If You Want to Play, It’s Smarter to Pay!

Why regional companies may have a fool for a client!

Excuse me, because I’m going to vent right now. So, if you don’t want to hear me go on and on about a pet peeve of mine, it’s probably time to click out.

Just so I’m perfectly clear and don’t offend some folks, this article isn’t about the companies that have internal media agencies or well-staffed marketing and media departments they have created on their own. This article is about very large sole prop companies.

I can’t tell you how many large sole prop companies I have spoken to where the owner tells me they buy their own media because they can save the agency commission and they do just as good a job as my agency can!

Maybe they can, although I would bet against it, but they make that statement before they even ask me a single question. It’s the arrogance and certainty they say it with that irritates the absolute SHIT out of me.

Maybe if they had a parking ticket, they went to court themselves. When they first started their business maybe they did their own taxes. But if they have a serious case or as their business has grown, I’ll bet they have hired an attorney and an accountant.

Yet for some unknown reason they don’t think their media needs have evolved in complexity at all, which just surely proves their ignorance and lack of real understanding!

When asked how they know, they point to their success and say they are successful. That often is true, but what they aren’t measuring is how much more successful they could be, or how much better the task could be done if they hired a professional. And, while they may be saving a commission how do they know that an agency won’t save them more than their entire commission structure cost?

So, since they won’t ask me any questions, I would like to ask them a few.

Mr. Business Owner, my staff and I continue our education in media, trends, data and media vessels every quarter. Do you?

I have a traffic team that not only combs over millions of units every year using the highest tech software but also manually looking for missed spots, bad placements, ad fraud, an abundance of adjacencies, inappropriate viewing and on and on and on. Do you?

I have a negotiating team that often drives such hard bargains that we are the agency that establishes many of the political rates for many outlets. Do you?

We entertain companies every week to vet their wares and determine which are worth pursuing for our clients and which are not. Do you?

We pay hundreds of thousands of dollars every year to have the most inclusive traffic, block chain, planning, buying, accounting, data analytical and media tracking software we can find so that we can continue to assist our clients and help them grow their business. Do you?

The problem stems from the misconception that media is as simple as picking up the phone calling a local AE, making a buy and paying the invoice. Larger companies realize it’s not that simple but regional and sole prop companies especially are often so mesmerized at saving the commission that they truly don’t see the forest from the trees!

It’s funny though because they all believe they need a creative agency. Why? BECAUSE THEY DO!

The truth is I have never done an analysis on a single company that we were not able to increase their media levels or save them up to 50% of their budget.

As you grow your regional company, take it from another entrepreneur of 40 years, do what you do best. Your time is best spent there and leave the rest to the best consultants you can find. The ones that really help you grow your company and don’t make the mistake of picking up pennies and tripping over dollars.

We’re just as useful, knowledgeable and professional as your accounting and legal teams!

You’re welcome!