The Deep Specialization™ Podcast
Everyone knows the power of focus in business, but not everyone knows how to do it well. On this show, you'll hear from 7, 8, and 9-figure founders and executives who've been wildly successful by taking a vertical or multi-vertical approach to growing their business.You'll hear stories about how they started, what they did to grow their business and ultimately what made them a success. If you're thinking about focusing your business on one or more verticals, this show is for you.
The Deep Specialization™ Podcast
Growth Through Strategic Acquisitions w/ Sam Shepler
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"Acquiring a service you want to offer helps your company leapfrog years of trial and error. " – Sam Shepler, Founder of Testimonial Hero
We welcome back Sam Shepler, Founder of Testimonial Hero, a global video testimonial company that helps B2B SaaS companies close more deals through customer stories.
After a quick recap on what Testimonial Hero does (listen to episode 55 for part one), Corey and Sam get into the topic of acquisitions. Testimonial Hero recently acquired a company named Case Study Buddy that, just as the name suggests, provides written customer content like case studies.
Sam’s clients kept asking for case studies and written content as a service, and the fastest path to offering that at the level of quality Testimonial Hero’s clients expected was to acquire a shop that already knew the ropes.
Beyond the acquisition, Corey and Sam also cover topics like productizing services, sales process, and leadership lessons.
Here’s what we discuss in this episode:
- Testimonial Hero’s latest acquisition of Case Study Buddy.
- The evolution from video-only to various forms of customer content.
- The various types of customer content Testimonial Hero offers.
- Agency sales challenges and how to navigate them.
Here are some actionable key takeaways for agency founders:
- Customer testimonials accelerate sales cycles because they build trust.
- Challenge your preconceived notions as a leader not to miss out on business opportunities.
- Successful M&A calls for the right timing, alignment, and mutual respect, so start building relationships early on.
- For mentorship, seek out advice from people at a level you want to reach next; people who are several years but not decades ahead of you.
The resources mentioned in this episode are:
- Connect with Sam on Linkedin Here
- Learn more about Testimonial Here
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