Building Trust at Scale in the Age of AI, With Stephen Woessner

17 snips

Oct 15, 2025

In this engaging conversation, Stephen Woessner, CEO of Predictive ROI and agency veteran, shares insights on the critical importance of trust and positioning in the age of AI. He discusses how his military background shaped his systems mindset for effective sales strategies. Stephen emphasizes that prospects often start in distrust, necessitating a consistent demonstration of value. They explore the power of unscripted, long-form content in establishing credibility, while outlining a focused approach to market messaging that drives demand and builds lasting relationships.

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ANECDOTE

Systems Lesson From Missile Silos

Stephen learned the power of systems while stationed in nuclear missile silos in the Air Force.
That experience taught him processes can save lives and later shaped his agency-focused systems approach.

INSIGHT

Prospects Start From Distrust

Trust in vendors starts below zero because buyers are predisposed to distrust prospective partners.
Sellers must over-prove capability repeatedly to move prospects from distrust to trust.

INSIGHT

AI Amplifies Noise And Skepticism

AI makes fabrication easier and increases noise across outreach channels, worsening buyer skepticism.
Agencies must earn attention by publicly demonstrating real expertise, not just messaging.

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Points of Interest

00:00–01:02 – Introduction: Marcel welcomes Stephen, a veteran agency operator, author, and CEO of Predictive ROI focused on helping agencies sell more by adding value.
01:02–03:09 – Who Predictive ROI Serves: Stephen explains their exclusive focus on agencies and their expertise in business development through authority positioning and structured nurture.
03:09–05:18 – Systems Mindset Origin Story: From Air Force missile silos to agency life, Stephen shares how life-or-death procedures taught him the power of process in selling.
06:21–07:30 – Why Go-to-Market Matters Now: With AI as a new disruption, positioning and trust creation become mission-critical as channels get noisier.
07:30–11:30 – Trust Starts Below Zero: Referencing market skepticism, Stephen argues prospects begin in “distrust,” so sellers must over-prove capability through repeated value.
11:30–15:43 – Expertise vs. Empty Positioning: Marcel critiques “lipstick positioning” and argues public demonstrations of expertise are required to restore credibility.
17:06–20:30 – Power of Long-Form Content: Both highlight unscripted, long-form conversations as a stress test that builds trust better than polished sound bites.
20:49–23:55 – Step 1: Choose a Narrow Who: The framework begins by declaring a niche, rejecting generic messaging, and embracing focus as the path to demand.
23:55–28:27 – Step 2: Name the Methodology: Codify problems, pillars, and levers; document common mistakes and strategic moves so teaching and delivery match.
30:18–33:51 – Trust Architecture: Help Me Understand: First sales meeting is a five-question diagnostic about the prospect’s priorities, obstacles, and market—no pitching.
34:08–39:53 – Align & Prescribe → Meet & Greet: Use a self-scoring “Focus Finder,” then have strategists teach the system, add proof and ROI, and gain conceptual agreement.
40:24–48:00 – Content Blueprint & Consistency: Turn the methodology into pillars (Grow, Nurture, Sell), create cornerstone content, repurpose across channels, and show up weekly.

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