Do you often find yourself giving strategy away for free, burying it inside larger scopes, or treating it as a one-off exercise rather than the foundational work it truly is?

In this episode of The Agency Blueprint, I’m joined by Anastasia Laskey to discuss one of the biggest challenges agency owners face: selling the value of strategy. Anastasia is the founder and president of Ground Control Research. She has helped agencies transform how they deliver pitch and price strategy by bringing insights, structure, and clarity to what can often feel like a fuzzy, abstract-oriented process.

Listen in to learn how to price, pitch, and communicate strategy more effectively to command premium fees while also differentiating from competitors. You will also learn how to slow down and diagnose the client’s real problems, quantifying the business impact, and tying strategy to revenue, growth, or risk mitigation.

Key Questions:

• [01:19] How can you reframe the strategy conversation so clients see it as a business essential, not a “nice-to-have”?
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• [03:34] Are you spending enough time diagnosing your client’s problem before pitching solutions?
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• [17:26] Do you have scalable options for strategy to match different types of clients, or are you reinventing the wheel every time?
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• [21:37] Where does AI fit into your agency’s strategy process—are you using it to replace critical thinking or to enhance workflows?
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• [24:51] Do your clients “not get strategy,” or are you failing to illuminate its value in their language?

What You’ll Discover:

• [01:44] Why framing strategy around problem-solving resonates more with clients than simply positioning it as a first step in a process.
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• [03:44] Why skipping problem diagnosis undermines agency confidence and creates client objections later in the process.
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• [06:47] How asking smart discovery questions reveals blind spots, which immediately shows clients the importance of strategy.
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• [09:17] How to act from abundance, not scarcity, and be willing to walk away from clients who won’t align on the value of strategy.
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• [11:48] The three phases of strategy: gathering insights, turning them into a strategic POV, and delivering tangible outputs that guide implementation.
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• [14:36] The importance of tailoring strategy to client context; what works for a multimillion-dollar campaign won’t fit a small launch.
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• [17:47] How to decouple the core process from the size of execution, offering tiered options to standardize and scale strategy delivery.
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• [22:19] Why AI should be a workflow accelerator, not a replacement for human insight, curiosity, and precision.
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• [25:01] Debunking the myth that “clients don’t get strategy”—the real issue is agencies failing to illuminate their value in the client’s language.

Connect with Anastasia

How do you transform sales conversations into a client’s self-discovery journey? Selling agency services doesn’t have to be pushy, complicated, or overwhelming; it simply needs to be intentional.

In this episode of The Agency Blueprint podcast, we share a repeatable four-step sales playbook that any agency owner can use to win more clients without relying on high-pressure tactics. We show you how to create excitement during the qualification call, build deep trust during the discovery call, rationalize the emotional decision during the proposal stage, and confidently manage objections in the follow-up.

Don't miss this episode to equip yourself with actionable strategies to simplify sales, close higher-value deals, and stop competing solely on price.

Key Questions:

• [01:35] What’s the real purpose of your first sales conversation: selling or qualifying?
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• [04:05] How do you avoid letting prospects take control of the call and turn it into an interview?
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• [12:28] Are you sending proposals by email instead of presenting them live (and losing deals because of it)?
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• [18:11] Is every step of your sales process intentional, with a clear purpose, or are you treating all calls the same?

What You’ll Discover:

• [01:35] Why the purpose of the qualification call is not to sell but to create excitement, gauge fit, and leave prospects wanting more.
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• [02:17] The importance of asking smart questions to show authority without overwhelming or overexplaining too early.
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• [04:05] Why agency owners must stay in charge to avoid turning a sales conversation into an interview.
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• [06:03] Understanding sales as a trust-building process where each step deepens the relationship with the prospect.
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• [07:42] How to allow prospects to articulate their failed past attempts so you can validate their struggles and position your agency as the solution.
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• [10:34] Why the proposal call is a chance to rationalize an emotional decision, not start selling from scratch.
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• [12:28] Why live presentations are crucial for maintaining context and momentum as opposed to emailing proposals.
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• [16:09] How to ask prospects directly if they feel comfortable giving a yes or no during the call, plus the importance of doing follow-ups.

