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Choosing the right clients can make or break your digital marketing agency.
I sat down with Ben Hammel, CEO of Disruptive Digital Marketing, to discuss why agencies should focus on working with reputable businesses.
Ben’s journey started when he was a college student working at a trampoline park. He discovered our BlitzMetrics training, applied what he learned, and convinced his boss to let him run Dollar a Day ads.
That small start turned into a thriving career—now, he runs a successful agency helping family fun centers across the country grow.
Having worked closely with Ben over the years, I’ve seen firsthand how selecting the right clients impacts an agency’s success.
Healthy Businesses Yield Better Results
Some of the clients that will benefit from your work the most are the biggest ones. For example, Ben shared that he’s worked with some Sky Zone parks like Denver, Massachusetts, and Springfield, New Jersey.
These locations are earning massive revenues and seeing huge increases from marketing efforts. The value proposition is much greater for bigger, well-established businesses.
Healthy businesses that are already performing well can leverage your expertise to achieve exponential growth.
These businesses typically have the resources, infrastructure, and mindset to implement and scale effective marketing strategies.
The Pitfalls of Desperate Clients
Digital marketing works best when you take on clients who are already doing well.
Suppose a client is in a Hail Mary, desperate situation—about to go out of business—and hoping that your ads, SEO, or website optimization will magically save them. In that case, it’s often a mistake to take them on.
Here’s why: struggling businesses often lack the foundation needed for marketing success. They might have terrible reviews, poor customer service, or operational issues that no amount of advertising can fix.
It’s like trying to save a patient on life support while neglecting other clients who are ready to thrive with your help.
Sure, you can try to be a hero and turn things around for a failing business.
But doing so often requires a disproportionate amount of time and energy. For every desperate client you take on, you might be sacrificing the opportunity to serve several healthy clients who can deliver better results for your agency’s efforts.
For example, in one of my videos, I explained why taking on a new supplement business as a client would be a losing battle.
They wanted to rank for highly competitive keywords like “COQ10 supplements,” but those search results are dominated by industry giants like CVS, Cleveland Clinic, and major supplement manufacturers.
A brand-new business has almost no chance of outranking these established players, no matter how good the SEO strategy is.
It’s not just about building a website—it’s about trust, authority, and proven results. This is exactly the kind of project I would turn down because no amount of marketing can compensate for a weak foundation in a fiercely competitive industry.
The Role of Reputation
Reputation is everything in digital marketing. A business with positive reviews, a clean facility, and happy customers makes your job as a marketer infinitely easier.
On the other hand, if you’re working with a business that has negative reviews, dirty facilities, or poor customer service, your campaigns will likely fail. You’re effectively swimming upstream against a current of dissatisfied customers.
If their reviews are terrible, their facilities are dirty, or their operations are a mess, how can you successfully market them?
It’s nearly impossible to run a successful campaign for a business that doesn’t care about its own reputation.
For example, take Anthony Hilb who is one of our agency clients.
He grew his lawncare and landscaping company in Bloomington, Indiana by $1.2 million in the last 18 months.
The secret ingredient to his success is not the mailers sent to homeowners in his neighborhood nor the Dollar a Day ads he’s running on YouTube and Facebook.
It’s not the clever copywriting or magical SEO techniques to help him rank on various tree trimming, lawn care, and landscaping terms.
The “secret” is the massive goodwill and reputation his team of 70 folks generate from doing great work.
For example, I joined Anthony a few months ago when he was helping the client with the tree removal. The video was posted on YouTube, and it has received 400+ reviews.
Digital marketing is merely a reflection of this proof– like the moon reflecting the sun.
Or take, for example, Plumbing Pros, one of our clients.
They have 300+ 5-star reviews, meaning that they have been doing a good job for their customers.
As a result, they receive a good number of calls weekly.
For example, there is a certain week when they received 61 high-quality calls from marketing efforts, as shown in the weekly chart below.
Why Bigger Isn’t Always Better—But Healthy Always Is
It’s not about exclusively working with large corporations. Smaller businesses can be excellent clients, too, provided they have a solid foundation.
A smaller company with great reviews, happy customers, and a clear commitment to quality can benefit just as much from your services as a larger company.
The key is to look for businesses that have their act together. They don’t need to be perfect, but they should show that they care about their customers and are committed to improving.
Key Takeaways for Digital Agencies
- Prioritize Healthy Businesses: Focus on clients who already have strong reputations, solid reviews, and good operational practices. These businesses are more likely to see immediate and substantial results from your efforts.
- Avoid Desperate Clients: Businesses in dire straits often require more effort than they’re worth. Instead of trying to save failing clients, invest your time in those who are ready to grow.
- Leverage Reputation: A strong reputation makes your job easier and ensures better results for both you and your client. Work with businesses that prioritize customer satisfaction and quality.
- Think Long-Term: Choosing the right clients isn’t just about short-term revenue. It’s about building a sustainable, profitable agency that works with partners who value your expertise.
By being selective about who you work with, you’ll set your agency up for long-term success. Remember, your reputation as an agency is directly tied to the reputation of your clients. Choose wisely, and you’ll not only protect your brand but also foster meaningful, high-impact relationships.
If you want to learn more about managing and scaling your agency, check out Agency Management.
Dennis Yu
Dennis Yu is a former search engine engineer who has spent a billion dollars on Google and Facebook ads for Nike, Quiznos, Ashley Furniture, Red Bull, State Farm, and other organizations that have many locations.
He has achieved 25% of his goal of creating a million digital marketing jobs because of his partnership with universities, professional organizations, and agencies. Companies like GoDaddy, Fiverr, onlinejobs.ph, 7 Figure Agency, and Vendasta partner with him to create training and certifications.
Dennis created the Dollar a Day Strategy for local service businesses to enhance their existing local reputation and make the phone ring. He's coaching young adult agency owners who serve plumbers, AC technicians, landscapers, roofers, electricians in conjunction with leaders in these industries.
Mr. Yu believes that there should be a standard in measuring local marketing efforts, much like doctors and plumbers need to be certified and licensed. His Content Factory training and dashboards are used by thousands of practitioners.