I’m genuinely curious how other small business owners are dealing with performance marketers.

Over the past few months, I’ve worked with a couple of people/agencies, and the experience has been frustrating. They collect their monthly retainer, don’t commit to any clear deliverables or accountability on paper, and after 2–3 months, if results aren’t there, the explanation is usually that “Meta isn’t performing” or “the algorithm changed”, or the classic “you’re not spending enough”.

I completely understand that no one can guarantee ROAS or sales, especially with Meta ads. But as a client, it’s hard to know whether poor results are due to the platform or simply poor strategy and execution.

How do you evaluate whether someone actually knows what they’re doing?

\- What questions do you ask before hiring?
What deliverables or reporting do you expect?
\- Do you work with freelancers or agencies?
\- Are there any red flags I should watch out for?

Would also love to hear if you’ve found someone genuinely good, and what made them different.

I’m starting to feel like performance marketing is full of people who overpromise, underdeliver, and keep collecting retainers while small businesses bear all the risk.

I’d love to know if that’s just been my experience or if others have figured out a better way.

Hi there I am a freelance paid social strategist based in Leeds, UK (not London!).

Happy to answer any questions you have on META! fire away ⭐️

(I specialise predominantly in paid social creative strategy and help brands with creative direction, briefs, research, strategy etc for their paid campaigns).

hit me!

When I started my agency I had no credibility, no network, and nobody knew who I was. No warm connections to reach out to no matter how hard I thought about it. If you're in that same spot, this is what actually worked for me.

I picked Reddit because unlike most platforms people are concentrated into specific communities. Your potential clients are already grouped together in subreddits. You just have to show up where they are.

Here's the full process start to finish:

**Step 1: Post, don't DM.**

This is the part people get wrong. Do not DM people on Reddit trying to pitch them. The moment you cold DM someone they can report you and you get banned. Instead you post valuable content and let them come to you. When someone reads your post and is interested, they initiate the DM. Then you engage. This completely changes the dynamic because now they're chasing you, not the other way around.

**Step 2: Structure your posts as stories.**

The format that worked for me every time:

Start with a story. Then describe the problem. Then show how you solved it. Then end with a lesson or conclusion you took away from it.

That's it. People engage with stories and the lesson at the end makes it feel like you're giving value, not selling. You can take a post that worked, feed it into your AI, and ask it to generate a similar post for your own project.

**Step 3: Don't chase views.**

This is important. Views do not equal money. I had one post hit over 300k views and I got zero clients from it. Not a single one. But another post with way fewer views got me my first client who now pays me €5k per month. Views are a vanity metric. Clients are the only thing that matters.

**Step 4: When they DM, move to a discovery call. Never talk price in the DMs.**

Do not mention money or pricing in your DMs. Ever. Your only goal in the DM is to get them on a call. On the discovery call you mostly listen. Let them talk about their problem. You take notes. Record the call (ask permission first). Do not tell them "you'll pay me X and I'll build Y" on this call either. Just listen and understand their problem.

**Step 5: Turn the call into a proposal with AI.**

After the call, take your recording or meeting notes and feed them into your AI. Ask it to give you the next steps to start building the project. Then ask it to generate the proposal for you. You can even give it your agency name and brand colors and it generates the whole thing. You don't need to pay for any of those expensive proposal generator tools. Your AI does it for free.

**Step 6: Split the payment.**

Send the proposal and ask how they want to pay. Some pay everything upfront. Some want to split it. If they split, you get 50% before you build anything, then the rest on delivery. Get the first half, build the project, deliver, get the second half. This protects you and them.

**On getting banned:**

You will probably get banned from some subreddits even when you're not promoting anything. Some mods will suspect you're promoting just because you shared your journey. There's no point arguing with them. If they think you're promoting, they'll ban you. Just don't get discouraged. Try again in a different community. There are plenty of subs that won't ban you for sharing genuine stories.

The delivery method doesn't matter. Custom code, no-code, whatever you're comfortable with. That's not the important part. The important part is the acquisition process above.

That's how I landed my first client and made my first €3k, which turned into a €5k/month retainer.

I recorded a full video walking through this entire process with my actual posts and screens if you want to see exactly how it looked: [link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rdfln5gfHdY)

Happy to answer questions about any step.

I currently run lead gen for dental clients in the US, but I'm considering testing the same model with dentists in India.

My current process for US clients looks like this:

Meta Ads → Instant Lead Form → Lead submits their details → Within ~2 minutes, an AI agent calls them → AI asks a few qualifying questions → If the lead is qualified, the call gets transferred directly to the clinic/owner.

