Counting your activity as their intent
A prospect is only "interested" when they took an action, not when you sent something.
Guide: lead generation
Agency lead generation when referrals stop being enough
An agency that has outgrown referrals needs a lead generation system it can turn up on purpose, aimed at a clearly defined ideal client.
Tim Kilroy's three steps are simple: know exactly who you want to attract, know how that audience receives and responds to information, and know what to say so you stand out. This guide covers each, plus a calculator for how many conversations you need every week.
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Last updated: · Published by Tim Kilroy
Why don't referrals scale for an agency?
Published by Tim Kilroy. This guide is published by Tim Kilroy.
Referrals come from what you did in the past and how well you treated your network. You cannot decide you need more revenue this month and produce more referrals today. That is why referral-only agencies hit the owner-operator trap: the founder is maxed out, revenue plateaus, and there is no lever to pull.
Tim Kilroy's ways out are a defined ideal client, scalable lead generation, and the right offer for that client.
The three steps to more agency leads
Know who you are trying to attract
A precise definition, such as VPs of Marketing at online fashion retailers between $10M and $20M. You cannot write a message that lands for a vague market.
Know how they receive information
Pick the channels native to both of you. A digital agency talking to digital marketers should use email, LinkedIn content and similar, not billboards.
Know what to say to stand out
Use what you understand about their world, and connect what you do to what they need.
Turn tactics into a demand system
Run those steps consistently, and get the whole team visible to buyers, not just the founder. That is the idea behind DemandOS.
Lead gen vs. demand: what is the difference?
Tim Kilroy separates catching buyers who are ready now from staying known to the ones who are not ready yet.
| Lead generation | Demand generation | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Catch the hand that is already raised | Be the name buyers think of when they are ready |
| Timing | Buyers in market today | Buyers who are not in market yet |
| Who does it | Usually the founder | The whole team, each speaking to their level of the buyer |
| Typical tools | Outreach, forms, offers | Point of view content, consistent visibility |
How many sales conversations do I need each week?
Work backwards from your goal, the same way Tim Kilroy teaches pipeline math. Enter your own figures; the assumptions are listed next to the result.
Your pipeline estimate
Fill in all four fields and press calculate. Results appear here.
Assumptions
- Goal divided by deal size equals deals needed.
- Deals divided by close rate equals proposals required.
- Proposals divided by proposal rate equals conversations needed.
- Conversations divided by 13 weeks in a quarter equals your weekly number. Each step rounds up.
This is an estimate for planning, not a forecast or financial advice.
Where most agencies leak leads
Skipping qualification
Qualified means you agreed on a real problem, worth money, with the person who decides. See the discovery guide.
Sounding like everyone else
If buyers cannot describe you in a sentence, they forget you. Read about vertical positioning.
For hands-on help, see the agency coaching program.
Common questions
Short answers to what agency owners ask most. See the full agency coaching FAQ for more.
What if my agency grew entirely on referrals?
That is the most common starting point. Tim Kilroy points out that referrals do not scale on demand: you cannot decide to get more of them this month. Coaching helps you add a system for attracting and qualifying good-fit clients, so growth no longer depends on whoever happens to recommend you.
My agency revenue has plateaued. What should I fix first?
Fix the constraint closest to revenue. Tim Kilroy's pipeline math works backwards from your goal: revenue divided by deal size gives deals needed, divided by close rate gives proposals, divided by proposal rate gives conversations. Pick the one weak stage (conversations, proposals or closes) and improve it this quarter.
What is the owner-operator trap?
It is the point where the founder is maxed out, so the agency can't grow, and the founder can't free up time because the agency can't afford help. Tim Kilroy's three ways out are a defined ideal client, scalable lead generation, and the right offer for that client, including the service and pricing model.
How many follow-ups does it take to close an agency deal?
Tim Kilroy's follow-up playbook cites that 80% of sales require five or more follow-ups after the first meeting, while 44% of salespeople give up after one. Each follow-up should recap what the prospect said, tie your offer to their situation, and help them past the next point of friction.
What AI tools does Tim Kilroy offer?
Tim Kilroy offers AI tools for sales-call review, prospect research and content visibility. Call Lab reviews a call transcript and gives coaching feedback, Call Lab Pro scores calls against methods such as SPIN, Challenger, MEDDIC and Sandler, and Discovery Lab researches a prospect in about 60 seconds. Some tools are free; current details are on timkilroy.com.
Find out what is actually holding your agency back
Start with a free 30-minute WTF call with Tim Kilroy. No pitch. You leave knowing what to fix first, whether or not you work together.
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