Does running your agency feel like an endless cycle of choices? The constant weight of decision-making can drain your energy, slow down your team, and ultimately put a ceiling on your agency’s growth.

In this episode of The Agency Blueprint, I discuss the real cost of decision fatigue and the dangerous habit of training your team to rely on you for every answer. I also explain how to categorize risk into low, medium, and high levels, allowing you to determine which decisions to delegate, collaborate on, or retain personally.

Don’t miss this episode to learn why, when you stop holding onto every decision and start trusting your team, your agency becomes more agile, scalable, and resilient.

• [00:31] How often do you feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices you need to make each week as an agency owner?
• [04:18] Are you unintentionally training your team to depend on you for every answer instead of empowering them to think for themselves?
• [09:53] What areas of your business could you vacate (not abdicate) to allow your team to step up and grow into ownership?
• [12:25] When delegating, are you clear about whether you want research, recommendations, or full implementation?

What You’ll Discover:

• [01:21] How decision fatigue creates bottlenecks that slow your team down and drain your energy as a leader.
• [04:18] How agency owners unintentionally train their teams to rely on them for every decision, and how to break the cycle.
• [05:05] The 1-3-1 framework – a simple but powerful method to retrain your team to bring solutions instead of problems.
• [06:40] How to categorize decisions into low, medium, and high risk to guide your delegation process.
• [08:49] How fostering a solution-oriented culture encourages your team to explore ideas, test solutions, and bring ownership to the table.
• [11:06] How to delegate outcomes rather than just tasks, giving your leadership team the autonomy to think and act strategically.
• [12:25] The different levels of delegation and how to decide which approach is right in each scenario.
• [13:17] The importance of creating a safe space for your team to try, fail, and learn without fear of harsh reactions.

How do you approach hiring even when you’re not ready and it feels financially uncomfortable? How do you know you’re making a calculated investment in your agency’s future versus just taking a reckless risk?

In this episode of The Agency Blueprint, I discuss how hiring before you're ready can actually be a strategic growth move, not a reckless one. I explain whether your hiring decision is solving yesterday’s backlog, today’s bottlenecks, or tomorrow’s strategic gaps.

Don’t miss this episode to learn how to determine whether your hiring need is temporary or ongoing, and how to quantify the associated risk.

Key Questions:

• [00:52] Is your hire solving for a real bottleneck that’s holding back future growth?
• [04:05] Are you hiring to fix yesterday’s overload, today’s bandwidth, or tomorrow’s opportunity?
• [07:32] Is the risk you're considering actually a smart one that leads to measurable ROI?

What You’ll Discover:

• [01:50] The importance of building a fiscal framework to remove any hiring fear and uncertainty.
• [03:11] Practical tools for calculating the worst-case scenario of a hire and how to frame the financial loss vs. opportunity cost.
• [04:05] Three hiring motivations buckets—yesterday’s problem, today’s need, and tomorrow’s growth.
• [05:43] How strategic hires can directly impact long-term growth by solving deeper client retention or upsell issues.
• [07:32] How to evaluate whether your hiring decision solves a meaningful strategic need and has direct revenue potential.
• [10:41] Why you should have at least two months of operational expenses in reserve, beyond the cost of the new hire.
• [11:25] The importance of defining what success looks like and deciding now how you’ll evaluate ROI.
• [12:29] Why the hire should know exactly what they're walking into and what success means from day one.
• [14:04] Why hiring with a clear plan and intention can be exactly what your agency needs even before you’re fully ready.

How do you move from taking whatever business you can get to building a purpose-driven, aligned client base? The right-fit client base fuels not only revenue but also passion and long-term fulfilment.

