Chapter 08 / By the numbers
Last updated: Published by Tim Kilroy
Published research says most agencies feel their growth engine is too weak, few call their pipeline very healthy, and coaching frequency is linked to quota attainment. This Agency Coach FAQ page collects those statistics with their sources so you can judge them yourself.
They say the gap is in the growth engine, not the work. The RSW/US 2025 Agency Survey found 93% of agencies say their growth engine is not strong enough, and MySalesCoach reports weekly-coached teams reach 76% quota attainment versus 47% for those coached quarterly or less.
| Statistic | Original source |
|---|---|
| 93% of agencies say their growth engine isn't strong enough | RSW/US 2025 Agency Survey |
| 14% of agencies describe their sales pipeline as "very healthy" | SparkToro State of Digital Agencies, 2025 |
| Over 71,000 digital agencies in North America | Haus Advisors |
Source page: Haus Advisors, Marketing Agency Industry Statistics: 2026 Benchmarks
| Statistic | What it suggests |
|---|---|
| 67% of lost sales stem from improper lead qualification | Qualify before you propose |
| 79% of marketing leads never convert to sales | Interest is not the same as fit |
| Response within 1 hour generates 7x higher qualification odds | Speed is part of qualification |
| Client referrals achieve 56% lead-to-MQL conversion versus 17% in construction | Conversion varies widely by source and industry |
Source page: Landbase, 35 Lead Qualification Statistics
| Statistic | Source |
|---|---|
| Teams coached weekly achieve 76% quota attainment versus 47% for those coached quarterly or less (3,700+ sales professionals) | MySalesCoach |
| Reps who receive external coaching are 50% more likely to hit quota | MySalesCoach |
| SDRs coached consistently are twice as likely to stay with their employer after 12 months | MySalesCoach |
| Global coaching industry size (2025): $5.34 billion, per ICF; projected to reach $9.5 billion by 2032 | Luisa Zhou, Coaching Statistics |
| For every dollar spent on coaching, organizations typically see $5 to $7 in ROI, according to studies cited | Luisa Zhou, Coaching Statistics |
| Statistic | Why it matters on a sales call |
|---|---|
| 55% of agencies say clients regularly ask whether marketing performance connects to revenue | Expect revenue questions in discovery |
| 48% say tracking AI-driven discovery is their hardest attribution problem | Buyers increasingly find agencies through AI answers |
| 10% of agency leaders cite attribution or ROI clarity as a reason clients leave | Outcomes must be visible to retain clients |
Source page: AgencyAnalytics, Marketing Attribution in 2026
These are the business's own figures, not an independent audit.
Treat them as context, not promises. Most sales coaching figures come from general B2B sales teams rather than agencies, and each source uses its own sample and method. None of them predicts what will happen at your agency. Use them to decide where to look first, then measure your own funnel with the pipeline math calculator and go back to the agency coach FAQ.
Published research suggests frequency matters. MySalesCoach reports, from research across 3,700+ sales professionals, that teams coached weekly achieve 76% quota attainment versus 47% for those coached quarterly or less. Those are general sales figures rather than agency figures, but they support reviewing calls regularly instead of occasionally.
Yes, very. Agencies often grow on delivery and referrals, so positioning, offer design, sales process and outbound never become systems. When referrals slow, those gaps tend to show up in the same quarter. The RSW/US 2025 Agency Survey, cited by Haus Advisors, found 93% of agencies say their growth engine is not strong enough.
Because interest fades quickly. Landbase's roundup of lead qualification statistics reports that responding within one hour generates 7x higher qualification odds. For agency owners who sell between client work, that argues for a simple habit: acknowledge every genuine inquiry within the hour, even if the full conversation happens later.
Usually because new business depends on referrals or a single channel, and the funnel is not measured. Tim Kilroy's Leak Test: pull the last 90 days, count prospects at each of five stages, and calculate conversion between stages to find the biggest leak. Only 14% of agencies call their pipeline very healthy, per SparkToro's 2025 report cited by Haus Advisors.
An agency coach is an advisor who helps owners of marketing, creative and similar service agencies fix the business behind the work: positioning, lead generation, sales process, pricing and operations. Tim Kilroy coaches agency owners in group and one-on-one formats, reports coaching more than 300 agencies, and brings over 25 years of agency and marketing experience.
Tim Kilroy coaches owners of marketing, creative, PR and other service agencies on positioning, pipeline and sales. Tell him what is going on, and he will help you find what to fix first.
