How to Deal With Marketing Agencies for Better Results: Lessons From Ted of WireFox Electric

Having trouble getting the results you want from your marketing agency? 

Ted, who owns WireFox Electric, is here to help. With 24 years in electrical work and six years running his own business, Ted has plenty of experience when it comes to working with marketing companies.

In our discussion, he shares practical tips on how to get the best from your marketing agency, save money, and know when to handle things yourself. 

Here’s what Ted knows and how you can use his tips to make your marketing better.

Choosing the Right Marketing Company

Most social marketing agencies lose clients within three months. You need a company that knows your goals and target customers. 

Ted said, find a company that understands your business. He said it’s important to pick a marketing company that really understands what your business does and what you want to achieve. 

To find a good company, look at their past work and see if they have helped other businesses like yours. 

Check their success stories. 

Before hiring a company, make sure they have a good track record. Look for stories of their past successes and see if they have helped other businesses succeed. 

A good company will have examples and reviews showing how they’ve helped other businesses. 

You can find this information on their website or review sites like UpCity or AdAge.

Ted in a podcast with Blitz Metrics

Ted Budzichowski Shares His Marketing Insights in a Podcast with BlitzMetrics

Ted’s interest in marketing started when he and a friend bought and fixed up houses as teenagers. 

This hands-on work taught him about direct mail marketing and later led him into web development and IT. 

His experience with marketing agencies really took off when he became the leader of WireFox Electric, an electrical services company in Maryland.

Wixfox van

WireFox Electric Van

Despite his tech background, Ted faced difficulties finding reliable marketing companies for his electrical business.

Here are some of Ted’s frustrations with digital marketing companies:

  • Unfulfilled Promises: One company took two and a half months to run an AdWords campaign but failed to deliver any results. Although the contractor admitted their mistakes, they did not manage the campaign well.
  • Poor Referral Choices: Ted once hired a friend’s referral for website and funnel development, but the results were disappointing. Now, he avoids personal referrals when choosing marketing services.
  • Ineffective Presentations: Many companies presented generic slide decks that showed their services but did not address Ted’s specific needs or provide concrete results. He found that some companies used special content management systems (CMS) that seemed designed to lock clients in and make switching difficult.
  • Hidden Costs and Long Contracts: Some companies proposed high monthly fees or long-term contracts with unclear outcomes, leading to dissatisfaction and a lack of transparency.

Ted’s experiences highlight the importance of choosing a marketing company that is transparent, accountable, and focused on delivering real results. 

Be careful of companies that use special tools or systems that might lock you into their services.

Make sure you know about any extra costs and that everything is clear and fair.

Ted suggests understanding all the terms of your contract before signing. 

Communicate Clearly and Set Realistic Goals

Be clear about what you want. When you start working with a marketing company, you should clearly explain what you want to achieve.

Whether you want more people to visit your website, get more phone calls, or sell more products, tell them your goals from the start.

He said, setting clear goals helps the company create a plan that works for you.

Keep an eye on progress and check regularly to see how well the company is doing. Look at their reports to see if they are meeting the goals you set.

If you notice any problems, talk to them right away.

Using tools like Google Analytics can help you track how well your marketing is working.

Deal with problems quickly as they come up and recommend handling any problems with the company as soon as they arise.

If the company isn’t doing a good job or isn’t meeting your expectations, let them know right away.

This helps fix issues before they get worse.

Keep records of all your communications and agreements to help resolve any problems.

Be Ready for Challenges.

Sometimes, marketing companies might not deliver what they promised.

Make sure you do your research and find a company that stays up-to-date with the latest trends.

Work with Honest Companies

It’s important to choose a company that is honest and reliable. Ted believes that companies should be clear about what they can and cannot do. 

They should tell you exactly what you’re paying for and what results you can expect.

Ted’s exploration into the world of marketing highlights several critical aspects that business owners should consider. 

At the forefront is the idea that marketing metrics should be closely tied to revenue.

If the efforts of a marketing company do not directly translate into tangible business outcomes such as increased phone calls, inquiries, or sales, then the strategy in place is fundamentally flawed.

Ted emphasizes that simply driving traffic to a website is insufficient if that traffic does not convert into customers. 

The focus should always be on how well marketing activities are driving actual business results rather than just metrics like page views.

Ted’s experiences with various marketing companies underscore common issues in the industry. One significant problem is the generation of irrelevant traffic. 

For instance, if a local service business is getting visitors from countries outside its service area, this indicates a lack of targeted strategy. 

Many companies engage in practices that lead to fake or spammy engagement, such as acquiring irrelevant likes or followers on social media. 

These practices not only mislead businesses but also fail to deliver genuine value.