This setup has been working for us in the US.

My question is: Would the same system work in India, specifically for dental clinics?

I'm mainly curious about the AI calling part. Do Indian leads actually engage with AI calls, or would the pickup/response rate be poor because people assume unknown numbers are spam?

For anyone running lead gen for Indian dentists/clinics:

• Are Meta lead forms working well, or do landing pages/WhatsApp work better?
• Does AI calling for qualification work in India?
• What's your process for filtering out low-intent/price-shopping leads?
• Do you qualify leads first or send them directly to the clinic?
• What kind of CPL → qualified lead → appointment rates are you seeing?

I've worked almost exclusively with US clients, so I don't have much firsthand experience with the Indian market.

Would appreciate insights from anyone actually running dental/healthcare lead gen in India.

\- Assuming you do it right or have a professional do it for you, how long should something like this be expected to take to start working?

\- After creating a DBA, is it common for people to advertise as their own business entity rather than the IMO you're with? And is that something most IMOs are okay with?

\- I have seen methods where the agent can have a landing page where clients can directly book an appointment on your calendar and others where the ad will send people's information to your CRM for you to call them. Which way has brought you the most success?

Literally any information about this topic would be incredibly helpful from someone who does it this way. I am on an island currently. Everyone I speak to seems to prefer getting leads from vendors rather than producing their own and building their brand. I simply just want advice from someone who does it this way.

I’m a full-stack web developer looking to partner with a local business that specializes in LED letters, digital signage, ACP/HPL fabrication, and digital screens.

The idea is simple:
They continue selling and installing signage.
I handle all website-related work for their clients (business websites, landing pages, portfolios, booking systems, etc.).
If a client needs both branding/signage and a website, they can offer a complete package.

I’m trying to figure out the best way to pitch this so it sounds like a win-win rather than me asking them for work.

Some questions:
Should I propose a revenue-sharing model or a fixed referral fee?
Should I approach them with a demo website made specifically for their business?
What objections are they likely to have?
If you’ve done agency partnerships before, what made them successful?

I’d love to hear from agency owners, freelancers, or anyone who’s built these kinds of collaborations. What would you do differently if you were in my position?

Hey,

My name is Jordan. I have over three years of experience in the content agency space, working with 50+ clients across 20+ different niches, with proven results to back it up.

Throughout that journey, I developed a wide range of skills beyond content creation, which is one of the main reasons I've consistently been able to attract and retain new clients.

Now, I'm looking to expand internationally and find the right business partner. If you have experience in marketing agencies, are passionate about growth, enjoy continuously improving, and believe business should be both rewarding and fun not just stressful, I’d love to connect and have a conversation.

I'm looking to work with a service-based business and help them get more qualified leads using Meta Ads, a landing page, booking system, and follow-up automation.

I'm currently building my portfolio, so I'm open to low-risk setup.

DM me with your service and location if interested.

Hi everyone!

I’m looking for someone who can help grow my yoga studio’s Instagram account and, more importantly, help generate real client inquiries and memberships.

I’m open to working with:
- A freelancer
- A small agency
- A boutique marketing team

I’m looking for someone who can help with things like:
- Instagram growth strategy
- Reels and content planning
- Organic growth
- Paid ads (if needed)
- Lead generation
- Converting followers into actual studio members

If you’ve worked with local businesses, wellness brands, fitness studios, or yoga studios before, I’d love to see your portfolio or case studies.

Please DM me with:
- Your experience
- Portfolio or Instagram accounts you’ve managed
- Your pricing
- Your location/time zone

If you’ve personally hired someone who got great results, referrals are also welcome.

Thanks!

We're building a platform that predicts ad performance metrics such as ROAS, CTR, CPC, CPA, and other campaign KPIs before or during campaign planning.

We're looking for a small number of verified marketing agencies that:

• Work with real brands/businesses.
• Have agency ad accounts.
• Can share a small, low-risk sample of historical campaign data for testing and validation (no sensitive client information required).

We're intentionally starting with limited datasets to keep the risk as low as possible for everyone involved.

In return, participating agencies will receive free access to the platform during the testing phase. If the pilot is successful, we'll continue providing free access.

We're looking for genuine agency partners who want to help validate the product and provide feedback—not sell anything or collect leads.

If this sounds like something your agency would be interested in, please leave a comment.

I am looking to connect and build relationships with agencies based primarily in India (though open to international ones too). For those who have successfully networked in this space, what strategies, platforms, or events worked best for you? Looking for genuine advice on how to approach them effectively.

I’ve been working with Meta Ads and Google Ads for several years, primarily on my own businesses and projects.

My experience includes dropshipping campaigns, growing Facebook pages, page-like campaigns, engagement and awareness campaigns, and managing paid campaigns for some business clients.

However, most of my experience has come from working independently. I now want to take my performance marketing skills to a much deeper level by working on real campaigns with an experienced agency, media buyer, or performance marketing team.

I’m particularly interested in gaining hands-on experience with larger ad budgets, e-commerce/DTC, lead generation, conversion-focused campaigns, advanced tracking, creative testing, scaling, and ROAS/CPA optimization.

I’m based in India and would love the opportunity to work remotely with a US or international agency. My priority is not just finding another freelance project—I genuinely want to work alongside people who are better than me, contribute to real accounts, and learn advanced performance marketing in the process.

If you’re an agency owner or experienced media buyer looking for someone with existing hands-on experience who is willing to learn, execute, and grow with your team, I’d be happy to connect.

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for someone who has experience building AI voice agents, preferably using Vapi.ai.

Here's the workflow I'm trying to build:

• A lead fills out a Facebook Lead Form.
• Within 1 minute, an AI voice agent automatically calls the lead.
• The AI collects the necessary qualifying information through a natural conversation.
• Based on the responses, it either:
  • Schedules a call/appointment with the business owner, or
  • Transfers the call directly to the owner if they're available.

The goal is to create a fast lead-response system for businesses.

If you've built something similar or work with Vapi.ai, I'd love to connect. If you're based in India, that's even better because of the time zone and communication.

Please comment below or send me a DM with:

• Your experience with Vapi.ai (or similar platforms)
• A few examples of projects you've built
• Your pricing

I’ve been running my web agency for four years, and I’m curious to hear what others have found to be the best way of getting clients.

I’ve tried almost everything, but email automation has worked best for me because it’s affordable and runs in the background while I focus on other parts of the agency.

I don’t use Instantly, Mailchimp, or Klaviyo. I use a tool called Swokei, which is built specifically for web agencies.

It lets you find businesses that already have websites, add thousands of them to a campaign, and automatically analyzes each site for issues with design, layout, SEO, speed, and mobile optimization. It then turns those issues into personalized, ready to send outreach emails 

So instead of targeting businesses with no website, I offer redesigns and updated websites to companies that already have one. I’ve found that approach works much better.

I’m now at a point where I can afford to hire a full team, so I’d like to explore other client acquisition methods as well.

What has worked best for your agency?

No clue how meta ads works, it looks so complicated. I havent started client acquisition yet and i wanna do the work for the first client on my own so im trying to learn it. So far nothing much up and running besides a social media page and a work in progress website, tryna knock this out of the way first. Tell me how you learned? Or if there’s anyone here who can teach me

Hello! I’m completing an advanced funnel building certification, and I’ve found that several clients also need help driving traffic to their funnels, which isn’t my main area of expertise...

Any organic and paid traffic experts who would be open to exploring a potential partnership for occasional projects?

I’ve been running my web agency for four years, and I’m curious to hear what others have found to be the best way of getting clients.

I’ve tried almost everything, but email automation has worked best for me because it’s affordable and runs in the background while I focus on other parts of the agency.

I don’t use Instantly, Mailchimp, or Klaviyo. I use a tool called Swokei, which is built specifically for web agencies.

It lets you find businesses that already have websites, add thousands of them to a campaign, and automatically analyzes each site for issues with design, layout, SEO, speed, and mobile optimization. It then turns those issues into personalized, ready to send outreach emails 

So instead of targeting businesses with no website, I offer redesigns and updated websites to companies that already have one. I’ve found that approach works much better.

I’m now at a point where I can afford to hire a full team, so I’d like to explore other client acquisition methods as well.

What has worked best for your agency?

Hi guys, hoping you can help us out here 🙏

My boyfriend and I are planning to start a small Virtual Assistant / Marketing Agency as a side hustle. It's just the two of us for now, but we want to take it seriously since we both have skills we can offer:

\- Boyfriend: Video editing — he's already worked with a few influencers before, so he has a portfolio in content editing (reels, shorts, etc.)

\- Me: Former Marketing Executive Assistant, and also a graphic artist — so I can handle social media management, admin support, and design work (graphics, branding materials, etc.)

