2 builders who never spoke to each other · contested
Aim at one industry and accept the smaller market
Specialising means the prospect reads your name and concludes you are the obvious hire, which lifts close rates even as it shrinks the pool. Where the industry cannot be narrowed, narrow the deliverable instead and sell one thing rather than a menu.
Where this splits
Members disagree on whether to narrow at all: specialists close better, but one reports generalist agencies earn more, and another says secure reliable lead flow first.
side 01 · 4 claims
Aim at one industry to be the obvious hire
Glen Allsopp · Zach Swinehart
- 1Aim your agency at one industry so the prospect reads the name and concludes you are the obvious choice, accepting a smaller market for a much better close rate.
- 2If you will not narrow the industry, narrow the service instead and sell one deliverable rather than a menu.
- 3Decide the niche and the profile of the client you want before writing a single outreach email, because targeting drives the result more than copy does.
- 4Before selling a new service, write down which type of client will get the most out of it, so the offer is aimed at a defined buyer instead of anyone who answers.
side 02 · 2 claims
Generalists earn more, and lead flow comes first
Glen Allsopp · Zach Swinehart
- 1Know what the generalist route costs before choosing it: an agency without a niche can earn more but usually needs offices, an international presence and a sales team brokering large deals.
- 2Get a dependable flow of leads working before you narrow your service down, so specialising does not put the pipeline at risk.
What it returned
- $12.1M
Chris Dreyer's Rankings.io, serving personal injury lawyers, reached $12.1M with five straight Inc 5000 listings and 156% three-year growth. PlumberSEO reported $3.3M in 2017 with 78% three-year growth and $5M by 2020, on a .net because the .com was taken. Glen Allsopp adds that niching also makes clients happy to hire from outside their own area.
- $40
Glen Allsopp built six-figure profits selling $40 audit videos and later took the same offering up to $8,000.
Glen Allsopp says general agencies clearly make more than specialised ones, and that the overheads involved are the reason he never wanted that model himself.
Swagemakers only committed to social media alone once her training sessions were already producing leads.
Sources
- The $122Bn SEO Industry: 32 Success Stories (with Revenue Numbers) for 2024 - Detailed.comGlen Allsopp · detailed.com · Building a Profitable SEO Agency (Based on Personal Experience) · 2023-01-23 · dissenting
- [Coaching: Brad #12] Affiliate Management Success, Checklist for Client Outcomes + Launching Beta Tests - Double Your FreelancingZach Swinehart · doubleyourfreelancing.com · [Coaching: Brad #12] Affiliate Management Success, Checklist for Client Outcomes + Launching Beta Tests · 2024-02-23 · dissenting
- Episode 91: Going From Employee → 6-Figure Freelancer → Productized Service Provider → Selling Digital Products — In the TINY Dutch Market! With Kim Swagemakers - Double Your FreelancingZach Swinehart · doubleyourfreelancing.com · AI-Generated Summary: · 2023-11-13 · dissenting
- Episode 144: How To Get to $200K/Yr With Automated, Value-First Outreach at Scale - Double Your FreelancingZach Swinehart · doubleyourfreelancing.com · AI-Generated Summary: · 2024-09-02 · dissenting
the second source
Three plays a week, for the phase you are in
No roundup of links, no news. Three tactics more than one builder arrived at separately, with the numbers each one returned and the disagreements left in.
More in sales
- Charge for it before it exists6 unconnected
- Book the buyer calls before you write any code6 unconnected
- Package more of what you own into sellable slots6 unconnected
- Interview customers when sales stall, not buy traffic5 unconnected
- Borrow credibility from the customers you have5 unconnected
- Keep a named list of dream accounts and work it5 unconnected