How to Align Biz Dev and Agency Ops, with Karl Sakas

Feb 26, 2025

In this engaging discussion, agency consultant Karl Sakas shares his expertise on aligning business development with operations to reduce chaos in agency life. He highlights how misalignment often arises as agencies grow and the importance of pausing to reassess strategies. Karl identifies signs of handoff failures and stresses the role of account managers in smoothing transitions. He also introduces the three A's of communication to enhance clarity and discusses effective delegation models that empower teams without leading to chaos.

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INSIGHT

Growth Causes Fragile Handoffs

As agencies grow and roles specialize, the risk of miscommunication at handoffs increases dramatically.
Tight coupling between steps makes systems fragile and pauses help catch misalignment before chaos.

ADVICE

Introduce Account Manager Early

Involve the future account manager early in the sales and proposal process to smooth the handoff.
Have the salesperson attend kickoff but let the account manager own the ongoing relationship.

INSIGHT

Chaos Is Relative And Detectable

Chaos is subjective and ranges from minor billing issues to existential crises like mass layoffs.
If you're stressed, distracted, or your family notices, your chaos level is likely too high and needs addressing.

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I am super thrilled to welcome back today's encore guest, Karl Sakas. If this is your first time meeting Karl, he was the brilliant guest expert back in Episode 79 of Sell With Authority, where we dug into his expertise on helping agencies work less and earn more.

In that episode, Karl and I broke down three key pieces of the biz dev process — niche, refining and delegating. In this encore interview, we take it further. We peel back even more layers of biz dev and then connect it directly to operations.

Wondering why you and your team should care about this conversation?

Recently, Hannah, Erik, and I were working with a client here at Predictive, helping them map out what we call the HERO Offer — and then shaping all the sales language they'd use to tee it up in a conversation with a right-fit prospect. Everything was rolling. Great momentum.

And then — we hit resistance.

So we tapped the brakes and asked, "Wait, what's happening here?"

After some digging, we realized the HERO Offer wasn't fully aligned with how their team actually operated and delivered work. That moment was a huge Ah-Ha! Had we not paused and had that candid discussion, selling more would've just meant more chaos.

So — this episode is about calming the chaos in your agency. Karl breaks down the root causes of chaos inside an agency as well as how to fix it — so you can make it easier to deliver the services your right-fit clients need — and easier to sell more of what you do.

What you will learn in this episode:

How to identify and define chaos in your agency
The root causes of chaos
Why the three A's of communication are pivotal for organizational success
The importance of syncing your biz dev processes with operations
A framework for making delegation effective
Strategies to handle leadership challenges and drive profitability
Advanced retrospectives for vision-setting and strategic growth

Resources:

Website: https://sakasandcompany.com/
LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlsakas/
LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sakas-&-company/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SakasAndCompany/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KarlSakas
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/SakasandCompanyTeam/
Calm the Chaos: 10 Ways to Run a Better Agency: https://sakasandcompany.com/lp/calm-the-chaos-book/
Steps in the Sales Process, with Karl Sakas