Sell With Authority

Before I introduce our guest experts for today's episode, I want to zero in on a problem that's been coming up more and more in conversations with agency leaders. It's a pain that sounds like this:

"We used to have a strategic seat at our client's table. They trusted our advice. They valued our expertise. Pricing wasn't an issue. We felt like a true partner. But somewhere along the way, that shifted — and now we're stuck reacting instead of leading."

If that feels a little too familiar, you're not alone. But — there's good news.

That strategic seat can be earned back. Going forward, you can build every client relationship around your smarts, not just the deliverables.

In today's episode, we unpack exactly how to do that.

We start with the numbers, with proving the impact of your work. Lean into — not away from — the metrics that matter most to your clients. When you can clearly show how your work is moving the needle on the KPIs they care about, you make your agency an easy yes.

That's why I'm so excited to introduce our guests for this episode of Sell With Authority, Mark Godfrey and Steve Evans from Parker Madison.

Mark and Steve didn't just want to stop being seen as only a branding agency — they built an entire methodology to change that perception. And they didn't stop at strategy. They built metrics around it.

Their framework is designed to quantify impact in a way that clients can see, feel, and trust — which earns back that coveted strategic seat.

Also joining this conversation is our very own Director of Strategy and resident Mad Scientist, Hannah Roth. As many of you know, Hannah is in the trenches every day helping our clients sell more of what they do and future-proof their agencies.

Get ready — in this episode, Mark, Steve, and Hannah are handing you the playbook. If you apply what you hear in this episode, you'll have what you need to build a stronger methodology, tie it to measurable outcomes, and clearly communicate your value — earning that strategic seat at the table.

• Why treating "brand" as just a logo or color palette will leave money on the table, and what it takes to change that mindset for good
• How to lean into the chronic pain point chipping away at agency-client relationships
• What makes a true, measurable agency methodology
• How Parker Madison built Lucidify, a system for dissecting and quantifying brand with 108 data points
• The Moneyball approach to agency work
• How to connect perception to performance and translate data into actionable intelligence that right-fit clients want

• Website: https://www.parkermadison.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/parker-madison-marketing-stdo/
• Steve's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/partneratparkermadison/
• Mark's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parkermadison/

I'm excited to welcome our guest expert to this episode of Sell With Authority, Mark Duval. If this is your first introduction to Mark — he founded The Duval Partnership back in 2007 and brings over 25 years of client-direct biz dev experience to the table. Mark and his team specialize in helping agencies design and implement smart, strategic growth initiatives — from new client acquisition to organic growth and diversification.

When Mark and I first connected, we started talking shop. Biz dev challenges, what's working, what's broken, and what agency leaders are wrestling with right now. In that conversation, Mark dropped two letters that stopped me in my tracks.

P. X. — Prospect Experience.

That's the lens Mark and his team use to help agencies get razor-sharp clarity on their go-to-market strategy, how they're nurturing leads after that first conversation, and how they're moving opportunities forward — without it ever feeling like a hard sell.

As Mark unpacked PX, I thought — holy bananas — this is gold!

Once I saw how PX worked I knew we had to share it with our audience on Sell With Authority because — what if your agency could turn your consistently inconsistent biz dev efforts into a repeatable, smooth cadence that actually feels good to your prospect — and still drives results?

If you take and apply what Mark shares in this episode — you'll be in a stronger position to raise the bar of excellence in your agency's PX, and that alone can make selling feel less like selling — and more like serving.

• How "PX" or Prospect Experience, can be your agency's secret weapon for attracting, nurturing, and converting right-fits
• Clarity around the three critical questions every agency must answer
• How to orchestrate each touchpoint so prospects are wowed at every stage
• The difference between service-focused and solution-focused messaging — and why it matters if you want to stand out
• Concrete strategies to ensure your outbound and nurture efforts are consistent, relevant, and measured for results
• How to proactively own your go-to-market approach
• The pitfalls of info@ email addresses and outdated voicemails
• The details that silently kill deals

• Website: https://duvalpartnership.com/
• LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duvalgroup/
• LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duvalgroup/
• The Agency News Business Blog: https://info.duvalpartnership.com/blog
• Services: https://duvalpartnership.com/services-for-agency-new-business/

Before we hit record on today's episode of Sell With Authority, my team and I went deep. We poured over research, we sifted through data, and we asked ourselves a simple question:

What do agency leaders need most right now?

Agency leaders who've done the hard work to niche down, to plant your flag, to be known for something — but your content still isn't converting the way it should — we built this episode for you.

