Sell With Authority

I am super excited about today’s episode of Sell With Authority — it’s a really special one. We’re kicking off a brand-new series we’re creating here on the show. Over the next several weeks, you’re going to hear from agency leaders who will share their insights and experiences around one of the most pressing issues in biz dev today: trust and distrust — and how both shape the agency sales process. If you’ve been part of our community for a while, you know that everything we do at Predictive centers on helping agencies sell more of what they do for a higher fee. And what we’ve seen, time and again, is that trust — or the lack of it — makes or breaks your sales pipeline. When trust is present, your pipeline flows. When it’s absent, friction builds, momentum stalls — and opportunities slip away. This special series will dig deep into that dynamic. The conversations you’ll hear will form the foundation for my next book, The Trust Architecture — along with a set of new Field Guides we’ll be sharing with our community. If you stick with us through this series, you’ll get an inside look at the strategic insights, lessons, and stories that will shape that work. Today’s conversation is the perfect place to begin. Our guest expert is Michelle Calcote King, Founder of Reputation Ink — a national PR and marketing agency that helps professional services firms turn expertise into influence. Michelle and her team work every day in industries where trust and credibility aren’t optional. That’s what makes her perspective the perfect starting point for this series. She has built a business around translating complex expertise into stories that build trust, spark credibility, and drive growth — and she’s sharing her playbook with us. What you will learn in this episode:  Why trust — or the lack of it — impacts every stage of the agency sales process Why industry specialization accelerates credibility How to remove friction and earn access to client subject matter experts The secret power of an authoritative newsletter in your niche The reality behind a successful biz dev system — you’ve got to eat your own dog food How to build relationships and trust through intentional, helpful marketing Resources: Website: www.rep-ink.com LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellecking/ LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/reputation-ink/

You’ve built trust — now it’s time to protect it. In this solocast, Stephen Woessner, CEO of Predictive ROI, breaks down the second brick in The Trust Architecture™ — a conversation that we call “Align & Prescribe.” If the “Help Me Understand” session (Episode 176) is about earning trust, then Align & Prescribe is about keeping it. Align & Prescribe is where we introduce a visual diagnostic called The Focus Finder — a framework that transforms subjective opinions into shared truth. By using a tool like The Focus Finder — instead of pitching, you create alignment with your prospective client. Instead of telling your prospects what’s wrong, you help them see it — while you’re walking alongside them. You’ll hear: Why alignment — and not persuasion — is the key to momentum in every sales conversation. How The Focus Finder helps prospects surface friction and score their business with honesty. How Vanessa, our Partner Advocate, leads this session with patience, empathy, and structure — guiding prospects to clarity without pressure. Why the scoring colors — green, amber, red — unlock vulnerability faster than spreadsheets ever could. The four phases of Prescribe that bridge alignment into commitment — without ever pitching. How to transition naturally into the Meet & Greet session, so the process feels continuous — not salesy. When your prospects experience Align & Prescribe with you, they don’t feel sold to — they feel seen, heard, and aligned. They leave thinking, “If this agency runs their diagnostic this clearly, imagine how well they’ll run our work.” Now’s the time to double down, protect the trust you’ve earned, and sell more of what you do. Resources Mentioned: Episode 176 — Help Me Understand: The First Brick in The Trust Architecture™ The System — Predictive ROI’s framework for building predictable pipelines Email Stephen for The Focus Finder diagnostic tool

I want you to think about this question for today’s episode of Sell With Authority: what’s the real cost of saying “yes”? Every time you add another service, take on an iffy-fit client, or chase a trend just because “every agency is doing it” — you’re adding more weight onto your team. At first it doesn’t feel heavy, but over time the load builds. And eventually, growth stalls — not because you’re not working hard enough, but because you’re carrying too much of the wrong stuff. That’s why agencies get stuck in money-draining mistakes — like throwing darts at a board and calling it strategy, selling everything to everyone, or constantly chasing clients instead of magnetically attracting the right ones. Here’s the thing — even some of the most successful agencies in the country have been there. Our guest expert today, Dr. Mark Young, Founder and CEO of Jekyll+Hyde Labs, built one of the nation’s top challenger brand agencies. But eventually, he realized they were diluted — saying yes out of fear instead of strategy. So, Mark did something bold. He set what author Dr. Benjamin Hardy calls an “Impossible Goal” — $100 million in revenue in just three years. Not 15. Not 10. Three. And then he used that Impossible Goal like a scalpel. If it didn’t align, he cut it. The results? Within weeks Jekyll+Hyde shed bad-fit clients, won bigger ones, and began scaling with conviction — not fear. Today, Mark is here to share how you can apply the same lessons inside your own agency. Hannah Roth, our Director of Strategy and Mad Scientist, is here too. Hannah’s in the trenches every day with our Predictive clients, and she leads all of our experiments inside the Predictive Lab. It makes perfect sense to bring her into this candid conversation. This episode is packed full of takeaways you and your team can put into practice right away. What you will learn in this episode:  Why saying “yes” can quietly stall your growth How to to identify the invisible costs of overcommitting to clients, services, or trends How to use an “Impossible Goal” as a strategic lens to simplify decisions, eliminate distractions, and focus your entire team on what truly moves the needle Ways to recognize when your agency is diluted — and the proven steps Dr. Mark Young took to reclaim focus, authority, and profitability Why most agencies optimize what shouldn’t exist — and how to confidently cut services or clients that don’t align with your strategy Resources: Website: https://jandhlabs.com/ LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markyoungwci/ LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jekyll-and-hyde-labs/ HYPNO-TISING: The Secrets and Science of Ads That Sell More…: https://www.amazon.com/HYPNO-TISING-Secrets-Science-That-Sell/dp/1544526091

