There are some larger marketing companies who occasionally contact my clients.
One company in particular from California spends quite a lot of money. They drop off toolboxes full of cookies, Yeti Tumblers, and even boxes containing a LCD Video Brochure (a video screen that played a commercial). According to this company, all they want is “15 minutes of the business owners time”.
Companies like this use aggressive salespeople who are only trying to make their commission. They promise the world, and sometimes they want to take over your website and then hold you hostage. You will get billed $600 to $800 per month for SEO services (more if they talk you into PPC) with a contract that is almost impossible to get out of.
They will say they have over 400 employees (the majority of them are salespeople), but they may outsource most of their web development and SEO to India. This is why your “customer service rep” will never be able to answer questions or get any work finished in a timely manner.
They do have lots of reports with pretty graphics that make little sense.
One of these salespeople who contacted a client had to brag in an email about her mad skills:
Jane Doe
Principal Sales Development Representative
Mar 2022 – Present
- Top-performing SDR out of 60+ reps for the last 3 consecutive months, with an average quota attainment of 280%+
- Consistently ranks in the top 5% on outbound activity metrics month over month, with an average of 40 dials and 40 emails per day
- Promoted 2x in my first 7 months
- Currently holds two company records for ‘most demos scheduled’ and ‘most demos performed’ in a one month period
I guess their priority is sending emails and cold calling to get new business. They need to reach their quota!
If a salesperson for a mechanic called you out of the blue and said you needed a new transmission – would you run right over to that garage and schedule the work?
It’s one thing if you are a huge company and have the money to spend on marketing. But if you are a smaller business you need to make sure you get the most bang for your buck. If you are using a local web development or marketing agency you will have partners that can grow with your business. They may not be dropping off toolboxes of chocolate chip cookies, but they will be there when you need them!