We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jasz Joseph. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jasz below.

Jasz, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Some of the most interesting parts of our journey emerge from areas where we believe something that most people in our industry do not – do you have something like that?

I always say that my business model stems from the old saying “the shoemaker’s kids never have shoes.” Agency owners spend so much time building their clients’ businesses that they rarely have the time, energy, and focus to work on their own business. I worked in the agency world for years and every CEO I worked for would stand up at an all-team meeting and say “we have to treat ourselves like a client.” They would refer to the amazing marketing campaigns we had put together for our clients and the lack of marketing materials we have for our own business. Following that meeting, everyone would quickly get to work on marketing initiatives for our agency. Within a day or two, a client fire would arise and all of the internal agency marketing initiatives would get pushed to the back burner to make room for our client’s needs. This happened over and over again.

The secret that so many agency owners do not realize is that the top agencies outsource their own sales and marketing efforts. They know that working on their own business is too close for comfort and will never be prioritized internally so they turn to an expert to handle it for them. Alongside saving them money, when you work with an agency to support your agency, you get a broader view of expertise and learn what is working for similar companies.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I develop systems and growth strategies that allow boutique agencies and consultants to start generating an influx of sales-ready leads. I worked for mid-sized agencies for years and through that process realized the old saying “the shoemaker’s kids never have shoes” holds true. It is hard to hit your sales and marketing goals when you’re spending all of your time helping your clients achieve theirs. Our proven three-step approach to business growth can help.

Most of our clients come to us because 90% or more of their business thus far has been via referrals and word of mouth. Referral business is a blessing and a curse because, while it is easy to close, you never know where your next sale is coming from or when it will arrive. This gives a lot of business owners anxiety because they do not feel like they have a pipeline of leads they can pull from when they are ready to grow their revenue.

We focus on a community-building approach first and foremost. Unlike other agencies who will promise you X sales calls per week, we help you build a network of supporters and fans. We create content that attracts your target audience often before they even have a problem that they need you to solve. This way, when an issue arises, they immediately think of your company, and working with you feels like a no-brainer. Your prospects do not speak to competitors or vet other solutions. They simply pick up the phone and call (or email) you. I will be the first to tell you that our approach is a longer game than people who promise to book sales calls for you, however, it is more sustainable and profitable too. I mean, who wants to be on a million cold sales calls every week anyway? Not me.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

I host free monthly events for agency owners and consultants. These have, by far, been my best lead generator and conversion tool. As I mentioned earlier, I believe community building is the strongest tool in today’s marketing world. Trust is at an all-time low and we have to create relationships with people before we even think about selling to them. Because of that, I do my best to provide as many free and low-cost offers to my network as possible. Often, these look like partnering with experts to lead workshops on business-building tactics. Sometimes these look like virtual networking events and business owner masterminds.

A lot of people are worried to give value away for free but, honestly, I have found that to be the best way to grow your business. By offering free resources, I not only generate new clients but I also generate fans who spread the word about me and introduce me to new prospects. You can’t ask for better sales people than that.

Does your business have multiple or supplementary revenue streams (like a ATM machine at a barbershop, etc)?

Alongside my core business, I run a networking group called Let’s Work Network. We bring together online entrepreneurs to build profitable businesses that support a life of purpose, balance, and well-being. I primarily refer to Let’s Work Network as my “passion project,” partially because it was built with so much love and intention and partially because it does not bring me much income at all. I do it because it is incredibly needed.

Networking has been the #1 way I have grown my business over the past three years of full-time self-employment. Through all of this, felt like something was missing in the small business networking space and it was my job to fill it. I often felt like these groups kept me on the hampster wheel of entrepreneurship always wanting more, more, more. You would come to a meeting and share a big win in your business and then immediately be given tips on how to keep the momentum going or be asked what you were planning to do next. It was all created with good intent but it left me on the verge of burnout and feeling like I could not show up as my full self.

Let’s Work Network blends personal and professional life because, let’s be honest, when you run a small business it is impossible not to. We talk about business-y things like sales, marketing, pricing, and software. We also talk about meal prepping, parenting while running a business, prioritizing joy, and making time for personal goals. I could rave about the network all day long but, transparently, I cannot take much credit for how amazing it is. I created the container but our founding members built the energy inside the network. Without their authenticity, willingness to share, and constant flow of ideas, we would be pretty lame.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jaszrae.com & www.letsworknetwork.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaszjoseph/

Image Credits
Diana Galay Photography