Across the agency landscape, a lot of smart, capable leaders are quietly pulling back. Frozen. Waiting for clarity. Wanting to be bold — but afraid to make the wrong move.

We've been there.

But here's what we also know — because the data backs it up: Agencies that lean in, that make progressive decisions in uncertain times, are the ones that build resilience. Predictability. Trust. And growth — even 10x growth in some cases.

That's why I'm so excited for you to hear from today's returning guest expert Sara Hanlon, co-founder of Peer Sales Agency. Sara is sharp, no-nonsense, and has a gift for helping B2B agencies get off the content hamster wheel and start building true momentum.

Her focus? Not selling harder, but showing up smarter.

Also joining is our very own Director of Strategy and Mad Scientist, Hannah Roth. If you know Hannah, you know she's in the trenches every day with clients — helping them position their expertise, price their value, and build authority that generates demand.

We unpack exactly how to lead with clarity, show up with generosity, and make your content strategy start pulling its weight.

No hype. No guesswork. Just clear, practical insights to help you conquer uncertainty and roar through 2025.

• What it takes to stand out and build trust with authority-driven content
• How to unify sales and marketing to drive consistent biz dev, stronger retention, and more referrals
• The most important meeting cadence and agenda to keep your team accountable and collaborative
• Why you should lean into your prospects' pain
• The research-backed difference between agencies that freeze and those that double down
• How to align your goals so that you are showing up as a strategic partner — not just a vendor

• Website: http://www.peersalesagency.com/
• LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahanlon/
• LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/peer-sales/
• How to Create a Successful Buyer's Journey, with Sara Hanlon

Welcome to the Sell With Authority podcast. I'm Erik Jensen, co-owner and Chief Strategy Officer here at Predictive ROI.

If you've been a longtime listener, you might be wondering, where's Stephen's voice?

Don't worry, there hasn't been a coup. This isn't a mutiny. Stephen's daughter is graduating, and we lovingly kicked him off the mic for the next few weeks so he can fully enjoy that special time with his family. We miss him — but we've got you covered.

We built this podcast specifically for you — the agency owner looking to sell more of what you do, in a way that builds a more scalable, more sustainable business — regardless of whatever challenges might be around the next corner.

Today's episode is the final installment in our four-part series on the four reasons agencies struggle with sales — and more importantly — how to fix them.

I'm excited to sit down again with Hannah Roth, our Director of Strategy and resident mad scientist. Hannah and I are in the trenches every single day, working with agency owners to tackle the issues that keep them stuck.

Sales is almost always one of those issues.

In this episode, we dive into what we call the practice problem.

Why does every sales call feel like the first time? Why do we expect to nail the pitch, but never actually practice it? In any other part of business, that would be nuts.

But in sales, it happens all the time.

So today, we're going to break that pattern. We unpack how to build a sales process you can actually improve, how to create a system for feedback and iteration, and how to show up to your sales calls ready — not rusty.

• The #1 reason agency sales calls always feel new — and how to fix that with one rock solid framework
• Why practicing your sales process matters as much as practicing any craft
• The 3.5-step process to running a winning sales call — and where most agencies get it wrong
• The "Help Me Understand" question framework that turns every discovery call into a trust-building, opportunity-finding powerhouse
• How to use flashcards, role-play, and real-world feedback to refine your sales message and increase your close rate
• Why practicing out loud is the best way to show up confidently

• Website: www.predictiveroi.com
• Visit our newly expanded Resource Library
• Join us in our free How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline Facebook Group
• Erik's LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-jensen-b9946068/
• Hannah's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-roth-387a6b223/
• Order your free paperback or Kindle copy of our Book: Sell with Authority

Welcome to Sell With Authority. I'm Erik Jensen, Co-Owner and Chief Strategy Officer here at Predictive ROI — and yes, you are in the right place. If you've been a long-time listener, you're probably thinking, wait a second, where is Stephen's smooth, signature intro?

I'm stepping in because Stephen is celebrating his daughter's graduation. We lovingly kicked him off the mic for a few weeks so he can soak up that family time.

Today, I'm joined by my strategic co-pilot and our Director of Strategy, Hannah Roth. She's our in-house mad scientist when it comes to helping agency owners get unstuck.

In this special series, we've been diving into key reasons agencies struggle with sales, and more importantly, how to fix them.

In today's episode, we tackle what we call "the consistency gap" — that lack of a repeatable, dependable sales process.

If you've found yourself uttering words like "It depends", or "I meant to follow up", this episode is for you.

