Most agency owners believe their biggest challenge is getting more leads, but the truth is, that their sales process is broken.
Aaron Levenstadt, founder of Agency Alliance, has worked with countless agencies that struggle with closing deals, not because their offer is weak, but because they’re losing clients during the sales conversation.
In this episode of the Garlic Marketing Show, Aaron reveals why most sales calls fail, how to fix your sales framework, and why you don’t need more leads to grow your agency.
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.
The “Three W’s” That Make Sales Calls Effortless
Most agencies interrogate prospects on calls. They ask too many questions upfront, making potential clients feel defensive. Others let the client lead the conversation, which results in confusion and no decision-making.
Aaron’s “Three W’s” framework eliminates the confusion and instantly makes sales calls more effective:
- Why this? – Why should the client care about this problem?
- Why now? – Why is it urgent? What’s happening in their business that makes this the right time?
- Why you? – What makes your agency the only choice?
By structuring sales calls around these three points, agencies stop overwhelming clients with questions and instead guide them toward a decision.
The Big Sales Mistake That’s Costing Agencies Clients
A common claim among agency owners is: “We close 90% of the people we talk to.”
That might sound great, but Aaron points out that this is often a red flag.
Most agencies only count the deals they formally pitched, ignoring the leads that never got that far. They assume they need more cold leads, when in reality, they’re failing to follow up with past prospects.
Instead of chasing new leads, agencies should focus on reactivating lost ones. Often, the difference between a deal closing and a deal dying isn’t interest, it’s timing. Agencies that have a strong follow-up system close more deals without needing more leads.
Why Hiring a “Rockstar Salesperson” Won’t Fix Your Revenue
Many agency owners assume they need to remove themselves from sales to scale, so they hire a high-ticket salesperson to handle everything.
Aaron warns that this rarely works.
Bringing in a sales rep won’t fix a broken sales process. If agency owners don’t have a clear system for sales, hiring someone else just creates more problems.
The right approach is to build a repeatable sales framework, train internal team members to take on parts of the sales process, and slowly step away rather than abruptly handing it off.
How to Scale Without Relying on New Leads
The biggest misconception in agency growth is that more leads = more revenue.
In reality, agencies that scale successfully focus on:
- Positioning themselves as specialists, not generalists. Narrowing your niche allows you to charge more and attract higher-quality clients.
- Pricing services correctly. Undercharging is one of the fastest ways to sabotage agency growth.
- Building trust before the sales call. By the time a client is on a call, they should already believe you’re the right agency for them.
Instead of spending all your time on outbound marketing, focus on optimizing the leads you already have.
Most agencies don’t need more leads, they need a better sales system.
If your agency is struggling to close deals, it’s not a marketing problem, it’s a sales process problem. Fixing how you structure sales calls, follow up with leads, and position your agency will generate more revenue without chasing cold prospects.
Watch the full episode now, and make sure to leave any questions or comments you have about the episode.