The Digital Agency Growth Podcast

A few years back I read the book Exactly What to Say: The Magic Words for Influence and Impact​ by Phil M Jones, and within 6 months I had nearly doubled my conversion rate in my own agency. So when the opportunity arose to have Phil come on the podcast to share with you the power of your words in sales, I was more than eager to get this out to you. This week, episode 127 of The Digital Agency Growth Podcast is about the efficiency of word choice in sales with Phil M Jones! Watch our new recorded video training: Relationship-Driven New Business At-ScaleIn this episode of The Digital Agency Growth Podcast, Dan Englander and Phil M Jones are sharing the importance of being innately curious and actionable steps you can take right now to crowdsource brilliance. Phil M Jones thinks and acts differently. His precise insights around communication added to a proven personal pedigree of peak performance and a richness of real-world experience mean that Phil is the kind of thought leader whose counsel is sought by other thought leaders. He passionately believes that the answer to increased success, in every area of life, is to ask better questions, focus on QUALITY of conversation as well as quantity and that quite often, the difference between you, and all the others, is knowing exactly what to say, when to say it, and how to make more of your conversations count. Best known for his international best-selling book, Exactly What to Say – The Magic Words for Influence and Impact and his vast experience as a professional speaker at conferences and events, what is often overlooked is the strategic intellect he provides behind the scenes for some of the world’s biggest brands to understand their critical conversations and the success language required to maximize their effectiveness.To date, more than 800 different industries, across 59 countries and 5 continents have benefitted from his input. Trusted by dynamic and aspiring leaders in Healthcare, Real Estate, Automotive, Financial Services, SaaS, Home Improvement, Retail and many more – Phil is the kind of expert that achieves his success through the people he supports and adores seeing other people shine.In this episode, Dan and Phil discuss the following:Why Phil believes it’s not about being born a natural salesperson, but rather being innately curious as a person that leads to success in sales industries.The magic words in sales that you probably use incorrectly and are breaking your own sales opportunities. Getting in through the side door, rather than trying to reach out to the gatekeepers, to the decision-makers and how to break through the noise.The power in understanding the examples, rather than the principals, and how you’ll learn to approach conversations with potential clients differently.The conversation truly encompasses all areas of compassionate and integral sales, all from a high-level sales perspective. This episode will also help you create better conversions tomorrow, so make sure you tune in!CONNECT WITH Phil M Jones:LinkedInInstagramWebsiteCONNECT WITH DAN ENGLANDER:LinkedInSales Schema

If you’ve been curious about how to attract the right freelancers and talent while keeping them engaged, this podcast episode is one you won’t want to skip over! While we’ve talked about talent acquisition before on the podcast, this one is going to be a very powerful and interesting conversation on attracting and holding positive relationships with contracted freelancers in your business. This episode will be especially helpful for those who work with multiple freelancers or plan on doing so soon. This week, episode 126 of The Digital Agency Growth Podcast is about freelancer acquisition! Watch our new recorded video training: Relationship-Driven New Business At-ScaleIn this episode of The Digital Agency Growth Podcast, Shahar Erez shares the importance of respecting your freelancers in the right way and actionable steps you can take right now to get the most bang for your buck when it comes to higher freelancers in your agency. Shahar Erez is the Co-founder & CEO of Stoke, an on-demand talent platform empowering companies to adopt a hybrid workforce model that scales as quickly and efficiently as needed. The platform provides a streamlined interface to make sure all your “non-employees” are operating according to policies, legal constraints and workforce classification.In this episode, Dan and Shahar discuss the following:How the requests to corporate positions of both Millennials and GenZers asking for flexible remote work led to the creation of Stoke, and how that led to a 9 figure deal with Fiverr. How freelancers were the first to be let go in the beginning of the furlough period during the pandemic of 2020, and yet the most capable group to rebound and get on their feet the fastest, compared to their corporate 9-5er counterparts.How agency owners have been going about hiring freelancers in the wrong ways, and ways to find and keep talented freelancers coming back to your agency.The potential for freelance hire and what tasks are best to hire a freelancer, as opposed to other tasks that would be best for an internal position and full-time employee. Whether you’re already hiring freelancers but retention is low, or you plan on hiring 20 freelancers over the next few years, this platform as well as this conversation is perfect to help you learn from the best and experience the reality of freelance retention.Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to follow, rate and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!CONNECT WITH Shahar Erez:LinkedInStoke WebsitePodcastCONNECT WITH DAN ENGLANDER:LinkedInSales Schema

