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Marketing Accountability Guide

Williams Air Solutions

Is your marketing person actually doing their job?

Most service business owners pay $1,500–$10,000 per month for marketing and have no way to tell if it’s working. The monthly report shows impressions and clicks, but nobody can answer the one question that matters: how many of those turned into booked jobs, and what did each one cost?

These 44 questions are designed to help you tell the difference between real work and templated execution. Each question includes what a good answer looks like, what a bad answer looks like, and why it matters — backed by industry benchmarks from trade associations, independent research, and platform data.

Pick a section, view all at once, or compare two side by side.

44 questions. Backed by trade association data (ACCA), independent research (BrightLocal, Whitespark, Invoca), and platform documentation.

If your marketing person can answer all 44 with specifics, you probably have a good one. If they can’t answer 10 or more, start your search.

Section 1

Do I Own My Stuff?

If your marketing vendor owns your accounts, they own your business’s digital presence. When the relationship ends, everything goes with them — your ad history, your analytics, your phone numbers, and sometimes your domain.

1Can I log into my Google Ads account right now with my own email?▾
Good answer
Yes — you log in at ads.google.com with your business email. You’re listed as Admin or Owner. The agency is linked as a Manager through their MCC.
Bad answer
“We manage everything through our dashboard” or “I can send you screenshots.” If you can’t log in independently, the agency owns it.
Why it matters
If the agency created the account inside their MCC, they’re the technical owner. Transferring out takes 30–60 days and they must initiate it. If they refuse, you start from zero — all historical campaign data, conversion data, audience lists, and Quality Score history are gone.
2Who is the Primary Owner of my Google Business Profile?▾
Good answer
Your business email is listed as Primary Owner at business.google.com > Settings > People and access.
Bad answer
The agency’s email is Primary Owner, or you don’t know. If you can’t check, that’s the answer.
Why it matters
Primary Owner is the only role that can’t be overridden. Without it, the agency can edit your hours, change your phone number, or mark your business as permanently closed. Reviews and photos stay with the listing, but control doesn’t.
3Who registered my domain name?▾
Good answer
You check whois.icann.org and your business is listed as the Registrant. You can log into the registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare) independently.
Bad answer
The agency registered it under their account. You’ve never logged into the registrar. You don’t know what a registrar is.
Why it matters
Documented cases exist of agencies holding domains hostage after contracts end — demanding thousands of dollars to transfer a domain that belongs to the business. If they registered it, they can point it anywhere or let it expire.
4If I fire you tomorrow, what do I keep and what do I lose?▾
Good answer
A specific list: “You keep the Google Ads account, GBP, Analytics, call tracking numbers, all creative, keyword lists, and audience data. We unlink our access within 7 days.”
Bad answer
Hesitation, vagueness, or “we’d need to discuss that.” If they can’t answer immediately, the answer is “you lose most of it.”
Why it matters
This is the single most revealing question you can ask. A vendor who builds on your infrastructure answers without hesitation. A vendor who builds on their infrastructure — sub-accounts, agency-owned tools, proprietary dashboards — can’t.
5Who owns my call tracking numbers?▾
Good answer
The call tracking account (CallRail, CTM, etc.) is in your name with your billing. You can log in independently.
Bad answer
The numbers are in the agency’s account. You’ve never logged into the call tracking platform.
Why it matters
If tracking numbers are on your vehicle wraps, yard signs, and business cards, they’re the number customers know. If the agency cancels their account, those numbers are released within days and cannot be recovered. Reprinting wraps costs $2,500–$5,000 per vehicle.
6Is my CRM a sub-account inside your system, or my own account?▾
Good answer
You have your own CRM account (Jobber, ServiceTitan, HubSpot) that the agency has been given access to.
Bad answer
Your CRM is a white-labeled sub-account inside the agency’s platform (common with GoHighLevel resellers). You can see your data but can’t export or migrate independently.
Why it matters
Sub-accounts live inside the agency’s master dashboard. On one widely used platform, contact notes are truncated to 255 characters on export, automation workflows have no export API, and phone numbers are deleted 14 days after cancellation. Specific limitations vary by platform — check your vendor’s data portability policies before signing.
Section 2

What Am I Paying For?

Most service business owners know what they pay per month but not what they get for it. The agency invoice says “$3,000/month” but doesn’t say how many hours that buys or what deliverables come with it.