• Why a lack of consistency in your sales process will keep you stuck
• The secret ingredient to a 28% bump in close rates
• How to align sales and operations so you sell what you promise
• The real reason your custom proposals are killing your profitability
• How to fix the anxiety of "playing defense" in sales calls by tightening your value ladder
• Why rinsing and repeating your best offers is the best move to stand out and sell more of what you do

• Website: www.predictiveroi.com
• Visit our newly expanded Resource Library
• Join us in our free How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline Facebook Group
• Erik's LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-jensen-b9946068/
• Hannah's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-roth-387a6b223/
• Order your free paperback or Kindle copy of our Book: Sell with Authority

Welcome to the Sell With Authority podcast. If you've been with us for a while, you're probably expecting to hear Stephen's voice kicking things off. But we've temporarily booted him off the mic — for a very good reason. His daughter is about to graduate, and we wanted to make sure he could soak up every moment with his family.

I'm Hannah Roth, Director of Strategy and mad scientist here at Predictive ROI and I'm stepping in as your host for the next few weeks. For this special four-part series, I'm sitting down with Erik Jensen — co-owner, Chief Strategy Officer, and my strategic co-pilot here at Predictive. Erik and I are in the trenches every day, helping agency owners like you solve the messy, complex challenges that keep your business stuck in place.

And one of those major sticking points?

Sales.

Today's episode is part two, and we're diving into what we call the Focus Fog.

Erik unpacks the risks of being the "everything agency" — and how your good intentions to do more might actually be clouding your sales process, confusing your prospects, and holding your agency back.

• Why the "focus fog" is quietly sabotaging agency growth and how to recognize it before it's too late
• The psychological drivers that keep agencies stuck as generalists
• What happens when sales and ops don't see eye to eye
• How stacking 3-5 "lenses" helps your agency niche down without killing off creativity
• Real research and stats proving highly specialized agencies land more right-fit clients
• The hidden cost of one-and-done projects versus repeatable, scalable work
• How clarity in your focus transforms sales, onboarding, marketing, AND lets you eventually escape founder-led sales

• Website: www.predictiveroi.com
• Visit our newly expanded Resource Library
• Join us in our free How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline Facebook Group
• Erik's LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-jensen-b9946068/
• Hannah's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-roth-387a6b223/
• Order your free paperback or Kindle copy of our Book: Sell with Authority

Welcome to Sell With Authority! I'm Hannah Roth, Director of Strategy and resident mad scientist here at Predictive ROI. And before you double-check your podcast app — yes, you are in the right place.

If you've been a longtime listener, you're probably used to hearing Stephen kick things off. But today, I've hijacked the mic for a good reason. Stephen's daughter is about to graduate; CONGRATS to the whole Woessner crew!

We've gently nudged him off the show for the next few weeks so he can enjoy that special time with his family.

In the meantime, I'll be your host for the next four episodes, and I'm really excited about what we have planned. Each week, I'll be joined by Erik Jensen, my strategic co-pilot, co-owner, and our Chief Strategy Officer here at Predictive. We are in the trenches every day working with agency owners, helping them navigate the big challenges that hold them back from scaling with confidence.

Erik and I are kicking off a four-part series about why agencies struggle with sales — and more importantly — what to do about it.

In today's episode we focus on what we call "The Referral Trap."

Referrals are great… until they're not. Too many agencies rely on them as their primary source of new business — but that's risky.

We discuss why the illusion of "plenty of referrals" is so dangerous, and what to do before they dry up without warning.

• Why so many agency owners fall into the "referral trap"
• The not-so-obvious risks of relying on referrals
• How passivity with prospects infects your sales culture — and leads to missed revenue from both new prospects AND existing clients
• The candid truth about "not having time" for sales
• A rock solid step-by-step way to take control of your biz dev
• Why your list is one of the most important assets that your agency can have
• How to assess if your list is actually filled with viable prospects

• Website: www.predictiveroi.com
• Visit our newly expanded Resource Library
• Join us in our free How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline Facebook Group
• Erik's LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-jensen-b9946068/
• Hannah's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-roth-387a6b223/
• Order your free paperback or Kindle copy of our Book: Sell with Authority

I'm super excited to welcome our guest expert today, Natalie Henley. If this is your first introduction to Natalie — she's the CEO and Owner of Volume 9 Digital. She's also a sharp speaker, trainer, and consultant.

But more importantly — Natalie is right in the thick of it.

She's not just running the agency — she's leading ops and sitting in the strategic seat with clients. She's hands-on, gathering insights, solving real business problems, and applying that knowledge every single day.

That's one of the biggest reasons I wanted to invite her onto the show.

