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

Michael, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

What it takes to be successful has been answered a thousand different ways; I think the only requirement is a general or loose goal and a sacrifice. What do I want to do, and what am I willing to give up to get there? Good people help, too
A bit over two years ago, I wanted to make more money–a common goal for a lot of people. I had just been hired as a barista at a coffee shop. I was making $10/hr plus tips; just enough to cover my rent and expenses, nothing left over at the end of the month. Clocking in on time, showing up to cover shifts, doing the tasks others didn’t want to, working shifts others didn’t sign up was the sacrifice. Displaying my love and knowledge for coffee, and my charismatic people skills came easy. A few small raises came, and on my one-year review I was promoted to the manager. I made a little more money and was “successful”. But what did I *really* give up? Not a whole lot, and my success was measure the same.

A few months into my role at Growth Marketing Media, I felt comfortable and confident enough to take my own lead. Our sales goal for the end of 2024 was aggressive (2x our MRR in 8 months) and I truly didn’t think it was possible. But the people around me said it was. I locked myself in, worked 12 hour days, made relationships with clients that held value and usefulness. I didn’t go out, I didn’t take a day of PTO, I worked sick, I worked exhausted, I put every ounce of everything I had into the work that I was doing; devoted myself to what I was doing 110%. I filled up my car for the first time in 3 months without even realizing I had barely used it. On December 29th of 2024, we hit our sales goal.

From this experience I have learned more than I could’ve ever set as a “goal”. The goal of “making more money” was reached, but who cares? The true success was felt in the self-limitations I shattered, the trust I gained in others as I learned to delegate, the passion I found in myself for working with businesses, the relationships I built not only with the amazing members of my team, but also with myself.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m 27 years old and live in Fort Collins, Colorado. I dropped out of college twice, and lead a team of phenomenal Customer Success Managers and manage a great list of happy clients.

I fell into the position of account manager at Growth Marketing Media through a happenstance referral from a friend. The CEO, Cameron Sprenger, took a chance on me and it paid off.

I’ve advanced from CSM to leading a team of CSMs and managing our bigger clients.

The biggest thing that I am proud of is the difference that we make in the lives of our clients. There are so many marketing companies that love to hide behind the smoke and mirrors that SEO and marketing can be. We provide a bullet proof, transparent service with a proven track record of killer results. There is nothing better than hearing “We were with XYZ marketing company before you, and since working with you, leads have gone up, calls are up, my guys have work and I’m hiring another crew. I see myself on the first page of Google, and we have made real, and significant, money.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

There is nothing better than a testimonial; whether that’s a Google review from a happy customer that helps boost your ranking in the list of companies on a search, or a video testimonial of a client expressing how happy they’ve been with what they’ve gotten out of our company.
On a sales call, being able to *show* someone “Hey, you’re in the same spot that John was, here’s what he has to say about his choice to go with us over someone cheaper/different.” There really isn’t a better way to show your value.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Retainment is my entire focus, the sales team isn’t going to offset a 20% monthly churn rate in this industry. So in order to grow a list of clients, a huge focus needs to be set on retaining the ones that you have. The most effective strategy, I have found, has been communication. And I don’t mean an automated email that gets sent out to tell the person that their GBP is ranking #3 here and #7 there, or that there have been 3 blogs posted this month on their website; I mean conversations about family, about hardship, about life. I have told clients aspects of my life in ways I haven’t with some friends, and I’ve heard stories of bankruptcy, divorce, funerals, you name it. Building relationships with clients, not out of profit-motive, because you truly care about them has been impactful.
Clients cancel services, friends don’t, so make *real* friends.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://growthmarketingco.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-lammers-83978a285/
• Other: [email protected]