7Is my ad spend separate from your retainer on the invoice?▾
Good answer
Yes — the invoice shows retainer and ad spend as separate line items. You can see exactly how much goes to Google/Facebook vs. how much goes to the agency.
Bad answer
“It’s all included in your monthly fee.” This means you can’t tell if $2,500 of your $3,000 goes to ads and only $500 to actual work — or the reverse.
Why it matters
Bundling retainer and ad spend is how vendors hide thin service behind large ad passthrough. A $3,000 “marketing fee” might be $2,200 in Google Ads and $800 of actual agency work — about 5 hours at $150/hour.
8How many hours of actual work does my retainer buy each month?▾
Good answer
A specific number with a breakdown: “You get 25–30 hours. That covers campaign management, content creation, monthly reporting, and a strategy call.”
Bad answer
“We don’t track hours — we focus on results” with no way to see what’s actually being done, no deliverables list, and no performance data to back up the “results” claim.
Note: value-based billing isn’t automatically bad
Some legitimate agencies bill by outcome rather than hours. That’s fine — IF they can show you a clear list of deliverables each month, you can see what changed, and there’s performance data proving results. Value-based billing becomes a red flag only when it’s used to avoid accountability: no deliverables, no specifics, and “trust us” instead of data. The question isn’t “do you track hours” — it’s “can you show me what I’m getting?”
Benchmark (for hourly-based retainers)
US agencies bill $100–$149/hour on average. At $1,500/month retainer, expect 7–10 hours of actual work. At $3,000, expect 14–18 hours. At $5,000, expect 25–30 hours. Actual work hours are 60–70% of billable hours after accounting for meetings, emails, and reporting overhead.
9What specific deliverables do I get each month?▾
Good answer
A written list: monthly performance report, strategy call, X blog posts or landing pages, Google Ads management with search term review, GBP updates, review generation support.
Bad answer
“We handle your digital marketing.” No specific deliverables listed. No way to tell if they did anything this month vs. last month.
What to expect by price
$1,500/mo: basic local SEO + 1 campaign + template report. $3,000/mo: SEO + 2–3 campaigns + content + strategy call. $5,000/mo: full-service including LSA, GBP, competitor monitoring, CRO. Below $1,000/mo is template-reseller territory.
10What does my marketing cost as a percentage of revenue?▾
Good answer
They know. “Your total marketing spend (retainer + ads + tools) is X% of your annual revenue. ACCA recommends 10% for growth.”
Bad answer
They’ve never calculated it. They talk about monthly cost but never connect it to revenue.
Benchmark
ACCA (trade association) recommends 10% of gross revenue for growth-mode contractors. Their Contractor of the Future study found companies spending 12%+ reported significantly higher profit. Average contractor: 6%. Include everything: retainer, ad spend, tools, content, print, wraps.
11Am I paying for SMS, email, and AI usage on top of my retainer?▾
Good answer
Usage costs are transparent. “SMS costs $0.008/segment, email $0.68/thousand. Here’s what you used last month.”
Bad answer
You see mystery line items on your bill for “platform usage” or “messaging fees” with no breakdown. Or your retainer is “all-inclusive” but suspiciously high for what you get.
Why it matters
White-label platform resellers (particularly GoHighLevel) rebill SMS at 2–4x, email at 3–6x, and AI usage at 4–8x wholesale cost. A single active client can generate $1,000+/month in usage margin for the agency before any actual marketing work happens.
Section 3

Is It Working?

The test: “If this metric doubles, do I know exactly how much more revenue I’ll make?” If not, it’s a vanity metric. Impressions, clicks, and “engagement” are vanity. Cost per booked job is real.

