The Deep Specialization™️ Podcast

“Marketing is about to get a lot more fun.” If you ask today’s guest, marketing has been extremely stagnant for the past decade and a half. AI is here to change it all for the better, and more entertaining, too! This episode blasts you into the marketing future with The President of DigitalMarketer, author, and entrepreneur Mark de Grasse. Get ready to crack the code on the three forces shaping tomorrow's marketing landscape: the AI revolution, brand building, and how disruptive technologies will completely shift our experiences as consumers and as marketers. What will that look like, exactly? Tune into the episode to find out, but here’s a hint: events will never look the same. More than just predictions, this episode is your playbook for thriving in the ever-evolving marketing landscape. Mark shares actionable insights, dispels common myths, and throws in an array of real-life examples to illustrate his insights. Ready to decode the future and leave your competitors in the dust? Tune in and join Mark and Corey for an episode of future-gazing (with the chops to back it up). Here’s what Corey and Mark cover in this episode: Content marketing and AI’s role in breaking bottlenecks. The concept of brand avatars and how they help with marketing. How to get more consistent outcomes by training agency teams on AI. How in-person events will be impacted by AI and innovations in translation/communication. Why prompt formulation is becoming an extremely valuable skill in marketing. Here are some actionable key takeaways for agency founders: Business owners should be making content, but you need a system to run it sustainably. AI is a content tool, and if you’re afraid of it, you’re not very confident in what you do. AI will unlock strategy and innovation by automating lower-value tasks. Marketing is about to get a lot more fun with all the opportunities AI and VR/AR will bring about. Start using AI in everything and get proficient in prompt formulation. The resources mentioned in this episode are: - Connect with Mark on LinkedIn Here - Learn About DigitalMarketer Here   Join us as we decode AI in marketing and agency leadership. 👍 If you liked this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, and be sure to hit the subscribe button! 🔔😡Frustrated with a lack of results from outbound?  I'd like to give you my free 6-day email course that will transform your outbound program from broken to consistently driving new sales opportunities. Sign up here: GetOutboundROI.com.

“We've maintained a vertical focus throughout the 20-year history of the agency, it has been part of the secret of our success.” - Erik Clausen, Managing Partner at CG Life Wondering how to achieve sustained success in a competitive market? Look no further than Erik Clausen, Managing Partner of CG Life, a longstanding life sciences and healthcare communications agency. Erik joins the show to reveal the secrets behind his agency's incredible journey, with a special emphasis on the power of a vertical focus. In this episode, he shares his insights on topics like maintaining a vertical focus, even when faced with the temptation to diversify. Corey and Erik explore growth through relationships, and how CG Life prioritizes building genuine relationships with clients to earn trust and cultivate long-term partnerships instead of focusing solely on sales. They dissect how CG Life attracts new clients, and specifically, how content marketing, thought leadership, and industry involvement plays into the mix. Tune in to learn from Erik Clausen, a seasoned leader in life sciences and healthcare communications. Here’s what Corey and Erik explore in this episode: Erik’s leap from PR in politics to life sciences. What Erik finds enjoyable about working with early-stage companies. How vertical influencers play a role in business development. How to turn relationships into revenue. Why Eric’s company does not cold call potential clients. Here are some actionable key takeaways for agency founders: If you have deep vertical experience, that also helps unlock adjacent markets. The best agencies balance technical and human in their work. Be ready to walk away from lucrative contracts if they veer off your core vertical. Your reputation is your business card; do what you can to nurture it. The resources mentioned in this episode are: - Connect with Erik on LinkedIn Here - Learn About CG Life Here   Join us as we take a peek into the world of marketing life sciences. 👍 If you liked this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, and be sure to hit the subscribe button! 🔔 😡Frustrated with a lack of results from outbound? I'd like to give you my free 6-day email course that will transform your outbound program from broken to consistently driving new sales opportunities. Sign up here: GetOutboundROI.com.

