By the numbers

Agency growth, by the numbers.

The numbers behind marketing agency coaching say the same thing: there are more agencies than ever, most say their growth engine is not strong enough, and training without reinforcement fades. Tim Kilroy collects the strongest published statistics here, each with its source, and explains what each one means for a small agency owner.

Last updated: November 2, 2026

Why do so many marketing agencies get stuck?

Because the market is crowded and most agencies grow on referrals rather than a system. Haus Advisors reports more than 71,000 digital agencies in North America, while 93 percent of marketing services firms say their growth engine is not strong enough. When everyone sounds alike, the agencies with a clear position and a repeatable sales process stand out.

The market

How crowded the agency market is

Digital agencies in North AmericaSource: Haus Advisors, 2026: 71,000+
Of marketing and professional services firms say their growth engine is not strong enoughSource: RSW/US 2025 Agency Survey, via Haus Advisors: 93%
Average after-tax net margin for digital agencies in 2025, down from about 15% long-run since 2015Source: Haus Advisors: 13%
Of digital agencies employ fewer than 50 peopleSource: Promethean Research 2026, via timkilroy.com: 87%

Source: Haus Advisors, Marketing Agency Industry Statistics: 2026 Benchmarks, and the 2026 Promethean Research Digital Agency Industry Report, which surveyed 1,452 agencies, as summarized on timkilroy.com. What it means: in a fragmented market of small shops, being memorable is a growth strategy. That is the case for vertical positioning.

Mentoring

How widely mentoring is used

Of Fortune 500 firms run mentoring programsSource: Mentorloop, 2026: 98%
Of Fortune 50 companies have mentoring programsSource: Mentorloop, 2026: 100%
Of Fortune 100 companies have mentoring programsSource: Mentorloop, 2026: 96%
Of employees in the USA and Canada are engaged at workSource: Mentorloop, 2026: 31%

Source: Mentorloop, Mentoring Statistics You Need to Know, 2026. What it means: the largest companies treat mentoring as standard practice for developing leaders. Agency owners rarely have that support built in, which is why a marketing agency mentor can fill the gap.

Sales training

What happens after sales training

Spent on training by US companies in 2024 to 2025, up nearly 5% year over yearSource: Training magazine 2025, via SoloFire: $102.8B
Higher quota attainment reported with coachingSource: Korn Ferry 2023, via SoloFire: 28%
Feel their sales training is effective but offers limited resultsSource: The Sales Collective: 55%
Of sales leaders say a mix of in-person and virtual training worksSource: The Sales Collective: 90%

Sources: SoloFire, Sales Training and Coaching Statistics 2026 and The Sales Collective, Sales Training Statistics: USA 2026. SoloFire notes that most training fades within weeks unless it is reinforced, practiced, and coached. What it means: sales training works best when applied to your own calls on a regular rhythm.

Buyers

How agency buyers behave

Of B2B buyers are not in the market for what you sell at any given timeSource: Ehrenberg-Bass Institute / LinkedIn B2B Institute, via timkilroy.com: 95%
Longer that referred clients stay versus outbound or event clientsSource: Promethean Research 2026, via timkilroy.com: 1.9x
Of sales leaders say prospecting is their most commonly covered training topicSource: The Sales Collective: 56%
Of agencies have fully implemented AISource: Promethean Research 2026, via timkilroy.com: 33%

What it means: referrals produce great clients but cannot be turned up on demand, and most buyers are not shopping right now. Agencies need to stay known during the long stretch before a buyer is ready, then run a discovery call that earns the next step.

Summary of the strongest figures and their sources
Figure	What it measures	Source
71,000+	Digital agencies in North America	Haus Advisors
93%	Firms saying their growth engine is not strong enough	RSW/US 2025 Agency Survey
13%	Average digital agency after-tax net margin, 2025	Haus Advisors
98%	Fortune 500 firms running mentoring programs	Mentorloop
$102.8B	US company training spend, 2024 to 2025	Training magazine via SoloFire
28%	Higher quota attainment with coaching	Korn Ferry 2023 via SoloFire

How these figures were chosen

Each figure is quoted as its source published it, with its range and conditions. None of them is Tim Kilroy's own data except where marked as his. Figures that did not help a small agency owner understand growth, sales, or mentoring were left out. See the approach page for how this site forms recommendations, or go back to marketing agency coaching.

Questions agency owners ask

My agency still gets most of its work from referrals. Is that a problem?

It becomes one when you want to grow on purpose. Referrals do not scale: you cannot decide to make more money and simply get more referrals, because they arrive based on past work and relationships. Tim Kilroy helps agencies that have outgrown referrals add a scalable system: a defined ideal client, lead generation that can grow, and the right offer for that client.

Is coaching worth it for a small marketing agency?

It can be, once you are past the earliest stage. Tim Kilroy’s own guidance is that below about $20K a month you need reps and a clear offer more than a coach. From roughly $20K a month the problem shifts from hustle to structure, and that is where Agency Studio, at $399 a month, is designed to help small agency owners build systems.

How does agency coaching compare with an off-the-shelf sales training course?

Off-the-shelf sales training teaches a general method in a fixed window. The page “20 Best Sales Training Programs, Courses Companies 2026” lists self-paced programs of 6 to 8 hours at associate level and 20 to 25 hours at professional level, and workshops of 2 days, or 16 hours. Agency coaching is ongoing and applied to your own calls, pipeline, and offer.

What is the WTF Agency Method?

The WTF Agency Method is Tim Kilroy’s approach to agency growth: find out what is actually going on in your agency before prescribing tactics. It means diagnosing the real constraint, fixing problems in the right order, and turning a deep understanding of your market into revenue. Its core ideas include Return on Understanding, diagnose before you prescribe, and systems over tactics.

How do I get started with Tim Kilroy?

Start with the contact page on timkilroy.com or the free 30-minute WTF call. If you would rather diagnose yourself first, the two-minute WTF Assessment points to where your agency is stuck. From there, Tim Kilroy will suggest Agency Studio, Agency Studio+, or custom work depending on your revenue stage and the constraint you need removed.

Read all 46 answers on the FAQ page

Tell Tim what is going on in your agency.

Start with the contact page on timkilroy.com. The first strategy call is free, runs 30 minutes, and is built to find the real problem before anyone suggests a fix.

Contact Tim Kilroy