For over 25 years, Stephen Woessner has been in the trenches of agency new business strategy working alongside agencies and consultants — teaching them how to build their authority within the markets they serve, grow their audience, and fill their sales pipeline with a steady stream of right-fit clients so they can win new business. Stephen founded Predictive ROI in 2009 and remains its CEO and co-owner, along with his business partner, Erik Jensen. Stephen hosts the “Onward Nation” and “Sell with Authority” podcasts with listeners in over 140 countries and over 1,000 episodes. His agency new business and marketing insights have been featured in major media, and he’s the bestselling author of five books, including his latest entitled, “Sell With Authority.” Free Resources: 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

We have an exceptional guest expert on this episode of Sell With Authority; I’m thrilled to have this conversation with Kathryn McGarvey. Her insights will reshape the way you approach marketing. I had the pleasure of crossing paths with Kathryn McGarvey through a mutual friend and a previous rock solid awesome two-time guest on our podcast, Karley Cunningham. Kathryn runs The Meaningful Marketing Company, based in Napier, New Zealand. Her approach to marketing isn’t your run-of-the-mill strategy. It’s what she terms “digitally eavesdropping,” a brilliant concept of wholesome snooping that we cover in depth. And here’s where it gets truly captivating: Kathryn has a workshop titled “Steal From Your Clients.” Yes, you heard that right! In this workshop, she empowers attendees to gather the authentic words of their clients through interviews, and then masterfully weave these insights into their own sales and marketing materials. It’s not just about writing; it’s about curating a conversation that resonates in a profoundly authentic way. It’s about connecting with them on a deep level so that you understand their dialect and then leveraging it in ways that will generate the most return on your investment of time. What you will learn in this episode:  Why Kathryn believes the insights you get from talking directly to your customers is the ultimate marketing hack Why Kathryn started teaching in the workshop format, and why she used the provocative title, “Steal from Your Clients” How Kathryn strategically introduces her concept of wholesome snooping to right-fit prospects What questions you should be asking your clients Why it is essential to follow curiosity instead of a script The best ways to leverage collected intel Resources: Website: https://www.meaningfulmarketing.co.nz/ LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathryn-mcgarvey/ LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-meaningful-marketing-co/ Additional Resources: Predictive ROI Free Resource Library: https://predictiveroi.com/resources/

For over 25 years, Stephen Woessner has been in the trenches of agency new business strategy working alongside agencies and consultants — teaching them how to build their authority within the markets they serve, grow their audience, and fill their sales pipeline with a steady stream of right-fit clients so they can win new business.   Stephen founded Predictive ROI in 2009 and remains its CEO and co-owner, along with his business partner, Erik Jensen. Stephen hosts the “Onward Nation” and “Sell with Authority” podcasts with listeners in over 140 countries and over 1,000 episodes. His agency new business and marketing insights have been featured in major media, and he’s the bestselling author of five books, including his latest entitled, “Sell With Authority.” At Predictive ROI — we believe most agencies and consultants go about sales and new business development in the least effective, most painful way possible — and that there’s a better way. We call it the Sell with Authority Methodology. Here’s the reality — we’re entering the era of the authority. And while you may already be sick of the phrase “thought leader,” — the truth is — there aren’t that many of them in our industry. Thought leaders don’t write content anyone could claim. Thought leaders don’t write about anything and everything. And thought leaders never compete on price. Thought leaders are afforded the highest level of confidence and trust because they have a depth of knowledge and a point of view that can’t be denied or easily replicated. Thoughts leaders are also very clear on how and where they can help their clients. And their time is now. Building your authority position will help you grow a thriving, profitable business that can weather the constant change that seems to be our world’s reality. How do you future-proof your shop? How do you attract your right-fit clients so they’re proactively asking you how you can help them? How do you step away from the sea of other agencies and stand out? Building a defensible authority position is the solution for all that. And having a razor-sharp understanding of who you help (niche) and the business issues and challenges you help them solve (how you help) gets you down the path further faster. Today’s episode is another installment in our desire to help you and your team help you accomplish the goal of further faster. Free Resources: 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

