Agency Bytes Ep 111 – Corey Quinn – Deep Specialization
In episode 111 of Agency Bytes, I sit down with Corey Quinn—agency growth expert, author of Anyone, Not Everyone, and the guy who helped scale Scorpion from $20M to $150M. We unpack what it really means to specialize as an agency and why empathy might just be your most overlooked growth lever.
Corey shares how moving from generalist to deep specialization can unlock operational efficiency, stronger positioning, and a hell of a lot more revenue. We also dig into outbound sales strategies (including the power of gifting!), how to expand into multiple verticals without becoming a generalist again, and what the future of agency specialization looks like in an AI-driven world.
If you’ve ever worried about niching down “too far,” this conversation will flip that fear on its head.
Key Bytes
• Corey Quinn emphasizes the importance of deep specialization for agency growth.
• Empathy is crucial for understanding clients' specific problems.
• Transitioning from inbound to outbound sales requires a strategic approach.
• The generalist trap can lead to operational inefficiencies and client loss.
• Building trust through industry engagement is key to agency success.
• Agencies should consider adjacent verticals for expansion.
• Creative teams may need variety to stay engaged in specialized markets.
• The tools used in marketing may change, but the outcomes remain constant.
• Agencies should focus on solving real-world business problems for clients.
• Founders can explore new verticals once they achieve a certain market share.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Agency Growth and Specialization
01:11 Corey's Journey in the Agency World
03:02 Scaling Scorpion: From 20M to 150M
07:15 The Shift to Outbound Sales Strategies
11:44 Deep Specialization: Breaking the Generalist Trap
12:10 Empathy in Agency Specialization
19:10 Building Trust Through Industry Engagement
21:10 Expanding into New Verticals
25:17 Addressing Fears of Niching Down
27:42 Future Trends in Agency Specialization
Corey Quinn has over 18 years in the agency space, including as Scorpion's CMO, where he helped grow revenue from $20M to $150M in 6 years. His bestselling book: "Anyone, Not Everyone: a Proven System for Agencies to Escape Founder-Led Sales" has been endorsed by Aaron Ross, John Ruhlin, Dr. Benjamin Hardy, Marcel Petitpas, and many others.
Today, his company helps digital agencies become the go-to choice within a vertical market with his Deep Specialization Methodology.