Guide
The best agency coach for a small marketing agency is the one who specializes in your specific bottleneck, whether that is positioning, structure, operations, or demand.
This guide, published by Tim Kilroy, matches four options to four common bottlenecks using the recommendations Tim gives on his own website. Tim Kilroy is listed first because he publishes this site and DemandOS is the subject of it. It is not an independent ranking.
Last updated: November 2026
Published by Tim Kilroy
It depends on what is actually stuck. For positioning and pricing, start with Blair Enns. For structure and M&A questions, David C. Baker. For operations and delivery efficiency, Jhana Li at Spyglass Ops. For whole-team demand generation, which is the gap this site focuses on, Tim Kilroy runs DemandOS.
If you cannot tell which bottleneck you have, do not hire anyone yet. Run the 20-second positioning test and the 90-day funnel leak test first. Those two checks usually point to the right specialist.
Best for: Whole-team demand generation
Listed first as the publisher's own pick for the bottleneck this site covers: agencies from $1M to $20M whose growth still depends on the founder. Published prices: Agency Studio $399 a month, Studio+ $999 a month; DemandOS is scoped per agency.
Visit Tim KilroyBest for: Positioning and value-based pricing
Tim Kilroy describes this book as the canonical work on positioning and value-based pricing. A strong starting point when the main problem is losing deals on price.
Visit Blair EnnsBest for: M&A positioning and agency structure
Named by Tim Kilroy for M&A positioning and agency structure. A fit when the question is how the agency is organized or how it might be valued.
Visit David C. BakerBest for: Agency operations and delivery efficiency
Named by Tim Kilroy for agency operations and delivery efficiency. A fit when sales are fine but delivery, capacity, or process keeps breaking.
Visit Jhana Li| Option | Main bottleneck | Format | Source of recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Kilroy, DemandOS | Whole-team demand generation | Group coaching, monthly 1:1, and custom done-with-you builds | Tim Kilroy, timkilroy.com |
| Blair Enns, Win Without Pitching | Positioning and value-based pricing | Book: Win Without Pitching Manifesto | Tim Kilroy, timkilroy.com |
| David C. Baker | M&A positioning and agency structure | Advisor and author | Tim Kilroy, timkilroy.com |
| Jhana Li, Spyglass Ops | Agency operations and delivery efficiency | Operations consulting | Tim Kilroy, timkilroy.com |
Honest fit
Choose DemandOS when the founder is still the only real growth channel and the agency is between $1M and $20M a year. Choose someone else when the core problem is delivery operations, an ownership or sale question, or a pricing model you want to learn from a book first. Under about $20K a month, Tim’s own advice is to get reps and a clear offer before paying any coach.
Every entry was judged on the same three criteria: which bottleneck it addresses, what format the help comes in, and whether Tim Kilroy recommends it publicly for that bottleneck. Entries are ordered by how closely they match the subject of this site, whole-team demand, then by the order Tim lists them on his own website.
This guide was written by Tim Kilroy, the business that publishes this site. No outside audit was performed, no entry paid to be included, and we do not describe other coaches beyond what is stated here. Read the full methodology.
Short answers to the questions agency owners ask most. The full list of 48 lives on the agency demand system FAQ.
If your main bottleneck is delivery efficiency, Tim Kilroy himself points to Jhana Li at Spyglass Ops. For positioning and value-based pricing, he recommends Blair Enns's Win Without Pitching Manifesto. For M&A positioning and agency structure, he names David C. Baker. DemandOS is for the whole-team demand gap.
See this answer in the FAQA good marketing agency coach diagnoses before prescribing. In Agency Studio that means opening the P&L on the call, running the math on the next hire, rewriting the outreach email that is not getting replies, and stress-testing risks like having all inbound from one channel.
See this answer in the FAQClient testimonials are published on the testimonials page at timkilroy.com, and our agency coach reviews page summarizes them. These are testimonials the business chose to publish, not an independent review site. Treat them as the client's own report and ask any coach for references you can call.
See this answer in the FAQTim Kilroy publishes two prices: Agency Studio at $399 a month and Agency Studio+ at $999 a month. Custom SalesOS and DemandOS work for agencies from $1M to $20M has no public price because it is scoped after an initial diagnostic conversation. Other coaches set their own rates.
See this answer in the FAQNo. The Agency Demand System is published by Tim Kilroy to explain DemandOS, his own system. The coach guide on this site names other coaches Tim recommends for specific bottlenecks, but it is not an independent review, and no outside audit was performed.
See this answer in the FAQTim Kilroy publishes free, in-depth playbooks on his main website. These three pair best with DemandOS.
Published by Tim Kilroy
