The Rainmaking Podcast

In this episode of The Rainmaking Podcast, host Scott Love speaks with Margie Agin, award-winning B2B marketing strategist and founder of Centerboard Marketing, about how professionals can stand out in crowded markets by clearly communicating what makes them different. Drawing from her background in language, market research, and content strategy, Margie explains how companies can develop effective differentiation by listening closely to customer language, identifying real decision drivers, and crafting messaging that resonates with both emotional and business needs.Margie outlines how authentic, customer-informed differentiation—backed by proof points and aligned with buyer goals—can help professionals avoid competing on price and instead command attention based on value. She introduces the concept of a “message map” to organize and prioritize core brand messages, and shares how even service firms can package offerings like products to make them more tangible and easier to sell. With examples from her consulting work and actionable insights, this episode is a must-listen for professionals ready to sharpen their positioning and win more of the right business.Visit: https://therainmakingpodcast.com/----------------------------------------------------Award-winning marketer Margie Agin helps B2B technology companies discover what makes them unique and find the words to say it. She is the founder and chief strategist of Centerboard Marketing, a marketing agency based in the Washington, DC area, and author of Brand Breakthrough: How to Go Beyond a Catchy Tagline to Build an Authentic, Influential and Sustainable Brand Personality.As both an external strategist and an in-house marketing leader, Margie has helped companies in the cybersecurity, communications, and software industries distill complex topics into content and campaigns that drive action. She has built and led teams through times of rapid change, launched and relaunched brands, and created sustainable marketing programs that prioritize the customer experience.Before founding Centerboard Marketing, Margie led demand generation efforts for the education technology company Blackboard and digital marketing for video conferencing leaders Tandberg and Cisco. She also taught content marketing and web writing at Johns Hopkins University. Margie completed her undergraduate work at Tufts University and earned a Master’s degree from American University.  Links for Show Notes:Website: http://www.centerboard-marketing.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marjorieagin/Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NTYMSW3Email: margie@centerboard-marketing.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Rainmaking Podcast, host Scott Love speaks with Henry Kaminsky, branding expert and founder of Unique Designs, about how professionals can build powerful personal brands that attract high-value clients and create real business growth. Henry shares his journey from hospital fundraiser to seven-figure entrepreneur, emphasizing that people buy you—the person—before they ever buy your service. He explains why most professionals fail to stand out online: they’re too close to their business, designing brands for themselves rather than for their ideal clients.Henry discusses the importance of clarity, authenticity, and relevance in personal branding, especially in an era where buyers want human connection and transparency. He offers actionable strategies like interviewing top clients to refine brand messaging, using tools like AnswerThePublic to understand market language, and leveraging podcasting and LinkedIn as relationship-building platforms. Whether you’re launching a solo practice or scaling a professional services firm, this episode provides a powerful roadmap for creating a brand that resonates and drives revenue.Visit: https://therainmakingpodcast.com/-------------------------------------------------------Henry Kaminski Jr. is the founder of Unique Designz, a full-service design, branding, and digital marketing agency that is dedicated to helping personality brands, coaches, consultants, influencers, speakers + authors design / grow their brands, scale their profits + increase their exposure online. He is the host of the popular “Brand Doctor’s Podcast” where he talks about strategies that help entrepreneurs design reputable and profitable personal brands. As a self-taught graphic designer and brand consultant, he's overcome all the odds to build a wildly successful multi-million-dollar business over the past 14 years. He has worked with a diverse range of business owners and professionals, including celebrities like Jon Bon Jovi + Fabio Viviani as well as Internet marketing expert Russell Brunson who has named Henry the "Million Dollar Brander” and recently has been inducted into the Click Funnels 2 Comma Club, by generating over$1 million single sales funnel, using the Click Funnels software.Links:https://uniquedesignz.net/info@uniquedesignz.nethttps://www.linkedin.com/in/henry-kaminski-jr/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Rainmaking Podcast, host Scott Love speaks with Brenda Pontiff, founder of PartnerTrack Academy, about succession planning and the role of trusted advisors in ensuring smooth client transitions. Brenda explains how law firms often overlook the long-term implications of a partner’s retirement or lateral move, putting client relationships at risk. She contrasts law and accounting firms, noting that the Big Four treat client transition with far more structure, process, and transparency—often using protocols, calendars, and client-facing documentation to ensure continuity and trust.Brenda emphasizes that being a trusted advisor means anticipating client needs and staying top of mind—well beyond the scope of an individual