I’m going to say something that sounds counterintuitive for an agency owner:
If you hire us, the end goal should be that you don’t need us forever.
That doesn’t mean we disappear. It means we’ve done our job well.
The agency world is shifting fast. AI can now draft blogs, build campaigns, analyze performance, and generate strategy outlines in seconds. The old “we execute marketing tasks for you” model is eroding in real time.
When Tom DiScipio, Managing Partner at IMPACT, joined Cory and me on the INNSync Show, we talked about exactly this shift. The agencies that survive won’t be the ones clinging to execution. They’ll be the ones building capability.
That’s the difference between a vendor and a partner.
Execution Is Becoming a Commodity
Let’s address what everyone is thinking.
AI now handles much of what agencies used to bill for. Content creation. Ad variations. Reporting dashboards. Even basic strategy frameworks.
If your agency’s value proposition is “we write blog posts” or “we manage your social calendar,” you are competing against software.
That’s not a sustainable position.
Tom says, Agencies are fighting on two fronts: more noise in the marketplace and rapidly advancing AI.
If all you offer is output, you’re replaceable.
Hospitality leaders don’t need more output. They need clarity, alignment, and systems that work without constant babysitting.
The Shift: From Doing the Work to Teaching the Work
IMPACT saw this coming and redesigned their model.
Instead of simply doing marketing for clients, they teach companies how to build internal marketing engines. They created structure around it, documented it, and systematized it. Tom referenced their book Endless Customers, an evolution of They Ask, You Answer, as a codified playbook clients can follow.
That structure matters.
When something is systemized, it becomes transferable. It becomes repeatable. It becomes measurable.
And that’s when transformation starts to happen.
Why We Built the WINS Method™
After studying what IMPACT built, Cory and I realized something important. If we wanted to guide hospitality teams, we needed more than smart ideas. We needed a clear framework.
So we built one.
Website. Intel. Nurture. Sell.
It gives our clients a path. It also gives our team a shared language.
Suddenly, we aren’t “doing marketing.” We are guiding a structured transformation.
We recently won a competitive pitch, not because we were the lowest price, but because we were the only agency with a defined methodology. That clarity builds trust.
AI thrives on branded processes. So do decision-makers.
When a sales leader or general manager can see the roadmap, they feel confident investing.
Real Success Means Graduation
One of the ideas I respect most about IMPACT’s model is their concept of client graduation. They use a measurable score to track how independently a client can run their marketing and sales system. When the score reaches a certain level, the client is ready to operate without heavy agency involvement.
That’s real partnership.
You are not trying to create dependence. You are trying to build muscle.
Some clients will still want a coach. Even elite athletes have coaches. But the relationship shifts from “do this for me” to “help us refine this.”
That’s a much stronger position for both sides.
Where Hospitality Has to Evolve
Hospitality has historically siloed sales, marketing, and revenue management. That model is cracking.
The future belongs to revenue teams. Aligned teams. Commercial strategy roles that unify marketing, sales, and revenue under one objective.
Revenue.
Marketing in service of sales. Sales in service of the buyer. Everyone aligned around impact.
When agencies help build that alignment internally, they become catalysts, not crutches.
Don’t Solve for the Algorithm. Solve for the Human.
With so much technology, it’s tempting to chase tactics. Keywords. Hacks. Automation tricks.
But the most powerful insight from our conversation with Tom was simple. All of these tools are ultimately trying to serve the human.
If your marketing strategy centers on genuinely educating buyers, answering real objections, and building trust, you win long term.
Especially in hospitality.
This industry runs on trust. On experience. On relationships.
You cannot automate heart.
Don’t Be the Doer. Be the Difference.
The best hospitality marketing agencies are not selling content calendars.
They are building:
- Internal confidence
- Revenue alignment
- Clear systems
- Sustainable growth engines
They are planning for the day you don’t need them.
And paradoxically, that’s what makes you want to keep them around.
If you’re evaluating agency partners, ask a harder question:
Are they trying to make themselves indispensable? Or are they trying to make you stronger?
If it’s the second one, you’ve found a real partner.
If you’re ready to build a marketing engine your team actually understands and owns, let’s talk.