On this episode of Sell With Authority I am thrilled to welcome Tricia Brouk. Tricia is an award-winning director, producer, and mentor who has helped countless speakers step onto prominent stages worldwide. Tricia’s expertise lies in transforming individuals into industry thought leaders through the art of authentic storytelling. Her book, The Influential Voice: Saying What You Mean for Lasting Legacy, soared to the #1 spot on Amazon’s New Releases in December 2020. Let’s take a moment to rewind and understand how this episode came to be. When Drew McLellan, CEO of Agency Management Institute, and I decided to pen our book, Sell with Authority, we knew that sharing insights and how-to’s on creating cornerstone content was a must. For those who have read our book, this valuable information is housed in Chapter 6. If you don’t have a copy yet, no worries, just visit PredictiveROI.com/Resources, and you can get your hands on a free paperback or Kindle version. Chapter six of our book delves into what cornerstone content is and what it is not. We also offer various examples of cornerstone content types, each classified as either “writing” or “talking.” Some of these examples include podcast series, authored books, primary research studies, video series, webinars, provocative articles, and keynote speeches that define your niche and POV, steering clear of the generalist trap. While some may gravitate towards writing, there’s a unique allure to speaking and sharing your story in a compelling manner. Speaking allows for a touch of improvisation, making the crafting, rehearsing, and delivery of content absolutely critical. This is where Tricia Brouk’s expertise shines, and it’s why I invited her to join the podcast today. We dive into the process of transforming from a rock-solid agency owner or consultant to an esteemed thought leader. Tricia shares her wisdom on leveraging the power of storytelling without coming across as self-aggrandizing, which significantly adds value to your audience. When we get this right and deliver an impactful speech, something extraordinary happens—we say what we mean and create a lasting legacy in the process. What you will learn in this episode:  Why it is crucial to be intentional about what you are saying and how you are saying it when on stage Tricia’s approach to script analysis Why Tricia believes we are at a precipice right now when it comes to communication Some roadblocks to speaking with intentionality and connecting with the audience, and how to push past them Why a speaker should actually perform the action of waiting when standing on stage How to achieve mastery and command on stage Why credibility as a speaker does not mean you have to have a book or PhD Resources: Website: https://triciabrouk.com/ LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/triciabrouk/ LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thebigtalk/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebigtalkcommunity Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tricia_brouk/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TriciaBrouk The Art of the Big Talk Masterclass Additional Resources: Predictive ROI Free Resource Library: https://predictiveroi.com/resources/

Business Scaling Strategy — Propel your business forward and unlock success. Join us as we reveals the ultimate business scaling strategy. Business Scaling Strategy? I’m thrilled to bring you our guest expert on this episode of Sell With Authority, Shane Perkins. Shane is the CEO of Unite Digital Holdings, a remarkable holding company dedicated to creating a growth-oriented ecosystem for privately held agencies across the United States. Business scaling strategy — Shane’s primary focus is on expanding the company’s reach through strategic acquisitions, and that’s precisely why I invited him to join us today on the podcast. I had the pleasure of meeting Shane at the Build a Better Agency Summit in Chicago, an event organized annually by the Agency Management Institute. For agency owners, the Build a Better Agency Summit serves as an ideal environment to gather key takeaways and insights, helping them build profitable agencies that they may choose to sell in the future. Here, I serendipitously bumped into Shane, and we briefly talked about the remarkable work he and his team at Unite do and best business scaling strategy. Instantly captivated by his insights, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to invite him to join us on the podcast. If your goal is to sell your shop someday — or to run as profitable of an agency as possible so you can build your wealth outside the agency — Shane’s advice and recommendations are incredibly helpful. What you will learn in this episode is about business scaling strategy: Why an agency owner should consider what they want personally, and for their clients, incorporating elements of business scaling strategy. Why packaging solutions around our right-fit prospects will make scaling easier What represents secure and stable clients Milestones for agency owners to put themselves in the best position to scale their business successfully Pitfalls that agency owners should be thinking about if selling is the right path – and how to sidestep them Resources: Website: https://unite.digital/ Learn more about  business scaling strategy by tuning in to Shane’s podcast: How To Win More New Business By Going Niche, Staff An Outbound Marketing Team, & Boost Agency Capabilities Via Acquisition With Bill Gadless Listen to Shane Perkins’s podcast about business scaling strategy and Accelerating Your Agency By Hiring A CEO & Preventing Agency Failure here. LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-perkins-unite-digital/ LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unite-digital-now/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TakeOverSEO Apply to Join Shane’s Agency Group: https://unite.digital/apply/ Learn more about business scaling strategy and how to keep more of what you make while growing your business in this episode with Craig Cody

