I want you to think about this question for today’s episode of Sell With Authority: what’s the real cost of saying “yes”?

Every time you add another service, take on an iffy-fit client, or chase a trend just because “every agency is doing it” — you’re adding more weight onto your team.

At first it doesn’t feel heavy, but over time the load builds. And eventually, growth stalls — not because you’re not working hard enough, but because you’re carrying too much of the wrong stuff.

That’s why agencies get stuck in money-draining mistakes — like throwing darts at a board and calling it strategy, selling everything to everyone, or constantly chasing clients instead of magnetically attracting the right ones.

Here’s the thing — even some of the most successful agencies in the country have been there.

Our guest expert today, Dr. Mark Young, Founder and CEO of Jekyll+Hyde Labs, built one of the nation’s top challenger brand agencies. But eventually, he realized they were diluted — saying yes out of fear instead of strategy.

So, Mark did something bold. He set what author Dr. Benjamin Hardy calls an “Impossible Goal” — $100 million in revenue in just three years. Not 15. Not 10. Three. And then he used that Impossible Goal like a scalpel. If it didn’t align, he cut it.

The results? Within weeks Jekyll+Hyde shed bad-fit clients, won bigger ones, and began scaling with conviction — not fear.

Today, Mark is here to share how you can apply the same lessons inside your own agency.

Hannah Roth, our Director of Strategy and Mad Scientist, is here too. Hannah’s in the trenches every day with our Predictive clients, and she leads all of our experiments inside the Predictive Lab. It makes perfect sense to bring her into this candid conversation.

This episode is packed full of takeaways you and your team can put into practice right away.

• Why saying “yes” can quietly stall your growth
• How to to identify the invisible costs of overcommitting to clients, services, or trends
• How to use an “Impossible Goal” as a strategic lens to simplify decisions, eliminate distractions, and focus your entire team on what truly moves the needle
• Ways to recognize when your agency is diluted — and the proven steps Dr. Mark Young took to reclaim focus, authority, and profitability
• Why most agencies optimize what shouldn’t exist — and how to confidently cut services or clients that don’t align with your strategy

• Website: https://jandhlabs.com/
• LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markyoungwci/
• LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jekyll-and-hyde-labs/
• HYPNO-TISING: The Secrets and Science of Ads That Sell More…: https://www.amazon.com/HYPNO-TISING-Secrets-Science-That-Sell/dp/1544526091

For this episode of Sell With Authority I am thrilled to bring you Part 2 of my interview with Dr. Mark Young, Founder and CEO of Jekyll+Hyde Labs.

During Part 1, Mark dropped a rock-solid challenge: “What are you teaching — and not doing yourself?”

He reminded us that fear-based choices dilute our value. But when we decide from opportunity and cut what anyone else can do — that’s where real progress starts.

Mark reframes selling with a simple but powerful mindset: always be the buyer. Make prospects prove the fit. Make it a privilege to work with your agency. Saying no isn’t weakness — it builds respect.

And value? It’s not a transaction. The more you give, the more reciprocity flows back.

Those lessons set the perfect stage for Part 2 — where we dig into how to raise the floor inside your agency and commit to “impossible” goals that drive real scale.

Mark shares examples, frameworks, and behind-the-scenes details you don’t want to miss.

We keep the momentum going so you can make yourself an easy yes for right-fit clients who value your expertise — and want what you do best.

• Why setting an “impossible goal” — and compressing your timeline — forces clarity
• How to use time as a tool instead of an obstacle
• How Mark decided what to cut and ditched commodity services
• The powerful “Always Be the Buyer” mindset
• What it means to “raise the floor” inside your agency
• How Mark’s team confidently says “no” to wrong-fit business, and still earns respect and long-term pipeline abundance
• Strategies for building an agency that other agencies want to work with

• Website: https://jandhlabs.com/
• LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markyoungwci/
• LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jekyll-and-hyde-labs/
• HYPNO-TISING: The Secrets and Science of Ads That Sell More…: https://www.amazon.com/HYPNO-TISING-Secrets-Science-That-Sell/dp/1544526091

Today’s episode of Sell With Authority is a special encore with one of our rock solid awesome guests — Tom Martin, Founder and President of Converse Digital.

For more than 30 years, Tom’s been helping startups, agencies, and global brands revolutionize how they sell. He’s the author of The Invisible Sale, creator of the Painless Prospecting program, and a keynote speaker you’ve likely seen at Build a Better Agency, Content Marketing World, Inbound, and more.

Tom is on a mission to help agencies ditch pushy sales tactics and instead lean into persuasion, influence, and trust. His latest framework, Life’s a Pitch, is a masterclass in why most pitches fail — and how to craft ones that win.

I didn’t want to have this conversation without Hannah Roth — Predictive’s Director of Strategy and our in-house Mad Scientist. Hannah works alongside our clients every day refining positioning, sharpening pitches, and leading experiments inside our Predictive Lab.

Tom is back joining Hannah and I to help you reframe your pitch process — and win more right-fit clients.

• Why 90% of your pitch is forgotten within 2 days — and how to break that pattern for good
• The real difference between trust and credibility and how to architect both in your pitch
• Why most agencies still “show up and throw up” and how to change that
• The neuroscience and cognitive load theory that reveal why your pitch probably isn’t landing
• How to build a “yellow brick road” your prospects will want to follow straight to yes
• Practical ways to reduce risk for your client
• How to avoid flashy slides that distract — and lead with substance that sticks in their minds instead

• Website: https://conversedigital.com/
• LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommartinjr/
• LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/conversedigital/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/TomMartin
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ConverseDigital
• Agency Business Development Resources: https://conversedigital.com/agency-business-development-resources
• Painless Prospecting Newsletter: https://conversedigital.com/painless-sales-prospecting
• Building Connections That Matter: LinkedIn Sales Prospecting Strategies For Introverts
• How To Sell Your Agency’s Services Even When You Hate Selling