“I built out a cold outreach methodology around heuristics, which is a series of pattern interrupts, or shortcuts.” Justin Michael, Co-Founder of Hard Skill Exchange

Ready for a different perspective on sales outreach?

This week’s guest is an executive sales coach who has helped over 200 startups make over their outbound efforts by leaning into the unexpected.

Justin Michael is a best-selling author of the book “Sales Superpowers” and the Co-Founder of Hard Skill Exchange, the world’s first real-time 1:1 skill-building marketplace.

After spending some 20,000 hours (his words, not ours!) on cold calls, he started mapping out what it took to get to predictable outcomes and what made prospects open to the pitch. And so, Justin’s bespoke methodologies were born.

If you’re currently in an agency sales role, this episode is a goldmine for you. While some advice may feel counter-intuitive, like doing unscalable work, such as relationship-building to scale your agency, Justin’s tried and tested strategies render results in the long-term.

Justin and Corey get into topics like cold outreach, building relationships with prospects, Justin’s newest book, and tapping into disruptive thinking like combining sales with the law of attraction.

Here’s what we cover in this episode:

- Catching prospects’ attention and why doing the wrong thing, like grammatical errors in sales emails, can be effective.

- How to approach cold prospects in a manner that doesn’t repel them.

- Unconventional ways of getting in front of your target accounts.

- Scaling sales with the law of attraction, and the most ‘controversial book written in B2B.’

Here are some actionable key takeaways for agency founders:

- Try to pattern interrupt when doing outreach, for example, humans respond much better to visual information.

- Opening lateral conversations that mimic a real-life interaction helps disarm prospects.

- Take two or three discovery calls before you try to pitch.

The resources mentioned in this episode are:

- Connect with Justin on LinkedIn Here
- Check out Hard Skill Exchange 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 Thirteen of Anyone, Not Everyone discusses vertical inbound marketing strategies, emphasizing the need for agencies to be easily discovered by potential clients who are already seeking solutions. It advises on thought leadership through content marketing, visibility through speaking at and hosting events, and targeting through paid advertising.

The chapter stresses that a proactive approach to marketing—going beyond passive inbound tactics—is crucial for agencies aiming to secure their desired clientele. 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.

“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.