matter. She encourages firms to develop succession protocols years in advance, document expectations, and involve the entire firm—including marketing, IT, and HR—in the transition process. With humor, candor, and deep experience, Brenda shares both cautionary tales and actionable steps for firms looking to retain client loyalty and institutional knowledge when key players move on.Visit: https://therainmakingpodcast.com/----------------------------------------------------Brenda Pontiff is a Six Sigma trained, client-facing business development executive bringing Big 4 sales strategies to global law firms. She is the managing principal of Partner Track Academy and provides management consulting. as well as sales coaching and workshop facilitation. to help individual lawyers, as well as firms, improve client satisfaction while increasing revenues. Brenda is also the Senior Marketer Liaison for the Los Angeles Steering Committee of the Legal Marketing Association.  Links:www.partnertrackacademy.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/brenda-pontiff-59284515/bpontiff@partnertrackacademy.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Rainmaking Podcast, host Scott Love speaks with Ken Lundin, founder of Ken Lundin & Associates and creator of the Sales Alpha Roadmap, about how sales has changed—or been exposed—by the post-pandemic world. Ken explains that most professionals don’t have a closing problem; they have a value development problem. He stresses that the real opportunity lies in helping prospects envision the transformation you offer, not just showcasing features or credentials. Value must be created early in the process by getting prospects to lift their heads from the day-to-day and look toward long-term outcomes.Ken introduces the idea of being “other-centered,” emphasizing intentionality and empathy as the foundation for effective business development. He also breaks down the flaws in the sales consulting world and presents his own “perfect meeting” framework to help professionals structure conversations that lead to deeper understanding and faster decisions. With real-world lessons from personal setbacks and client engagements, this episode provides a high-impact blueprint for professionals seeking to grow sales through clarity, humility, and client-first strategy.Visit: https://therainmakingpodcast.com/-----------------------------------------------------The world of sales consulting is broken. With a traditional focus on what they deliver rather than how it impacts your company. If you only address training your sales team and ignore the sales strategy, process, and coaching it's like changing one tire on a car when all 4 are flat.Ken Lundin is the President and Founder of Ken Lundin & Associates. He is the creator of The Sales Alpha Roadmap™️ His team helps B2B companies create predictable systematic sales growth leading to higher profits, lower costs, and better customer relationships.Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kglundin/https://kenlundin.com/https://twitter.com/kglundinhttps://www.facebook.com/kglundin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Rainmaking Podcast, host Scott Love speaks with Terry and Drew Edwards, the father-son team behind MakeMorePlacements.com, about why most clients won’t engage you—and what to do about it. With deep roots in sales and recruiting, Terry and Drew share how professionals can boost client response rates by shifting from cold outreach to authority-based marketing. They explain how creating “client magnets”—such as ebooks, videos, or even compelling questions—helps attract now-buyers and cultivates future-buyers through trust and visibility over time.The duo emphasizes that clients don’t buy services—they buy results. Most marketing fails because it focuses on the process, not the benefit. Terry and Drew show how positioning, emotional relevance, and consistent engagement through multiple channels can build familiarity and interest before the first call is even made. From content strategy to mindset shifts, this episode provides a tactical and philosophical guide to rainmaking in today’s attention-challenged marketplace.Visit: https://therainmakingpodcast.com/------------------------------------------------------Father & Son teamHelping Recruitment and Search Firm Owners make more placements, for the right fee, with less work and fewer headaches. Terry and Drew Edwards have coached thousands of recruitment and search firm owners around the world. Terry is the author of these books which are available on Amazon: The 7 Deadly Threats to Your Recruitment Business The Recruiters LinkedIn lead Rush The persuasion Influencing & Sales Recipe For Recruitment & Search Firm Owners  Links: http://makemoreplacements.com/https://www.facebook.com/groups/makemoreplacementsDrew's Profilelinkedin.com/in/drewmedwardsTerry's Profile linkedin.com/in/renegaderecruiter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Rainmaking Podcast, host Scott Love speaks with Mo Bunnell, author of The Snowball System and founder of Bunnell Idea Group, about how professionals can develop repeatable, scalable business development habits. Mo breaks down rainmaking into three manageable areas: managing opportunities, managing relationships, and managing yourself. He explains how professionals can build a simple weekly rhythm by tracking their top opportunities and investing in a short list of eight key relationships, all while committing to just three proactive business development actions each week.Mo emphasizes the importance of long-term relationship-building and intentional outreach, noting that professionals don’t need to be extroverts to succeed—they just need a system. He also introduces his BIG framework for goal-setting: tasks that are Big impact, In your control, and Growth-oriented. For