The 4-Step Sales Process Methodology I Use to Grow My Agency
The biggest lie agency founders believe about sales is that they can close a deal in one call.
They think they can run an audit, tell a prospect everything that’s wrong with their marketing, give them a price, and send over a contract.
And then they wonder why they get ghosted.
I’ve been there. One of the things I had to learn as I grew Directive was how to build a sales process that could consistently close larger deals without requiring me to handle every conversation.
Today, we use a four-step sales process methodology at Directive. It’s also the agency sales process I recommend to the owners I coach through Agency Academy.
I don’t care if you’re selling $3,000 services or $50,000 engagements. If you want to improve your sales process, increase your close rate, and eventually get out of founder-led sales, you need to get these four calls right.
Step 1. The Intro Call
I have a rule for CEOs. No fires and no intro calls.
Your account executive (AE) should be handling your intro calls. And if you’re still taking every single one yourself, you need to figure out when you’re going to make your first sales hire.
Here’s my recommendation.
When you’re averaging around 10 intro calls a week, start hiring. Bring someone in, have them shadow you, and start training them.
By the time you’re getting 15 intro calls a week, roughly three a day, your AE should be ready to take over.
Now, that first call has two objectives.
First, explain what makes your agency different.
I don’t want to hear that you’re better than every other agency. Everyone says that. I want to know what actually makes your approach different and why a prospect should care.
Second, conduct proper discovery.
Your AE needs to ask the right discovery questions.
- What are the client’s objectives?
- What’s their budget?
- When are they looking to make a decision?
- Who else is involved in making that decision?
That last question is especially important.
I want my AE title-matching me with the prospect. If a manager is talking to my AE, I want their VP on the next call with me.
The AE’s job is to qualify the opportunity and get the right people into the next conversation.
Step 2. The Methodology Call
The second call is where I want you, as the CEO or solution seller, to show up.
I call this the methodology call because this is where you explain how your agency actually approaches the work.
Every agency says it has great people, great results, and great service. That’s not enough to differentiate yourself.
You need a methodology.
Ideally, you’ve built your agency around a specific customer archetype. You understand that customer exceptionally well, and you’ve designed your services and delivery model around the problems they need solved.
That’s what your methodology deck should communicate.
You should also have a deal strategy. Think through the prospect’s business, what they’re trying to accomplish, and how your approach applies to their situation.
You’re selling the prospect on how your organization thinks and operates before you get into the specific recommendations.
And if your AE didn’t get the budget during discovery, try to get it here.
I don’t want my team spending hours building an audit and proposal without understanding what the prospect can realistically afford.
Step 3. The Audit and Pitch
Here’s another rule.
Every pitch has a price.
Between your methodology call and your third meeting, you need access to the systems required to audit the prospect’s business.
At Directive, that might mean GA4, Google Ads, LinkedIn, Meta, or the backend of their website.
Whatever you’re selling, you need enough information to understand the opportunity, scope the work, and quote it accurately.
On the third call, walk the prospect through your findings.
Show them what you’re seeing, explain what you would change, and present your recommendations with an actual price.
This is also where your sales team structure matters.
I want three people involved in this conversation.
- Your AE, who owns the relationship and sales process.
- Your CEO or solution seller, who explains the strategy and recommendations.
- Someone from operations, who understands the services and deliverables you’re proposing.
If you’re pitching work that your operations team is going to deliver, having someone who understands that delivery involved in the conversation is valuable.
You should leave this meeting having presented your audit, validated your scope, and explained exactly what the work will cost.
Now, here’s where a lot of agencies screw up.
They finish the pitch, email the contract, and hope the prospect signs it.
I don’t recommend that.
Step 4. The Statement of Work Review
I hate getting ghosted.
You’ve spent three calls building a relationship, understanding the business, and putting together a proposal. Why would you leave the final conversation to an email?
Maybe another agency came in cheaper. Maybe the prospect has questions about your pricing. Maybe they don’t understand something in the agreement.
You won’t necessarily know any of that if you just send over the contract.
That’s why I recommend a fourth call specifically for the statement of work (SOW) review.
Your AE should lead this meeting, with the solution seller joining if necessary.
Walk through the actual agreement. Explain the deliverables, review the pricing, answer questions, and reinforce the value of what you’re proposing.
You also need to understand what happens after the call.
Does the agreement have to go through procurement? Does legal need to review it? Does finance need to approve the expense? Is there another decision-maker who needs to sign off?
These are things you need to know.
If you’re using a statement of work example to build your own process, make sure the scope, deliverables, pricing, and terms are clear enough to walk through together.
I want to leave that fourth call knowing exactly what needs to happen for us to get a signed agreement.
How to Close More Deals Without Doing All the Selling Yourself
One of the reasons I like this four-step sales process is that it gives everyone on your team a specific responsibility.
Your AE handles discovery and qualification. You or your solution seller own the methodology and strategy. Operations helps validate the work during the pitch. Then your AE takes the agreement across the finish line.
That’s how you start removing yourself from every sales conversation while still making sure prospects understand what makes your agency worth hiring.
And again, I don’t care if you’re selling $3,000 services, $5,000 retainers, or $50,000 engagements.
You still need to understand the client’s needs, communicate your differentiation, validate your pricing, and work through the contract.
If you’re trying to close more deals, I’d start by making sure you’re doing those four things consistently.
Ready to Build a Sales Process That Closes More Deals?
This is the process we follow at Directive and the one I teach agency owners I coach. It’s how you build a more mature sales organization, move upmarket, and create a more predictable pipeline.
For more of my advice on sales, operations, and what it takes to build a profitable business, connect with me on LinkedIn. If you’re serious about growing your agency and want to work through those challenges with me, check out my Agency Academy coaching programs.