Sales Closing Techniques, with Hannah Roth. Elevate your sales strategy and boost conversions by using these sales closing techniques. Sales closing techniques — She’s back! My guest on this episode of Sell With Authority is none other than my esteemed colleague and dear friend, Hannah Roth. At Predictive ROI, Hannah is not just our mad scientist and strategist; she’s a force of nature when it comes to being relentlessly helpful. Whether she’s addressing our audience in person or virtually, Hannah’s unwavering dedication to providing immense value shines through in every interaction. What truly sets Hannah apart is her commitment to crafting a curriculum that is meticulously prepared with one overarching goal: to deliver unparalleled value to our community and right-fit clients. She pours her expertise and insights into each presentation, ensuring that everyone who listens gains actionable takeaways. I can promise you that the challenge we tackle today has likely hindered your results and made you feel like you’re trying to scale your business with one hand tied behind your back. We’re addressing a critical aspect of agency growth—selling. Having spent the last three decades immersed in the agency and consultancy world, I firmly believe that there are significant constraints that impede agencies from transforming selling from a dirty word into a rewarding and helpful process for both prospects and clients. Hannah and I dive into these constraints from various perspectives, shedding light on how they may be impacting your own agency. And we share some free resources, some advice, some strategies, and tactics to help get you and your team past the constraints. What you will learn in this episode is about sales closing techniques:  What happens when we give our smarts away without any expectation of a return What is the best question to ask when starting the sales process, incorporating essential elements of successful sales closing techniques How we can overcome hiding from selling because of fear What needs to be at the forefront of our sales proposal How to recover when the sales call outcome is not what we wanted or expected Why a conceptual agreement and being upfront with the price will save time and energy Three things listeners can do today to start improving their sales process Resources: Website: www.predictiveroi.com Discover more about sales closing techniques by Listening to our Episode 37– Selling Comfortably, Easily, and Profitably, with Jeremy Miner More on sales closing techniques in Episode 48– Sales Closing Techniques Without Feeling Like You’re Closing Predictive ROI Frameworks Library: https://predictiveroi.com/resources/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-roth-387a6b223/ Free paperback or Kindle copy of our Book: Sell with Authority