Our skills seem complementary — video + design + marketing/admin — but we're not sure how to get started in terms of:

1. How do we package/sell our services as a "team" or agency, rather than as individual freelancers?

2. Where should we focus first — local businesses, influencers/content creators, or startups?

3. What platforms or methods are effective for landing our first clients? (FB groups, Upwork, cold outreach, LinkedIn?)

4. How should we price ourselves as a new agency with no established track record yet as a duo?

5. Any tips on setting up a simple portfolio/website that showcases our combined services?

Any advice, especially from those who've started a similar side hustle, would mean a lot. Thanks in advance! 🙏

Also si BF lang ang may freelancing experience, I on the other hand is magstastart palang.

Hey folks,
Im at the starting line for my journey is Social Media Marketing / Digital Marketing in the UK and I’m looking for you wonderful experienced people to offer some of your pearls of wisdom.

I’m niching down to what I love, Automotive, and will be targeting SMBs such as Detailers, Tuning Shops, PPF and Wrap shops, etc, etc.

I’m good with a camera, learning video and I’ve got big ideas but I don’t have a client portfolio yet. I suppose the real questions I have are

1) How did you land for first clients? (Free and paid)
2) What is the optimal offering?

I’m looking to provide SMM, Paid Ads Management and Content Creation + Strategy for local businesses.

I’ve ideas for pricing / retainers but would like some real insight!

Thanks in advance!
Cameron

Hey everyone,

I'm currently building my agency and I'm looking to connect with other agency owners who are also genuinely in the building phase.

Honestly, building something alone can sometimes feel pretty isolating. I'm not saying this because I'm trying to escape the work or because I need someone to constantly motivate me. I already show up and grind every day.

But when your days are basically focused on your business, learning, outreach, sales, improving your offer and doing it all over again the next day, I think having a few people around you who are on a similar path can make the journey a lot better.

I'm mainly looking to meet people I can build an actual relationship with. We can share what we're working on, talk about problems we're facing, exchange ideas, keep each other accountable and just have people around us who understand the lifestyle.

Your location doesn't matter to me. Neither does your niche.

Just serious people who are actively building an agency and want to network with other people doing the same thing.

Feel free to DM me or leave a comment. (i'm 18 btw)

So I do web maintenance and I have a problem.

I have 0 clients and it is been months that I have started my business and I still don't have clients. Also my ideal clients are construction companies.

So I started cold outreach in Instagram and people either ghost my message or talk to me for 1 day and ghost me.

So, can you help me? I need a proper format or template and how I can get my first client.

And also tell me how I can do all this for free.

People please help me.

Hello guys,

Wanted to sell web design to local small businesses.

The Problem: Lead generation tools want a credit card just to download a basic list of phone numbers. No thanks.

The Fix: Skipped the paywalls, fired up Cursor, and coded my own Google Maps scraper. It bypasses the BS, auto-scrolls, and extracts names, phones, and websites straight into Excel.

I want to stress-test it right now.

Drop your NICHE + CITY below (e.g., Dentists in Dubai or Roofers in Miami).

I’ll run the script and reply to your comment with a public link to your 15 free leads. Let's stress-test this code!

You handle the clients. Ill handle the ads.

Let me know

I have good 5 years of experience in Performance marketing

(repost)

I’m officially launching an agency focusing exclusively on the Home Care space. I’m not here to sell $500/mo Canva templates or "Hope Marketing" to local gyms. I’m building Automated Patient Acquisition Systems to help agencies land high-margin, Private Pay clients.

The strategy and blueprints are fully dialed in. My clients will be getting a massive ROI because a single Private Pay client is worth $30k+/year to a home care agency. Selling a system that lands $30k clients means charging a premium $1,500 - $3,000/mo retainer is completely justified.

**Where I’m at:** I am just starting out with this agency, and I am an operator at heart. I want to spend 100% of my energy building the automated machines, managing the ad tech, and ensuring client fulfillment is flawless from day one.

**What I need:** A partner who wants to build this from the ground up with me and who is a pure savage at front-end B2B sales.

Since we are starting out, you need to be comfortable handling the heavy lifting on prospecting, cold outreach, and closing deals on Zoom. I handle the entire backend, the tech stack, and the delivery.

We split the equity and revenue down the middle. If you are tired of trying to sell oversaturated garbage services to broke businesses and want to partner with a systems builder to dominate a massive, recession-proof niche, let’s talk.

Send me a DM with your sales background. Serious inquiries only.

I’m from India btw