The following is an interview with Greg Jerum about Net Return Marketing’s free SEO and PPC consultations

What is your ideal potential client?

Greg: Originally, we developed a performance-based model for businesses who have already established a baseline with Google AdWords or Yahoo! Search Marketing. We have, since then, developed starter programs to make our performance-based programs available to people who are also just getting started with AdWords or Yahoo! Search Marketing. Still, our ideal client would be someone who is already established. By that, I mean that the ideal client is one that spends at least $1500 per month and has at least 30 days of history in the account.

The reason we're looking at this type of client is because these clients qualify for our performance-based standard PPC Management Program, which has no upfront compensation fees. Our starter programs are also very strong, but there's more risk involved with the starter programs because the client is entering the market. Since the risks are greater with starters, we have to do something to balance out the risks. We like to work and be paid based on performance, but we can't take on the risk of helping someone enter the market - although we do take a lot more of a risk than the standard PPC Management company.

Is there someone that you can't help? Is there a kind of website that you are unable to optimize?

Greg : All of our programs are subject to the review and evaluation of the potential client's business model if the business is trying to get into a starter program. Or, they are subject to the business’s actual PPC account if we're looking to qualify them for a standard program. Of all of the accounts we've evaluated to date that were qualified for PPC-standard programs, which are those clients who have already established themselves in their markets to some degree, there actually has not been one client account that we felt we couldn't help. There is always at least a few fundamental areas where we can make significant performance improvements. A lot of these accounts are coming from businesses that are already profitable and doing quite well. But there's still always something missed in the fundamentals that can be improved upon.

When it comes to the starters, there are people we can't help. The main business models we struggle with are people who are trying to do affiliate marketing. The reason we struggle with them and typically can't help them is because they don't have much leverage in the marketplace. There really isn't that much that can be done with AdWords management or AdWords optimization, because they're not in a leveraged position. They're not bringing something unique to the market and they're competing against many other people who are offering something similar. So, those accounts are often difficult to get to work using Pay-per-click and PPC management.

Who actually does the consultation?

Greg : The consultations are done by me, Greg Jerum. I am one of the principals and founders of Net Return Marketing and I am the architect of all of our programs.

When someone signs up for a consultation, I speak with them directly. We talk about their goals, their business models, and current account performance--whatever is pertinent to their situation. I walk them through that process personally. When they come to the point where they're ready to move on to an evaluation, they move into our business system. Then, there are experts in the company who handle those areas. But I begin with the consultation.

Is the consultation done completely over the phone? Do you take a look at their account and their competition? Or, is it just a discussion of where they're at currently with their business and with their PPC accounts?

Greg: It is important to distinguish between consultation and the evaluation. An evaluation would be where we really start to dig into the client’s pay-per-click account itself and whether or not they are applying for a starter program our if we will be doing our own market research. This is where we really do a deep evaluation of their business model. The consultation is a "get-to-know-you" time. Typically, that happens in the course of one telephone conversation.

We do have a couple clients who really feel much more comfortable doing things by email. One international client just recently came on from Singapore. We did the consultation through about four or five email exchanges. That was how they felt most comfortable. But, in general, it's over the telephone and it's done in one conversation. In the course of that conversation, we discuss the specifics of their Google AdWords account, such as what kind of success they're achieving, what their goals are, and where they're looking to get to. In the case of someone who's looking to do a starter program but doesn't have an established AdWords account, we're looking at what their business model is and what market they are trying to enter into.

Generally, we are able to determine in that one conversion if our programs will be a good fit for our potential clients. From their standpoint, this means looking at what their goals are. In the case of the starter program, where they may incur a small to moderate setup fee, they also need to determine if the services are within their budget range. From our side, we look at the chances of this client succeeding and really achieving significant performance. Since we use a performance-based model, we look to see if someone is positioned for success.

Do you work with both Yahoo! and Google accounts?

Greg: We do. Absolutely! Both Yahoo! Search Marketing and Google AdWords are two of our core services, and we have many clients who are using us for one or both of those accounts. We currently work with the "Big Three": Google AdWords, Yahoo! Search Marketing, and MSN adCenter.

If you don't currently have, say, a Google AdWords account, would you fall into the starter category, even though you have an existing website?

Greg: Yes.

So, the starter program is not just for people who are beginning a website business or for those in the early stage of that development, it is also for people who are beginning to use AdWords or Yahoo! Search Marketing accounts.

Greg: Yes. We have a full array of clients currently in the starter program. We have people who are just starting out on the Internet and we have established Internet businesses grossing several million dollars per year that are also going into that starter program because they want to get established with Google AdWords or Yahoo! Search Marketing. The program is appropriate for anyone who is looking to get established with Google AdWords or Yahoo! Search Marketing.

On Net Return Marketing’s website, there are many statistics about being able to reduce costs and increase performance. How is it possible to do both at the same time?

Greg: Improving account performance could mean increased sales volume or it could mean decreased cost per sale – but, it often means both. The number one way we improve account performance is by seeing to the fundamentals of what makes a strong account perform. That can mean text ad work, it could mean working on campaign settings or it could mean working on ad group structure and ad group positioning. Keywords are also a consideration, which means looking at adding keywords, taking away keywords, working with negative keywords, working with keyword match types, or repositioning keywords. It could also mean working with the website itself. Depending on the model, particularly in a lead-generation website or subscription-based website, we can often make big improvements in the Google AdWords account performance by just improving the landing page quality itself and improving the "lead funnel", if you will.

It all comes down to the fundamentals really. We have a team that has really mastered these fundamentals. Because they are performance-based and their incentive is derived from achieving real performance results, they focus on all the fundamentals and executing them in a disciplined way. It is a case where no stone is left unturned. Our motivation is directly linked to the client’s success, which leads to a focused person working on the account because that person is directly sharing in the benefits of the account optimization.

Typically, how long does the consultation take? How long would you spend on the phone with someone?

Greg: Often, a consultation takes anywhere from 10 to 25 minutes. Sometimes we talk a little bit longer. But, generally, it takes 10 to 25 minutes to really get to the heart of the potential client's goals, and for them to have an understanding of what programs may be a good fit for them and determine what next steps they're interested in taking.

Am I correct that these consultations come with no obligation?

Greg: Yes, it's a no-obligation, no-cost consultation, and, generally, it's worth what a lot of high-paid consulting sessions would be worth. We get right down to the nitty-gritty of what the client is trying to accomplish or what is already being accomplished and how it can be made better. We identify clear and succinct steps for moving to the next level. Not everyone we consult with becomes a client, but I can say with confidence that everyone who does a consultation gets a lot of value for that time spent.

Do you need to look at the account information of a potential client in order to do the consultation or evaluation?

Greg: We do ask very specific questions in the consultation and the more specific answers we get, the more we can help the potential client. But, no, we don’t ask to look at account information. Rather, the client may reference the information in order to answer our questions. It's just a conversation. We wouldn't get into looking at account specifics or website specifics unless we decide to move to the next state. At this point, it would be an evaluation.

What happens during the evaluation?

Greg: In a case where they have an established Google AdWords account or Yahoo! Search Marketing account, our next step is to have one of our team members send instructions to the client for setting up a temporary username and password. This allows us to access their account for a temporary period of time so we can do a full evaluation and risk assessment on our side. At this point, we determine if we can make significant performance improvements.

So, they can get a full consultation and evaluation of their account before there is any commitment or payment involved?

Greg: Yes, absolutely.