If you’re looking for a no-BS kind of conversation about marketing, sales, and client growth then this is the perfect episode for you today. Ken Marshall, chief growth officer of RevenueZen, is a leading growth marketing strategist and creative mind, and there is no doubt you’ll learn a lot from this episode. This week, episode 125 of The Digital Agency Growth Podcast is about B2B inbound marketing growth strategies you can implement as soon as this episode is done playing through your earbuds. Watch our new recorded video training: Relationship-Driven New Business At-ScaleIn this episode of The Digital Agency Growth Podcast, Ken Marshall shares the importance of social proof and actionable steps you can take right now to identify your target market and solidify who you’re talking to in order to perfect your marketing strategy. Ken “Magma” Marshall is the Chief growth officer and managing partner at RevenueZen, a b2b focused inbound marketing agency. Beyond that, he's been professionally internetting for the past seven years, and has shifted his focus to all things SEO and inbound for the last five. Ken is an endlessly curious person with a cliche of coffee addiction and a burning desire to encourage and empower others to pursue meaningful lives. In this episode, Dan and Ken Marshall discuss the following:What a growth officer does as well as what that title should mean for an agency curious about adding this role to their lineup.The concept of putting your pricing front and center on your website, and why you may want to consider doing that, even if it’s controversial.The best way to reduce risk when hiring new employees, letting them fail on purpose to allow them to grow, and giving up a lot of time and control to allow a new employee to build your agency.Where to start when it comes to gaining clarity around buyer journeys and how best to tackle this as an agency owner.Whether you are looking for out-of-the-box ideas on growth strategy or just looking for inspiration to keep going with lead generation, this episode is sure to help you expand your view and grow your business in a positive way.Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to follow, rate and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!CONNECT WITH KEN MARSHALL:WebsiteLinkedInCONNECT WITH DAN ENGLANDER:LinkedInSales Schema

Have you ever wondered if the people running agencies, advertisement companies, and the like had it easier back in the day? Martin Bihl, the third generation of advertisement and creative direction work in his family, states that the past had its own unique challenges that today’s agency owners just don’t consider. Today we are going back in time and returning to the present to discuss not only how things have changed and stayed the same, but also to dive into relationships amongst your team and clients, and even potential future clients. This week, episode 124 of The Digital Agency Growth Podcast is about his lifetime in creative direction with Martin Bihl. Watch our new recorded video training: Relationship-Driven New Business At-ScaleIn this episode of The Digital Agency Growth Podcast, Martin Bihl shares the importance of advertising and actionable steps you can take right now to create and hold symbiotic relationships with your clients. Martin Bihl has created campaigns and creative across a staggering number of client categories – from banks to beers to B2B and beyond – and marketing channels – from traditional print/tv/radio to guerilla to digital to sales promotion to event to things-that-don’t-have-a-name-yet. He’s worked at agencies in New York, St. Louis, Dallas, and Chicago, and with agencies all across the planet. He’s taught marketing, advertising and branding to undergrads, international master’s students and MBAs at a variety of universities in the Philadelphia area, and speaks regularly at schools around the country.Martin’s writing has appeared in such diverse publications as McSweeney’s, Advertising Age, New York Magazine, Eephus, More, and more, and he runs The-Agency-Review.com where he has interviewed such industry luminaries as Sir John Hegarty, George Lois and Luke Sullivan. Despite these things, he has no distinguishing characteristics, hobbies or interests and is utterly devoid of personality altogether.In this episode, Dan and Martin discuss the following:Bad advertising; where Martin has seen bad advertising work well, or at least better than expected, and how bad advertising works better than no advertising.The reason that in the long-term, the brand implications must be thought out before launching an advertising campaign, and how different campaigns may not pass legal.Examples of how clients can totally change the agency and ways in which to allow that collaboration to continue through a positive agency-client relationship, and ways it could fall apart.How to get the upside of “tribe” without the downside of “tribalism”, and if that’s even possible, in advertising.This episode is perfect to jog creative ideas and sit down with some bigger thinking here. Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to follow, rate and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!CONNECT WITH Martin Bihl:WebsiteLinkedInTwitterCONNECT WITH DAN ENGLANDER:LinkedInSales Schema