those navigating a demanding client load while still trying to grow a book of business, this episode offers a strategic, low-friction path to staying consistent and effective.Visit: https://therainmakingpodcast.com/---------------------------------------------------Mo Bunnell helps complex organizations grow by scaling business development skills across their organizations and creating a growth-oriented culture. He’s the author of The Snowball System, the host of the video podcast Real Relationships Real Revenue and the founder of Bunnell Idea Group (BIG), who has trained over 15,000 seller-experts at over 400 clients, all over the world.BIG’s clients have used Mo and his team’s GrowBIG® training to give their experts a system for growth that creates ravings fans, gives a comprehensive business development framework and is, dare we say, is fun to use.Mo started out his career as an expert himself, passing all the actuarial exams to earn their highest designation: Fellow of the Society of Actuaries. Today, Mo gets most excited working with BIG’s clients that usually fall into two camps: professional service firms like BCG, King & Spalding and Sotheby’s and service-based companies like Aetna, Constellation Energy and TransUnion.Mo lives in Atlanta with his wife of nearly 30 years, his two daughters (when they’re home from college) and their miniature donkey, Louie Hamilton. Links:https://bdhabits.comhttps://mobunnell.comhttps://www.bunnellideagroup.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/mobunnell/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Rainmaking Podcast, host Scott Love speaks with Dr. Jack Singer—psychologist, author, and performance coach—about how professionals can master the habits that protect against burnout and emotional fatigue. Dr. Singer explains that burnout often stems from unrecognized thought patterns tied to two common personality traits: Type A overachievers and people-pleasers. He shares how awareness of these tendencies, combined with tools like his Thinking Pattern Worksheet, can help professionals shift from toxic self-talk to healthy, resilient mindsets.Dr. Singer emphasizes that burnout isn’t caused by external events, but by how we interpret those events through internal dialogue. He outlines practical methods for identifying distorted thinking, managing expectations, and responding to emotional cues like cynicism or chronic fatigue. Whether it's learning to say no, challenging perfectionism, or recognizing when it’s time to seek help, this episode offers a science-backed, compassionate roadmap for maintaining high performance without sacrificing well-being.Visit: https://therainmakingpodcast.com/-----------------------------------------------------Dr. Jack Singer holds a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and a Post-Doctorate in Clinical/Sport Psychology. He has combined careers as both a Licensed Psychologist and a Professional speaker and Success Acceleration coach.During his 37 year career as a Sport Psychologist, Dr. Singer has worked with Olympic Gold Medal winners, World Champions and Professional athletes and in his speaking and consulting career he teaches all of his audiences the exact same blueprint for developing the mindset of a champion!For the past 33 years, he has consulted with and spoken many Fortune 1000 companies and professional HR and Sales associations, from Miami to Malaysia.He has taught on the faculties of six universities, including the U.S. Air Force Academy and he has authored four books more than 180 articles, for a variety of journals and magazines.Dr. Jack appears frequently on FOX-SPORTS, ESPN, CNN, MSNBC and radio talk shows throughout the U.S. and Canada.Links:drjack@advisingtheadvisors.comwww.drjacksinger.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Rainmaking Podcast, host Scott Love speaks with Stephanie Marrone, legal marketing consultant and creator of the Social Media Butterfly blog, about the evolving role of social media in professional services marketing. Stephanie emphasizes that social platforms—especially LinkedIn—have become essential tools for networking, branding, and client development, particularly in a post-COVID world where digital visibility is paramount. She encourages professionals to embrace a consistent, value-driven content strategy, combining personal storytelling with industry expertise to build authentic engagement.Stephanie highlights the importance of avoiding “me-centric” posts and instead focusing on content that is educational, relevant, and client-centered. She also stresses the underutilized power of email marketing, urging firms to develop targeted campaigns that complement their social efforts. With practical tips on hashtag use, LinkedIn company pages, repurposing content, and humanizing your brand, this episode provides a roadmap for professionals who want to stand out, stay top of mind, and win business through modern, relatable marketing.Visit: https://therainmakingpodcast.com/-------------------------------------------------Stefanie Marrone advises law firms (of all sizes), professional service firms, B2C and B2B companies, professional associations and individuals on the full range of marketing and business development consulting services designed to enhance revenue, retain current clients, attract new clients and achieve greater brand recognition and market share.Stefanie has worked with a broad range of law firms of all sizes over her nearly 20-year legal marketing career from Big Law, to mid-size firms to boutique firms to solo practitioners.She also works with accounting firms, recruiting firms, individuals, start-ups and entrepreneurs.Stefanie understands what her clients need from working at law firms for 20 years. These firms include Sullivan & Cromwell, Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison, Morrison & Forester, Proskauer, Mayer Brown and McKee Nelson (which is now part of Morgan Lewis) and mid-size firm Tarter Krinsky & Drogin.At each of these firms, she developed and executed revenue generating, business development, internal and external communications strategies, branding and multi-channel content marketing/thought leadership campaigns on a firmwide, practice, industry and lawyer level that had a real impact on the firm and its lawyers.Knowing that so many B2B companies – especially law firms – are just scratching the surface when it comes to how they use their content and social media, she is passionate about helping organizations and their employees effectively utilize social platforms for business development, revenue generation and visibility opportunities.A former journalist, Stefanie often writes about issues facing lawyers and legal marketers today. In addition to writing on this blog, you can follow her articles on JD Supra.She is also a frequent conference and webinar speaker on social media and marketing-related topics.A lifelong New Yorker, Stefanie didn’t go far from home for her education. She holds a master of science in strategic communications from Columbia University (which she completed while working full-time) and a bachelor’s degree, cum laude, in history and art history from New York University.Giving back to the industry that has given her so much is very important to Stefanie. She has served in several local, regional and national Legal Marketing Association volunteer roles. She was secretary of the LMA’s Northeast Region and co-chair of the 2019 LMA Northeast Regional Conference.Stefanie lives in New York City with her French bulldog puppies Lucy and Scarlett, who serve as her company’s CFOs (Chief Frenchie Officers).Links:https://www.socialmediabutterflyblog.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefaniemarrone/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Rainmaking Podcast, host Scott Love speaks with Tom Nixon, co-founder of the Thought Leader Collaborative, about how professionals can simplify their marketing strategy to build authority and win business. Tom shares his “one plus one” approach: focus on a single social media platform—ideally LinkedIn for most professionals—and pair it with a consistent email strategy. By reducing complexity and eliminating ineffective tactics, professionals can concentrate on delivering valuable content to a clearly defined audience.Tom emphasizes the importance of identifying your ideal client, creating content that answers their most pressing questions, and delivering that content consistently via the channels they trust most. He explains how thought leadership is built through generosity and focus, and how even simple, short-form posts or email updates can establish credibility and drive inbound interest over time. For professionals overwhelmed by the clutter of modern marketing, this episode offers a clear, actionable path to doing less and achieving more.https://therainmakingpodcast.com/--------------------------------------------Tom Nixon is co-founder of the Thought Leader Collaborative, a community of professional service providers learning and collaborating to convert their subject matter expertise into thought leadership...and thought leadership into new business.The Thought Leader Collaborative guides professionals along a proven path to grow their practices on LinkedIn, based on demonstrated best practices employed by other successful thought leaders.He and his partner Jay Harrington host The Thought Leadership Project podcast weekly, providing tips, insights and guidance on all matters related to thought-leadership content marketing.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tnixon16/https://www.thoughtleadercollaborative.com/Podcast: http://thethoughtleadershipproject.comThe Fix Newsletter: thefixnewsletter.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Rainmaking Podcast, host Scott Love speaks with Jane Atkinson, speaking industry expert and author of The Wealthy Speaker, about how professionals can use public speaking to build their brand and attract new business. Jane shares how simply being seen on stage positions professionals as vetted authorities—boosting visibility, credibility, and trust. She emphasizes that speaking to the right audiences, even without being paid, can lead to significant business growth if done strategically.Jane offers tactical advice for getting started, including identifying your expertise, writing consistent LinkedIn content, pitching to trade associations, and using storytelling to subtly promote your services. She explains how a strong call to action and intentional branding can help professionals convert speaking engagements into meaningful business opportunities. Whether your goal is a few high-impact presentations per year or a larger speaking platform, this episode offers a roadmap to using speaking as a tool for rainmaking.https://therainmakingpodcast.com/-----------------------------------Jane Atkinson is an expert in the professional speaking business, and helps professionals who want to develop a business that includes revenue from speaking engagements. In this podcast, Jane shares ideas to those who want to build a brand through speaking. Jane has worked in the speaking business at a speakers bureau, an organization that books speakers for meetings, and also representing high level speakers as an agent.Jane’s website is www.speakerlaucher.com and you can see the books she has written on this link:https://www.speakerlauncher.com/product-category/books/https://www.speakerlauncher.com/million-dollar-business-with-scott-stratten/Her books include The Epic Kenote, The Wealthy Speaker 2.0, and Scaling Your Speaking Business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices