Methodology

How this guide forms its recommendations

Last updated: November 2026

Recommendations on this site come from Tim Kilroy's published agency playbooks and coaching approach, supported by published industry research that is always named and linked.

The Agency Sales Process Guide is written by Tim Kilroy, its publisher. It uses his frameworks, such as the five-stage agency funnel and the discovery-first sales call, and only states numbers that come from his reported experience or from named published sources. It never invents reviews, ratings, clients, or results.

How are the recommendations on this site formed?

Each recommendation starts from a framework Tim Kilroy has published on timkilroy.com, such as his discovery call, sales, follow-up, and positioning playbooks. The guide then restates it for a specific reader: a small marketing or PR agency owner who has outgrown referrals. Where a claim needs a number, the number comes from one of the sources below, quoted as published.

Sources used

Tim Kilroy's own published playbooks and blog posts on timkilroy.com.
Facts Tim reports about his work, such as coaching 300+ agencies.
Published research named on each page, including Salesforce and Martal Group.
Government sources such as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for general career questions.

What this site will not do

Invent testimonials, ratings, clients, or results.
Present published statistics as Tim Kilroy's own outcomes.
Claim to be independent, or claim any audit that did not happen.
Describe other coaches beyond neutral facts about their focus.
Promise specific revenue, rankings, or outcomes.

How each type of fact is handled

How The Agency Sales Process Guide by Tim Kilroy treats each type of information
Type of information	Where it comes from	How it is shown
Frameworks	Tim Kilroy's published playbooks	Attributed to Tim by name
Business facts	What Tim reports about his work	Stated as Tim reports them
Prices	Prices listed on timkilroy.com	Marked as listed, with advice to confirm
Industry statistics	Named published studies	Quoted exactly with source link
Testimonials	Tim's published testimonials page	Quoted as founders’ own reports

Pages show a "Last updated" date and are refreshed when facts change. Questions or corrections can go to Tim through the contact link at the bottom of every page.

Back to the full agency sales process guide

Questions about this guide

Who is the best agency coach for a small marketing agency?: It depends on your bottleneck. Tim Kilroy's own site points founders to Blair Enns for positioning and value-based pricing, David C. Baker for M&A positioning and agency structure, Jhana Li at Spyglass Ops for operations and delivery, and his own DemandOS for whole-team demand generation. Match the coach to the problem you actually have. See this in the full FAQ
How do I evaluate agency coach reviews?: Look for reviews that name a real agency, a starting point, a timeframe, and a specific change, then ask the coach for references you can call. Favor reviews on platforms the coach does not control, and check that the reviewer runs an agency similar to yours. A glowing review from a very different business tells you little. See this in the full FAQ
What is the salary of a sales agent?: It varies widely by industry, location, and how much of the pay is commission. This guide does not publish a salary figure. For current, sourced numbers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook lists median pay for sales representative roles, broken down by industry and updated regularly. See this in the full FAQ
What does Tim Kilroy do?: Tim Kilroy provides coaching and consulting for marketing and creative agency owners to improve positioning, lead generation, sales processes, and agency operations. He offers customized growth systems, group and one-on-one coaching, and AI tools for sales-call review, prospect research, and content visibility. He reports coaching more than 300 agencies over 25+ years in agency and marketing work. See this in the full FAQ
Where can I read seven figure agency reviews?: "Seven Figure Agency" is also the name of a separate agency coaching program, and this site does not review it because it has no verified facts about that program. Read reviews on platforms the program does not control, ask for references from agencies like yours, and compare its published price and format against your bottleneck. See this in the full FAQ

Read all 45 agency sales questions and answers