12What is my cost per booked job — not cost per lead?▾
Good answer
A specific number by channel: “Google LSA: $150–$200 per booked job. Google Ads search: $425–$750. Referrals: $20–$25.”
Bad answer
“Your cost per lead is $51.” Cost per lead ignores the 55–60% of leads that never become jobs. A $51 lead with a 44% booking rate is a $168 booked job. Most agencies report CPL because it’s a smaller, better-looking number.
Benchmark (HVAC)
Google LSA: $45–$55 CPL, ~44% booking rate = ~$150–$200 per booked job. Google Ads non-branded: ~$149 CPL, 20–35% booking = $425–$750 per job. Referrals: ~$14 CPL, 60–75% close = ~$20–$25 per job. All CPL data is vendor-sourced (Google publishes nothing); booking rates from Invoca (70M+ calls) and ServiceTitan.
13Can you show me revenue by marketing channel — not blended?▾
Good answer
“Last month, Google Ads produced $28K in booked revenue. LSA produced $15K. Referrals produced $12K. Organic produced $9K.”
Bad answer
“We generated 47 leads this month” with no channel breakdown, no revenue attribution, and no distinction between a $200 repair lead and a $12,000 install lead.
Why it matters
Blended metrics hide the channel that’s burning money. If LSA produces leads at $51 and non-branded Google Ads at $149, blending them into “$100 average CPL” makes the expensive channel look acceptable. Without channel-level data, you can’t make informed budget decisions.
14What is my call booking rate?▾
Good answer
A specific percentage with trend: “Your booking rate is 52%, up from 41% when we started. Here are the call recordings showing why.”
Bad answer
They don’t know. They don’t track it. They say “that’s your team’s responsibility, not ours.”
Benchmark
Industry average: 38–46% (varies by company size and training). Well-run shops: 62–70%. Elite with formal CSR training: 85–90%. Shops with fewer than 5 techs: only 24% (ServiceTitan). Training the person answering the phone from 38% to 65% booking rate produces more booked jobs than any Google Ads optimization at the same spend level.
15Show me the Google Ads search term report from last month.▾
Good answer
They pull it up immediately. Most search terms are relevant to your services. Negative keyword list is actively maintained. Irrelevant queries are blocked.
Bad answer
They don’t know what a search term report is. Or they show you keywords, not search terms (these are different). Or 15–30% of clicks come from irrelevant queries like “HVAC jobs near me” or “how to fix AC yourself.”
Why it matters
Without reviewing and blocking irrelevant search terms, 15–30% of your Google Ads budget goes to clicks that will never become customers. At $9.12 average CPC for HVAC, that’s $450–$900 wasted per $3,000 in monthly ad spend. If the agency has never reviewed this report, they’re not managing your ads — they turned them on.
16When a customer books a job, how do you figure out which part of my marketing actually brought them in?▾
Good answer
“We track the full path. If someone saw your truck, Googled your name a week later, and called — we credit both the truck and the search, not just the last thing they clicked. That way we know what’s starting relationships, not just what’s finishing them.”
Bad answer
They give all the credit to the last click before the call. Google Ads shows up as the winner every time — even when the customer already knew your name from a referral or seeing your truck. Or they don’t track it at all and just guess.
Why it matters
A customer sees your truck in their neighborhood, Googles your name a week later, and clicks a Google Ad. The ad didn’t create that customer — the truck did. But if your marketing person only measures the last click, Google Ads gets all the credit and your truck wrap looks like it does nothing. This leads to over-spending on ads and under-investing in the things that actually start customer relationships — wraps, referrals, reviews, community presence. 78% of customers hire the first company that responds, but knowing which channel put you on their radar first is how you decide where to spend.
17Is the phone ringing more or am I just spending more?▾
Good answer
They show Marketing Efficiency Ratio (MER): total revenue divided by total marketing spend. “Your MER is 8x — every dollar in marketing produces $8 in revenue, and it’s improving.”
Bad answer
Marketing spend is going up, but they can’t show proportional revenue growth. “We’re investing in growth” without data showing the investment is paying off.
Benchmark
MER 3–5x: acceptable for growth-mode. 5–8x: healthy for home services. 8–12x: strong, established with referral base. Above 12x: may be under-investing. MER declining while spend increases = scaling into inefficiency.
18Can I see a sample monthly report and explain what each metric means?▾
Good answer
The report shows: leads by channel with CPL, calls answered/missed with booking rate, revenue attributed to marketing, review velocity, what changed this month, and what’s planned next month. One insight, one recommendation — not just data.
Bad answer
40-page PDF filled with impressions, reach, clicks, and “engagement rate” with no connection to booked jobs or revenue. If you can’t understand the report, the report is the problem — not you.
Why it matters
Incomprehensible reporting is a top-5 reason business owners fire their marketing agency. A good report answers one question: “Did marketing produce enough booked jobs at a reasonable cost to justify the spend?” Everything else is context.
19When a new lead comes in, how fast does someone respond?▾
Good answer
“We have a system — new leads get a text or call within 2 minutes. Here’s the average response time from our call tracking.”
Bad answer
“We get back to people as soon as we can” or no system at all. The industry average response time is 47 hours. Most leads are dead by then.
Benchmark
78% of customers hire the first company that responds. Contractors who respond within 2 minutes convert at 2.2x the industry average (Hatch, 132K HVAC campaigns). Only 12% of contractors respond within 5 minutes. 35–45% of calls come after hours — 60% of those go unanswered. Every unanswered call is a customer who called the next company on the list.
20I’m getting leads but not enough booked jobs. Is that a marketing problem or a phone problem?▾
Good answer
They can diagnose it with data: “You got 85 calls last month. 62 were answered. 23 booked. Your marketing is producing leads — the bottleneck is phone handling. Here are the call recordings showing where bookings fail.”
Bad answer
“You need more leads” without looking at what happens to the ones you already get. Or: “That’s your team’s problem, not ours.”
The diagnostic
Low call volume = marketing problem (not enough people finding you). Calls coming in but not booking = phone handling problem (train the person answering). Leads booking but estimates not closing = pricing or sales problem. Leads coming in but wrong type = targeting problem (marketing). A marketing person who can’t separate these is optimizing blindly. Training a CSR from 38% to 65% booking rate produces more revenue than any ad spend increase at the same budget.
21When was the last time you checked the quality of my customer database?▾
Good answer
“We audit quarterly. Your duplicate rate is under 3%, field completeness is 85%, and we run phone numbers against the reassignment database before every campaign.”
Bad answer
They’ve never mentioned data quality. They blast your full contact list without checking if numbers are still valid or if emails will bounce.
Why it matters
About 10% of phone numbers get reassigned to someone else every year (FCC data — roughly 35 million numbers annually). Email addresses decay at about 3% per month. Combined, 20–30% of a customer contact list goes stale within 12 months. Texting a reassigned number without the new owner’s consent is a TCPA violation — fines start at $500 per message and go to $1,500 for willful violations, with no cap. A vendor who has never mentioned data quality is marketing on top of a foundation they’ve never inspected.
Section 4

Are They Actually Doing Anything?

“We’re always optimizing” is the most common non-answer in marketing. Real optimization means systematic testing with documented results. Everything else is guessing.