“Marketing really is your greatest sales enablement tool.”  The question is, are you spending enough on marketing to impact growth? How much even IS enough for a digital agency? Luckily for you, today’s guest comes equipped with answers to all of these and so much more.  Meet Jon Morris, Multipreneur, Founder and CEO of EngineBI. He joins the show to bridge the gap between marketing, sales, and consistent agency revenue. His newest venture helps agencies scale their growth through solid financial infrastructure and strategic funds allocations, so there isn’t a better person to talk agency numbers with! Having sold his previous business back in 2020, Jon also sheds light into topics like mergers and acquisitions to share what typical buyers look for, and how agency owners can position their business for a potential sale. Finally, let’s give the audience a little teaser of what’s in store if you listen to Jon’s wisdom.  “There are only three agency metrics that matter; you need to be growing faster on a year-over-year basis, increase your profit as a percentage of revenue, and grow your cash relative to monthly overhead.”   Here’s what Corey and Jon cover: How sometimes referrals might not be the right size fit and what to do about it. How to approach hiring sales based on what kind of skills you need in the team. Why vertical marketing strategy is a must for attracting business. What percentage of revenue you need to spend on marketing and sales. Financial basics agencies need to understand and track. Here are some actionable key takeaways for agency founders: Partner with friendly companies that complement your business to drive referrals. Grow your minimums to make more revenue without having to take on lots of new clients. Think of what you can offer of value to your prospects rather than asking for a meeting. If you’re looking to get acquired, think of how you can show your revenue multiple potential. Build a system of tracking key revenue and financial metrics to maintain a healthy business.  This episode covers topics like M&A, revenue growth, agency marketing, and agency financials. The resources mentioned in this episode are: - Connect with Jon on LinkedIn Here - Learn About EngineBI Here - Download EngineBI’s Financial Planning eBook Here   👍 If you liked this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, and be sure to hit the subscribe button! 🔔 😡Frustrated with a lack of results from outbound?  I'd like to give you my free 6-day email course that will transform your outbound program from broken to consistently driving new sales opportunities. Sign up here: GetOutboundROI.com.

How do you sell agency services with authority? Now that’s a million-dollar question. Luckily, today’s guest has the answers. Let’s welcome to the show Stephen Woessner, Founder and CEO of Predictive ROI and a bestselling author, to discuss content marketing, agency sales, and so much more. Back to the question; Stephen explains on the show that building niche authority takes a recipe of getting really clear on your vertical, honing in on your point of view, and delivering all of that consistently through content marketing. In this episode, Corey and Stephen discuss content programs, how agencies should divide their output between cornerstone content and cobblestone content to maximize distribution and reach, and why so many agencies dive head-first into content programs that quickly fizzle out. Stephen believes that most agencies go about business development in the least effective, most painful way. His methodology, Selling with Authority, offers agency leaders a better way to approach and organize their sales efforts.  Listen to the full show to learn just how. Corey and Jonathan discuss: How content builds authority. What the recipe for successful content marketing looks like. Notes on defining a niche. Build a unique POV showing you care about your industry beyond selling services.  Here are some actionable key takeaways for agency founders: Building authority in a niche takes years to accrue. You sell more of your smarts as opposed to deliverables. Repurpose your cornerstone content into social media posts, checklists, emails, and so on. Master one content channel before moving on to the next. This episode covers topics like agency content marketing, defining your niche, and driving sales at an agency. The resources mentioned in this episode are: - Connect with Stephen on LinkedIn Here - Learn About Predictive ROI Here - Listen to Sell With Authority Here   Join us for a goldmine of lessons in verticalized agency revenue growth. 👍 If you liked this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, and be sure to hit the subscribe button! 🔔 😡Frustrated with a lack of results from outbound?  I'd like to give you my free 6-day email course that will transform your outbound program from broken to consistently driving new sales opportunities. Sign up here: GetOutboundROI.com.