Service Optimization — Elevate your services, exceed expectations, and thrive. Explore the world of Service Optimization today! On this episode of Sell With Authority, we have a very special guest joining us for an encore interview. If you’re meeting him for the first time, Raul Hernandez-Ochoa is the Founder of Do Good Work, a digital growth consulting practice dedicated to helping agencies, business coaches, and strategic consultants achieve profitable growth. Now, some of you may remember Raul from episode 57, where we discussed creating a client attraction system. But during that conversation, we stumbled upon an unexpected topic that piqued our interest — productizing a service offering. It sparked memories of my own experiences back in 2002 when I served as the director of business development for an agency. I can distinctly recall endless discussions within our management team about the incredible potential of productizing aspects of our daily custom work for clients. We dreamed of cracking that nut — the ability to relieve the pressure of starting our profit and loss statement from scratch every month, heavily reliant on billing for time and materials. Service optimization is a crucial aspect of enhancing operational efficiency and ensuring the delivery of high-quality services to clients. Imagine the possibilities — providing clients with faster and potentially more affordable off-the-shelf solutions. And if we cracked that nut, we could potentially reduce the amount of custom work, leading to fewer cost overruns on our estimates. The ultimate goal was to bolster our bottom line and increase profitability. Perhaps you and your team have had similar discussions. Maybe you’ve already cracked that nut or are exhausted from banging your head against the same wall repeatedly. Either way, I have great news for you. Today, Raul is sharing his invaluable insights and experiences, guiding you forward with the successful productization of your service offerings. What you will learn in this episode is about service optimization: The importance of service optimization in productizing services to match the expectations of what a client wants from you The advantages of packaging solutions that you already have productized to create a unique presentation for a right-fit prospect Raul’s framework for productizing a service Some of the pitfalls that get agencies face early on in the process and ways to maneuver them How to streamline productizing a service Resources: Find Raul Hernandez-Ochoa and his insight on service optimization on his website. LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dogoodwork/ LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dogoodwork/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/rherochoa Growth Plan Book: https://dogoodwork.io/growth-plan High-Impact Resources for SWA Listeners: https://dogoodwork.io/swa Productive Profits Book: https://www.amazon.com/Productive-Profits-Founders-Scaling-Impact/dp/B085K5S5XZ Listen to additional insights about service optimization on SWA Episode 57: How to Create a Client Attraction System, with Raul Hernandez-Ochoa

On this episode of Sell With Authority, I am excited to welcome special guest expert David Kreiger, the Founder of SalesRoads — a remarkable sales outsourcing and appointment setting firm. Get ready for an enlightening conversation as David and I dive into the realm of utilizing AI as an integral part of your sales process. But hold on, because we’re not just talking about incorporating AI for the sake of it. No, we’re tackling a crucial aspect—how to leverage AI while preserving the human touch that makes your sales process truly exceptional. It’s a tall order, but an essential one for us to discuss. I assure you that the insights, best practices, and wisdom David shares today are transformative. By applying these strategies, you’ll accelerate your results, break free from the feast and famine cycle that often plagues agencies and consulting firms, and propel your business development efforts to new heights. What you will learn in this episode: How to harness the power of AI and blend it into your sales process — and — how to blend it in at your own pace Challenges that arise when an agency lacks sales fundamentals Sales fundamentals that you and your team need to have in place before implementing AI The connection between sales team performance and agency success Strategies for blending automation and personalization effectively Ensuring a high-touch experience while leveraging AI in sales Resources: Website: https://www.salesroads.com/ LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkreiger/ LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/salesroads/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kreigs Additional Resources: Predictive ROI Library: https://predictiveroi.com/resources/

