Building an Agency Sales Team w/ Joey Gilkey
Joey Gilkey is CEO at Sales Driven Agency, and he helps agencies "fire yourself from sales" by building out core components including sales processes, sales technology, hiring and training salespeople, and equipping them with sales assets.
Joey has built in the region of 350 agency sales operations and driven nearly half a billion dollars in agency revenue.
When Should You Hire Your First Salesperson?
Joey discusses the key indicators that signal when it's time to bring on dedicated sales support, and whether agencies need all foundational elements in place before making that hire.
What to Look for When Hiring
Joey looks for 2-5 years of experience and favors attitude over aptitude — seeking someone who is hungry, wants it, and has something they want to achieve in their life.
Even agency salespeople in the digital space often don't know how to sell agency services effectively, don't know the tools, or how to close a sale with the right people, or conduct a first-time appointment or assemble a proposal.
Training Your Sales Team
Joey believes he should be the one to train salespeople on product knowledge and the sales process. Training covers everything from understanding the agency's services to closing techniques specific to the digital marketing space.
Compensation Strategies
In the Fire Yourself Academy, there are ten different compensation plans available:
- If you have a ton of inbound, you don't need to pay a salary
- If you have a mix of inbound and outbound, you want a combination of base and commission
- A hybrid approach that cushions the risk on both sides and gradually reduces the salary and increases commission over time
The discussion covers tactics that have generated over $10 million in sales for his clients, focusing on sustainable and scalable growth through sales tactics that don't require agency owners to be directly involved in every sale.