For this episode of Sell With Authority I am thrilled to bring you Part 2 of my interview with Dr. Mark Young, Founder and CEO of Jekyll+Hyde Labs. During Part 1, Mark dropped a rock-solid challenge: “What are you teaching — and not doing yourself?” He reminded us that fear-based choices dilute our value. But when we decide from opportunity and cut what anyone else can do — that’s where real progress starts. Mark reframes selling with a simple but powerful mindset: always be the buyer. Make prospects prove the fit. Make it a privilege to work with your agency. Saying no isn’t weakness — it builds respect. And value? It’s not a transaction. The more you give, the more reciprocity flows back. Those lessons set the perfect stage for Part 2 — where we dig into how to raise the floor inside your agency and commit to “impossible” goals that drive real scale. Mark shares examples, frameworks, and behind-the-scenes details you don’t want to miss. We keep the momentum going so you can make yourself an easy yes for right-fit clients who value your expertise — and want what you do best. What you will learn in this episode:  Why setting an “impossible goal” — and compressing your timeline — forces clarity How to use time as a tool instead of an obstacle How Mark decided what to cut and ditched commodity services The powerful “Always Be the Buyer” mindset What it means to “raise the floor” inside your agency How Mark’s team confidently says “no” to wrong-fit business, and still earns respect and long-term pipeline abundance Strategies for building an agency that other agencies want to work with Resources: Website: https://jandhlabs.com/ LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markyoungwci/ LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jekyll-and-hyde-labs/ HYPNO-TISING: The Secrets and Science of Ads That Sell More…: https://www.amazon.com/HYPNO-TISING-Secrets-Science-That-Sell/dp/1544526091

Today’s episode of Sell With Authority is a special encore with one of our rock solid awesome guests — Tom Martin, Founder and President of Converse Digital. For more than 30 years, Tom’s been helping startups, agencies, and global brands revolutionize how they sell. He’s the author of The Invisible Sale, creator of the Painless Prospecting program, and a keynote speaker you’ve likely seen at Build a Better Agency, Content Marketing World, Inbound, and more. Tom is on a mission to help agencies ditch pushy sales tactics and instead lean into persuasion, influence, and trust. His latest framework, Life’s a Pitch, is a masterclass in why most pitches fail — and how to craft ones that win. I didn’t want to have this conversation without Hannah Roth — Predictive’s Director of Strategy and our in-house Mad Scientist. Hannah works alongside our clients every day refining positioning, sharpening pitches, and leading experiments inside our Predictive Lab. Tom is back joining Hannah and I to help you reframe your pitch process — and win more right-fit clients. What you will learn in this episode: Why 90% of your pitch is forgotten within 2 days — and how to break that pattern for good The real difference between trust and credibility and how to architect both in your pitch Why most agencies still “show up and throw up” and how to change that The neuroscience and cognitive load theory that reveal why your pitch probably isn’t landing How to build a “yellow brick road” your prospects will want to follow straight to yes Practical ways to reduce risk for your client How to avoid flashy slides that distract — and lead with substance that sticks in their minds instead Resources: Website: https://conversedigital.com/ LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommartinjr/ LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/conversedigital/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TomMartin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ConverseDigital Agency Business Development Resources: https://conversedigital.com/agency-business-development-resources Painless Prospecting Newsletter: https://conversedigital.com/painless-sales-prospecting Building Connections That Matter: LinkedIn Sales Prospecting Strategies For Introverts How To Sell Your Agency’s Services Even When You Hate Selling

