You’re the Client, Ask Like an Owner. Not a Bystander
If you’re working with a marketing company, agency, or freelancer, you deserve more than flashy dashboards and vague updates. You’re not just buying “marketing”, you’re investing in outcomes. That means you need clarity, accountability, and honest answers.
Too many contractors feel stuck because they don’t know what to ask, or they get jargon-filled responses that leave them more confused than when they started.
This article gives you a simple framework: six essential questions to ask every month so you know what’s working, what’s not, and what’s next.
1. “How Many Leads Did We Get, and Where Did They Come From?”
Start with the basics. You’re paying to get more phone calls, form submissions, and booked jobs. You need to know:
- Total number of leads
- Source breakdown: Google Ads, SEO, Google Business Profile, Facebook, etc.
- Channel performance: Which one is working best?
If your marketing partner can’t show you where your leads are coming from, you can’t make smart decisions about your budget.
2. “What Was Our Cost Per Lead, and Cost Per Booked Job?”
Raw lead numbers are only part of the story. You also need to know how much you’re paying to get them, and whether those leads are turning into customers.
Ask for:
- Cost per lead (CPL) by channel
- Cost per booked job (if you’re tracking conversions)
- Comparisons to industry benchmarks or your past performance
This is where you catch underperforming campaigns early, before they waste your entire budget.
3. “What Did You Actually Do for Us This Month?”
This keeps the conversation grounded in real work, not just results. You’re paying for strategy, execution, and improvement, not just data.
Ask:
- What campaigns were launched or updated?
- What content, landing pages, or creative was created?
- What optimizations were made to improve performance?
If they can’t clearly show their activity, they may be coasting.
4. “What Are You Changing Based on the Data?”
Good marketing companies adjust. They don’t just run the same play every month. They should be testing, improving, and learning from what the data is telling them.
Ask:
- What’s working, and how are you building on it?
- What’s underperforming, and how are you fixing it?
- What are you planning to test next month?
If every month’s plan looks the same, they’re not being proactive.
5. “How Does This Connect to Our Business Goals?”
Your marketing doesn’t live in a vacuum. It’s supposed to support your actual business priorities, whether that’s:
- Booking out the schedule for spring
- Selling more installs during slow season
- Hiring techs for a new service area
Make sure your marketing partner knows what you care about, and ask how their work supports that.
If they talk traffic while you’re worried about recruiting, they’re not aligned with your goals.
6. “What Do You Need From Us to Make This Work Better?”
The best marketing is collaborative. You may need to provide:
- Updated photos or service info
- Faster follow-up on leads
- Approvals or feedback on campaigns
Ask this monthly to keep things moving, and to spot gaps in the process that might be slowing results down.
You’re Not Being Difficult, You’re Being Smart
You don’t need to micromanage your marketing partner. But you do need to lead the relationship like a business owner.
Asking the right questions isn’t a burden, it’s how you protect your investment, align your team, and make sure your marketing is a growth engine, not a guessing game.
