.com/resources/ ( https://predictiveroi.com/resources/) Predictive ROI Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/PredictiveROI/ ( https://www.facebook.com/PredictiveROI/) Sell With Authority Podcast: https://predictiveroi.com/sell-with-authority-podcast/ (https://predictiveroi.com/sell-with-authority-podcast/)  Onward Nation Podcast: https://predictiveroi.com/onward-nation-podcast/ (https://predictiveroi.com/onward-nation-podcast/)  Stephen Woessner's LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/ (www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/)  Stephen Woessner's Bookshttps://predictiveroi.com/resources/books/ (: https://predictiveroi.com/resources/book)s/ Additional Resources: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Onion-Unveil-highest-potential-ebook/dp/B094C6S7RZ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1CQSDOLNATAJ7&dchild=1&keywords=april+ballestero+slaying+the+onion&qid=1624598750&sprefix=april+balleste%2Caps%2C199&sr=8-1 (Slaying the Onion Book ) https://www.onelightacademy.com/courses/slaying-the-onion (Buy Slaying the Onion Book here) and receive a signed copy, the course, and access to a community This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

The Sell with Authority Podcast is for agency owners, business coaches, and strategic consultants who are looking to grow a thriving, profitable business that can weather the constant change that seems to be our world's reality. How do you future-proof your business? How do you attract a steady stream of well-prepared prospects into your sales pipeline? How do you step away from the sea of competitors so you stand out? Each episode contains valuable insights, recommendations, and tangible examples of best practices — not theoretical prose. Every step — every tool you need to establish your authority position, to grow and nurture your audience, and to build your business is all here in full transparency. The podcast is hosted by Stephen Woessner, CEO of Predictive ROI. And — Drew McLellan, CEO of Agency Management Institute and co-author with Stephen of the book “Sell with Authority”, will be a frequent guest expert and contributor. 

What You Will Learn: Why Brett and his team created resources, educational opportunities and strategies for business owners struggling to navigate this hot job market How Elite created an advisory group of ten key Elite Momentum members to help Brett's team determine how to best meet their needs throughout the pandemic Brett recaps some of the key points from his recent solocast in episode #99 of the Elite Entrepreneurs podcast, “The Great Resignation: Stopping the Bleeding” Why creating loyalty with your team takes more than a transactional relationship and requires Purpose, Growth and Connection Why too many business owners believe “more people means more headaches”, and why reframing your relationships with your team is key What advice Brett would offer to business owners wanting to speed up their hiring and onboarding process Why a great onboarding process can make a huge difference in how a new hire views your team and organization, and why it is important to take your time and put in the effort Brett shares the stages of business growth and the challenges these stages bring at the “ones and threes” of revenue Why pedaling faster isn't the secret to speeding the growth of your business, and why it's crucial to shift into a higher gear by improving your processes, systems and team About Brett Gilliland Brett Gilliland is Founder and CEO of Elite Entrepreneurs, a company that specializes in giving $1M+ business owners the knowledge, processes, and tools to grow to $10M and beyond. Brett is an expert in organization development, leadership, and strategy and spent 10 years helping Infusionsoft grow from $7M in revenue to over $100M. Brett was involved in the foundational work of Purpose, Values, and Mission at Infusionsoft and facilitated the strategic planning process for many years. One of Brett's favorite professional accomplishments is co-creating Infusionsoft's Elite Forum along with Clate Mask and building the Elite business inside of Infusionsoft. As the leader of the Elite business, Brett has helped hundreds of struggling seven-figure business owners overcome their biggest challenges and achieve new levels of success. He also played a central role in the development of Infusionsoft's Leadership Model and was serving as the VP of Leadership Development when the decision was made to spin the Elite business out of Infusionsoft. As the new owner of Elite Entrepreneurs, Brett can't think of anything else he'd rather be doing professionally. When Brett isn't busy helping $1M+ businesses succeed, he is a family man who enjoys spending time with his beautiful wife, Sharon, and their 8 children. Resources: Revisit Brett's Aug. 11, 2021 solocast episode #99, “The Great Resignation: Stopping the Bleeding”: https://growwithelite.com/podcasts/the-great-resignation/ Learn about the Elite Ignition program: https://growwithelite.com/elite-ignition/ Additional Resources: Elite Business Health Assessment: https://growwithelite.com/health Email: info@GrowWithElite.com Website: https://growwithelite.com/

