"We've operated in over 30 states in Europe, Mexico and Canada. The Cannabis Creative Group has absolutely taken off like wildfire." – Dan Serard, VP of Sales and Marketing for Cannabis Creative Group

Let’s take a deep dive into a vertical that certainly is anything but dull. This week's guest, Dan Serard is a trailblazer in cannabis marketing and has stories to tell in setting up agency services for cannabis companies.

As the VP of Sales and Marketing for Cannabis Creative Group, Dan was invited to set up the vertical by Champ, a full service agency founded back in 2008. While the parent agency offers everything from branding, website design, social media, search engine optimization, paid advertising, and social media, CCG saw an opportunity to specialize in the weed industry.

Why cannabis?

In addition to the co-founders sharing a passion for the industry, cannabis was about to be legalized in the state of Massachusetts. So they called up Dan, and the rest is history.

Between legislations and stringent restrictions to even perception, cannabis isn’t a simple vertical for agencies to master. This week, Dan and Corey discuss everything from carving out a vertical for a highly regulated product, dreaming up a standalone event brand for industry networking, and the building blocks that made CGC the success that it is today.

Here’s what we cover in this episode:

• Starting the cannabis vertical at an agency.
• The quirks of the industry and navigating restrictions.
• How CCG grows through thought leaderships, partnerships, trade shows, and more.
• Building community for long-term success.

Here are some actionable key takeaways for agency founders:

• GTM skills, even from a different industry, is a great skill set for sales leaders.
• Try to find spaces where you can show up first to gain an unfair advantage.
• Be active at industry associations; it’s a space not all agencies play in.
• Be the connector between clients and prospects at industry events to build community.

The resources mentioned in this episode are:

• Connect with Dan on LinkedIn Here
• Check out Cannabis Creative Here

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😡Frustrated with a lack of results from outbound? I'd like to give you my free 6-day email course that will transform your outbound program from broken to consistently driving new sales opportunities. Sign up here: GetOutboundROI.com.

Chapter Eight of Anyone, Not Everyone outlines a four-step process for developing a distinctive vertical positioning, ensuring your agency stands out in the marketplace. It involves identifying key attributes that your vertical clients desire, plotting these attributes to find your unique "white space," and crafting a vertical positioning statement that encapsulates your agency’s distinct place in the client’s perception.

This strategic positioning is not a static tagline but a dynamic, buyer-focused guide for your agency’s messaging and differentiation in the market.

Reminder that this is a chapter in Corey Quinn’s book, Anyone, Not Everyone. Over the next few weeks, we'll be releasing a few chapters at a time so that you can escape founder-led sales.

If you want to read or listen to the entire book today, then visit www.AnyoneNotEveryone.com and pick up a copy.

"The average small business uses over three dozen different pieces of software to run different aspects of their business." – Jeff Tomlin, Co-Founder & CMO of Vendasta

If you had to summarize Vendasta’s marketplace for small and medium sized agencies, it would be, in Jeff’s words, “Business in a box”.

Vendasta gives 80k+ agencies a full-stack platform to rebrand and resell online services to local business clients, granting them the scalability of a SaaS recurring revenue model. Simplifying operations, the company lets agencies acquire, retain, expand and manage clients all in one place, removing many of the pain points agencies face as they’re looking to grow their business.

Jeff joins The Deep Specialization Podcast to share his 17-year founder journey, going from building solutions for the media vertical and reputation management software to shaping up what Vendasta is known for today: a central online growth hub for agencies.

Jeff and Corey dive into topics like finding product fit, building Vendasta, successes and failures, as well as invaluable leadership lessons accumulated along the way.

Here’s what we cover in this episode:

• Vendasta’s 17-year journey and Jeff’s background.
• Typical inefficiencies in running a small business tech stack at an agency.
• The audacious goal Jeff’s team is working towards.
• Differentiation and positioning.

Here are some actionable key takeaways for agency founders:

• If you’re offering solutions, building a suite can 3x retention rates.
• As you grow, be mindful of your growing tech stack and how to manage it.
• Embrace agility as a young organization, and don’t be afraid to fail.
• Don’t get caught up in the minutia of operations, build workflows with tech, instead.

The resources mentioned in this episode are:

• Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn Here
• Check out Vendasta Here

👍If you liked this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, and be sure to hit the subscribe button! 🔔

😡Frustrated with a lack of results from outbound? I'd like to give you my free 6-day email course that will transform your outbound program from broken to consistently driving new sales opportunities.
Sign up here: GetOutboundROI.com.