“Eventually, we stopped the shenanigans and got vertical." – Rob Murray, Founder and President of Intrigue Media

Some founding stories are more eccentric, and entertaining, than others, and today’s guest certainly has a tale to tell. While these days, the digital marketing agency Intrigue Media does over $5 million in annual revenue serving 110 clients and counting, its founder, Rob Murray started his business selling local out-of-home advertising all the way back in college.

While Rob started out as a local generalist, he ultimately, after some hits and glorious misses, narrowed his focus to select niches like HVAC and landscaping.

Rob joins Corey to not just share Intrigue Media’s journey, but also to dish out a hot take (or five!), served with a side of refreshing honesty.

For one, Rob doesn’t think that different niches are truly that different to serve; you just have to deeply understand business basics like revenue models and problem-solving. Pair that with honest service and the ethos of trying to do good, and you’re golden.

So tune in for a wealth of knowledge and actionable advice on topics like growth and retention, what not to do with sales, and moreover, the leadership principles that Rob lives by.

Here’s what we cover in this episode:

• Rob’s crazy founding story from DOOH to verticalization.
• How showing up in the community and doing thought leadership sparked initial growth.
• Rob’s approach to marketing, sales, and business leadership.
• The challenges of hiring sales and how to incentivize them.

Here are some actionable key takeaways for agency founders:

• You have two ways to position your offering: vertical versus horizontal.
• If you have the resources, you can grow quickly in the beginning by creating a sensation that your agency is everywhere. Think: parties, events, community, and lots of speaking.
• Don’t send sales into the market before you’re sure they get your business and you trust them to represent it.
• Try to uncover unconscious beliefs you hold about your business to break harmful patterns; journaling is great for this.

The resources mentioned in this episode are:

• Connect with Rob on LinkedIn Here
• Check out Intrigue Media Here

Books mentioned in this episode are:

• Verne Harnish, Scaling Up
• John C. Maxwell, 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership
• Simon Sinek, Leaders Eat Last and Start With Why
• Dr. Eric Byrne (Related to Transactional Analysis, no specific book mentioned)
• Seth Godin (Specific book not mentioned)

👍If you liked this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, and be sure to hit the subscribe button! 🔔

😡Frustrated with a lack of results from outbound? I'd like to give you my free 6-day email course that will transform your outbound program from broken to consistently driving new sales opportunities. Sign up here: GetOutboundROI.com.

Chapter Twelve of Anyone, Not Everyone outlines the necessity of creating specific sales and marketing materials to appeal to a chosen vertical market, stressing that most of a client's buying decision is made before the first contact.

It recommends crafting a dedicated vertical webpage, compiling impactful client success stories and testimonials, and gathering vertical-specific social proof to demonstrate expertise and build trust with potential clients.

Reminder that this is a chapter in Corey Quinn’s book, Anyone, Not Everyone. Over the next few weeks, we'll be releasing a few chapters at a time so that you can escape founder-led sales.

If you want to read or listen to the entire book today, then visit www.AnyoneNotEveryone.com and pick up a copy.

“The first six, seven years were a lot of lessons. I made a lot of mistakes. I did not know how to lead people. I didn't know what kind of people should be hired." – Manish Dudharejia, Founder and President E2M Solutions

This week’s guest, Manish Duharejia, is a true agency aficionado with over a decade at the helm of his marketing company, E2M Solutions. Founded in 2012, E2M Solutions is an integrated white label digital agency that helps other agencies expand their capacity through white label services.

Today, Manish runs a 200-person operation with offices in California and India. From his beginnings in SEO to becoming a company founder, Manish joins the show to detail his journey in building a thriving global company.

What is refreshing about Manish is his candor around the lessons he’s learned, including challenges and even failures. For instance, he had to scale his team back from 120 to 40 to build out sustainable processes first, so he could ultimately get the company back on track.

While Manish initially built momentum by partnering with agency coaches and sponsoring events, what truly accelerated growth was switching from project-based fees to unlimited services with fixed costs.

What else did the trick?

Listen to the episode to uncover valuable learnings on niching down, running an offshore team, hiring order, as well as leadership hits and misses, and key milestones for E2M Solutions.

Here’s what we cover in this episode:

• How agencies can scale with white label services.
• Hard lessons and company growing pains.
• The benefits (and process) of niching down.
• Why Manish built his business leveraging both US and Indian talent.

Here are some actionable key takeaways for agency founders:

• The challenges you face at different stages of growth are unique; always stay one step ahead and plan for the next threshold.
• Problem-solving mindset calls for positivity and transparency.
• Niching down means saying no for a reason. Don’t fear it.
• It is better to be a specialist in a vertical market because you become an expert in helping clients solve problems.

The resources mentioned in this episode are:

- Connect with Manish on LinkedIn Here
- Check out E2M Solutions Here

👍If you liked this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, and be sure to hit the subscribe button! 🔔

😡Frustrated with a lack of results from outbound? I'd like to give you my free 6-day email course that will transform your outbound program from broken to consistently driving new sales opportunities. Sign up here: GetOutboundROI.com.

Chapter Eleven of Anyone, Not Everyone discusses vertical sales and marketing strategies, emphasizing the importance of choosing specific actions and avoiding others.

The chapter breaks down the sales and marketing activities into inbound marketing, outbound sales and marketing, and relationship marketing, providing an approach to reach clients in the active buying process and underlining the necessity of being a top consideration for potential clients.

Reminder that this is a chapter in Corey Quinn’s book, Anyone, Not Everyone. Over the next few weeks, we'll be releasing a few chapters at a time so that you can escape founder-led sales. If you want to read or listen to the entire book today, then visit www.AnyoneNotEveryone.com and pick up a copy.

