Conversations 2019: Meet the Speakers – Jason Swenk
Written by Fara Rosenzweig
May 30, 2019
We get it: creating bot personalities and chat flows takes time, and sometimes the best work comes during the morning hours. But we always have your back.
In case you missed this week’s Meet the Speakers, featuring Jason Swenk, CEO of Jason Swenk, we have the entire compelling conversation right here!
Molly Mahoney, a certifiable Facebook Live and Messenger Marketing ninja, and founder of The Prepared Performer, dives into how Jason built his agency business, became a successful podcaster, and much more. It’s not your boring, this-is-what-you-have-to-do interview. You’ll get to know his story, personality, and how he grew his agency from nothing to over a million in revenue!
Don’t forget to register for Conversations 2019!
How Did You Get Started With Messenger Marketing?
Jason: I was first exposed to ManyChat when it came to bots. And I remember, I wanted to try something new, and I was like, “Well, what is this? How can I have a better conversation with people?” So, I just started jumping into it.
Before Messenger Marketing, What Were You Doing to Have Conversations With People?
J: I would just respond to them on comments. That was it.
When Did You Start Using Messenger Marketing?
J: Right when ManyChat came out. About, two and a half or three years ago. I remember I kept getting so frustrated at people filling out my contact form trying to sell me something, or they would fill out the form needing something and then I couldn’t reach them. I was like, “Let me just change my contact page to a bot, and then I’ll be able to buzz their butt when they’re ready to talk to me.”
What Did You Notice Right Away?
J: Over the years, I noticed that if I didn’t get back to people while their still on the website, and I was trying to call them or hit them up, they were gone. The amazing thing was is if they had their phone in their pocket, I can respond to them an hour later and I can have a conversation with them, and I can answer the questions that they had to make sure somethings right for them.
When we would get RFPs in, or when we were running the agency, people would fill out the form saying we want websites, we want this creative project, this development app, whatever it was. If I didn’t get back to them right away, it was gone. I found if I could have a conversation with the people … example, we would call them back while they were on the website, we’d be like, “Hey, sorry we took so long to call you back.”
Then I realized that we would win the deal faster.
Does It Matter Whether You’re Solopreneur or Have an Agency Team?
J: If you’re a solo agency, you’re really a freelancer, because the business can’t go without you. That’s perfectly fine. We all start off there. We’re all accidental. We knew how to do something cool, someone would offer us $500.00, and we did it. That’s how I got my start. I designed a website making fun of one of my friends who looks like Justin Timberlake.
Everybody starts off as a freelancer, and the people that want to grow into an agency and have a team, that means you can make money when you’re not doing all the work. That’s usually what people want, but some people want to stay as a freelancer. Now, I’m a freelancer, even though I have a small team. This particular business doesn’t make money without me.
Which is what we’ll dig more into at the conference. We’re going to talk about the systems that we used in order to build an eight-figure agency, and then eventually sell it.
To learn more about Jason’s agency success, come to his session at Conversations 2019: Growing Your Agency From 0 to a Million
About Our Facebook Live Meet the Speakers Series
Each week Molly Mahoney hosts a LIVE interview with one of our Conversations 2019 speakers to give you the opportunity to meet them and learn their secrets to successful Messenger Marketing. It’s a way to ask questions that you might not be able to ask at the conference and discover more about what will be discussed at Conversations 2019.
Here are the details.
When: Thursday, 9 am PDT.
- Go to our Facebook page: ManyChat
- Click on the Live announcement
- Watch, learn and ask questions.
View more Meet the Speaker episodes.
And, if you haven’t registered for Conversations 2019, do so before prices go up! Reserve your spot.
We’ll see you LIVE! #Conversations2019