Patrick M.

“We can’t afford to mess up a sales call.” Good news: this makes sure you don’t. If you run an agency serving local businesses, you already know the stakes: ✅ Limited sales bandwidth ✅ High churn from missed follow-ups ✅ Inconsistent sales performance across reps ✅ Long ramp times for new hires 👉 And here’s the hard truth: The traditional sales model you’re running for your clients? It is already obsolete. But here’s the good news. ↳ AI is rebuilding sales. One local conversation at a time. → AI can now reduce ramp time for new reps by 30–40% → Reps using AI save 2+ hours per day  → AI-driven coaching increases close rates by 20–30% Imagine this: You're on a sales call. And in your ear, like a coach in the shadows, is AI. ➡️ Guiding you in real time based on proven frameworks like MEDDPICC. ➡️ Suggesting the next question. ➡️ Flagging buying signals. ➡️ Helping reps who have no idea how to respond to objections. After the call? ➡️ AI creates the summary, assigns tasks, schedules follow-ups, and drafts the next email. ➡️ AI builds a custom coaching plan based on what worked in similar deals. ➡️ AI helps you repeat it. At scale. This is what predictable, repeatable revenue looks like. And for agencies? If you build AI-backed sales systems for your local clients, it: ✅ Makes your services stickier by delivering sales outcomes ✅ Adds a new revenue stream with AI integrations, training, and ongoing optimization ✅ Helps your clients compete with larger players without needing huge sales teams ✅ Gives you proof of impact, making sure every improvement is tracked and attributed Because customers don’t even know it’s AI. They just feel like they were heard, helped, and respected.

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7 Comments

Most sellers don’t split-test their main image. Some do it once and stop. The best keep testing—and that’s where the real magic happens. We just ran a second split test on a main image and saw a 7% increase in sales over the previous “winner.” Think about that—many sellers stop testing after one experiment, assuming they’ve found the best image. But what if they’re leaving money on the table? Split testing isn’t just a one-and-done thing. It’s an ongoing optimization process. Your first winning image might be great… but your second (or third) could be even better. And that’s where most sellers miss out. Amazon gives us one of the most powerful tools—Manage Your Experiments—yet it’s massively underutilized. A few simple tests could mean thousands more in sales. So, when was the last time you tested your main image? #AmazonFBA #SplitTesting #ConversionOptimization #EcommerceTips

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19 Comments

Barrel's 2024 new business pipeline recap... - 354 inbound leads (+16% YoY, Q4 highest with 99) - 8 outbound leads (-97% YoY, had 245 in 2023) - 169 initial calls (-3% YoY) - 87 proposals sent (-9% YoY) - 26 new client wins (-4% YoY) - 34% win rate by $ (+24% YoY) +1.5% YoY in new business booked (initial project only) Top Lead Sources by Win $ 1. Former + active clients 2. Directory - Shopify / Webflow 3. Agency partners 4. Friends/acquaintances 5. Website credit link Top Lead Sources by Volume 1. Directory - Shopify / Webflow 2. Agency partners 3. Google search 4. Tech partners 5. Friends/acquaintances Takeaways/observations: - We brought outbound efforts in-house and it didn't do well. But the outbound efforts in 2023 didn't really yield results either, just volume. We engaged a new outbound agency start 2025, so we'll see how it goes. - Do great work and build deep relationship with clients, that'll lead to the highest quality opportunities. True 15 years ago, true today. - Our weekly outreach habit (X contacts per week) is still one of the most impactful activities for staying top of mind with clients, friends, and various partners - Partnerships take time to materialize. Leads came from relationships we seeded years ago. Stay in touch, proactively send leads/opportunity to others, and don't expect anything. - Not pictured here, but retention is key to revenue growth. 2024 was a down year revenue-wise because of some key client churn. While flat on new biz YoY, losing existing clients made a big dent. Big props to Barrel CEO Lucas Ballasy who took over mid-year as Sei-Wook Kim and I transitioned to Barrel Holdings. Lucas and team had a monster Q4 to end 2024. How was your year? How did it compare to 2023 and how's 2025 looking?

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35 Comments

Performance Max claims to "do everything at once." That's exactly the problem. I just watched a client celebrate a 4x ROAS on Performance Max, thinking they'd cracked the code. Then we dug into the data. Performance Max was stealing credit from their prospecting efforts by targeting all three stages of the customer journey simultaneously: Stage 1: New prospects (just discovered the brand) Stage 2: Warm traffic (researching, comparing, adding to cart) Stage 3: Ready buyers (searching brand terms, about to purchase) Here's what was really happening: 70% of Performance Max conversions came from Stage 3 - people who were going to buy anyway. 20% came from Stage 2 - warm traffic that other campaigns warmed up. Only 10% were actually new prospects. So that "amazing" 4x ROAS? It was mostly taking credit for conversions that would have happened regardless. Meanwhile, their actual prospecting campaigns looked terrible because Performance Max was cherry-picking all the easy wins. The same thing happens with Advantage+ on Meta. These "smart" campaigns optimize for the path of least resistance - which means targeting people closest to purchase. You think you're scaling efficiently, but you're actually cannibalizing your own funnel. The solution? Separate your campaigns by funnel stage: Pure prospecting (Low TROAS Non Brand STD Shopping + NonBrand Search / Meta Adv+ with full exclusion and unaware/problem aware/solution aware creative) Engagement campaigns (Demand Gen + NonBrand PMax / Meta Adv+ Product aware/most aware creatives aka offer or review ads etc) Brand/remarketing (Meta retargeting/past customer remarketing/Brand search/Branded Pmax) Measure each stage with appropriate benchmarks like: Prospecting: 1.5x ROAS  Engagement: 3x ROAS Brand: 10x+ ROAS immediately Stop letting Google and Meta's "AI" mess up your attribution. Structure your campaigns properly and you'll actually understand what's driving growth. Are you making this Performance Max mistake too?

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2 Comments

Confused buyers don’t buy. And right now? Markets are more confused than ever. Sales cycles are longer. More people are saying "call me next quarter." It’s not you. It’s the market. So how do SDRs cut through? Personalize everything. Every touch should scream: “I know your problem, and I can solve it.” Multi-thread. More decision makers = more invites. Get them all in the same room at the same time. Bring proof. Case studies. Logos. Real wins. People need evidence. Your client portfolio matters. Outreach is what you're doing. But the value you're delivering is offering clear actionable information. That's what people need now more than ever.

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2 Comments

Most affiliates are making a critical mistake in Pay-Per-Call. They're chasing volume instead of quality. But here's what top performers know... Quality inbound calls are the foundation of sustainable PPC revenue. We're seeing the best results in: → Debt services → Medicare enrollment → Home improvement Why these verticals work: • High intent callers • Better conversion rates • Longer customer lifetime value • Increased payout potential The affiliates' crushing it focus on: 1. Clean traffic sources 2. Inbound-only campaigns 3. Zero transfers 4. Compliance-first approach This isn't about quick wins. It's about building legitimate, scalable systems that last. Our network is actively seeking partners who understand this philosophy. Real businesses. Real callers. Real results. That's what sustainable Pay-Per-Call is built on. #PayPerCall #LeadGeneration #AffiliateMarketing #DirectResponse

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3 Comments