Newsletter Archive
Strategies, frameworks, and stories to help you escape founder-led sales and scale through specialization.
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728 articles in the archive
Is Being a Generalist Harming Your Growth?
Why is being a generalist harming your growth? Learn 4 reasons, from resource allocation to data management, and why specialists systematize far more easily.
Why You Must Define "Best-Fit" Before You Can Attract It
What if you could fill your business with best-fit clients? Success starts with a clear vision of who they actually are, defined specifically before you can attract more.
Want to 2x Your Marketing Budget? Here's how.
Your marketing gets better with more budget. Learn how a higher client lifetime value, from longer retention, justifies out-marketing competitors by a wide margin.
Success in the Long Term
While tactics help, they're rarely the biggest difference maker. Learn why focusing on one buyer market and genuinely caring about their success matters more.
Being a Vertical Market Specialist Makes You Different
Buyers care about whether you can solve their specific problem, not a generic version of it. Learn why vertical specialization is what makes you stand out.
Do this one thing to grow 2x faster
Want to grow faster? Specialize. Promethean Research found agencies specializing in both service and industry grew revenue 2x faster than pure generalists in 2022.
How to overcome skepticism
Want to overcome skepticism? Use proof points, not cheap claims. Learn why backing up a bold statement with real data is what actually builds credibility.
How to get more serious sales opportunities
Want more serious sales opportunities? Get recommended by the Tastemakers. Learn the two types, Influential Brands and Mavens, and why they matter so much.
Stop with the "me-too" messaging already!
Do you sound like every other agency? See the commonly overused positioning attributes, then try a quick exercise to blend two into something more original.
Are your customers just transactions?
Are your buyers just transactions, or real people who need a trusted advisor? Learn the key differences between transactional and consultative selling.
Are These Common Myths Holding You Back?
Focus on the facts, not myths and limiting beliefs. Learn the 5 common fears that hold agencies back from specializing, and why they're all rooted in fear, not fact.
8-Figure Agency: Acquired!
Should you position your agency within a vertical market? Ben Landers niched down into home services, grew Blue Corona to 8 figures, and recently sold it.
Outbound: Quantity or Quality?
"Sending 3 million cold emails" isn't the win it sounds like. Learn why 50% of direct marketing success comes from the list, and why quality beats quantity.
How to position for the long term
Specializing in what you do risks obsolescence as the world changes. Learn why specializing in who you serve keeps positioning durable for the long run.
Are you learning your vertical market the 'slow' way?
Building deep vertical understanding usually takes 18-24 months. Learn how hiring two external roles, a subject matter expert and a content developer, can save up to 15 months.
Highlights from the 2023 Digital Agency Industry Report
Specialist agencies grow 100% faster than generalist ones. See the top 10 insights from Promethean Research's 2023 Digital Agency Industry Report.
Have you joined the vertical market association?
Have you joined the association your vertical clients belong to? Learn 3 reasons why membership, and active participation, is worth serious consideration.
Are you asking or assuming?
Don't base your marketing on opinions alone. The buyer journey client interviews you do today will dictate the quality of your marketing in 2024.
0 clients to 800 in just over three years
Michael Schumacher, Founder of HMDG, grew his specialist healthcare marketing agency from 10 clients to 800+ in just over three years. Here's how.
1 kick, 10,000 times
"I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times." Learn how Bruce Lee's principle maps directly onto the difference between generalist and specialist agencies.
When hard work ≠ results
"Working hard is important. But more effort does not necessarily yield more results." Food for thought on whether your hard work is actually producing what you want.
How to get on your target client's short list
Ideal clients only seriously shop 3-5 agencies. Learn why being known and differentiated before they start shopping is what puts the odds in your favor.
How To Find Your Next Vertical Market
How do you pick the next vertical to expand into? Learn how Scorpion chose home services after attorneys, by finding a vertical with the same underlying problem.
Grammar tip from President Lincoln
President Lincoln read all his important letters out loud before sending them. Learn why doing the same with important emails catches errors and sounds more human.
“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.