Are ad problems, actually ad problems?

you ever have a client message you like,

“these leads are rubbish”

or

“we’ve spent £500 and haven’t sold anything”?

and you look inside the account…

everything looks fine.

ads are running, cpl is solid, forms are converting,

but the phone’s not ringing or they’re “not closing”?

here’s the truth nobody likes hearing:

most ad problems aren’t ad problems.

they’re business problems.

the wrong diagnosis

i see this all the time:

• their offer’s weak, “free quotes” and “10% off this month” don’t stop anyone scrolling, not anymore anyway.

• they take days to call leads back, then blame the ads.

• their sales process is basically “hope they answer”.

• or they sell £15k projects but quote like they’re running a car boot sale.

then we get the angry text:

“facebook doesn’t work.”

nah, mate. facebook works fine.

your system doesn’t.

how to actually fix it

when i hit a wall with a client, i run it through these 4 checkpoints:

1. offer

   is what we’re promoting actually exciting?

   would you fill out that form?

   if the answer’s no, start there.

2. positioning

   are they clear on who they help and what makes them different?

   “we do everything” is code for “we’re average at all of it.”

   clarity sells faster than clever words ever will.

3. follow-up

   most local businesses fail here.

   leads need chasing in minutes, not hours.

   if there’s no system, no text, no call, no nurture,

   don’t expect miracles - control this if you can.

4. expectations

   this one’s on us as agency owners.

   if you promise them a gold rush in 2 weeks,

   don’t be shocked when they’re pissed off by week 3.

   underpromise, overdeliver, and explain the process like they’re five.

Why it matters

when you start thinking like this, you stop firefighting and start fixing.

most agencies waste time tweaking headlines

when the real issue is the client’s broken sales process,

or worse, a crap offer that can’t convert even with god-tier ads.

get these foundations right and suddenly:

clients stop panicking,

you stop second-guessing,

and results actually stick.

your move:

next time a client blames the ads,

don’t jump straight into the ad account.

ask yourself, is this really an ad issue, or a business one?

99% of the time, you already know the answer, it’s just about approaching it correctly with your clients.

Konrad

p.s - I have one slot left in October if you’re wanting to work closely with me to build or scale your agency, book your call here https://apply.k23.info/apply-page