Trust = promises kept over time, and it takes time to build. If you're selling a high-trust service, how can you build that trust faster? When we start a podcast, what should our primary goal be in the first year when it comes to building trust? How can we laser target exactly the people we want to build those relationships with? How can you do this even without a podcast? On this episode, I talk about how you can borrow someone else’s time to build trust.

The market is becoming more and more flooded with agencies and differentiation is getting harder. As a result, agencies that are moving away from implementation and leveraging to strategy and coaching are more profitable. What is taking place in the agency landscape that is driving the need for us to take this direction? How does implementation allow us to grow our income without doubling our headcount? Why should we be running the exact marketing strategy we’re selling to our clients? Why is it so powerful to actually show our clients what we do, not just tell them? On this episode, I’m joined by Impulse Creative CEO, Remington Begg to talk about shifting from hour-by-hour implementation work to strategy and coaching, the power of asking the right questions, how can position ourselves differently from every other agency.

One of the questions I hear most about podcast growth is what platforms, tactics and hacks should we use to drive more people to them. While it’s great to think about creative ways to put our podcasts in front of more people, organic growth is a metric we shouldn’t ignore. Why shouldn’t we chase charting on iTunes and other platforms? How come growth hacking methods sometimes don’t work? Why is it so much more powerful to leverage a very small, targeted list of the right people, instead of a huge crowd? On this episode, I continue to share on how podcasts grow, focusing on free traffic sources and why they are effective.

Many coaches and consultants fight against the concept of going narrow and deep and getting really good at a core set of deliverable items. But from a marketing perspective, it’s the smartest thing we can do. How do we zone in on the most powerful points of scale for our service offerings? How does focusing on one service for a very specific type of client get us in front of more of our ideal clients? On this episode, PipelineSquared founder and CEO Allen Cobb shares on going deep on specific, defined verticals and how he defines his agency’s way thinking around the strategy for business development.

The battle for podcast growth is won and lost before a show ever hits iTunes. How do categories and mental buckets play into the growth or lack thereof in the realm of podcasting? What are the 4 core factors we need to consider? If you’re in a new category, how do you win the top-of-mind race, and if you’re in an established category, how do you stand out? How does having the right idea that’s executed well make it so much easier for people to start talking about our podcasts? On this episode, I share the first path for podcast growth, how to create podcasts and content that make it possible and how to dominate a podcast category of niche.

Most entrepreneurs believe that live events and online trainings are two separate realms, but there is actually a huge opportunity to integrate them and take our brands to the next level. How can we actually use the online presence to warm people up to go to our live events? How do we decide where to push people primarily and what to become known for? When we have the online stuff and the in-person programs, how do we focus and go deep on the different sides so we’re not spread too thin? Why are in person trainings so much more powerful? On this episode, musician and “keynote concerts” speaker, Tiamo de Vettori, shares on successfully integrating the creative side into his business, integrating online and in-person, building a tribe and finding focus.

Every business is based on an idea, and the more compelling and clear the idea, the stronger the sell. As coaches and consultants, the biggest question we need to ask ourselves is what our compelling idea is? What are some classic examples of clear and compelling ideas, and why do the same rules apply to expert businesses? What are 4 ideas that businesses are all based on? What are some of the signs and symptoms that our ideas just aren’t clear enough. On this episode, I talk about how to come up with a business idea that will move your target customer to want to learn more, and why the quality of our idea dictates to a large extent how high our ceiling of success is.

Anyone with a consultant skill set struggles with what they want to be known for, and the process of really honing in on a specialty or niche. What are the key breakthrough questions that can help us discover our sweet spot? Why do we become more successful the more finite we are in the service that we offer? How do we address the fear of cutting ourselves off from being known for a multitude of things so we can drill down on one valuable thing? Why do we have to start with our goals in order to succeed on LinkedIn?

On this episode, Amtower & Co managing partner and niche expert, Mark Amtower shares on why generalists struggle to get real traction, his process for helping businesses specialize, and how he grew a very targeted network on LinkedIn.

One of the questions I’ve been asked is how we can build deeper relationships with the connections we make on podcasts. What is the system I’ve built into my own operations to build strategic relationships? How do we build a connection and rapport during the actual podcast conversation? Once you’ve had the conversation and connected with someone, and want to bring them into your business life, what steps can you take? On this episode, we continue the conversation on why podcasting is the new networking and how to make that a reality in your own business.

When we shift from a transactional mindset to a relational one, the way we work for clients, the conversations we have and the services we deliver shift too. How does this change reflect in our business models and elevate the entire client engagement? How can the shift in conversations allow agencies to go from strategy to execution very rapidly? How can collaboration and data-driven decision making help us gets the best results? On this episode, HubSpot Platinum Certified Partner, and CEO Kayak Online Marketing, Randy Milanovic shares on why he doesn’t seek a retainer, how his business model has shifted, and the convergence of agency and business consultancy.