"It's like dating — every conference, every touchpoint, you're building a level of trust that culminates in a powerful, long-term relationship."  If you ask Seth Price, The Founder of BluShark Digital, being a successful verticalized agency is all about relationships by showing up in your industry consistently. That’s the strategy he leaned on when he took an internal marketing team and turned it into a powerhouse that today represents hundreds of law firms.  In this episode, Seth shares a wealth of examples of how he built his agency’s name in the legal industry, both through digital content marketing like podcasts and in-person appearances at industry conferences.To boil it down to a single point, becoming a trusted figurehead is all about perception, networking, and relationships. And Seth has the approach tailored down to a T - Listen to learn how you can do it, too! Here’s what Corey and Seth cover in this episode: Why successful agencies operate on systems Different verticals may share similar problems but care about different things How to show up in your industry consistently How to position yourself as a vertical thought leader and ideal channels to make it happen Sales: what works, what doesn’t, and experiences in outbound Here are some actionable key takeaways for agency founders: Don’t dabble; Deep vertical knowledge is non-negotiable Repetition builds awareness, also in conference attendance and speaking Podcasts aren’t just for content, use them to build your network People love talking about themselves; use it to grow affinity Manage expectations as services like SEO can take 9+ months to show clients ROI The resources mentioned in this episode are: Connect with Seth on LinkedIn Here Learn About Seth’s Company Here   Join Corey and Seth as they cover everything from relationship-building to thought leadership and agency sales in a verticalized environment. 👍 If you liked this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, and be sure to hit the subscribe button! 🔔 😡Frustrated with a lack of results from outbound?  I'd like to give you my free 6-day email course that will transform your outbound program from broken to consistently driving new sales opportunities. Sign up here: GetOutboundROI.com.

“You have no idea how competitive the dental marketing niche is…” We have a feeling that today’s guest, Xaña Winans, Founder of Golden Proportions Marketing, is about to tell us all about the quirks of her niche (and we can’t wait to dive into this vertical!). Xaña is married to a dentist herself, and wanted to support her spouse starting out. Long story short, the agency was founded in Pennsylvania some 23 years ago. Golden Proportions Marketing today employs a team of 23, working with around 350 dentists, making around $3.5 million annually.  Xaña is incredibly numbers-oriented, and she goes by the motto “Follow the profits first.” It’s indeed fascinating to hear about her process from testing out new verticals to understanding when to call it for a new project or a venture. In this episode, she’ll take you through the various stages of her agency, the evolution of their offerings, sales approach, and how she leverages speaking engagements to drive leads. Here’s what Corey and Xaña cover in this episode: Learning from your mistakes and when to call it. How to add new service lines and the best way to test them. Why custom offerings work for Xaña’s agency. How to weave in account strategists into sales workflows. Why it’s better to hire based off of expertise and teach the vertical versus vice versa. Here are some actionable key takeaways for agency founders: Looking to branch out to another vertical? Be prepared to give it your all. For new recurring revenue products, test them out first for free to learn and adjust. Let the numbers tell you when it’s time to hire sales. A qualified lead is a potential client whose expectations align with what you can deliver. When it comes to industry events, bigger isn’t always better for driving leads. The resources mentioned in this episode are: Connect with Xaña on LinkedIn Here: https://tinyurl.com/xanawinans  Learn About Xaña’s Company Here: https://tinyurl.com/goldenproportionsmarketing       Join us as we discuss a three-decade long journey in the dental marketing niche. 👍 If you liked this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, and be sure to hit the subscribe button! 🔔 😡Frustrated with a lack of results from outbound?  I'd like to give you my free 6-day email course that will transform your outbound program from broken to consistently driving new sales opportunities. Sign up here: GetOutboundROI.com.

