The Digital Agency Growth Podcast The Data You Need BEFORE You Build Your 2026 Biz Dev Plan (with Nick Petroski)
Dec 3, 2025
Nicholas Petroski, the founder of Promethean Research and author of crucial resources for digital agencies, joins the discussion to highlight the vital role of referrals in shaping 2026 business development strategies. He emphasizes the need for data-driven planning and reveals insights on why many agencies still approach referrals passively. Petroski shares actionable advice on who should own the referral process, the dangers of relying on a few sources for introductions, and how to operationalize a strong referral system to drive account growth effectively.
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Episode notes
Treat Referrals As A System
- Referrals can be a primary growth channel if treated as a repeatable system rather than passive luck.
- Nicholas Petroski argues agencies should lock in and operationalize referrals instead of hoping they'll appear.
Specialization Shrinks Your Reach
- Specialization shrinks TAM and raises the needle-in-a-haystack problem for outreach effectiveness.
- Dan Englander notes increased market skepticism makes targeted referrals more valuable than broad outbound.
Give Clear Ownership Of Referrals
- Assign clear ownership of referrals to whoever owns the client relationship, typically the account manager.
- Make that ownership explicit so responsibility doesn't default to 'nobody'.