I’m excited to welcome our guest expert to this episode of Sell With Authority, Mark Duval. If this is your first introduction to Mark — he founded The Duval Partnership back in 2007 and brings over 25 years of client-direct biz dev experience to the table. Mark and his team specialize in helping agencies design and implement smart, strategic growth initiatives — from new client acquisition to organic growth and diversification.

When Mark and I first connected, we started talking shop. Biz dev challenges, what’s working, what’s broken, and what agency leaders are wrestling with right now. In that conversation, Mark dropped two letters that stopped me in my tracks.

P. X. — Prospect Experience.

That’s the lens Mark and his team use to help agencies get razor-sharp clarity on their go-to-market strategy, how they’re nurturing leads after that first conversation, and how they’re moving opportunities forward — without it ever feeling like a hard sell.

As Mark unpacked PX, I thought — holy bananas — this is gold!

Once I saw how PX worked I knew we had to share it with our audience on Sell With Authority because — what if your agency could turn your consistently inconsistent biz dev efforts into a repeatable, smooth cadence that actually feels good to your prospect — and still drives results?

If you take and apply what Mark shares in this episode — you’ll be in a stronger position to raise the bar of excellence in your agency’s PX, and that alone can make selling feel less like selling — and more like serving.

• How “PX” or Prospect Experience, can be your agency’s secret weapon for attracting, nurturing, and converting right-fits
• Clarity around the three critical questions every agency must answer
• How to orchestrate each touchpoint so prospects are wowed at every stage
• The difference between service-focused and solution-focused messaging — and why it matters if you want to stand out
• Concrete strategies to ensure your outbound and nurture efforts are consistent, relevant, and measured for results
• How to proactively own your go-to-market approach
• The pitfalls of info@ email addresses and outdated voicemails
• The details that silently kill deals

• Website: https://duvalpartnership.com/
• LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duvalgroup/
• LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duvalgroup/
• The Agency News Business Blog: https://info.duvalpartnership.com/blog
• Services: https://duvalpartnership.com/services-for-agency-new-business/

Before we hit record on today’s episode of Sell With Authority, my team and I went deep. We poured over research, we sifted through data, and we asked ourselves a simple question:

What do agency leaders need most right now?

Agency leaders who’ve done the hard work to niche down, to plant your flag, to be known for something — but your content still isn’t converting the way it should — we built this episode for you.

Across the agency landscape, a lot of smart, capable leaders are quietly pulling back. Frozen. Waiting for clarity. Wanting to be bold — but afraid to make the wrong move.

We’ve been there.

But here’s what we also know — because the data backs it up: Agencies that lean in, that make progressive decisions in uncertain times, are the ones that build resilience. Predictability. Trust. And growth — even 10x growth in some cases.

That’s why I’m so excited for you to hear from today’s returning guest expert Sara Hanlon, co-founder of Peer Sales Agency. Sara is sharp, no-nonsense, and has a gift for helping B2B agencies get off the content hamster wheel and start building true momentum.

Her focus? Not selling harder, but showing up smarter.

Also joining is our very own Director of Strategy and Mad Scientist, Hannah Roth. If you know Hannah, you know she’s in the trenches every day with clients — helping them position their expertise, price their value, and build authority that generates demand.

We unpack exactly how to lead with clarity, show up with generosity, and make your content strategy start pulling its weight.

No hype. No guesswork. Just clear, practical insights to help you conquer uncertainty and roar through 2025.

• What it takes to stand out and build trust with authority-driven content
• How to unify sales and marketing to drive consistent biz dev, stronger retention, and more referrals
• The most important meeting cadence and agenda to keep your team accountable and collaborative
• Why you should lean into your prospects’ pain
• The research-backed difference between agencies that freeze and those that double down
• How to align your goals so that you are showing up as a strategic partner — not just a vendor

• Website: http://www.peersalesagency.com/
• LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahanlon/
• LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/peer-sales/
• How to Create a Successful Buyer’s Journey, with Sara Hanlon

Welcome to the Sell With Authority podcast. I’m Erik Jensen, co-owner and Chief Strategy Officer here at Predictive ROI.

If you’ve been a longtime listener, you might be wondering, where’s Stephen’s voice?

Don’t worry, there hasn’t been a coup. This isn’t a mutiny. Stephen’s daughter is graduating, and we lovingly kicked him off the mic for the next few weeks so he can fully enjoy that special time with his family. We miss him — but we’ve got you covered.

We built this podcast specifically for you — the agency owner looking to sell more of what you do, in a way that builds a more scalable, more sustainable business — regardless of whatever challenges might be around the next corner.

Today’s episode is the final installment in our four-part series on the four reasons agencies struggle with sales — and more importantly — how to fix them.

I’m excited to sit down again with Hannah Roth, our Director of Strategy and resident mad scientist. Hannah and I are in the trenches every single day, working with agency owners to tackle the issues that keep them stuck.

Sales is almost always one of those issues.

In this episode, we dive into what we call the practice problem.

Why does every sales call feel like the first time? Why do we expect to nail the pitch, but never actually practice it? In any other part of business, that would be nuts.

But in sales, it happens all the time.

So today, we’re going to break that pattern. We unpack how to build a sales process you can actually improve, how to create a system for feedback and iteration, and how to show up to your sales calls ready — not rusty.

• The #1 reason agency sales calls always feel new — and how to fix that with one rock solid framework
• Why practicing your sales process matters as much as practicing any craft
• The 3.5-step process to running a winning sales call — and where most agencies get it wrong
• The “Help Me Understand” question framework that turns every discovery call into a trust-building, opportunity-finding powerhouse
• How to use flashcards, role-play, and real-world feedback to refine your sales message and increase your close rate
• Why practicing out loud is the best way to show up confidently

• Website: www.predictiveroi.com
• Visit our newly expanded Resource Library
• Join us in our free How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline Facebook Group
• Erik’s LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-jensen-b9946068/
• Hannah’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-roth-387a6b223/
• Order your free paperback or Kindle copy of our Book: Sell with Authority