“If you think about it, there really is an association for everything.” This was the founding insight for today’s guest, Brad Gillum, who found a niche providing marketing services to membership-based companies and professional associations. Brad’s company, Willow Marketing, has been in business for over thirty years. However, it did not start out offering marketing services.  In fact, his agency originally provided product and sales training for Philips (the technology giant). When the economy dipped, their brand trimmed its marketing team, and that provided an opening for Brad’s agency to step in and offer outsourced services. And that path eventually took them to win more clients of similar scope. Today, Willow mainly serves associations and member-based organizations, and about 60% of their business comes from this niche. They help associations with member recruitment, member engagement, and attrition with full-service marketing offerings. In this episode, Corey and Brad dive into the genesis of his agency, the trials and tribulations along the decades, and most importantly, we get to extract a nugget of wisdom or two on building verticalized agencies. Here’s what Corey and Brad cover in this episode: - Going from a generalist offering to a verticalized business. - How the economic downturn in the 90s pushed Brad to find his niche. - What it is like to serve a niche that isn’t competing against each other. - How thought leadership and events helped Willow cement their footing in his vertical. - How to leverage your current expertise to open a new vertical. Here are some actionable key takeaways for agency founders: - If you’re burning the candle at both ends, it’s time to re-evaluate your business model. - Seek out advice from those who’ve done it before. - Branching out to a secondary niche is an investment and can take years to complete. - C-level should be doing the selling at a niche agency. The resources mentioned in this episode are: - Connect with Brad on LinkedIn Here - Learn About Willow Here - Connect with Brad via Email: brad@willowmarketing.com Join us as we dive into the world of association and membership marketing. 👍 If you liked this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, and be sure to hit the subscribe button! 🔔😡Frustrated with a lack of results from outbound?  I'd like to give you my free 6-day email course that will transform your outbound program from broken to consistently driving new sales opportunities. Sign up here: GetOutboundROI.com.

Are events the secret sauce to scaling your agency? If you ask SMB Team’s CEO Bill Hauser, events can take you beyond where you even dreamed of. But it’s not easy. In fact, there are only a handful of agencies that have mastered scaling their business through events. SMB Team is an 8 (soon to be 9) figure agency that offers law firms marketing, intake, CFO and business coaching services. He joins the show to break down how his agency leverages events to accelerate its growth. What’s more, the conversation’s never surface level with Bill. So, let’s dive in. He shares how he approaches leadership, spending well over half a million annually on executive coaching services for his personal growth. Sounds like a lot, but to Bill, it’s an essential investment into ensuring he can set SMB Team up for success and show up every single day. Corey and Bill touch upon what success means and why success without fulfillment is the ultimate failure; just like many entrepreneurs and founders, Bill is extremely competitive, but you need to find what motivates and drives you beyond winning deals and growing revenue. Bill breaks down exactly how he got his company to shift from being perceived as a commodity to a verticalized expert and how any entrepreneur can turn their skillset into an unfair advantage. This episode dives into topics like verticalization, executive coaching and leadership, and why you should set extreme goals without fear. Here’s what Corey and Bill cover in this episode: Why executive coaching is a non-negotiable for Bill. Why vision setting is an essential leadership task for company growth. How to differentiate yourself if you’re being commoditized in the market. What marketing tactics helped SMB Team grow; specifically, event-led growth Listening to feedback and why it matters, and other business growth best practices. Here are some actionable key takeaways for agency founders: If you lead a company, you need to be a stellar communicator to lead effectively. Verticalization requires emotional discipline but allows you to cut through clutter faster. Turn early successes into social proof and sell it. Bringing your authentic self to marketing is a powerful tool to convert people. 10x your goals to get where you want to be. The resources mentioned in this episode are: Connect with Bill on LinkedIn Here Learn About SMB Team Here Join us as we explore how to scale a successful verticalized business across offerings. 👍 If you liked this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, and be sure to hit the subscribe button! 🔔 😡Frustrated with a lack of results from outbound?  I'd like to give you my free 6-day email course that will transform your outbound program from broken to consistently driving new sales opportunities. Sign up here: GetOutboundROI.com.