Today’s episode of Sell With Authority is a special follow-up to my recent conversation with Don Yaeger about his new book, The New Science of Momentum. In that episode, Don gave us a masterclass on how momentum acts as the “great exaggerator” — multiplying your wins when things are going well, or magnifying your challenges when they’re not. We’re continuing that conversation with Don’s co-author Dr. Bernard Banks, or Bernie, as most people know him. Bernie is the Director of Rice University’s Doerr Institute for New Leaders, where he’s helping shape the next generation of leadership. He’s earned multiple master’s degrees from Northwestern, Columbia, and Harvard, along with a Ph.D. in social-organizational psychology from Columbia. His work has been featured in places like Harvard Business Review and The New York Times. Bernie’s academic background is impressive. But here’s the part that makes today’s conversation uniquely powerful — Bernie has lived leadership in the trenches. He retired from the U.S. Army in 2016 as a Brigadier General after leading units ranging from 10 people to more than 3,000. He also served as Head of West Point’s Department of Behavioral Sciences & Leadership. In those roles, leadership isn’t theoretical. Sometimes it means choosing the least bad option. It means making a call quickly and ensuring your people have what they need to lead effectively — even in less-than-ideal situations. That’s the perspective Bernie brings to today’s conversation. Not war stories — but real-world, lived leadership experience you can take and apply inside your agency to build, protect, and reset momentum when it fades. Dig into Bernie’s perspective on how leaders can create momentum — and keep it moving forward. What you will learn in this episode:  Why leadership must be intentional — not theoretical — when the stakes are high Behind-the-scenes research, stories, and lessons from The New Science of Momentum Why momentum is built through preparation long before the first spark A step-by-step framework: leadership, recruitment, culture, preparation, spark, communication, and climate What it looks like to unlock dormant potential in your team and clients How high integrity, trust, and intentional actions will set your agency apart How to protect — and reset — momentum when things get tough Resources: Website: https://profiles.rice.edu/staff/bernard-bernie-banks LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernard-bernie-b-4458003/ The New Science of Momentum book

Welcome to Sell With Authority — I’m Hannah Roth, Director of Strategy here at Predictive ROI — and your resident mad scientist. If you’ve been around a while, you’re probably used to hearing Stephen kick things off. But today’s episode is a little different — you’ve got me in the driver’s seat. And I’ve got my strategic co-pilot joining me — Erik Jensen, our Chief Strategy Officer. Erik and I are in the trenches every single day with agency owners, helping them spot and fix the nine money-draining mistakes — those sneaky patterns that quietly erode your profit, your confidence, and your growth. One of the biggest culprits we see over and over again is what we call the Expertise Discount. It’s what happens when you downplay your value because the work feels “easy” to you. Erik and I are digging into how that mindset ties directly into multiple money-draining mistakes — and how it chips away at your distinction, creates confusion, and traps you in the underpricing cycle. We’re giving you ways to reframe the value conversation — both in your own head and with your clients — so you can start charging what your expertise is truly worth. What you will learn in this episode: Why so many agency owners equate hours with value, and how this mindset leads to underpricing Why work that feels “easy” to you is often the most valuable to your right-fit clients — and why speed should command a premium The direct link between undervaluing your expertise and several of the 9 money-draining mistakes Practical ways to anchor your fees to outcomes — time saved, revenue unlocked, risk removed — instead of deliverables The subtle ways you may still be discounting yourself How to confidently raise rates, simplify your offer suite, and sell with clarity instead of apology Resources: Website: www.predictiveroi.com Visit our newly expanded Resource Library Join us in our free How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline Facebook Group Erik’s LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-jensen-b9946068/ Hannah’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-roth-387a6b223/ Order your free paperback or Kindle copy of our Book: Sell with Authority

Why does business development feel so much heavier than it did even a year ago? Biz dev pipelines feel fragile. Opportunities stall unless the founder is in the room. New hires struggle to deliver results. And after a while, agency leaders start to wonder: “Is it just us?” It’s not you. It’s distrust. In this solocast, Stephen Woessner, CEO of Predictive ROI, breaks down the first brick in The Trust Architecture™ — a 60-minute session called Help Me Understand. It’s a conversation designed to flip the script on new business by building trust at scale, long before you ever talk about solutions. You’ll hear: Why distrust — not “pipeline” — is the real barrier holding agencies back. The five core questions that form the spine of Help Me Understand (and the follow-ups that unlock candor). The five lessons that elevate this from “just discovery” to a trust-building experience. A real story of how one agency leader (we’ll call her Sally) shared more vulnerability in five minutes than most prospects do in five months. The exact playbook: how to prep, open, guide, and close the session — plus the one recap email that cements clarity. The outcomes you can expect when you run this session with excellence. When your prospects experience Help Me Understand, they don’t just feel heard — they leave thinking, “If this agency runs their sales process this well, imagine how well they’ll run my work.” Now’s the time to double down, architect trust, and sell more of what you do. Free Resources: Why Distrust is Rising and What Agencies Can Do About It, with Hannah Roth Website: www.predictiveroi.com Visit our newly expanded Resource Library Join us in our free How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline Facebook Group Stephen’s LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/ Order your free paperback or Kindle copy of our Book: Sell with Authority

