How to Build an Agency with HighLevel and AI

TL;DR

Start prospecting through business owners already in your warm network, offer a simple free trial, and demonstrate a result before discussing payment. Reputation management is a practical entry service because HighLevel can email existing customers for reviews, produce visible results quickly, and support higher-priced packages when combined with additional services and AI.

Transcript

Let's dive into day two. One question I have for you that I would love for you to answer as our recap from yesterday. Mhm. How do I get in front of prospects? [snorts] Yeah. So, one of the one of the biggest I mean this is like the the number one question that people have is where where who do I talk to? How do I talk to them? And again, I'll proba... Read More

Key Insights

• Warm-market prospecting is the recommended starting point because existing relationships make it easier to begin honest conversations. Friends, former service providers, local businesses, and personal contacts can all provide introductions to owners who may benefit from the service.
• A free trial is a low-risk way to approach an early prospect. The proposed message is straightforward: explain that you found a useful way to generate more leads or reviews, ask permission to test it, and discuss payment only if it works.
• Expert positioning does not require knowing everything about marketing technology. The practical standard is to understand the service slightly better than the business owner, clearly explain what it does, and avoid making promises about transforming the entire business.
• Cold calling, cold email, and LinkedIn prospecting are available outreach channels, but they are additions to direct conversations with nearby business owners. Consistently telling people what you do can uncover opportunities without depending on a secret prospecting method.
• Simple services are easier for clients to understand and faster for agencies to implement. Complicated automation can extend setup time, introduce failures, and leave clients wondering why nothing has happened several days after starting or paying.
• Reputation management works by sending review requests to existing and new customers through email and, when appropriate, text. A trial can begin with the business's current customer list, followed by an ongoing manual or automated request process.
• Email is the preferred trial channel when text-message compliance creates unnecessary complexity. Text messaging can be removed from the initial setup and introduced after the business becomes a retained client and the required compliance work can be completed.
• Immediate results strengthen the perceived value of an agency service. In reputation management, a newly generated four-star or five-star review gives the business a visible outcome quickly, while the broader process can also reduce negative reviews.

Questions & Answers

Q: How do I get my first agency prospects?

Start with business owners already connected to your daily life and warm network. Tell plumbers, electricians, repair providers, dry cleaners, and other local operators what you are working on. Ask friends and contacts which business owners they know. The approach does not require a polished expert pitch. It requires repeatedly starting honest conversations and asking for opportunities to demonstrate the service.

Q: How should I pitch a free agency trial?

Explain that you found a useful system that may help the prospect generate more leads or reviews, then ask whether you can test it for them without charging. Do not claim to be an expert or promise to transform the business. Set the expectation that payment can be discussed afterward if the trial produces a worthwhile result for the business.

Q: Do I need to be an expert before selling agency services?

You do not need complete mastery before beginning a simple service, according to the workshop. You need enough knowledge to stay ahead of the client, explain the service clearly, and deliver what you offered. Local business owners may know little about the systems being demonstrated, so practical knowledge and honest communication can be sufficient to begin useful conversations.

Q: What prospecting channels can an agency use?

An agency can combine warm-market conversations with cold calling, cold email, and LinkedIn prospecting. The workshop places particular emphasis on nearby relationships and introductions because they provide an accessible starting point. Asking who owns a business, requesting introductions, and telling service providers what you do can create opportunities before a more formal outbound prospecting system is established.

Q: What is reputation management for local businesses?

Reputation management is described as a brand service that asks existing and new customers to leave online reviews. HighLevel can support the process through email and text, when text is applicable. The agency can use a current customer list for the initial trial, then establish a manual or automated process that continues requesting reviews from future customers.

Q: Why is reputation management a useful trial service?

Reputation management is useful for a trial because it is simple to explain, quick to activate, and capable of producing a visible result. A new four-star or five-star review demonstrates that the service is working. The workshop also characterizes the service as having high perceived value because it generates positive reviews and can reduce negative reviews.

Q: Should an agency use text messages during a trial?

Text messaging can be excluded from the initial trial when compliance requirements make the setup more complicated. The recommended trial begins with a simple email request sent to the business's existing customers. If the prospect becomes a retained client, the agency can then address compliance and add text messaging where applicable, instead of delaying the first result.

Q: Why do local businesses need automated review requests?

Many businesses do not consistently ask customers for reviews because their process is manual. A printed QR code in an office may be visible, but it depends on customers noticing it and acting immediately. Sending a request directly to a customer's phone or email after the visit makes the request more direct and supports a repeatable ongoing process.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Agency prospecting begins with conversations, not advanced expertise. The recommended approach is to contact business owners in your warm network, including service providers you already know, explain the useful system you are testing, and offer to try it free. If the work succeeds, payment can be discussed after results become visible.

• Reputation management is presented as a simple service that local businesses can understand and evaluate quickly. An agency can import existing customers into HighLevel and request reviews by email during a trial. After the business becomes a retained client, the process can continue manually or automatically and may also incorporate compliant text messaging.

• Complicated automation can delay delivery, confuse clients, and create more opportunities for technical failures. A better initial offer produces an immediate, observable outcome, such as a four-star or five-star review. The service can then become part of a broader value ladder, with AI and additional services supporting higher prices over time.