Mary Shores is a second-generation collection agency owner, a bestselling author, and an international speaker. Her current passion in life is promoting collector training and development through The Collection Advantage online training program, which features Mary's extensive studies into neuroscience and compassion to teach collectors how to execute high-converting, empathetic scripting.What you'll learn about in this episode:  There's a shift in brand awareness and transparency, especially with the pandemic.  Learn about how companies can get the right message out there to be on the right side of change.How changing your mindset will position your company for growthLearn what differentiates successful debt collection companies from the restLearn how to cultivate the right culture, find and hire rockstarsLearn about the psychological burden of debt and how can we move forward to make sure we're evolving our practices to meet the new normal that revolves around emotions and why we should invest in human capital.Resources:Website: https://www.maryshores.com/Email:  mary@maryshores.comLinkedIn:Company http://www.midstatecollections.com/LinkedIn: Personal https://www.linkedin.com/in/shoresmary/Additional Resources: 3 Pivots to better collections  The Biggest Secret in CollectionsOvercoming the Stigma   3 Keys to Establish Credibility in the New Normal Attracting your next Rockstar  Use This to Write Your Next Collector Job AdOnward Nation's Stephen Woessner gave a good research link on this topic and I'll share that again here for listeners  https://www.edelman.com/research/the-action-mandate-for-brandsThe Biggest Secret in Collections3 Keys to Establish Credibility in the New NormalUse This to Write Your Next Collector Job Ad

A conversation with one of the most brilliant minds in podcasting, Stephen Woessner. TEXT ''PROFIT'' to 833-257-0694 to book your free podcast consultation! Referenced in Today's Episode: https://predictiveroi.com/free-book (Free Copy of Sell with Authority) https://predictiveroi.com/ (Predictive ROI) https://amzn.to/3qH3yZV (Profitable Podcasting) https://predictiveroi.com/onward-nation-podcast/ (Onward Nation Podcast) Connect with Noah at: https://profitwithpodcasting.com/ (The Website) https://my.captivate.fm/noah@profitwithpodcasting.com (Email) If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive rating and review!