22Show me the last 3 tests you ran, the hypothesis, and the results.▾
Good answer
“We tested headline A vs. B for 4 weeks. A got 38 conversions, B got 51. B won at 94% confidence. We applied B to all campaigns. Here’s the report.”
Bad answer
“We tweaked the ads” or “we’re always making improvements” with no specific test, no data, no documentation.
Why it matters
Real testing has a hypothesis, one variable changed, sufficient sample size (30–50 conversions per variant for Google Ads), and documented results. If the agency can’t produce a test report for any test they claim to have run, they weren’t testing — they were guessing.
23What’s the strategy — not just the tactics?▾
Good answer
“We’re focusing on LSA and SEO for emergency leads, database reactivation for maintenance, and referral program build for install pipeline. Here’s why, here’s the timeline, and here’s how we’ll measure.”
Bad answer
“We’re running your Google Ads and posting on social media.” That’s tactics. Strategy answers why those channels, why that budget split, and what changes if results don’t come.
Why it matters
Most agencies operate only in tactics (run ads, post content) and skip strategy (why these channels, what’s the objective, how do we measure). The SOSTAC framework separates these: Situation → Objectives → Strategy → Tactics → Action → Control. If your agency can’t describe the first three, they’re executing without a plan.
24What did you change this month that you didn’t do last month?▾
Good answer
Specific actions: “Added 12 negative keywords, built a new landing page for maintenance plans, launched an LSA campaign for emergency service, adjusted bids based on the search term report.”
Bad answer
“We continued to optimize your campaigns.” If the answer is the same every month, nothing is actually happening.
Why it matters
Stagnant strategy — same campaigns running for 6+ months with no testing, no adjustment, and no new ideas — is one of the top reasons businesses fire their marketing agency. If nothing changed this month, you’re paying a retainer for maintenance, not growth.
25What would you tell me to STOP spending on?▾
Good answer
A real recommendation: “Your Facebook ads are producing leads at $140 CPL with a 15% booking rate. That’s $930 per booked job. I’d move that budget to LSA where you’re getting $168 per booked job.”
Bad answer
They can’t name a single thing. Every channel is “important” and every dollar is “working.” A vendor who can’t recommend cuts is protecting their revenue, not your results.
Why it matters
This question tests honesty. Every marketing program has underperforming channels. A vendor who can’t identify them either isn’t measuring or isn’t willing to reduce their own scope. Both are problems.
26Walk me through what the first 30 days looked like when we started.▾
Good answer
“We audited your existing accounts, established baseline metrics, verified account ownership, set up tracking, and presented a strategy with measurable objectives before running any campaigns.”
Bad answer
“We launched your campaigns right away.” An agency that starts running ads before auditing what exists is executing without diagnosis. A doctor who prescribes before examining is malpracticing.
Why it matters
The first 30 days should be diagnostic — audit, baseline, account verification, tech stack assessment. Campaigns come in month 2. If your agency started spending your money in week 1, they skipped the work that makes everything after it effective.
27Which marketing channels are you recommending and why those specifically?▾
Good answer
“Google LSA for emergency leads because it has the best cost per booked job. SEO for long-term organic pipeline. Database reactivation for your existing customers because it’s the highest ROI per dollar. Here’s why each one fits your budget and stage.”
Bad answer
“We run Google Ads and Facebook for all our clients.” Same channels for every business regardless of size, stage, or goals. No explanation of why these channels vs. alternatives.
Channel reality
The five cheapest channels per booked job are all owned channels: maintenance plan members ($5–$10/job), database reactivation ($8–$12 return per dollar), referrals ($62 CAC vs. $380 for paid), organic SEO (compounds over time), and repeat customers. Yet most contractors spend 70–80% of budgets on paid channels chasing new customers. An agency that never recommends database reactivation or a referral program is ignoring the highest-ROI activities because there’s no agency revenue model around them.
28Are you marketing to all my customers the same way?▾
Good answer
“No. Emergency repair customers get different messaging than maintenance plan members. We segment by service type, last service date, and customer value. A $15,000 install prospect gets personal attention; a one-time $200 repair gets an automated seasonal reminder.”
Bad answer
Everyone gets the same email blast, the same ad, the same follow-up. No distinction between a first-time customer and a 5-year loyal member.
Why it matters
A maintenance plan customer has a lifetime value of $8,000–$20,000. A one-time repair customer: $800–$1,200. Marketing to both the same way means under-investing in your most valuable customers and over-investing in your least valuable. Segmented campaigns produce 28% higher marketing ROI, 50% more email clicks, and up to 760% more revenue than unsegmented ones (across multiple independent and industry studies). If your marketing person has never discussed segmentation, they’re running mass-blast marketing — not strategic marketing.
29Does your marketing change by season, or is it the same thing year-round?▾
Good answer
“We ramp your ad budget in March–April when costs are lower and homeowners are booking tune-ups before summer. We scale back during peak July–August when every competitor is bidding up costs. We run maintenance reactivation in shoulder months. Here’s the seasonal calendar.”
Bad answer
Same campaigns, same budget, same messaging, January through December. No adjustment for when demand spikes, when costs peak, or when customers are proactively shopping vs. desperately calling.
Benchmark
HVAC search demand spikes 3–5x from winter to summer. Ad costs during peak summer can run 2–3x shoulder season. In large metros, summer emergency keywords can exceed $1,000/lead. The best-value windows are March–April and October — lower competition, proactive customers who book and show up. Launch seasonal campaigns 4–6 weeks before demand peaks, not when they arrive.
Section 5

What About My Existing Customers?

The five cheapest marketing channels per booked job are all owned channels: maintenance plan members, database reactivation, referrals, email, and repeat customers. Most agencies ignore all of them because there’s no ad spend to manage and no platform to resell.

