To support the launch of the new PSP Insider podcast, which is a series of training episodes for other Google Ads freelancers and agencies, I am going to be writing more often about “the business of Google Ads.” I’m coming up on the 5 year anniversary of starting Rothman PPC, and I’ve learned a lot during this half decade.
And one thing I’ve learned, is that often times clients who fire you will end up coming back around and try to hire you again. Sometimes it’s a couple months, sometimes it’s a year or two, but a really high percentage of people who stop working with you end up coming back around and are interested in hiring you for your services again. My best estimate would be maybe 10% to 15% of people who fire you end up coming back around again at some point.
I rarely ever get fired due to poor results. I never take on clients unless I think the campaign is going to be successful, so I don’t take on dead on arrival campaigns, like a business that offers something no one is searching for, or a business trying to do something dumb on Google Ads that will never work, like trying to target people at individual addresses in tons of different cities using small radiuses (yes, someone tried that). So when I take on a client, the odds of success are very high right from the start, I work with businesses in my circle of competence, and the result is that Rothman PPC rarely ever misses and fails to get results.
So then why do I get fired every now and then? As much as I hate to admit it, and as rare as it is, it does happen from time to time. I do get fired. And it’s always for the craziest reasons. Some scenarios are:
- An important person at the company’s son launched a digital marketing agency, so Rothman PPC is out and Junior is in, damn the results.
- Client’s have a temporary business issue, like a partner breakup, and stop advertising.
- A new partner buys into the company and brings his digital marketing team in, and I’m out.
- An agency that provides other digital marketing services for the client persuades them that they can do better than Rothman PPC.
It happens. And when it does, I am always courteous and professional.
It’s good to be courteous and professional. But I don’t act this way solely because I’m a nice guy, and I am. I also do it because it pays to be professional.
10% to 15% of these clients always come back around eventually. Junior couldn’t cut it, they got over the business issue and are advertising again, the new partner’s digital team sucked, or turns out the web design company isn’t good at Google Ads.
When the new managers don’t perform well, the clients come back to Rothman PPC for the focused on perfect search terms and most leads possible style of Google Ads management that they know and love. And a big reason they come back is because when the shoe was on the other foot, when I was the one dealing with a business problem (them leaving me), I was still courteous and professional and a pleasure to deal with.
If you’re going to be a professional Google Ads manager, there’s a time to be ruthless and cold, but trust me, that time is not when you’re getting fired.
If we’re lucky, it’s a long, slow life, and people come and go, and then sometimes come back again.
We live our lives in chapters. Sometimes a client is in a chapter, sometimes they’re not, but often times you’ll see the same characters again.
Be tough, be strong, but also always be courteous and professional. Professionalism will take you a long way in this business, and it will win you a lot of repeat customers.
