810 | From 20% to 80% Margins (The NEW AI Agency Model explained) | Frans Riemersma

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🎯Go from 20% to 80% Agency margins, without hiring a single new person🎯

In this episode, we sit down with Frans Riemersma, Martech legend, co-author of the Martech Landscape, and one of the sharpest thinkers on AI, composability, and the future of services to break down the new AI Agency Model that is quietly redefining how agencies build, deliver, and scale their work.

Frans explains why we’re entering the golden age for agencies, not because of more tools, but because AI is turning services into software, unlocking product-level margins for businesses that previously sold labor.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why Agencies Are Entering a Golden Age

How AI shifts work from human execution → human orchestration, and why agencies with standardized knowledge stand to benefit the most.

Service-as-a-Software: The Model Behind 80% Margins

Why AI is unleashing a new category next to SaaS and how agencies can package expertise into repeatable, scalable, automatable outcomes.

Where a 10-Person Agency Should Start

How to find your highest-value, most-repeatable outcomes, follow the money, and turn them into automations and AI-powered products.

The Biggest Pitfall: Building Tools Before Testing

Why most agencies create tech they never use and Frans’ “Hack → Pack → Stack” method for validating before investing.

Composability, Atomization & The New Martech Stack

Why the future isn’t mega-suites or tool sprawl, it’s small, composable “Lego block” tools that integrate cleanly and keep your stack lean.

The 12% Rule

How top performers identify the tiny percentage of features and tools that drive 80% of customer value and cut everything else.

The Skills That Matter in the AI Era

Why the differentiator isn’t technical mastery anymore, it’s customer obsession, storytelling, distribution, and discovering viable ideas.

Key concepts in this episode:

AI Agency Model

Service-as-a-Software

80% Margin Framework

AI-Powered Delivery Systems

Standardizing Agency Knowledge

Hack → Pack → Stack Method

Composability & Martech Architecture

Atomization of Tools & Labor

AI Agents & Autonomous Workflows

Productized Services for Agencies

Lead Mining & Lead Intelligence Automation

Customer-Centric Innovation

Feature Bloat & Decommissioning Strategy

Future-Proof Agency Skills

AI + Services Convergence

Distribution & Community Moats

If you want your agency to escape the 20% margin trap, and build AI-powered services that scale like software, hit play.

CONNECT WITH Frans Riemersma

🌐 https://www.martechtribe.com/

💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/fransriemersma/

CONNECT WITH VENDASTA:

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Vendasta

Vendasta is the leading AI software company for customer acquisition and engagement, helping businesses get more customers—and keep them. Our AI-powered platform unifies marketing, sales, and operational workflows, eliminating the need for fragmented tools and streamlining every stage of the customer journey. Powered by proprietary SMB data, intelligent automation, and AI assistants that handle repetitive tasks, Vendasta helps businesses attract, engage, and retain customers with unmatched efficiency.

Our solutions empower digital agencies, franchisors, and MSPs to scale operations, optimize campaigns, and drive long-term growth.

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