If anyone promises to 10X your business in three months, Morgan Phelps says run for the hills. This one is for every business owner who suspects the marketing is not working and is tempted to hire someone before they know their own numbers.
Morgan Phelps is the founder of Sage Creatives and the most creative numbers girl you will meet: a data-driven growth strategist and marketing expert who loves analytics and strategy, and who might cry if you ask her for a graphic. After six years running a full-stack agency, she now audits the marketing and operations of founder-led businesses to find the leaks, bottlenecks, and gaps that keep them from growing. She joins Amanda Kaufman to break down how the numbers tell you what is wrong, what answer engine optimization means for the next eighteen months, and the baseline metrics to learn before hiring anyone.
In this episode, you will learn:
๐ง The reason marketing and operations have to be fixed together, and how Morgan audits the whole funnel from first touch to post-purchase ๐ How many touches it really takes to sell on social, and the 7-11-4 research behind omnipresence ๐ค Where AI earns its place in an entrepreneur's day, and the one thing Morgan will not hand it ๐ What answer engine optimization (AEO) is, and the two numbers that make it urgent right now โ The FAQ recipe that gets your content recommended by AI: four to seven real questions, three sentences each ๐ The baseline metrics to learn before you hire: cost per lead, cost of acquisition, lifetime value, and close rate ๐ฉ The guarantees that are red flags, and the "100 leads or you don't pay" pitch Morgan puts in the yellow flag category ๐ช Amanda's reminder that you can handle seeing the numbers, fixing them, and learning whatever it takes
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction to marketing in 2026 and guest Morgan Phelps 01:50 The importance of operational and marketing alignment 03:59 The role of data in identifying marketing bottlenecks 05:49 Understanding different content consumption behaviors 07:59 The impact of AI on marketing and search behavior 09:59 Difference between traditional SEO and answer engine optimization 11:49 How to optimize content for AI and search engines 13:56 When entrepreneurs should learn their numbers, and what drives it 15:59 Red flags in marketing agency promises 18:01 Tools and resources for understanding your marketing data 20:04 Morgan Phelps' resources and how to stay connected
CONNECT WITH MORGAN PHELPS
๐ Website: https://www.sagecreatives.co ๐ผ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgan-p-343388100/ ๐ธ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sagecreatives/ ๐ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552405112819
๐ Free gift: the Sage Creatives Profit Planner, a numbers-first look at your service business profit so you know exactly where you stand before you spend another dollar on growth. Grab it at https://www.sagecreatives.co/profit-tool ๐ Morgan's Substack, where she is breaking down AEO step by step and sharing updates on Bravaya, her upcoming software launch
STAY IN THE LOOP
๐ Subscribe to The Quiet Part, Amanda's newsletter where she shares what is actually working in her business, without the performance. Sign up at: https://clairvenu.com/the-quiet-part
๐ค Want to be a guest? Amanda is always looking for guests who can help business owners build something that actually works. If that sounds like you, apply at https://clairvenu.com/the-podcast
LISTEN TO THE AMANDA KAUFMAN SHOW
โถ๏ธ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theamandakaufmanshow ๐ง Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-amanda-kaufman-show/id1450993176 ๐ต Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6htaUMvVWPHlHmpqW51Enj?si=092409891ff1420f
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