So many agency owners struggle with building a steady, profitable biz dev engine that doesn’t leak time, energy, money — and most importantly — opportunity.  What if the biggest culprit isn’t the volume of your outreach, the size of your list, or even your pitch?  What if the leaks are about something far more fundamental — understanding? Working alongside agencies, we too often find their ideal client profiles aren’t nearly as sharp as they think. Too often, ICPs are built on assumptions — not data. And when that happens, everything downstream starts to wobble. Targeting documents look good on paper but break down in execution. Messaging is crafted around what sounds clever — instead of what prospects are actually saying. And thought leadership is positioned around belief — not proof. If right-fit prospects don’t hear their own words reflected back, in your voice, they won’t lean in. They won’t see you as the guide who “gets it.” But — when you do capture their exact language, when you listen deeply and build strategy from their voice instead of your assumptions — the whole biz dev game changes. Suddenly, you’re speaking their dialect, and they can’t help but lean in. Agencies that guess at their ICPs — or only check in with clients once a year — are really building pipelines on hope. And as we know — hope is not a strategy.  Listening is. That’s why I’m thrilled to welcome back today’s guest expert for an encore conversation. Ana Laskey, President and Founder of Ground Control Research joins to give us a deep dive into how agencies can stop guessing, listen deeply, and use both AI tools and human touch to extract critical client language that sharpens targeting, elevates your content, and builds a biz dev process that’s a real engine — not just a random act of marketing. If you’re guessing at who your right-fit clients are, or if you’re hoping content sticks when you toss it at the wall — this conversation is for you. Ana’s approach will help you stop shouting in a crowded arena — and instead, speak with such precision that your right-fit prospects say… “Finally. That’s exactly what I need!” What you will learn in this episode:  Why most agencies’ ICPs are built on assumption — NOT data How to build an ICP so sharp that you attract right-fit clients on repeat How to use AI to spot the red threads in your client conversations — without losing the human touch Why it’s vital to understand your buyer’s company and the full “deal path” including secondary decision makers Ana’s tips for open-ended, empathy-driven interviews How to turn client insights into marketing strategies that actually move the needle Resources: Website: www.groundcontrolresearch.com LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastassialaskey/ LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/groundcontrolresearch/ Ana’s Bio Page: https://ana.bio/ How to Sharpen Your ICP, with Ana Laskey

Today’s episode of Sell With Authority tackles a question that comes up almost every time I sit down with an agency owner: Why does biz dev feel harder than it used to? If your sales pipeline feels heavier, slower, or tougher to move than it did even a year ago — you’re not imagining things. Agency optimism has dropped from nearly three-quarters of leaders feeling confident about growth…to less than half. Two-thirds of agencies lost clients last year. And only 7% say they’re effective at expanding with current clients. Biz dev feels like a grind. But here’s the flip side: the agencies that are niching down, planting their flag of authority, and making data-fueled decisions — they’re the ones finding traction and weathering the storm. And that’s where we focus our time and attention today. My guest is Hannah Roth, our Director of Strategy here at Predictive ROI — and my soon-to-be business partner as she officially joins our ownership team this February. We call Hannah our “Mad Scientist” — because she spends days deep in tens of thousands of data points, analyzing sales pipelines, uncovering leaks, and spotting where the highest-probability opportunities are hiding. Hannah is a data scientist — which means her insights aren’t theory. They’re backed by research, data, and real-world client work. In this episode, she walks us through what she calls The State of Agency Biz Dev. We cover: -Why optimism has cratered and pipelines feel stalled – The unseen mistakes draining money from agency biz dev – Patterns that separate struggling generalists from thriving niche leaders – Shifting from chasing leads to attracting right-fit clients If you apply what Hannah shares, you’ll see where the market really is — and where your next opportunities are waiting. What you will learn in this episode: Why agency optimism about growth has cratered — and what the data actually says about why Money-draining mistakes to root out now before they cost you next quarter’s revenue How “trust” has become as valuable as your service — and 66% of you don’t have a strategy for it — yikes! Habits that separate agencies thriving in a storm from those that get “stuck” How leveraging first-party data creates your very own lab Why “failed” experiments can build trust and authority How your sales process might be secretly sabotaging your biz dev efforts Resources: THE STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENT INDEX: https://theexpressory.com/engagementindex The 2025 State of Marketing Report: https://www.hubspot.com/state-of-marketing Agency Core: https://audienceaudit.com/agency-core/ Website: www.predictiveroi.com Visit our newly expanded Resource Library Join us in our free How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline Facebook Group Hannah’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-roth-387a6b223/