In this episode of The Agency Blueprint, we discuss how agency owners can stop chasing clients and start choosing them. We also explain why it’s time to stop being a generalist trying to appeal to everyone and take a bold positioning, even if it means turning some people away.

Don’t miss this episode to learn about the power of authentic storytelling to your audience, which builds connection and trust!

Key Questions:

[02:14] Who is your true Ideal Client Profile, and what do they really care about?

[04:20] Can you name a client you didn’t enjoy working with? Why?

[05:36] Are you afraid of repelling potential clients by taking a clear stand in your messaging?

[11:44] Where does your ideal client actually spend their time, and are you showing up there?

[17:40] Can your story of failure help someone avoid the same mistake?

What You’ll Discover:

• [02:14] Defining your Ideal Client Profile (ICP): demographics, psychographics, buying triggers, and decision-making structures.
• [04:20] Why defining who you don’t like working with can often be more revealing than listing who you do.
• [05:36] Why taking a strong position in your messaging, even at a cost, makes you magnetic to the right clients.
• [06:55] Understanding how your ideal client makes buying decisions helps you mirror their process and build trust faster.
• [08:24] Why tailored positioning isn’t a marketing tactic but how you build seamless, mutual trust and fit.
• [09:44] How choosing the right clients allows you to enjoy your work without the dread of toxic interactions.
• [11:47] How to map your client's professional environment so you can market more strategically.
• [13:00] How a small niche craft business scaled massively by starting in one Facebook group and expanding consistently.
• [15:04] How being more human and vulnerable in your content helps build authentic connections and trust.
• [17:40] The power of authentic storytelling in increasing audience trust and helping potential clients feel more connected.
• [19:44] When you stop chasing and start choosing your clients, your business becomes more impactful and joyful.

Have you learned to differentiate between keeping a team motivated and keeping them engaged without burnout? If your default is more meetings and perks without building the foundations of real alignment, consistent communication, and sustainable systems, you will lose great people.

In this episode of The Agency Blueprint, I discuss how to build a thriving, purpose-driven team that doesn't just work for you but grows with you. I also explain how to create sustainable, high-performing teams through clarity, communication, and trust-building systems.

Don’t miss this episode to learn more about how feedback loops, transparency, and a culture of fast failure and experimentation can drive massive innovation!

Key Questions:

• [01:00] What does it look like to reduce headcount, increase freedom, and still grow your business?
• [02:20] Are you brave enough to let your team opt in or out of your vision?
• [03:26] Could a lack of transparency be costing you trust and true buy-in from your team?
• [08:24] Are you creating intentional spaces for your team to give you feedback, and do you actually want to hear it?
• [09:37] Have you normalized failure in your company culture, or do your people feel punished when things don’t go perfectly?

What You’ll Discover:

• [02:20] Alignment over control. How to align your team with your vision and with transparency to build trust.
• [04:58] The importance of consistent communication as the key to keeping your team aligned, informed, and motivated.
• [07:41] Why sharing your struggles and wins can help your team feel seen, inspired, and aligned.
• [08:24] The power of not only requesting feedback but wanting it, even when it stings, because it’s the fastest path to growth.
• [09:37] Build a culture of quick iteration and open dialogue around failure to help teams grow and innovate effectively.
• [11:32] How a multi-tiered incentive system creates powerful alignment and peer-driven accountability.
• [12:45] The systems we have implemented to reduce redundancy, increase asynchronous communication, and automate work.
• [14:50] The trial process that helped implement a permanent four-day workweek and how the team policed itself.
• [16:47] Understand that your team needs clear goals, autonomy, and meaningful systems to thrive, not more pressure.

Do you still treat onboarding as an afterthought, even though it sets the tone for long-term success in your agency? It’s time to rethink your onboarding.

In this episode of The Agency Blueprint, we discuss why rushed and inconsistent onboarding not only undermines team confidence but also becomes a bottleneck to scale. We also discuss the five non-negotiables framework, a repeatable, role-based onboarding strategy that ensures transparency, accountability, and competence.