What’s the key to growing a healthcare niche marketing agency? If you ask today’s guest, Stewart Gandolf, the answer is quite simple. It’s all about deep domain expertise. But simple doesn’t mean easy, and in this episode, we break down just how Stewart built his expertise - and his agency. Founded in 2006, Healthcare Success is a 40-person agency that today works with multi-location healthcare providers from medical specialty to dental offices, as well as health systems providers and medical device companies. Stewart shares his story, going from working at agency giants like JWT to founding his own shop in 2006, immediately skyrocketing to the top of Google search results, and what ensued after. If you leave with one takeaway after listening to this episode, it is that winning agency leaders understand their niche at a deep level. When it comes to medical knowledge in the healthcare industry, there’s no such thing as winging it. Stewart’s success has stemmed from being able to truly act as the healthcare marketing expert his clients can trust. Aside from expertise, what makes Healthcare Success unique as an agency is that Stewart hasn’t built it to follow the same path many others are on; their philosophy isn’t about scaling the business at all costs, so they are able to offer more flexible service to their clients. This episode dives into topics like communicating expertise, evolving your agency business to serve larger clients, and why passion in any given industry makes for a great hire. Here’s what Corey and Stewart discuss in this episode: What it means to be a leader, the good and the bad. How he bootstrapped his agency by driving business with SEO. How Stewart’s team was doing content marketing before it was popular. How to communicate true expertise in a niche, and why achieving it is not easy. How to add value to your clients outside of your core offering. Here are some actionable key takeaways for agency founders: Asking insightful questions can double as credentials. Everybody wants expertise but not everybody wants to pay for it. The bigger the client company, the more sophisticated service you need to deliver. Niches are small, so reputation is everything for an agency. Figure out a repeatable process to sell to not start from scratch every time. The resources mentioned in this episode are: - Connect with Stewart on LinkedIn Here - Learn About Healthcare Success Here - Subscribe to Stewart’s Newsletter Here Join us as we discuss healthcare marketing and verticalized agencies as a whole. 👍 If you liked this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, and be sure to hit the subscribe button! 🔔 😡Frustrated with a lack of results from outbound?  I'd like to give you my free 6-day email course that will transform your outbound program from broken to consistently driving new sales opportunities. Sign up here: GetOutboundROI.com.  

How do you use relationships to build trust in agency sales?  Let’s bring on today’s guest, Dan Englander, to answer the question. In addition to authoring a book titled Relationship Sales at Scale, Dan is an expert in helping agencies grow through relationships.  He runs Sales Schema, a boutique sales company he founded in 2014, which leans into leveraging relationships to grow trust in the sales process. And, the proof is in the pudding. Firms that use Dan’s relationship-based approach see 5-10x ROI, on average. According to Dan, the first step of building a high-converting and predictable pipeline begins and ends with tasteful and targeted outreach.  Today, it’s easy for a B2B company or agency to get swept away by all the sales tools, technology, and automation available. The reality is that people respond far better to an approach that leans on a human touch and shared commonalities instead of mindless optimization. Dan joins the show to share what he’s learned generating millions of dollars in revenue for 100s of clients with his relationship-based approach to business development. He shares exactly how and when to leverage common ground and your network to make personal connections that convert. Here’s what Corey and Dan discuss in this episode: - Challenges around converting in the sales funnel. - Leaning into relationships to open doors to prospects. - List-building best practices. - How to be specific with your ICP. Here are some actionable key takeaways for agency founders: - Referrals can get you from zero to one but not beyond. - If you’re not converting top-of-funnel, it’s usually a case of lack of trust. - Automation isn’t compelling, relationships are. - Anyone can do outreach, not just the CEO. - When it comes to list-building, less is more. - How to systematize relationship sales. The resources mentioned in this episode are: - Connect with Dan on LinkedIn Here - Learn More About Sales Schema Here - Get the book Relationship Sales at Scale Here Join us as we dive into relationship-fueled agency sales with Dan Englander. 👍 If you liked this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, and be sure to hit the subscribe button! 😡Frustrated with a lack of results from outbound?  I'd like to give you my free 6-day email course that will transform your outbound program from broken to consistently driving new sales opportunities. Sign up here: GetOutboundROI.com.