Really curious people usually have a way of telling incredible stories, having experiences and life lessons worth discussing, and genuinely caring about others. Matthew Stibbe is just that, and today you can go back in history or stay right where you are as we dive into his entrepreneurship journey. That’s why episode 123 of The Digital Agency Growth Podcast is about the interrelationships you can create within your agency, with Matthew Stibbe! Watch our new recorded video training: Relationship-Driven New Business At-ScaleIn this episode of The Digital Agency Growth Podcast, Matthew shares the importance of understanding your worth, as well as that of your employees, in relation to work and time in the office and actionable steps you can take right now to get curious and make opportunities through experiences. Matthew Stibbe is an entrepreneur, manager, marketer, writer, pilot, wine lover and geek. He is also a history professor at Sheffield Hallam University's Humanities Research Centre.In this episode, Dan and Matthew discuss the following:How Matthew went from being a private pilot and journalist to an agency owner, and why he decided to pivot in that fashion to a B-corp business.The interrelationships between how we handle our internal projects and how we communicate project management to clients.Why Matthew thinks that time tracking for employee wages isn’t the answer, and how you can either pay for the thought in the shower or the years of experience that created that thought; it’s up to you.How Matthew utilized opportunities in everything he did to gain experience, connections, and how he created a unique lifestyle and agency just by being a very curious person.Matthew Stibbe is a serial entrepreneur, marketing maven, writer, pilot, and wine enthusiast. But not necessarily in that order. He created marketing strategies, content, and campaigns for clients including Microsoft, Google, LinkedIn, and HP and contributed to Wired, Forbes, and Popular Science. Currently, he is CEO at Articulate Marketing, a UK marketing agency specializing in the technology sector.  Also, his geek credentials are strong. Previously, he was founder and CEO at Intelligent Games, a 70-person computer games company where he designed games for LEGO and produced two games based online. Matthew also has his commercial pilots license and an advanced wine diploma. At some point in the previous millennium, he studied history at Oxford University.  These days, he blogs about modern management atwww.geekboss.com,  about marketing at www.articulatemarketing.com and wine at www.vincarta.comThank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to follow, rate and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!CONNECT WITH MATTHEW STIBBE:Read his blogLinkedInCONNECT WITH DAN ENGLANDER:LinkedInSales SchemaLINKS MENTIONED: Double Digit Growth Book

