I recently hosted a deep-dive session on mastering your agency pricing—and the Q&A was 🔥. We covered everything from pricing mindset and mechanics to navigating tough client conversations, retainer models, and the real cost of undercharging.
This page pulls together every question and answer, so you can skip the guesswork and learn exactly how to price in a way that protects your time, reflects your value, and grows your bottom line.
You can watch the video here – https://youtu.be/HxLkGk9r0qc – this will expire on May 19th.
Do you ever base your retainers based on their ad spend. E.g. would you offer a significantly different retainer for a 500K ad spend vs 1M – even if services are similar?
Answer: Yes, we do include an incremental increase on the retainers as ad spend increases. It depends on the average order value, but we tend to increase at $20k, $50k and $100k +. This is an important part of your pricing strategy to ensure you effortlessly align your growth with your clients. We normally pitch this in during the brand diagnostic system (part of the program).
With the example of the upgrade to outdoor and TV – did you just find an outsource arm as your expertise is more on paid ads (Meta /Google and strategy) or how do you go about that and confidently know you’re going to give them a good outcome?
Answer: Yes and this is something I teach in the program – sell before you are ready. You are the strategist, not the executor and your value is in your ability to assess the current state of play and advise the best way forward. We never try to execute work we don’t have the skills in, but we do have a very robust network we can leverage through networking and conversations.
How did you go about finding the kinds of clients who can afford $30k/month
We often build our own $30k clients by starting with smaller engagements and growing the relationship over time. But when we’re actively looking for the right-fit clients—the ones who respect our value, understand growth, and see us as strategic partners, not just implementors—we take a different approach.
We carefully curate our outreach, weave repelling signals into our messaging, and thoroughly vet prospects during onboarding to ensure alignment. We also have a clear picture of what we’re looking for—the right products, industries, and challenges that match our strengths.
This entire filtering and growth process is something we break down in detail inside the program.
I am brand new in the ad space and just starting out after taking another course and haven’t landed my first client yet. Is this something you still recommend?
Absolutely! Whether you’re at $0 or already at $10k months, many of the same core issues persist: lack of a consistent lead ecosystem, cash flow instability, underpricing, mindset and confidence blocks, and difficulty accessing the right support or resources.
At both stages, you’re still building the foundations—clarifying your offer, pricing it properly, attracting the right clients, and creating systems that scale sustainably. The key difference is that at $10k, the pressure to make better decisions—and avoid burnout—only grows.
That’s why we focus not just on strategies, but on structural and mindset upgrades that help you break through these plateaus with clarity and momentum.
How do you structure your proposals in terms of your fees vs ad spend. I noticed the ad spend costs was not on your price chart that broke down the 30K retainer. ie- presenting that to client what do you say when clients need 3X to make it profitable to do paid ads today?
Does ROAS goals limit scalability + 1million
Such a great question—I actually missed bringing this up on the call.
Yes, it’s definitely harder to maintain ROAS as ad spend increases. We often see it dip to around 3 at different scale points. That said, I personally believe a lot of ad managers lean on this as an excuse rather than digging into what’s really causing the drop and making the necessary strategic changes.
Now, I fully get that aiming for first-order profitability adds pressure—but that’s by design. We’re not here to burn cash chasing growth without a clear path to return. If scaling means sacrificing ROAS, I need to see a solid model that shows exactly when and how the profit comes back. Otherwise, it’s just wishful thinking.
What I’m looking for isn’t just spend scaling—it’s sustainable, cash-flow-positive growth. So if ROAS is capping performance, let’s look at where we can improve creative, targeting, or funnel efficiency before we reduce our profitability targets.
Are you offering anything AI related to your clients?
Right now, we’re weaving AI into everything we do—from consumer research and strategic analysis to process automation. That said, we’re not offering it as a standalone service… yet 😉
Would you still recommend to start with PB ads as a starting agency?
This is definitely a strong hook to grab attention, but honestly, I don’t recommend leading with it—unless the client is really ready for ads. Sure, it can work for lead gen, but we’ve been burned too many times: we build out incredible systems, generate high-quality leads, and then the client bails to work with someone cheaper… and we’re left holding the bag with no return on our effort.
How much is the program cost?
The program is $1,800 US which can be paid weekly at $175 per week. If you pay up-front you will get a private 1:1 session with me! Here is the link to the program – closes May 19th.
Upside Down Agency Scale Program
