My ideal client....

The fact that you are on my website reading this page means you realize you need help with your search engine marketing campaign, probably Google AdWords. That's good, because I am absolutely, positively  sure I can help you. However, is my service the best solution for what you need right now? That is the question I'm trying to answer here.

If you are not absolutely sure Google AdWords will work for your business or you are not firmly committed to finding out by using a proven process that could take from one to three months and a minimum of one thousand dollars (click charges + my fees), then we are probably not a good fit.

My ideal client is someone in a decision making role that has been trying to create a successful AdWords campaign themselves for several weeks, months or even years. They have come to realize that while it is easy to open an AdWords account and spend money on clicks, it's quite another thing to create and manage a successful AdWords campaign that delivers tangible results. They have spent countless hours and thousands of dollars, only to realize they are spending way too much of their valuable time and wasting far too much money.

These are some characteristics of a perspective client that I believe will be pleased with my work.

• They have an established, profitable business.

• They are serious about hiring a professional and not simply looking for a quick fix or free advice.

• They have an existing Google AdWords account with at least three month's experience. My service is a collaborative process. If you don't already have an AdWords account, I don't see how we can have a meaningful conversation. You must have a working knowledge of AdWords in order for me the help you.

• They see our relationship as a partnership and not simply a task to be delegated. They understand that even having a well managed AdWords campaign is no guarantee of profitability or success! There are many other elements of the selling process which must go right, most importantly is the client's website. The campaign manager brings qualified visitors and the website does the selling.

• My business model is a collaborative process, which requires an open dialog with those responsible for managing the company's marketing strategy. You wouldn't hire a new sales person without providing them with some amount of training and therefore you shouldn't expect someone to market your business without providing them with information they need to do their job effectively. The better job you do helping me to understand your products & services, your competitors and your industry, the faster we will achieve your goals.

• They are committed to search marketing for the long run or they are willing to make an investment to determine if PPC can be a viable source of leads or sales. How much that costs and how long it takes is unique to each business. However, they are prepared to invest at least $1,000 in getting professional help to determine if it will work, even though they are not committed to actually spending the $1,000.

• They understand that creating the optimal campaign is a process of testing & refining; testing keywords, bid prices, ad copy, landing pages, geo-targeting, networks and more. The emphasis is on process because no one gets it exactly right without testing and adjusting. Testing means there will be setbacks. You must be willing to experiment.

• They have a professional looking website that is optimized for search marketing. This means the website has measurable actions visitors can take that indicate the visitor is interested. The actions must be significant enough to be a meaningful part of the engagement process, but not so significant that a first-time visitor won't take the action. AdWords is a direct response marketing tool, with the operative word being response. Having actions which can be tracked on the website are preferable because simply expecting the phone to ring will be difficult to track.

• They are willing to have a daily budget large enough to bring the amount of traffic necessary to work the process of optimizing their account. The size of the daily budget is dependant on the average cost-per-click and the available traffic. Both of these factors are unique to each business and can only be estimated once adequate research is done.

• They are selling a product or service that has enough profit to support PPC click charges, the cost of my services and possible enhancements to their website. This is somewhat arbitrary, but I believe the value of a lead or a sale should be at least $100 or you won't be able to justify my service.

Here are examples of situations which I don't believe will work well for either of us.

• "Bus Op", short for Business Opportunity or "get rich quick". Most of the clients I've worked with in this industry are victims who are under the mistaken impression that all they need to do is drive traffic to their website and the money will just roll in. In many cases, their mentor, the person who got them into this get-rich-quick scheme, has even given them the exact keywords to use. When that doesn't work out, they go looking for a professional who can provide a quick fix.

• Those who want to control the process, micro-manage my activities or expect a detailed report of everything I've done. When clients hire me, it's because I have knowledge, experience and a proven process that works. When you hire me to help you develop and manage your campaign, you are buying my process.

• If you are spending only a few dollars a day on PPC click charges and you are looking for short-term, tangible results, chances are you won't be happy. The more you are spending on AdWords, the more I will be able to save you and the easier it will be for you to justify my service. Finding new opportunities comes after I understand your business, your market and your competition.

• Those who are looking for someone to "just set up" their campaign. This is typical of a person who does not appreciate that having a successful advertising campaign is a process. Although there are lots of firms who will be happy to take your money and "just set up" your campaign, I am not one of them. If all I did was set up your campaign without understanding your business or having an opportunity to fine-tune the campaign, chances are very good you will not be happy.

• Other AdWords agencies! Yes, I get a call about every other week from another Google AdWords consultant who is in over their head and needs help. Usually they simply don't have the experience to handle anything but the most basic campaign or they are one step away from being let go from their client because they can't deliver on a promise they shouldn't have made in the first place. The problem with this scenario is not that I can't help them, it's that they insist on isolating me from the client and to the agency it's about controlling costs instead of about increasing profits. Two recipes for failure.