Newsletter Archive
Strategies, frameworks, and stories to help you escape founder-led sales and scale through specialization.
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720 articles in the archive
How to build sales momentum + confidence
Give them a narrowly defined definition of a good-fit client
Placing asymmetrical bets with your vertical market
92% of salespeople give up after being told no, but 60% of buyers finally say yes after five no's. Learn how narrowing to one vertical forces the persistence that closes deals.
Can't escape founder-led sales?
Can't escape founder-led sales? Start with positioning, messaging, and targeting, not keyword strategy, media spend, or sales activity. Strategy before tactics.
Gift-based Outbound: Your 20% Lead List, Part 3
Prioritize businesses that are experiencing acute pain.
Gift-based Outbound: Your 20% Lead List, Part 4
Prioritize businesses that can afford your services :)
The Power Duo of Market Research – Qualitative & Quantitative Data
Don't forget: researching vertical markets needs both quantitative and qualitative data. Learn why relying on just one leads to poor-fit vertical decisions.
The Vertical Specialization Playbook
Less = more
Drowning in agency client fires
Drowning in agency client fires? The escape path starts by stopping as a generalist and starting as a vertical-market specialist. Here's why that shift works.
Obsessing over the thing that actually matters for your agency
You aren't rewarded for activity, you're rewarded for results. A short reminder to obsess over outcomes, not just the actions meant to produce them.
Myths vs. my reality of vertical specialization
Don't believe the get-rich-quick promises about niching down. Learn the real difference between surface-level specialization claims and the actual reality.
The do's and don'ts of vertical list building
Need a lead list for your vertical? Skip list brokers like ZoomInfo. Learn the 3 reasons they fail and the 5 better sources for building a real vertical list.
Gift-based outbound: Myths vs. My Reality
Gift-based outbound has a few persistent myths. Learn why it's expensive not to do it, why any day beats a birthday, and who it's actually meant for.
Stop spending money on digital ads for your agency
Facebook or Google won't tell you this, but stop spending on digital ads until your market, positioning, and messaging are actually defined first.
Positioning Is About Perception, Not Your Product
Positioning isn't about your product or service, it's about your buyer's perception. A reminder from Ries & Trout's Positioning on where the real focus belongs.
The Formula From Focus to Real Scale
Scaling up happens when you narrow down. Learn the formula, Focus, Patterns, Process, Software & Systems, Scale, and why narrowing focus is what actually enables growth.
How Vertical Associations Can 10x Trust Fast
Want to 10x your credibility in a target vertical? Learn how getting genuinely involved with the relevant association builds real trust faster than most tactics.
Quick agency founder story
Nicole Mahoney narrowed her generalist agency to Travel and Tourism, then leaned in hard during the pandemic. Learn how that commitment led to record growth.
If sales are slow, look here
Good marketing drives more sales, period. Learn why capturing more of the actively-shopping 5% of your target vertical comes down to how strong your marketing plan actually is.
Why You Need a 20% Lead List for Gift-Based Outbound
Happy New Year! Kicking off a series on Gift-based Outbound with the 20% lead list, the Pareto-based approach that helped scale Scorpion 8x in 5 years.
How to avoid wishful thinking this time of year
Planning for next year? Learn why your actual results, not your stated intentions, reveal what you were truly committed to, and why that matters for real goals.
Gift-based outbound lesson: Quality over Quantity
"Spear Fishing" over "Net Fishing"
4 Things to Verify Before Committing to a Vertical
Before pulling the trigger on a vertical, it pays to verify these 4 things, personal fit, existing metrics, market size, and affordability, to avoid wasted time.
Content Marketing for Vertical Specialists
Learn 3 tactics to transform agency content marketing: vertical-specific topics, data-driven visuals, and collaborating with mavens to extend reach and credibility.
Overcoming imposter syndrome
Feeling like you don't know enough to specialize in a new vertical? Learn why you don't need to know everything about hospital systems to start making an impact.
“Is this a good fit for my agency?”
I partner with founders who want to build something meaningful, not just a busier agency, but a stronger, more scalable business.
You’re likely a strong fit if:
- You’re generating $1M–$20M+ annually
- You want to lead your market, not blend into it
- You’re thinking about long-term scale, not short-term tactics
- You want a growth engine that doesn’t rely on you
- You value clarity over complexity
- You’re open to advanced growth levers, including acquisitions
Escape Founder-Led Sales With My Free Book
My bestselling book Anyone Not Everyone reveals the positioning and outbound system that helps founder-led agencies create predictable, scalable growth.
Endorsed by Aaron Ross, Alan Dibb, Dr. Benjamin Hardy, and many other top thinkers in the agency world.