30What percentage of your work is getting new customers vs. keeping existing ones?▾
Good answer
“70% acquisition, 30% retention. We’re running seasonal reactivation campaigns, managing review velocity, and building the referral program alongside paid lead generation.”
Bad answer
“We focus on getting you new leads.” If the answer is 100% acquisition and 0% retention, half the marketing potential is untouched.
Why it matters
Acquiring a new customer costs 5–7x more than retaining an existing one (Gartner 2024; HBR; Invesp meta-analysis). A maintenance plan customer has a lifetime value of $8,000–$20,000 — 3–5x a one-time repair customer. Most agencies focus exclusively on acquisition because retention has no ad spend to manage and no recurring agency fee. This is the structural reason the highest-ROI marketing activity gets ignored.
31What is my review velocity — not total reviews?▾
Good answer
“You’re averaging 10 new reviews per month, up from 4. 74% of consumers only look at reviews from the last 3 months, so velocity matters more than your total count.”
Bad answer
“You have 150 reviews!” Total count without velocity is a snapshot, not a trend. A business with 200 reviews and 0 new per month is being outranked by one with 80 reviews and 12 new per month.
Benchmark
Review velocity and recency are now a top-5 Google local ranking factor (Whitespark 2026, up from #20 in 2023). Review signals account for ~20% of local pack ranking weight. 74% of consumers ignore reviews older than 3 months (BrightLocal 2026). 8–12 new reviews/month is a practitioner guideline for competitive positioning.
32When was the last time you marketed to my existing customer list?▾
Good answer
“We ran a pre-summer reactivation campaign in March. 3,000 contacts, 8% response rate, 150 booked tune-ups. Next one goes out in September for fall maintenance.”
Bad answer
“That’s not really our area” or they’ve never suggested it. Database reactivation using your own CRM data delivers $8–$12 return per dollar — 2–3x the return of new customer acquisition. If your agency has never mentioned it, ask why.
Why it matters
A 3,000-contact database at 5% reactivation = 150 jobs. At $2,500 average ticket, that’s $375,000 in revenue from a campaign that costs almost nothing to run. Agencies rarely push database reactivation because it uses your own data, not a platform they control — which means there’s no agency revenue model around it.
33Do I have a structured referral program?▾
Good answer
“Yes — tiered incentives by job size, automated text within 24 hours of job completion with a referral link. Last month it produced 8 referrals that closed at 65%.”
Bad answer
No formal program. Referrals happen organically but nobody tracks them, incentivizes them, or measures the rate.
Benchmark
Referral close rate: 60–75% (vs. ~42% for inbound calls, ~30% for paid leads). Average CPA via referral: $62 vs. $380 via paid advertising — a 6.1x cost advantage. Fixed cash incentives ($25–$50) outperform percentage discounts by 2.1x. Agencies almost never build referral programs because there’s no platform to manage and no ad spend to bill.
Section 6

Am I Protected?

Your contract should protect you, not trap you. The things good agencies volunteer are the same things bad agencies avoid discussing.

34What’s the contract length and cancellation clause?▾
Good answer
“6-month initial term. 30-day cancellation notice after that. Month-to-month after the initial period.” Better yet: a 90-day pilot with defined success criteria before a longer commitment.
Bad answer
12+ months with 60–90 day cancellation notice. No performance clauses. Auto-renewal without explicit written consent. Cancellation requires paying out the remaining months.
Why it matters
A confident agency earns your business monthly. A long lock-in before proving results protects them from accountability, not you from bad marketing.
35Does the contract say I own everything produced during the engagement?▾
Good answer
Written clause: “All advertising, analytics, tracking and social accounts, and all data, audiences, creative assets and reports produced under this agreement, are the property of the Client.”
Bad answer
No IP clause. Or: “We use proprietary templates” — meaning they claim ownership of work you paid for.
Why it matters
Under US copyright law, work created by an independent contractor is owned by the creator, not who paid for it — unless a written agreement assigns ownership. Without an explicit IP assignment clause, the agency may technically own the website, ad copy, and creative assets you paid them to produce.
36What happens to my data and accounts if we part ways?▾
Good answer
Written transition clause: transfer of all campaign assets, keyword lists, audience data, and historical reports within 7 business days. No-hostage clause: outstanding fees don’t delay handover.
Bad answer
No transition clause. No data portability commitment. “We’d work something out.”
Why it matters
Documented cases: agencies deleting Google Analytics and Ads accounts within weeks of contract ending. Facebook Ads accounts cannot be transferred between Business Managers — if the agency owns it, all historical data, audiences, and pixel training are gone. Hard cut transitions cause 30–60 days of pipeline performance loss. Secure access before giving notice — cooperation drops the moment they know you’re leaving.
37Do you carry errors & omissions insurance?▾
Good answer
Yes, with proof. E&O insurance covers negligence, campaign errors, and data-related claims.
Bad answer
No insurance, or they don’t know what E&O is.
Why it matters
E&O signals professionalism and provides a recovery path if the agency makes a costly mistake. For engagements over $2,000/month or involving ad spend management, no insurance means no financial backstop. Note: E&O does not cover intentional acts like refusing to transfer accounts — that’s a contract dispute. Prevention via contract clauses remains more effective than insurance recovery.
38How often do we sit down for a real strategic review — not just a report?▾
Good answer
“Monthly calls to review performance. Quarterly strategic reviews where we look at the bigger picture — what’s working, what’s not, what to change next quarter, and what the competition is doing. The quarterly meeting has a written agenda shared in advance.”
Bad answer
“We send you a monthly report.” A report is not a review. A report is data. A review is a conversation about what the data means and what to do about it. If you never sit across from a strategist, you’re paying for execution without direction.
Why it matters
Quarterly reviews should spend 60% of the time on the next 90 days, not rehashing the last 90. The agenda: results vs. goals, what worked, what didn’t (honestly), what changes next quarter, and what the agency needs from you. If the agency resists or avoids these reviews, it means they don’t have a strategy to present, don’t want to be held to commitments, or consider your account too small for strategic attention. All three are problems.
39What happens when something breaks — tracking stops, ads overspend, or a campaign goes down?▾
Good answer
“We monitor daily. If tracking breaks or budget paces over, we get an alert and fix it within hours. You’d hear from us the same day with what happened and what we did. Here’s our escalation process.”
Bad answer
“We’d catch it in the monthly report.” A month of broken tracking means a month of blind spending. A month of budget overspend could be thousands wasted. If the agency finds out when you do, nobody is watching.
Why it matters
Tracking breaks silently. Google Ads can overspend if daily budgets shift. Conversion tracking can stop firing after a website update with no visible error. A competent vendor monitors daily and proactively alerts you when something goes wrong — not because you called asking why the phone stopped ringing. The difference between catching a tracking failure in 4 hours vs. 30 days is the difference between a minor blip and a month of wasted budget with no data.
Section 7

