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.

What you will learn in this episode:

• 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

Resources:

• 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