Charlotte Ellis Maldari has worked with clients from all over the globe, with a strong focus on inbound client conversions, she’ll tell you that what’s in your portfolio matters. So when clients have a lot of potential clients looking at their portfolio but not converting, she can almost immediately tell you that you’re not putting in the data that shows you are successful, which is what potential clients want to know. She has a lot of great insight into credentials; where they matter and which awards she doesn’t bother with. This week, episode 122 of The Digital Agency Growth Podcast is about increasing the weight of your credentials for higher conversions! Watch our new recorded video training: Relationship-Driven New Business At-ScaleIn this episode of The Digital Agency Growth Podcast, Charlotte Ellis Maldari shares the importance of sharing your client testimonials and ROI results and actionable steps you can take right now to increase your portfolio conversion with new clients. Charlotte Ellis Maldari is the CEO and Founder of Kaffeen, which helps design agencies to create and implement marketing activities that generate new business. She served as marketing director at a leading London brand design agency by the name of brand Opus, she helped them scale going from a boutique agency of 30 people up to 100, directing all marketing across Europe, the US and Asian areas and supporting the launch of new global offices to successfully win new business. Now through Kaffeen, Charlotte services over 370 businesses.In this episode, Dan and Charlotte discuss the following:The many challenges that come with selling design, or any other market that is highly commoditized, and what you can do to charge the highest prices.The importance of credentials, and not just any awards or titles, but the reality of sharing ROI statistics and the proof behind your success, as well as how to get or find credentials if you need them.Charlotte’s unique perspective on who you should hire, how to best support them, and who to look for at various stages of your agency growth.The discussion around solving a bigger, more lucrative program, and why mixing AI and real person services might be your solution.Through this episode, you’ll get a better understanding of where to focus your attention, from office to employees to awards to apply for, in order to grow your success statistics and really shine on paper and with your clients.Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to follow, rate and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!CONNECT WITH Charlotte Ellis Maldari:WebsiteCONNECT WITH DAN ENGLANDER:LinkedInSales Schema

A few years ago Dan self-published a few books and then years went by. At Sales Schema, they started getting really busy with clients and outreach, and Dan learned a whole lot throughout that process. He decided a while ago that he wanted to write a new book, but he wanted this one to be different. This week, episode 121 of The Digital Agency Growth Podcast is a sneak peek at Dan’s new book, Relationship Sales and Scale; How to find your virtual tribe and reliably grow your professional service business! Watch our new recorded video training: Relationship-Driven New Business At-ScaleIn this episode of The Digital Agency Growth Podcast, Dan is sharing the importance of personalized relationship sales and actionable steps you can take right now to change your sales process to improve conversions and cold-messaging tactics. In this episode, Dan discusses the following:How older styles of sales are outdated, and why it’s so important to understand that a change must happen in order to succeed in sales nowadays.Relationship-focus messaging to conversions, and how shifting our model with our own clients has increased our conversations on open and response rates by over 40%.The importance of trust, both in the sense that it’s a scarce resource, but also how best to establish it quickly to build your client list.This is just the first part of Dan’s new book, which will be released soon. We will keep you updated on how to gain access to the link to buy your copy soon. Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to follow, rate and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!CONNECT WITH DAN ENGLANDER:LinkedInSales Schema

It’s not too often I get to interview another grappler, but today is extra special because Cristina Rodriguez not only has multiple black belts, but she also has over ten years of experience in internet marketing, and she’s the founder of Grow Pro Agency. So she understands what it means to expand your niche and find new audiences. That’s why episode 120 of The Digital Agency Growth Podcast is about scaling your agency through relationships! Watch our new recorded video training: Relationship-Driven New Business At-ScaleIn this episode of The Digital Agency Growth Podcast, Cristina is sharing the importance of expanding and discovering new niches and actionable steps you can take right now to help your clients give you better material to increase your success with their business. With 27 years of Martial Arts Experience and 20 years of Teaching Experience, Professor Cris Rodriguez is a 1st Degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt, 3rd Degree TKD Black Belt, and Co-Owns Gracie PAC MMA, a BJJ & MMA School in Tampa, Florida, with her wife, Stephanie. In addition, she has studied Internet Marketing for the past ten years and is the Founder of Grow Pro Agency, a Digital Marketing Agency for Martial Arts Academies.Cristina and I discuss the following:How Cris decided to start an agency around online marketing after opening her own martial arts studio.How Cris handles the done for you versus the done with you models of her agency, and how best to help your clients give you better results.How Cris found her answers from her definition of success and why you shouldn't change the recipe of your mentors’ to succeed.Ways Cristina’s agency has scaled to 250+ clients in a year and a half in a specific niche.It’s all about relationships– relationships with other businesses and the relationships with your clients. Cristina understands that, and it’s helped her scale over 100% in one year. Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to follow, rate, and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!CONNECT WITH Cristina Rodriguez:Work with CrisWebsiteCONNECT WITH DAN ENGLANDER:LinkedInSales SchemaLINKS MENTIONED:7 Figure Agency Roadmap Book