Should I Be Worried?

Any one of these is a reason to investigate. Three or more together is a reason to start your search for a replacement.

40Did they propose a solution before understanding my business?▾
Good sign
The discovery call was 70% them asking questions, 30% talking. They asked about your business goals, past marketing, sales process, and how leads are followed up. They said “let us think about this and come back with a recommendation” rather than pitching on the spot.
Bad sign
They pitched a package on the first call. The proposal arrived within 48 hours of first contact. They described their process without asking about yours. If the solution was ready before they understood the problem, you’re buying a template.
Why it matters
An agency that proposes before diagnosing is selling a pre-built package, not building a strategy for your business. A proposal that arrives in 48 hours wasn’t written for you — it was written for the last 50 companies that looked like you.
41Can they provide 3 references I can actually call?▾
Good sign
They proactively offer 3+ contactable references, ideally in home services. The references can name specific results (“our cost per booked job went from $X to $Y”) and confirm they own their accounts.
Bad sign
They stall, provide only website testimonials, or give first-name-only reviews. The references can’t name specific results, don’t know who owns their accounts, or were given talking points by the agency.
Why it matters
Always check references by phone, never email. Ask: “What’s your cost per booked job through their marketing?” “Do you own your Google Ads account?” “Would you hire them again?” If the reference can’t answer these, the agency isn’t delivering what they’re selling.
42Do they guarantee results?▾

Automatic disqualifier

“We guarantee page 1 rankings” or “We guarantee 50 leads per month.” Nobody can guarantee Google rankings — Google’s algorithm has hundreds of variables no agency controls. An agency that guarantees results is either lying or defining “results” in a way that’s meaningless (impressions, clicks, unqualified form fills).

What honest looks like
“We can’t guarantee specific results. What we can guarantee is our process, our reporting transparency, and a 90-day pilot with defined benchmarks so you can evaluate us on data, not promises.”
What selling looks like
Specific lead counts, ranking guarantees, or revenue promises before they’ve audited your business, your market, or your competition.
43Who am I actually working with day-to-day?▾
Good sign
You’ve met the person who will manage your account before signing. They can explain the strategy and answer technical questions. They’re the same caliber as the person who pitched you.
Bad sign
A senior person sold you, but a junior account coordinator manages your account. You’ve never spoken to a strategist after the sales call. Your day-to-day contact can’t explain why campaigns are configured the way they are.
Why it matters
The senior-sell, junior-do pattern is the #3 complaint from business owners who fire their agency. You’re paying for expertise but receiving task execution. Ask before signing: “Who will I talk to every week? Can I meet them now?”
44How many people work on my account, and who covers when you’re unavailable?▾
Good sign
“Your account is managed by a named person, with a named backup covering when they’re out. Both know your campaigns and can make decisions.”
Bad sign
Same person for both answers. Or: “I handle everything.” If one person is sick, on vacation, or quits — your campaigns run unmanaged with no coverage.
Why it matters
Many “agencies” are one person with a brand name. That’s not automatically bad — solo operators can do excellent work. But the pricing and expectations should match a freelancer, not an agency. If you’re paying agency rates for one person with no backup, no QA process, and no team review of their work, you’re overpaying for structural risk. A common freelancer risk isn’t quality — it’s continuity. Ask this question before you sign, not when the phone stops ringing.

Section 1: Do I Own My Stuff?

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Section 2: What Am I Paying For?

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Section 3: Is It Working?

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Section 4: Are They Actually Doing Anything?

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Section 5: What About My Existing Customers?

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Section 6: Am I Protected?

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Section 7: Should I Be Worried?

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What a 90-Day Marketing Engagement Actually Contains

This is what a competent marketing engagement looks like for a local service business — the deliverables, milestones, and metrics at each phase. Not a proposal. Not a pitch. A reference for what you should expect to see and when, so you can hold anyone you hire to a professional standard.

Structured as a statement of work: deliverables are defined outputs (nouns, not verbs), each phase has a gate before the next begins, and metrics are established before money is spent.

Phase 1
Diagnostic
Days 1–30 — No campaigns. No ad spend. Audit first.

A competent engagement starts by understanding what exists before changing anything. Execution begins in Phase 2, after the diagnostic establishes what to do and why.

DeliverableDescriptionAcceptance Criteria
Account ownership auditVerification that all digital assets (Google Ads, GBP, Analytics, domain, call tracking, CRM) are owned by the business, not the vendorWritten confirmation with admin access verified for each account
Technical site auditWebsite performance, mobile usability, schema markup, page speed, conversion elements, tracking verificationWritten report with prioritized issue list and severity ratings
Competitive analysis3–5 direct competitors: digital presence, ad activity, review profile, GBP positioning, content strategyComparison matrix with competitive gaps and opportunities identified
Baseline metrics reportCurrent CPL by channel, call booking rate, review velocity, website conversion rate, revenue by source, MERDashboard or report showing 12 months of historical data where available
CRM and data quality auditDuplicate rate, field completeness, contact decay assessment, TCPA compliance checkWritten findings with cleanup recommendations and estimated database health score
Call recording reviewSample of 10–15 recent inbound calls reviewed for booking rate, objection handling, pricing delivery, and lead capture completenessWritten findings identifying whether lead-to-booking conversion is a marketing problem or a phone handling problem
Lead response process mapDocumentation of what happens from the moment a lead arrives (form, call, chat) through booking: who responds, how fast, what the handoff looks likeWritten process map with measured current response time and identified gaps
Strategic roadmapPrioritized channel recommendations, budget allocation by phase, 90-day timeline with milestones, preliminary KPI targetsPresented to client for approval before any execution begins
Phase Gate
Client reviews diagnostic findings and strategic roadmap. Approves, redirects, or terminates before any ad spend or campaign execution begins. Targets are finalized based on baseline data — not guessed before the audit.

Leading Indicators (visible by day 30)

  • All accounts verified under business ownership
  • Tracking infrastructure confirmed working (GA4 events firing, call tracking active)
  • Baseline metrics documented — every number that will be measured going forward has a starting point
  • Strategic roadmap approved with measurable objectives
Phase 2
Build and Launch
Days 30–60 — Execute the top priorities from the roadmap.

Execution starts only after the diagnostic is complete and the strategy is approved. Priority order is based on audit findings, not a pre-built template.

DeliverableDescriptionAcceptance Criteria
Website fixes (critical)Top-priority issues from the site audit: mobile performance, conversion paths, CTAs, page speed, schema markupIssues resolved, verified with before/after metrics (speed scores, mobile test pass)
Tracking infrastructureGA4 with key events defined, call tracking with DNI (dynamic number insertion) per channel, UTM framework, CRM source field configuredTest conversions verified flowing from ad click through to CRM with correct source attribution
Campaign structuresGoogle Ads (branded defense + emergency + planned service), LSA setup and Google Guaranteed application, negative keyword listCampaigns live, producing impressions and clicks, search term report clean
Seasonal campaign calendar12-month campaign calendar aligned to demand patterns: pre-season ramp timing, peak budget allocation, shoulder-season retention focus, with specific budget % per quarterCalendar documented, first seasonal campaign scheduled
GBP optimizationCategory accuracy, complete profile, photo updates, review response process, posting cadence establishedGBP 100% complete per Google’s own checklist, posting schedule active
Review generation systemAutomated post-service review request (SMS or email), direct Google review link, response template librarySystem active, first review requests sent, velocity tracking in place
Speed-to-lead systemAutomated response to new leads within 2 minutes (text confirmation, callback scheduling, or live answer). Measurement of response time per lead source.System active, response time tracked and reported. Baseline response time documented for comparison.
Process documentationPhone scripts, estimate follow-up cadence, complaint escalation tiers, daily dispatch checklist (if applicable)Written documents delivered, reviewed with team, accessible for daily use
Phase Gate
Tracking infrastructure verified working end-to-end (a test lead flows from ad click through call tracking to CRM with correct source). Campaigns live and producing measurable leads. All severity-1 and severity-2 issues from the Phase 1 site audit resolved.

Leading Indicators (visible by day 60)

  • First leads arriving from paid campaigns (Google Ads should produce leads within 1–2 weeks of launch)
  • Review requests going out after every completed job
  • Call tracking showing source attribution for every inbound call
  • Website speed and mobile scores improved from baseline
  • Lead response time measured — baseline established for improvement tracking
Phase 3
Measure and Optimize
Days 60–90 — First real data. Adjust based on what the numbers say.

The first full month of performance data becomes available. This is when the engagement shifts from building to measuring — and when accountability begins in earnest.

