If your agency’s growth feels stuck, chances are you’re facing one of the most common bottlenecks: founder-led sales. Corey Quinn, a seasoned agency expert, knows how to break free. With 17 years of experience, Corey helped scale Scorpion from $20M to $150M, becoming the #1 salesperson for 19 consecutive quarters and mastering the art of agency growth.
Now, Corey shares his insights to help other agencies simplify, specialize, and build scalable systems that work beyond the founder’s network.
But before we proceed, don’t forget that this episode is brought to you by videocasestory.com. Click here if you need help collecting, crafting, and delivering customer stories.
Breaking the Dependency on Inbound Leads
Relying solely on inbound leads and referrals can limit an agency’s potential, as Corey explains. At Scorpion, his team realized they couldn’t sustain growth by waiting for the phone to ring. Instead, they innovated with outbound marketing strategies, including the now-famous gift-based approach. Sending gourmet cookies via FedEx helped bypass gatekeepers and warm up prospects, proving that creative outreach can transform cold calls into meaningful conversations.
Specialization: The Key to Scalable Success
Corey emphasizes the importance of deep specialization, focusing on specific vertical markets to simplify operations and enhance client retention. At Scorpion, this approach led to the creation of dedicated business units for industries like legal and home services, each with tailored strategies and expertise. By reducing variability, agencies can improve results and build long-term client relationships.
Sales and Marketing Alignment
A seamless connection between sales and marketing is critical for growth, but it’s not without challenges. Corey shares how his initial attempt to formalize this relationship with a Service Level Agreement (SLA) fell short. Instead, he leaned on strong relationships and collaboration to ensure both teams worked in sync, leading to better outcomes and a cohesive strategy.
Learning from Clients: What Works and What Doesn’t
Corey highlights the importance of understanding why clients choose or don’t choose your agency. By conducting win-loss interviews and gathering feedback, agencies can refine their processes, strengthen their messaging, and address gaps in their services. This approach ensures you stay client-focused and continuously improve.
Steps to Escape Founder-Led Sales
To truly scale, agencies need systems that work independently of the founder. Corey outlines three critical steps:
- Deep Focus on a Vertical Market – Choose a niche and tailor your offerings to dominate it.
- Empathetic Messaging – Understand and address the specific needs of your audience with authenticity.
- A Repeatable Sales Process – Build systems that consistently attract and convert clients.
From gift-based outbound marketing to creating a unique point of view, Corey’s strategies provide a roadmap for agencies to scale sustainably.
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