How to be a Good Story Teller? Michael Hauge — a Hollywood storyteller, unveils his techniques for how to be a good story teller. On this episode of Sell With Authority, I am excited to welcome very special guest Michael Hague. Michael is one of Hollywood’s top script consultants and story experts. He helps writers, speakers, entrepreneurs and filmmakers increase their impact and grow their businesses by telling better stories. In addition to his consulting work, he has conducted workshops for over 70,000 participants worldwide, sharing his invaluable expertise. Throughout his career, Michael has worked on films featuring renowned actors such as Tom Cruise, Reese Witherspoon, Julia Roberts, and Morgan Freeman. How to be a good story teller? Today’s discussion focuses on the power of storytelling. Michael shares insights on how you can connect with your clients’ issues and challenges through stories that are informative, helpful, and devoid of self-aggrandizement. By employing this storytelling technique, you can effectively teach valuable lessons while forging meaningful connections. We also explore the importance of identifying the right ponds – the specific areas where your ideal clients gather. When you align your stories with the appropriate business problems and share them in the right contexts, you increase your chances of being invited to share your smarts with your target audience. This strategic approach allows your stories to become what Michael aptly describes as “stealth marketing.” The insights and wisdom he shares throughout this discussion will equip you with the necessary tools to tell compelling stories, as well as incorporate stealth marketing into your agency, how to be a good story teller and attracting a steady stream of right-fit clients. What you will learn in this episode is about how to be a good storyteller: Michael’s definition of stealth marketing and how to implement it to build a connection with right-fit prospects How can we get the right-fit prospects on the hero’s journey and celebrate the victory with us Michael’s philosophy and goals when standing in front of right-fit prospects The six-step process Michael recommends for how to tell a story The power of sharing the hero’s inner journey as well as their outer journey when telling a story to connect with the audience and how to be a good storyteller. Resources: Learn more about how to be a good story teller by tuning in to this episode of Michael Hauge: 8 Steps to a Great Story, with Michael Hauge LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-hauge-823b5791/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michael.hauge.96 Twitter: https://twitter.com/michael_hauge Michael’s Story Mastery Resources: https://storymastery.com/shop/ SWA Episode 53: How to Find Your Ideal Clients, with Stephen Woessner Onward Nation Episode 184: 8 Steps to Tell a Great Story, with Michael Hauge Onward Nation Episode 250: Living in Fear to Living Courageously, with Michael Hauge Learn more about how to be a good story teller, and you can find Michael’s article here

Effective SOP — Streamline operations,  and enhance efficiency to achieve your goals. Effective SOP: Your path to success. I am so excited to welcome back Juliana Marulanda for an encore interview on this episode of Sell With Authority. If you’re meeting Juliana for the first time, she is the Founder of ScaleTime, a renowned agency consultancy with an impressive track record. Juliana and her team have helped over 500 agencies transform into lean, mean, profitable machines. Juliana was our guest expert on the podcast just a few short weeks ago, and as we came in for a landing on episode 60, I asked her immediately if she would come back for an encore. I totally put her on the spot, and she said yes. Effective SOP implementation ensures that businesses have a standardized and efficient approach to their operations, leading to increased productivity and streamlined workflows. In this episode, we dive deeper into Juliana’s S.C.A.L.E. framework, which we began exploring in our previous conversation but needed more time to cover fully. We will also explore how AI tools like ChatGPT and effective prompts can supercharge your efficiency, incorporating the principles of effective SOP. For additional context, Juliana was one of the experts at the Build a Better Agency Summit in Chicago that my team and I attended in May. She led highly attended breakout sessions where attendees were captivated by her insights and hands-on experience in using AI to streamline the process of recording standard operating procedures (SOPs) by a staggering five times faster. By mastering SOPs, businesses can eliminate repetitive tasks and focus on scaling their operations. What you will learn in this episode is about effective SOP: Why implementing effective SOPs will streamline operations Focusing on an effective SOP within Juliana’s S.C.A.L.E. framework involves navigating through the outlined steps. How to go from operator to owner How Juliana and her team teach leadership differently than other consultancy firms Effective SOP  importance and how Juliana and her team teach leadership differently than other consultancy firms. Juliana’s recommendations for effectively leveraging AI tools for SOPs Resources: Website: www.scaletime.co Learn more about effective SOP by tuning in to this podcast by Juliana Marulanda: Tackling common project management challenges LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianamarulanda/ LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/scaletime/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/scaletime/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julianamarula Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/scaletime The ScaleMap Diagnostic: https://discovery.scaletime.co/scale-map Delve deeper into effective SOP by visiting Juliana on this website as she discusses “Driving Success: Mastering Agency Management”. Additional Resources: Predictive ROI Resource Library: https://predictiveroi.com/resources SWA Episode 60: Free up 30 Hours Using an Agency Management System, with Juliana Marulanda