To address these issues, Ted advocates for a more effective approach to marketing. 

Quality content on a website is essential; without it, even the best traffic-driving tactics will not convert visitors.

How to Hire Experts and Handle Bad Marketing Companies

Ted decided to hire different experts for each job on his website. He learned that it’s best to let each person focus only on what they do best. 

For example, if you need high-quality backlinks for your website, find a freelancer who excels at that and let them handle just that task“, Ted said. 

Once they finish, you can hire someone else for the next job.

Ted was talking with a marketing expert named Dennis Yu

dennis yu

Dennis Yu Is the Co-author of the Best-Selling Social Media Book on Amazon

Dennis is very well-known in the marketing world. 

He’s spoken at over 750 conferences in 20 countries, having flown over 6 million miles in the last 30 years to train up young adults and business owners. Ted realized he was getting advice from a top expert. 

Dennis helped Ted by giving tips on how to deal with a bad marketing company.

One tip Dennis gave was about contracts. When you hire a company, make sure everything is written clearly in the contract. 

If the company doesn’t do what they promised, you can often get your money back by contacting your bank. 

Ted had to do this several times when companies didn’t do their job right and managed to get his money back each time.

Ted also learned it’s important to act quickly if you’re unhappy with a company’s work, don’t wait too long because it can be harder to get your money back if you wait.

If a company isn’t doing its job, contact your bank and explain the situation to get a refund

This is especially important if the company hasn’t delivered what they promised or has been neglecting their duties.

Hiring people who are great at specific tasks and making sure your contracts are clear can save you a lot of trouble. 

If you have problems, don’t hesitate to contact your bank to get your money back if the company isn’t doing its job right.

Ted’s Guide to Tracking Ad Performance and Avoiding Sneaky Tricks

Ted put $60,000 into his business to help make $2.4 million in sales. He also had to spend between $600,000 and $900,000 on equipment. 

But Ted isn’t sure if his $60,000 investment actually made a profit without more details. Ted thinks it’s really important to track how well ads are working. 

He uses coupons not just to give discounts but to see if ads are successful. If a company doesn’t focus on tracking, they might be trying to hide bad results.

Ted also had trouble with a tool called CallRail, which helps track phone calls from ads. 

Setting it up can be hard, especially if the hosting company makes it difficult. 

Too many tracking scripts can also cause problems and mess up the website. 

For ads on Google Local Services, Ted suggests using a separate phone number. This helps keep track of calls coming from your ads and makes sure you can measure how well they’re working. 

Ted advises checking that the phone system and CallRail setup are correct to ensure everything is working smoothly.

If his ad account isn’t performing well, Ted might create a new account that is linked to his Google Business Profile. 

This profile already has good reviews, which can help maintain a high rating for his business. 

By doing this, he aims to keep his business’s reputation strong and attract more customers.

Ted also warns that some companies use sneaky tricks to get leads. 

For example, “they might create fake listings or use fake email accounts to appear more successful than they are” He said. 

These tricks can be risky and could get caught by Google, which might lead to penalties or getting banned from advertising.

Learning from Ted’s Experiences

Ted’s experiences teach us valuable lessons about working with marketing companies. 

With Ted’s advice, you can make the process smoother by focusing on clear communication, tracking results, and picking honest partners. These steps will help you build strong marketing strategies and grow your business.

When choosing the right agency, Ted’s tips can help you make smart decisions and get great results on your own. 

Use his advice to get the most out of your marketing efforts and hit your business goals.

Now that you know how Ted makes the most of his marketing and works with agencies, it’s your turn! 

Check out our new AYG tool for just $200. It offers a full audit to help you fine-tune your marketing strategy and see real improvements. 

Don’t wait—get started today and watch your business grow!

Dennis Yu
Dennis Yu
Dennis Yu is co-author of the #1 best-selling book on Amazon in social media, The Definitive Guide to TikTok Ads.  He has spent a billion dollars on Facebook ads across his agencies and agencies he advises. Mr. Yu is the "million jobs" guy-- on a mission to create one million jobs via hands-on social media training, partnering with universities and professional organizations.You can find him quoted in major publications and on television such as CNN, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, NPR, and LA Times. Clients have included Nike, Red Bull, the Golden State Warriors, Ashley Furniture, Quiznos-- down to local service businesses like real estate agents and dentists. He's spoken at over 750 conferences in 20 countries, having flown over 6 million miles in the last 30 years to train up young adults and business owners. He speaks for free as long as the organization believes in the job-creation mission and covers business class travel.You can find him hiking tall mountains, eating chicken wings, and taking Kaqun oxygen baths-- likely in a city near you.