Trent Dyrsmid went from agency owner to a software company co-owner and his unique story offers a perspective we can all learn from. We know the importance of delegating out work within our agencies and SOPs and templates are the best ways to do that. An SOP is a set of instructions, like a checklist, that lists out the step-by-step actions needed to complete a task. They are great for tasks that are routine with little deviation from that. This week, episode 119 of The Digital Agency Growth Podcast is about setting up your processes for success! Watch our new recorded video training: Relationship-Driven New Business At-ScaleIn this episode of The Digital Agency Growth Podcast, Trent is sharing the importance of creating SOPs for his agency which allowed him to step out of the business after just 12 months. We also cover actionable steps you can take right now to figure out what can be templated for you and how to create those.Trent Dyrsmid is a serial entrepreneur, husband, and father. Originally from Vancouver, BC, he and his family now reside in Boise, ID. He is the founder of BrightIdeas.co, Flowster.app and a 7 figure eCommerce business.In this episode, Trent and I discuss the following:The start of Trent’s entrepreneurial journey.Trent’s desire to own a business that would allow him to have freedom and flexibility in his life. The mindset issue that most new entrepreneurs struggle with can keep them from having the success they desire.The key differences between a project management system and a process management system, and why Flowster is unique and necessary. If you can create and implement processes and systems within your business, you will be able to allow yourself to focus on things that are a better use of your skills and time.Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to follow, rate and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!CONNECT WITH Trent Dyrsmid:TwitterLinkedInYoutubeWebsite: Bright IdeasWebsite: FlowsterCONNECT WITH DAN ENGLANDER:LinkedInSales SchemaLINKS MENTIONED:Atomic Habits by James ClearThe E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber

Have you ever been curious if the grass is greener on the other side of the fence of your agency? Taylor Trusty did. Turns out for him that grass was a software company, the fence was selling his agency, and the grass was greener on the other side. Taylor Trusty sold his agency a while after he’d already checked out of it mentally, and he walks us through some of the things he sees in hindsight that could have swung the buyout process more in his favor. Episode 118 of The Digital Agency Growth Podcast is about a vulnerable look at growing and selling an agency! Watch our new recorded video training: Relationship-Driven New Business At-ScaleIn this episode of The Digital Agency Growth Podcast, Taylor Trusty is sharing the importance of keeping your ego in check and actionable steps you can take right now to make the buyout process easier and more profitable as the seller. Taylor Trusty is co-founder at Signal Insights, a better way of tracking competitors used by Crayola, Nasdaq, Logitech, and Toyota Material Handling. Previously, he co-founded Blackstone Media, a digital marketing agency acquired in 2018.In this episode, Taylor Trusty and I discuss the following:How Taylor’s ego stood in the way of his first company’s collapse, and what he wishes he’d done differently when he ran out of money. Taylor’s original thought process around price, and the magic he learned from a mentor that completely changed the game for his sales processes.Why Taylor disagrees with the idea that you can separate yourself from your service-based agency and it’ll naturally grow on it’s own.Things your agency can get beat down in price for during selling, such as the profitability of the current engagements.This is a very vulnerable and enlightening episode, as we dive deep into some of Taylor Trusty’s learned mistakes and reflections on how things could be different.Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to follow, rate and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!CONNECT WITH Taylor Trusty:InstagramLinkedInWebsiteCONNECT WITH DAN ENGLANDER:LinkedInSales Schema