Red flags when a marketing agency pitches a tradesperson
Tradespeople are pitched constantly: cold calls, LinkedIn messages, Facebook adverts promising 30 leads in 30 days. Most of these approaches are not fraudulent, but many are designed to be bought rather than to work. This guide lists the warning signs that appear again and again, explains why each is a problem, and sets out what the honest alternative sounds like.
Why trades are a soft target
Trade businesses combine three things agencies like: a clear need for local customers, limited time to scrutinise marketing, and a tendency to trust a confident pitch delivered by someone who seems to know the sector. Add the fact that most tradespeople have no easy way to compare agencies, and you have a market where the loudest pitch often wins.
None of this means agencies are the enemy. It means the burden of checking falls on you. The signs below are the ones worth checking for.
Red flags in the promise
Guaranteed rankings or guaranteed lead numbers. Nobody controls Google's results, and nobody can promise what homeowners in your town will do next month. A guarantee is either meaningless (hedged with conditions in the small print) or a sign the agency is counting on you not reading it. The honest version: a range based on comparable clients, with a clear statement that it is an estimate.
Results quoted without a timeframe or a trade. 'Our clients see a 300% increase in leads.' From what, over how long, in which trade, at what cost? An agency with real results will give you the full picture because the full picture is impressive enough.
The 30 leads in 30 days offer. This is a Facebook ads formula that often does produce 30 form fills in a month. The question is how many are homeowners in your area with a real job. Low-quality lead volume is easy to buy and expensive to chase.
Red flags in the money
No price until the call. Some agencies have legitimate reasons to scope before quoting. Many simply want you in a sales conversation before you can compare. A published model, even without a figure, is the minimum you should expect, and the firms with published pricing deserve credit for it.
A fee that rises with your ad spend. Percentage-of-spend pricing rewards the agency for spending your money, not for the jobs it brings. It can be honest, but it needs more scrutiny. Our guide to fixed fees versus percentage of spend explains when each is defensible.
Setup fees with nothing to show for them. A setup fee that builds you a website or a tracking system you keep is reasonable. One that pays for 'onboarding' and leaves you with nothing if you walk away in month two is an exit penalty wearing a different name.
Pressure to sign today. Discounts that expire at the end of the call, 'only two slots left in your area', or a proposal that must be accepted before the end of the month. Genuine capacity limits exist, but they are not usually announced at the moment you hesitate.
Red flags in the contract
Twelve-month minimums for a service that could be judged in three. Websites take time, SEO takes time, but Google Ads and Facebook ads show whether they work within weeks. A long minimum on a fast channel is there for the agency's benefit.
The website is rented, not owned. If the site lives on the agency's platform and you cannot export it, every month you pay is a month closer to a decision between staying and starting again. The same applies to ad accounts run from the agency's own login. Our guide on switching agencies without losing your rankings or ad account covers what to insist on.
Notice periods longer than a month. Thirty days is standard. Ninety is a sign that the agency expects clients to want to leave and would rather they could not.
| Warning sign | What it usually means | Honest alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Guaranteed rankings | Hedged in small print or not understood | Estimated range with stated assumptions |
| No price before a call | Wants a sales conversation first | Published model or figures |
| Fee tied to ad spend | Earns more as you spend more | Fixed fee, spend paid direct to Google or Meta |
| Rented website | Leaving means starting again | Client owns site, domain and accounts |
| 12-month minimum on paid ads | Locks in before results are visible | Rolling monthly, 30 days' notice |
| Sign-today discount | Pressure tactic | Written proposal, time to compare |
Red flags in how they talk about your trade
Every trade on the list, nothing specific about any of them. An agency that names 20 trades on its homepage but cannot tell you how a plasterer's customer differs from a roofer's is selling a template. Ask them to describe your customer's buying journey. Ask what time of year your enquiries drop.
Reporting in clicks and impressions. If the sample report they show you has traffic charts and no column for enquiries or jobs, that is how they measure themselves. You will be shown green arrows while your phone stays quiet.
No one on the team has spoken to a tradesperson except to sell to one. This is harder to detect, but it shows in the language. Agencies that understand the sector talk about quotes, callbacks, van availability and Checkatrade. Agencies that do not talk about funnels and brand awareness.
Red flags you can check without a call
Look at the agency's own website first. Does it have a named founder or team, a location, a company number? Does it have case studies with numbers and dates, or just logos? Does it rank for anything itself? An SEO agency you cannot find on Google is making a statement about its own work.
Search the company name plus 'reviews'. Read the three-star ones; they are usually the most informative. Check Companies House for how long the firm has existed and whether the directors have run similar companies that were dissolved.
None of these checks takes more than ten minutes. Together they filter out most of the firms you would regret.
A final remote check: ask yourself how the agency found you. If it was a cold call or an unsolicited message, its pipeline depends on volume selling, which tells you something about where its effort goes.
What a clean pitch looks like
For balance, here is the pattern that tends to precede a good relationship. The agency asks about your business before describing its own. It tells you what it does not do. It quotes a fixed or clearly structured fee, with ad spend paid directly to the platform. It wants you to own everything. It reports in enquiries and jobs. It offers references without being asked twice. And it is comfortable with you taking a week to decide.
The 17 questions in our interview guide are designed to surface exactly these behaviours. Used together with the warning signs above, they turn a sales call into an assessment you control.
Frequently asked questions
Is a guarantee ever acceptable?
A guarantee on the agency's own effort can be, such as continuing to work free until a defined milestone is reached. Guarantees on Google rankings or lead numbers are not within any agency's control.
Are all percentage-of-spend fees a red flag?
No. The model is common and some honest agencies use it. It needs more scrutiny because the incentive to grow spend is built in, so ask how the agency decides when spend should go down.
What is the single most important check?
Ownership. If you own the website, domain, Google Business Profile and ad accounts, a poor agency costs you money. If you do not, it can cost you your online presence.
Should I avoid agencies that cold call?
Not automatically, but a cold approach tells you the agency's growth depends on volume selling. Apply the same checks you would to any firm and give no weight to the fact that they found you.