Don’t miss this episode to learn how intentional onboarding builds confidence, speeds ramp-up time, and creates a resilient team foundation!

Key Questions:

• [01:26] Have you observed new hires forgetting critical information or making repetitive mistakes?
• [03:55] Have you ever thought about how much your turnover is costing you?
• [08:37] Do you have clear metrics for new hire progress, or are milestones vague and frustrating?
• [15:14] Are you documenting your trainings and FAQs in a way that allows new hires to self-reference instead of interrupting your workflow?

What You’ll Discover:

• [01:52] How rapid-fire training during high-anxiety periods leads to forgetting 70 % of key information, a recipe for mistakes.
• [04:21] Why onboarding must include introductions, role clarity, and integration with your team’s culture.
• [07:45] The “five non-negotiables” framework per role as the foundation for repeatable onboarding.
• [08:37] A weekly rollout plan: training, dry runs, shadowing, then full live execution—designed for safe skill building.
• [11:23] How a roadmap with clear timing expectations empowers new hires to own their progress and ask for help at the right time.
• [13:43] Understand that even top-performing hires benefit from being slowed down during onboarding.
• [15:14] The importance of investing in recording training, creating SOPs, and building sandboxes for new hires.
• [16:57] Onboarding is a serious investment, and doing the hard work upfront gives your hires the tools they need to perform.
• [19:06] Understand that strong onboarding systems reduce team dependency and build cross-team confidence and clarity.

Are you struggling to make tough business decisions without second-guessing yourself? You’re not alone; many creatives struggle with balancing human connection with data-driven clarity.

In this episode of The Agency Blueprint, I’m joined by Bill Coletti to discuss the interplay between fear and data in entrepreneurship, especially during pivotal decision-making moments. Bill is the founder of Kith.co and SCT Leadership, a seasoned entrepreneur, strategist, and author of Critical Moments. With decades of experience navigating global political campaigns and leading reputation management for brands like Target and American Airlines, Bill now dedicates his expertise to helping founders evolve into CEOs.

Listen in to learn why basic understanding of financials is essential as a mindset shift when evolving from freelancer to CEO. You will also learn in detail the emotional and psychological challenges that come with leadership, hiring, and entrepreneurship.

Key Questions:

• [01:27] How has fear—especially self-doubt—shaped your entrepreneurial journey?
• [04:42] Were there moments when data helped you manage or even intensify your fears?
• [09:39] How can creatives, who often dislike data, still use it effectively without sacrificing their creative edge?
• [19:11] How have you helped people to see where fear or logic is their guiding financial decision-maker?
• [22:00] What’s the worst possible outcome of your next big decision, and are you okay with it?
• [34:20] What if you stopped judging your emotions and started observing them instead?

What You’ll Discover:

• [02:02] Bill’s internal fears during early entrepreneurship, including impostor syndrome and leaving the safety of a big firm.
• [04:55] How data became essential when he planned to exit his company, transitioning from a practitioner to a high-level operator.
• [07:39] The importance of not losing sight of humanity when relying on data, because numbers impact people.
• [09:57] How to keep communication simple and tie data directly to vision and execution as a data-averse creative.
• [11:36] The danger of creatives who ignore financials and how it turns businesses into hobbies.
• [13:50] The two major revenue inflection points—$300K and $1M—and what changes at each level.
• [17:28] Understanding what parts of financial management you can outsource and what parts you must still understand.
• [19:53] How a scarcity mindset can paralyze even a well-capitalized business from investing in growth.
• [23:53] How founders often double down on bad decisions to protect their ego, and how to break that pattern.
• [27:42] Why smooth sailing might not be teaching you anything and how challenges can become fuel for evolution.
• [31:08] How visualizing future success can re-energize your present and dissolve fear-based hesitation.
• [32:46] Understand why emotional self-awareness—not just strategy—is at the heart of great leadership.
• [34:42] How combining self-exploration with professional competence creates a balanced, effective leader.

Connect with Bill:

• Website
• LinkedIn