In this powerful and brutally honest episode of Seller Sessions, Danny McMillan sits down with Dorian Gorski, a seasoned agency founder, to pull the curtain back on the gritty reality of running an Amazon agency in today's commoditized, AI-driven landscape.
🔥 Key Topics & Insights
The Brutal Shift in the Agency Landscape
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Danny doesn't sugarcoat it: “I’d rather die than jump on Clown World on LinkedIn selling magical strategies.”
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He opens up about laying off half his agency team, not as a failure, but as a strategic pivot. "I helped get them placed in jobs – and we are working on new tech to compliment PPC and ranking "
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With the rise of AI and automation, old models are collapsing. Agencies that once thrived on manual work now face clients expecting more, for less.
AI Is Not the Threat — Poor Strategy Is
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Dorian emphasizes that AI isn’t the enemy — misuse is: "If you use AI to make life better for you and your clients, you’re going to win."
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He notes his own agency now charges 30-40% less than four years ago, but delivers more, faster, and better.
From Creative to Conversion Agency
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Dorian drops a game-changing perspective: “We’re no longer a creative agency — we’re a conversion agency.”
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It's not about fancy visuals anymore. The north star is results — better conversion rates and click-throughs.
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Every designer and copywriter on his team is in touch with the client, driven by data, not output.
⚖️ Honest Talk on Business Models
Free Trials? A Trap.
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Danny warns about the lure of performance-only models: “The front end looks attractive, but on the back end, it’s Hunger Games.”
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These models cherry-pick winners, leaving a trail of burnt-out sellers with wasted time and broken campaigns.
Why Reputation Matters
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“One client can take you on a journey you can't imagine,” says Dorian, encouraging agencies to focus on fewer, better-fit clients.
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He scaled down from 30 clients to just 5–6, with a leaner team and bigger impact.<
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