"Niche is the number one growth accelerator." – Josh Nelson, Mentor & Coach at Seven Figure Agency

Growth can happen in an instant when you’re doing the right things. But when you find the right fit, niche, offering, and vertical, that’s the unfair advantage. Nobody knows this better than today’s guest, who not only coaches agencies on growth, but also grew his own verticalized agency from zero to seven figures in under two years.

This week, we welcome Josh Nelson to the Deep Specialization show with an impressive background. From running two successful businesses (the agency Plumbing & HVAC SEO and the coaching business Seven Figure Agency) to writing two best-selling books, we can’t wait to dive into the learnings Josh has got in store for us.

Today he balances his time between coaching agencies and being the face of Plumbing & HVAC SEO. Impressively, Seven Figure Agency has already helped 118 agencies surpass the million threshold in revenue, and they’re on a mission to help 500 surpass seven figures over the next five years.

Corey and Josh sit down to discuss the genesis of both of Josh’s businesses, and most importantly, to detail how specialized agencies can pass that coveted 7-figure mark through setting up systems for world-class delivery and recurring revenue.

Here’s what we cover in this episode:

- Josh’s founder journey and how he niched down to find growth.

- How to go from strategy to implementation when building your agency business.

- The benefits of verticalization, systematizing onboarding and delivery.

- Why recurring fees is the only way to go (if you ask Josh!)

Here are some actionable key takeaways for agency founders:

- The 3x cornerstones of agency success: Verticalization, unique offering, and pricing that allows for recurring revenue.

- Clients stay for world-class results, you have to have a process to do so repeatedly.

- Put systems in place so your business can run without you for ultimate freedom.

- Hire operations first so you can focus on innovation. Then account, then sales.

The resources mentioned in this episode are:

- Connect with Josh on LinkedIn Here
- Check out Seven-Figure Agency Here

👍If you liked this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, and be sure to hit the subscribe button! 🔔

😡Frustrated with a lack of results from outbound? I'd like to give you my free 6-day email course that will transform your outbound program from broken to consistently driving new sales opportunities. Sign up here: GetOutboundROI.com.

Chapter Ten of Anyone, Not Everyone presents the development of a Vertical Messaging Guide as an essential framework for consistent, high-quality messaging in marketing efforts for a chosen vertical market.

This guide compiles key elements such as the agency’s Point of View, vertical positioning, client attributes, business challenges, intrinsic and extrinsic wins, transformation narrative, and proof points to create a central reference point for crafting impactful marketing strategies.

Reminder that this is a chapter in Corey Quinn’s book, Anyone, Not Everyone. Over the next few weeks, we'll be releasing a few chapters at a time so that you can escape founder-led sales.

If you want to read or listen to the entire book today, then visit www.AnyoneNotEveryone.com and pick up a copy.

"We specialize in B2B and we specialize in the experiences of three things: A better brand that will create a better employee experience and ultimately, a stronger client experience." – Susan Quinn, President and CEO of Circle S Studio

It’s not every day you get to sit down with an agency leader with a career spanning four decades, and running! This week’s podcast guest, Susan Quinn, is not only deeply experienced, but also one of those leaders who spits quotable business wisdom on every turn.

So, let’s get into it.

Susan is the President and CEO of Circle S Studio, an experience agency specializing in B2B and professional services.

A lot has happened since the agency’s inception all the way back in 1999. The company has since grown into a national operation that still today maintains an intentionally boutique status with 16 full-time employees and a roster of trusted contractors.

With 75 clients in any given year, Susan’s agency has delivered hundreds of projects in the realm of B2B marketing. Needless to say, those numbers also contain a wealth of agency management experience from sales to operations and marketing.

Corey and Susan sit down to cover everything from agency marketing tactics, conference approach, attracting the right clients through content, how to lead with purpose, and most importantly, “Do not edit your dreams. Think big, go big and big things will happen.”

Here’s what we cover in this episode:

- Susan’s impressive career spanning four decades.

- Creating frameworks around brand and customer experience.

- Finding the growth path, and how Agency Management Institute helped.

- The invaluable lessons and tips Susan has learned along the journey.

Here are some actionable key takeaways for agency founders:

- Examine what part of your efforts is actually bringing in revenue, and double down on that.

- Find an ecosystem of partners who think differently, helping you find ways to operate better.

- You can diversify your client base while still remaining specialized to mitigate market risks.

- When it comes to marketing the agency, speaking and original research have been the cornerstones of Susan’s success.

The resources mentioned in this episode are:

- Connect with Susan on LinkedIn Here
- Check out Circle S Studio Here

👍If you liked this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, and be sure to hit the subscribe button! 🔔

😡Frustrated with a lack of results from outbound? I'd like to give you my free 6-day email course that will transform your outbound program from broken to consistently driving new sales opportunities. Sign up here: GetOutboundROI.com.

Chapter Nine of Anyone, Not Everyone discusses how crafting a unique Point of View (POV) for your agency provides a competitive edge and serves as a key differentiator in a crowded marketplace.

The chapter guides you through identifying a significant, meaningful problem in your vertical market, framing it against a metaphorical villain, envisioning a transformed future without the problem, and presenting your agency as a bridge to that future, thus creating a compelling and emotionally resonant POV that elevates your agency beyond mere service provision.

Reminder that this is a chapter in Corey Quinn’s book, Anyone, Not Everyone. Over the next few weeks, we'll be releasing a few chapters at a time so that you can escape founder-led sales. If you want to read or listen to the entire book today, then visit www.AnyoneNotEveryone.com and pick up a copy.