Transition from Agency Owner to Sales Manager with Joey Gilkey

Andrew Dymski, co-founder of ZenPilot, welcomes Joey Gilkey of Sales Driven Agency to discuss one of the most challenging transitions in agency growth - moving from being the primary salesperson to managing a sales function. Joey works exclusively with agency owners to help them build sustainable, scalable sales processes that do not depend on the founder closing every deal.

The Owner-as-Salesperson Trap

Most agency owners are also their agency’s best salesperson. They built the business through personal relationships, deep expertise, and the kind of passion that comes naturally when you are selling something you created. The problem is that this strength becomes a growth ceiling.

Joey explains that the owner-as-salesperson model works well up to a point. But as the agency grows, the founder’s time gets pulled in too many directions. They are managing delivery, leading the team, setting strategy, and still responsible for bringing in new business. Something inevitably suffers - and it is usually either sales consistency or delivery quality.

The deeper issue is psychological. Many agency owners believe nobody else can sell their services as well as they can. And in the short term, they are usually right. But Joey argues that waiting until you find someone who can sell at 100% of the owner’s level means waiting forever.

The 70% Rule

Joey introduces what he calls the 70% rule: agency leaders must accept that a delegated salesperson will likely perform at approximately 70% of the owner’s capability, especially in the early months. This gap is not a failure - it is expected and acceptable.

The math works in the owner’s favor even at 70%. If a salesperson brings in 70% of what the owner could close, the owner reclaims time to focus on strategy, partnerships, delivery oversight, and the other high-leverage activities that drive long-term growth. The agency’s total capacity increases even if individual sales performance dips.

Joey emphasizes that the gap also narrows over time. A well-coached salesperson who understands the agency’s value proposition and ideal client profile will improve quarter over quarter. The 70% starting point is not the ceiling - it is the floor.

Simplifying What You Sell

One of Joey’s most practical recommendations is to simplify the initial offering that a new salesperson needs to master. Instead of expecting a new hire to sell complex, customized engagements, create a low-commitment entry package that reduces the technical knowledge required.

This is where concepts like a “GamePlan” or discovery engagement come in. A focused, fixed-scope, lower-investment entry point lets the salesperson focus on communicating value and building trust rather than navigating the technical details of a full engagement. Once the client enters through the front door, the delivery team can expand the relationship based on demonstrated results.

This approach also reduces risk for prospects. A smaller initial commitment lowers the barrier to saying yes, which increases the salesperson’s close rate and builds their confidence during the critical early months.

Coaching Sales Without Micromanaging

Joey draws an important distinction between outcome-focused coaching and activity-based coaching. Many agency owners who transition into a sales management role default to tracking activities - calls made, emails sent, proposals delivered. While these metrics have their place, Joey argues that outcomes should come first.

The right coaching approach starts with results: are deals closing? Is revenue growing? Is the pipeline healthy? If the outcomes are positive, the specific activities matter less. Only when results lag should a manager dig into the activity metrics to diagnose what is happening at each stage of the process.

This approach respects the salesperson’s autonomy while maintaining accountability. Nobody wants to be micromanaged on daily call counts when they are consistently hitting their numbers. Conversely, when results are falling short, activity data provides the diagnostic lens to identify where the process is breaking down.

Building the Process Before Hiring the Person

Joey stresses that the biggest mistake agency owners make is hiring a salesperson before documenting their sales process. If the owner has been closing deals through instinct, relationships, and improvisation, there is nothing repeatable to hand off.

Before making the hire, agency owners should document their sales process end to end: how leads enter the pipeline, how they are qualified, what the discovery conversation looks like, how proposals are structured, and how deals close. This documentation does not need to be perfect, but it needs to exist. A new salesperson with a documented process and mediocre natural talent will outperform a talented salesperson with no process to follow.

The Owner’s New Role

The final part of the conversation addresses what the agency owner’s role looks like after the transition. Joey frames it as a shift from individual contributor to coach and strategist. The owner’s job becomes pipeline management, deal strategy for key accounts, coaching conversations with the sales team, and building relationships at the partnership and referral level.

This transition is not easy - it requires letting go of the identity tied to being the closer. But it is the only path to building an agency that can grow beyond the owner’s personal capacity.

Resources Mentioned

• Joey Gilkey on LinkedIn - Founder of Sales Driven Agency
• Sales Driven Agency - Sales consulting for agency owners