The perspective she brings — from actually doing the work — is powerful.

Natalie shares the story of a custom dashboard they built at Volume 9. Not just some templated reporting tool — but a fully custom platform, designed from the ground up to help clients log in, check results, and truly understand what's working. We also unpack all the lessons they learned along the way.

We also dig into a pivotal moment back in 2022 — when Natalie and her team made the bold decision to stop being all things to all clients. They simplified, refocused, and doubled down on the problems they solve best.

That clarity helped them build authority in the right niche — and made them a much easier yes for their right-fit prospects.

There's so much in this episode that you can take and immediately apply — especially if you've been feeling stretched too thin.

Natalie's insights will help you get clear, get focused — and sell more of what you do best.

• How Natalie developed an agency owner's mindset by "learning how to sell — and how to be valuable" from the beginning
• Why agencies must focus on the shortest path to client results instead of just racking up deliverables
• The candid story behind Volume 9's $500K dashboard investment
• Why retention isn't about fancy tech
• The turning point when Volume 9 stopped being everything for everyone — and how they set boundaries for YES and NO

• Website: https://www.v9digital.com/
• LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/optimization/
• LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/volume-9-inc/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/volume_nine/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/volume9inc
• Volume Nine Resources: https://www.v9digital.com/resources/templates/

I am beyond over the moon excited to have our very special guest expert on this episode of Sell With Authority, Laurie Mikes.

Laurie is the Chief Operating Officer of the Second Wind Agency Network, where she oversees daily operations and works closely with Second Wind's member agencies. That gives her an incredible pulse on the industry — she truly has her finger on the trends, the challenges, and the opportunities agency owners are navigating right now.

I invited Laurie to the show because of her deep expertise around agency finance, growth, and operations. I was especially eager to have this conversation after reading a blog post Laurie wrote entitled, "Transparency Builds Trust with Clients."

My Predictive team and I feel the same way.

We recommend that our clients build transparency right into their biz dev processes — teaching and sharing generously right from the onset of a new relationship.

When you do that, you remove friction from the sales process — and make it so much easier for your right-fit prospects to say "yes."

That's exactly where Laurie and I focus our time and attention in this episode — how you can build deeper trust with your right-fit prospects and clients.

If you take and apply the insights Laurie shares, you and your team will be better equipped to build trust faster — and that, in turn, will help you sell more of what you do.

• Why transparency is the foundation for building authority and winning trust with right-fit clients
• How to openly share your agency's process so prospects feel less like targets and more like valued partners
• The #1 mistake agencies make trying to protect their "secret sauce" — and what to do instead
• Why difficult, honest conversations actually get you a seat at the table as a strategic partner — not just a vendor
• Real-world examples of onboarding practices that set the stage for long-term client retention and bigger budgets

• Website: https://www.secondwindonline.com/
• LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurie-mikes/
• LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/second-wind/
• AGENCY WORKFLOW AND EFFICIENCY

I'm excited to welcome our guest expert to the podcast today, Tim Kilroy.

If this is your first time being introduced to Tim — he's the Founder of Build Your Agency Better, where he helps agencies fix what's broken and grow the right way. He's been in the trenches, he's led from the front — and he knows his stuff when it comes to agency growth.

I invited Tim to join me today because I wanted to dig into his perspectives around agency biz dev — specifically, I recently read one of Tim's LinkedIn posts and thought, "Yep — this is right on the money."

The headline of that post? "5 things to fix that will boost your close rate."

And that's exactly what we unpack in this episode. Tim and I break down each of the five — piece by piece — so you can take his insights and apply them directly into your sales process.

I'd like you to keep two questions in mind as we go through Tim's 5 fixes:

First — are you actually doing all five?

If not — you've now got a clear set of action steps to put into practice.

Second — if you are doing them — could you be doing them with deeper excellence, more consistency, and greater impact?

If you take the insights and wisdom Tim shares in this episode and actually apply them — you'll remove friction from your sales process, you'll create more momentum with prospects — and you'll make your agency an easier "yes."

• Why knowing what problem you're solving, and for who, makes biz dev so much easier
• Why premature pitching shuts down momentum — and how to keep your sales conversations on track
• The "return on understanding" metric that could transform your discovery process
• How to use your right-fit prospect's language, pain points, and context to position your agency as an easy yes
• Why clarity around next-steps is essential
• The truth about many agency case studies
• Simple but overlooked shifts that can turn your biz dev into a repeatable, reliable system — no matter what the market is doing

• Website: https://timkilroy.com/
• LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timkilroy/
• LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/agencygrowthcoach/
• Agency Assessment