DeliverableDescriptionAcceptance Criteria
First performance reportChannel-by-channel results: CPL, cost per booked job, booking rate, revenue attributed to marketing, MER, review velocityReport delivered with comparison to Phase 1 baselines. One insight, one recommendation.
Optimization reportWritten analysis of first full month’s data: which channels to increase, decrease, or pause, with supporting data. Budget reallocation recommendations. A/B test results if applicable.Report delivered with documented changes and rationale tied to performance data
Database reactivation campaignFirst campaign to lapsed customers (12+ months no service) via SMS and/or email with seasonal or loyalty offerCampaign sent, response rate and booking rate tracked
Referral program structureDocumented referral program with incentive tiers, automated request timing, and tracking mechanismProgram documented, first referral requests sent, referral-to-close rate tracked
Maintenance plan supportEnrollment materials, renewal reminder cadence, plan comparison content for field and office useMaterials delivered, enrollment tracking active
Reporting structureMonthly report template established, quarterly review agenda defined, dashboard access configured for the business ownerOwner can access performance data independently. Reporting cadence agreed.
Customer segmentation setupCRM segmentation by lifecycle stage (first-time, repeat, plan member, lapsed), service type (repair, maintenance, install), and value tier. Segment-specific marketing approach defined for each.Segments configured in CRM with documented marketing approach per segment
Handoff documentationComplete record of everything set up: account credentials, campaign structures, automation workflows, what’s running and why, recommended next steps for months 4–6Document complete enough that a different person could take over without starting from zero
Phase Gate
Performance benchmarks reviewed against Phase 1 baselines. Business owner can see results by channel. All documentation is complete. Decision: continue engagement into months 4–6, transition to ongoing management, or hand off with full documentation.

Lagging Indicators (visible by day 90)

  • Cost per booked job by channel — the number the entire engagement is measured by
  • Revenue attributed to marketing vs. baseline (month-over-month trend visible)
  • Review velocity trend — new reviews per month compared to pre-engagement rate
  • MER (total revenue / total marketing spend) — is marketing producing proportional returns?
  • Call booking rate — has phone handling improved alongside lead generation?
  • Speed-to-lead — average response time compared to baseline (78% of customers hire the first company that responds)

Assumptions

  • Business provides admin access to all existing marketing accounts within 5 business days of engagement start
  • Business has an active Google Business Profile (or creation is included in Phase 2 scope)
  • Business designates a single point of contact with authority to approve deliverables and strategy
  • Ad spend budget is separate from and in addition to the engagement fee
  • Business responds to deliverable approval requests within 5 business days
  • Preliminary KPI targets are set using industry benchmarks before Phase 1; final targets are established after the diagnostic produces baseline data

Exclusions

  • Paid advertising spend (managed by the engagement, funded by the business)
  • Website hosting and domain registration fees
  • Photography, videography, or production services (unless specified)
  • CRM, call tracking, or email platform subscription fees
  • Legal review of contracts or regulatory compliance
  • Sales training, office operations, or hiring (often recommended, scoped separately)
  • Full website redesign or rebuild (scope includes critical fixes from the Phase 1 audit; a ground-up rebuild is a separate engagement)

Roles and Responsibilities

Consultant / Agency
  • Deliver all deliverables per phase on schedule
  • Manage campaigns, tracking, and optimization
  • Provide monthly reports and quarterly strategic reviews
  • Proactively alert on issues (tracking breaks, budget anomalies, competitive changes)
  • Recommend strategy changes backed by data
  • Document everything for handoff at any phase
Client / Business Owner
  • Provide admin access to all accounts within 5 business days
  • Designate a single decision-maker with approval authority
  • Respond to deliverable approvals within 5 business days
  • Provide business information needed for campaigns (services, pricing, service area)
  • Answer the phone and follow up on leads that marketing delivers
  • Fund ad spend separately from the engagement retainer

Communication and Reporting

  • Weekly status update (email or brief call) — first 60 days of the engagement
  • Monthly performance report with strategy call (30–45 minutes)
  • Quarterly strategic review (60–90 minutes, written agenda shared 3 days prior)
  • Immediate notification for: tracking breakage, budget anomalies, competitor changes requiring response
  • Escalation: issues not resolved within 5 business days go to engagement principal / business owner

Change Orders

Any work outside the defined scope requires a written change order: description of work requested, estimated hours or cost, client approval in writing before work begins. This protects both sides from scope creep — the engagement stays focused on what was agreed, and new requests get proper attention with proper budgeting.

Ownership

All accounts, data, creative assets, campaign structures, keyword lists, audience lists, and documentation produced during the engagement are the property of the business. If the engagement ends at any phase, all deliverables completed to that point transfer to the business within 7 business days. Outstanding fees are handled as a separate matter and do not delay handover of accounts or data.

Reference Benchmarks for Target-Setting

These benchmarks from trade associations and independent research provide starting points for Phase 1 target-setting. Actual targets should be based on diagnostic findings, not generic numbers.

MetricBenchmarkSource
Call booking rate38–46% average, 62–70% well-run, 85–90% eliteInvoca (70M+ calls), ServiceTitan
Cost per booked jobLSA ~$150–200, Google Ads ~$425–750, Referrals ~$20–25Multiple (vendor-sourced; Google publishes nothing)
Marketing spend10% of revenue for growth (ACCA); 12%+ correlated with higher profitACCA (trade association)
Review velocity8–12 new reviews/month (practitioner guideline)Whitespark, BrightLocal (independent)
Speed-to-lead78% hire the first responder. 2-minute response = 2.2x conversionMultiple 2026 sources; Hatch (132K campaigns)
Marketing efficiency (MER)5–8x healthy for home servicesMultiple

This is what a professional marketing engagement contains. If what you’re getting looks different, ask why.

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