Most agency owners assume nobody can sell as well as they can. Lori Cox built an agency, sold it, and then took a BizDev leadership role — and says she’s actually sharper at sales now that she’s not running the whole show.

Lori brings 20+ years of B2B marketing and revenue experience. She built and sold a full-service healthcare-focused agency, then moved into VP of BizDev at Knack Collective, where she works with global tech companies on partner-led go-to-market strategies. We got into the systems that made her agency sellable, why most partnership pitches go nowhere, and how the inbound/outbound mix has shifted heading into 2026.

What You’ll Leave With:

• Systems before salespeople. Lori built repeatable processes and tracked them through technology before making her first sales hire — and it’s why the hire worked. Without that foundation, you’re asking someone to improvise from scratch.
• Partnerships require intention and attention. The “let’s shake hands and refer each other” pitch almost never works. Lori’s approach: get in the room together with a prospect so both sides can see each other in action and build real trust.
• Diversify your pipeline, not just your client base. Relying on inbound alone was viable pre-2020. Now, with search shifting and noise increasing, agencies need a mix of inbound, outbound, events, and referrals — like omni-channel marketing for your pipeline.
• Non-owners can be better salespeople. Counterintuitive, but Lori says her sales skills sharpened when she stopped wearing every hat. Owners care more but focus less. With dedicated focus, a strong BizDev hire can outperform the founder.
• AI is changing the job, not replacing it. At Knack Collective, they’re building agents and using AI for personalization and content — but the human elements of trust, curiosity, and relationship-building haven’t changed.

Links & Resources:

• Connect with Lori Cox on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-cox-mba/
• Knack Collective: https://knackcollective.com/
• Sales Schema Referral Engine: https://hey.salesschema.com/opt-in-mw-referral-engine?utm_source=podcast