If you’ve been here before, you know at Predictive we’re all about helping agency owners sell more of what they do for a higher fee. That’s why I’m super excited for today’s conversation — because I have the privilege of introducing you to our guest expert, John Heenan.

If this is your first time meeting John — he’s an agency new business expert who rolls up his sleeves and works directly with small to mid-size agencies to refine their biz dev strategy, build out their teams, and execute in a way that wins new business.

Recently, I was reading through John’s blog, and one particular post stood out to me: The Business Development Dilemma. In it, he wrote, “In the agency business — standing still is moving backward. The agencies that will win are those that take proactive steps now to grow and evolve.”

I couldn’t agree more!

After reading his post, I immediately reached out to John and invited him to join me on the podcast — so we could dig deeper into the dilemmas he outlined.

The reality is that the way we go to market, serve our clients, and even how our clients measure success has shifted. And the way we integrate all of this into our biz dev strategy is critical to ensuring that your agency isn’t just another option — but the only option.

Delivering great work is one thing. Teaching and selling from a position of authority — so you’re the only one in the room — is quite another.

If you take and apply the insights John shares — you won’t be caught standing still.

Instead, you’ll be positioning your agency to sell more of what you do in 2025.

• Why John believes agency mergers and acquisitions will spike, boosting agency prospects in 2025
• How agencies are moving toward full-funnel capabilities that combine both performance and brand
• How data management agencies are evolving into comprehensive customer experience providers
• Knowing your agency’s DNA to leverage your biz dev strategy
• Ways to be ready for market changes
• Key factors for crafting a distinguished agency positioning strategy

Resources:

• Website: https://jheenan.com/
• LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jheenan/
• LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jheenan-consulting/

I am over the moon excited to have today’s brilliant guest expert returning to this episode of Sell With Authority. If you’re meeting Marcel Petitpas for the first time — he was my guest generously sharing his wisdom in episodes 95 and 111 of the SWA podcast. He’s off the charts awesome!

If you don’t already know Marcel, he’s the CEO and Co-Founder of Parakeeto — and an expert on agency profitability.

Today, we dive deep into a critical topic: why scaling your agency without keeping a close eye on profitability can actually do more harm than good.

Marcel shares his smarts around the intricate world of profitability traps —those sneaky pitfalls that can quietly erode your margins if you’re not paying attention — and secretly derail your agency’s success.

We explore cash flow traps — how payment terms and project timelines can create cash crunches if you’re not careful.

We also break down the myth of revenue versus AGI and why a $10 million agency with razor-thin margins might need to operate more like a $1 million shop to stay healthy.

If you’ve heard him before — you know Marcel backs up his insights with numbers and examples. He goes by the math to illustrate all of the key points in detail.

So grab your notepad to double down on strategies that will help you sell more of what you do — and drive agency profitability.

• The difference between cash and accrual accounting — and why getting it wrong will set you back
• How to recognize and navigate the cash flow traps that could be sabotaging your agency’s profitability
• The misleading nature of revenue figures and the significance of focusing on AGI (Agency Gross Income)
• Why simply having more clients or projects isn’t a surefire way to increase your bottom line
• How payment terms might be quietly eroding your cash reserves — and what you can do to rectify it
• Smart strategies for structuring contracts and payment schedules to improve financial predictability
• The psychological shift you need to make to step away from the trap of a false sense of financial health

Resources:

• Website: https://parakeeto.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcel-petitpas-20059588/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/agencyprofitability
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Parakeeto
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getparakeeto/
• Agency Profit Toolkit
• Software as a Science: Unlock Limitless Recurring Revenue Without Losing Control

I am super thrilled to welcome back today’s encore guest, Karl Sakas. If this is your first time meeting Karl, he was the brilliant guest expert back in Episode 79 of Sell With Authority, where we dug into his expertise on helping agencies work less and earn more.

In that episode, Karl and I broke down three key pieces of the biz dev process — niche, refining and delegating. In this encore interview, we take it further. We peel back even more layers of biz dev and then connect it directly to operations.

Wondering why you and your team should care about this conversation?

Recently, Hannah, Erik, and I were working with a client here at Predictive, helping them map out what we call the HERO Offer — and then shaping all the sales language they’d use to tee it up in a conversation with a right-fit prospect. Everything was rolling. Great momentum.

And then — we hit resistance.

So we tapped the brakes and asked, “Wait, what’s happening here?”

After some digging, we realized the HERO Offer wasn’t fully aligned with how their team actually operated and delivered work. That moment was a huge Ah-Ha! Had we not paused and had that candid discussion, selling more would’ve just meant more chaos.

So — this episode is about calming the chaos in your agency. Karl breaks down the root causes of chaos inside an agency as well as how to fix it — so you can make it easier to deliver the services your right-fit clients need — and easier to sell more of what you do.

• How to identify and define chaos in your agency
• The root causes of chaos
• Why the three A’s of communication are pivotal for organizational success
• The importance of syncing your biz dev processes with operations
• A framework for making delegation effective
• Strategies to handle leadership challenges and drive profitability
• Advanced retrospectives for vision-setting and strategic growth

Resources:

• Website: https://sakasandcompany.com/
• LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlsakas/
• LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sakas-&-company/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SakasAndCompany/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/KarlSakas
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/SakasandCompanyTeam/
• Calm the Chaos: 10 Ways to Run a Better Agency: https://sakasandcompany.com/lp/calm-the-chaos-book/
• Steps in the Sales Process, with Karl Sakas