Drew McLellan has written seven books. That's quite an achievement for a man who runs a busy and successful ad agency, as well as the Agency Management Institute (AMI).   But Drew stumbled upon a clever approach which meant that writing books was a collaboration, and therefore less work for him.   Drew has worked in advertising for 30 years. He started his own agency, McLellan Marketing Group, in 1995. He's been featured in or published in Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Ad Age, New York Times, Washington Post, Ad Age, CNN Business Week, and many others. He hosts the Build A Better Agency Podcast.   COLLABORATE TO WRITE YOUR BOOK!  Drew's first book, 99.3 Random Acts Of Marketing, was published as a result of writing a newspaper column for a while. He then ran into someone who offered to publish the columns in book format.  Next up came Drew's Age of Conversation, One, Two, and Three, although at the time Drew didn't realize that Age of Conversation would be three books. In the early 2000s he read an article about Harvard experimenting with crowdsourced content for a book. This triggered his idea for a core group of around 150 marketing bloggers to produce a book, with each blogger writing one chapter.   Hundreds of marketing bloggers contributed chapters, and that's how books two and three were born. Profit from the books - more than $50,000 - was donated to Charity Water.   “None of my books have I sat down and wrote a book the way everyone thinks you write a book,” says Drew.   CREATING AUTHORITY, CONNECTIONS, BUSINESS GROWTH  Drew says his books have contributed significantly to his success. They've brought clients, given him credibility, and created new connections.  “There is a gravitas to being an author that other people afford you, that's different than if you're a podcast host or fill in the blank; you do some other content. There's something about it, probably because everyone thinks it's super hard. But it elevates you above your competitors and it does say something about you and your depth of expertise,” says Drew.  He thinks of books as content that opens doors. “So whether you're dropping them in the mail to prospects, or you are using it as a tool to get podcasts, a book is absolutely worth it. It is probably one of the best marketing tools for your business that I can think of.  “My book is a moneymaker, not that people pay $19.95 for the book, but that they buy coaching and consulting, and come to workshops, and join our peer groups. That rings the cash register in a much more significant way for me than a $20 book.    USE A PRESENTATION TO WRITE A BOOK  Drew's next book, Secrets of Ad Agency Owners, was developed in a similar way to Age of Conversation.   Explains Drew: “By now, I owned AMI. There were a bunch of agency owners who wanted to be authors, but they don't want to actually write a book. So I did the exact same thing we did with Age of Conversation. I said: ‘I'm going to give you a theme. If you want to write a chapter of this book, send it to us.   “My agency laid it out, designed it, self-published it through Amazon's self-publishing. So that was the next two again . . .  I wrote a chapter, right and everybody else contributed. And again, what we did with that money is any money we made, we donated to a charity.”  For his latest book, Sell With Authority, Drew partnered with digital marketer Stephen Woessner, and the two offered a two-day workshop selling with authority. The workshop was filmed and transcribed the bones of the book.   “We had to do a lot of rewriting because how you present is very different from how you would write. We had to augment what we taught with more content,” says Drew. “So of all the books I've written, that's the one that probably took me the most writing. Stephen wrote his chapters, I wrote my chapters. Then I took all of the chapters, and then edited all of them so they sounded like they were coming from one voice.”  When it comes to marketing a book, Drew says it's essential to have an audience and think about marketing before your book is written.  LINKS Twitter Facebook LinkedIn DrewMcLellan.com  SUBSCRIBE TO THE PUBLISHED AUTHOR PODCAST  If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or anywhere else you listen to podcasts. You can also watch episodes of the podcast on YouTube.  And if you want to spread the word, please give us a five-star review (we read every single one!) and share this page with your friends.   We also share valuable snippets from podcast episodes on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.  ABOUT THE HOST  The Published Author Podcast is hosted by Josh Steimle, founder of Published Author. Josh is a book author himself and his article writing has been featured in over two dozen publications including Time, Forbes, Fortune, Mashable, and TechCrunch. He's a TEDx speaker, the founder of the global marketing agency MWI, a skater, father, and husband, and lives on a horse farm in Boston. Learn more at JoshSteimle.com.

Since the advent of the commercial internet, Stephen Woessner has collected tens of thousands of data points that have given him the ability to identify what he calls the 8 Money Draining Mistakes. These are the things that literally cause a website to leak serious money every day. Stephen teaches companies and organizations how to fix them and how to fix them immediately. Stephen also teaches how to apply what he calls the 8 Money Making Opportunities. These are the things that really matter because they increase financial return on investment in the digital world by 200 to 500 percent or more in 12-months or less. And all of this can be done without needing technical skills. Stephen is the host of the Onward Nation podcast, CEO of Predictive ROI, a digital marketing authority, speaker, educator, and bestselling author of two books, The Small Business Owners Handbook to Search Engine Optimization and Increase Online Sales Through Viral Social Networking. Clients include Cisco, Advisors Excel, Agency Management Institute, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and others. Linda Fassig-Knauer, US Channels, Cisco Systems, said Stephen really engaged the audience at our SMB Advisory Council. His presentation hit the mark. His digital marketing insights have been featured in Inc. Magazine, Forbes, Entrepreneur, and The Washington Post. Stephen's practical and tactical training sessions and keynote presentations teach the valuable principle of predicting and then measuring financial return on investment (ROI) before any action is taken. He has also developed a mathematical, patent-pending process that can be used to predict the increase in online sales a business can achieve based on his methods. What You Will Learn: Stephen's journey into entrepreneurship How Predictive ROI has differentiates itself from other digital marketing agencies Why Stephen is considering inorganic growth right now The indicators that deal-driven growth is the right option for your business The lessons Stephen has taken away from his past deals What to know if you plan on taking money from professional investors How Stephen launched his podcast and turned it into a business How to connect with Stephen Woessner: Website: www.predictiveroi.com Podcast: Onward Nation Twitter: @stephenwoessner Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PredictiveROI/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/