I have a new partner. No, I haven’t given away any equity in SAGA, and Jen hasn’t sent me packing — though she may after reading this opening.
You all know that I have been going on for a while now about how agencies specifically and communicators more broadly need to be faster to adopt AI into their work.
Well, I have done that in many ways, but one that you are able to see (and interact with) is now ready.
Sage is a specially trained assistant available for free on the SAGA website. I’ll explain more a bit later in this week’s newsletter, but first let’s look at what Jen has rounded up for us this week.
— Chip Griffin, SAGA Founder
Latest from SAGA
- Wake up or get left behind: AI is forcing your hand (Agency Leadership Podcast)
Weekly Roundup
Cue up Simon and Garfunkel, because the sound of silence was a common thread this week. Clients not responding to reports. Executives staying quiet when they should speak up. The gap between what agencies say and what clients hear. It turns out that what you don’t say—and what your clients don’t say back—might be causing more problems than you think.
WHAT CAUGHT OUR EYE THIS WEEK:
THE COMMUNICATION GAP — Three separate pieces landed on variations of the same problem: silence as dysfunction. Spin Sucks explores corporate communications and the cost of silence, looking at what happens when leadership goes quiet during crisis or change. AgencyAnalytics digs into the psychology of silence and why clients don’t always respond to reports—and what you can actually do about it beyond sending follow-up emails. And For Immediate Release examines when saying nothing sends the wrong message. The takeaway isn’t just “communicate more.” It’s about understanding what silence signals, in both directions.
THEY DON’T BUY WHAT YOU’RE SELLING — RSW/US nails a fundamental disconnect: most firms sell AI capabilities, but clients buy outcomes. Talking about your shiny new tools misses the point. Your prospects don’t care about your tech stack; they care about results. Related: Solo PR Pro covers why AI search optimization matters for PR, and Spin Sucks published The Visibility Engineer Toolbox—both getting specific about what outcomes-focused work actually looks like in practice.
NEW BUSINESS HIRING (AND WHY TIMING MATTERS) — Jody Sutter at The Sutter Company asks when you should hire a new business person—because hiring too early is expensive and hiring too late means lost opportunity. The Digital Agency Growth Podcast reinforces this with why your sales hire needs lead flow first, featuring Alexis Trammell. You can’t hire your way out of a pipeline problem; you need infrastructure first. And in a related video, Jody tackles what role pitch theater should play in agency new business—spoiler: less than you think.
MAKING DECISIONS WITH MESSY DATA — David C. Baker at Punctuation addresses when the signals contradict each other in your business. Revenue’s up but profitability’s down. Clients say they’re happy but they’re not buying more. Your team says they’re engaged but turnover’s climbing. Baker walks through how to make sense of conflicting information. Meanwhile, Anchor Advisors reminds us that sometimes we cling to “blankie spreadsheets” and familiar tools long past their usefulness—because change is hard.
ALSO WORTH YOUR TIME — The Innovative Agency features Marcel Petitpas on creating predictable profitability—essential listening if your margins feel like a mystery. And Agency Bytes profiles Jessica Hische on crafting a creative life on your own terms, a refreshing look at what success can mean outside traditional agency structures.
THE BOTTOM LINE — Stop assuming people understand what you mean—whether it’s clients interpreting your reports, prospects hearing your pitch, or your team reading between the lines of your silence. Say what you mean. Ask what they heard. Close the gap.
— Jen Griffin, SAGA Community Manager
Introducing Sage, Chip’s AI alter ego
For the past couple of months, I have been working on something exciting that builds on what I have been telling all of you about the importance of AI to our businesses.
I developed an AI assistant to serve as a thought partner to me and a resource for the broader community of agency owners. I’m pleased to say that Sage is finally ready for the spotlight.
Sage builds upon years of my writing, speaking, and recordings. It has been trained with both public content and other documents and materials to mirror as closely as possible my way of thinking.
I have incorporated specific instructions to help guide Sage’s responses and point users toward specific additional resources.
Over the past weeks, Sage has been tested by a number of my clients — some of whom quizzed Sage and then asked me the same question. Fortunately, the results have been consistently consistent with my point of view.
That doesn’t mean that Sage won’t make mistakes. No AI is perfect and despite my efforts I know there will be times that Sage may veer off course.
For high stakes decisions or more complicated opportunities and challenges, there’s no replacement (yet, at least) for real conversations with me.
But for quick access to resources and perspectives, Sage fills a valuable role.
Sage even managed to impress my podcast co-host, Gini Dietrich, who shared on this week’s episode how Sage had challenged her own thinking — and if Sage had actual feelings, I’m sure that would have been particularly gratifying.
You can find Sage on the Resources tab of the SAGA website, as well as in a familiar chatbox style at the bottom of each page.
For now, Sage remains free for unlimited use, so give it a shot and let me know what you think.
Then give some thought to how you might find a similar way to introduce an AI knowledgebase into your own business, either internally or externally.
