In this episode of PPC Live The Podcast, host Anu interviews Kat Sale, co-founder of House of Performance, about a catastrophic client experience that serves as a cautionary tale for agency professionals. Kat shares how a gifting company client spent £40,000 in just three days with zero sales, despite her team's explicit warnings against their aggressive launch strategy. The situation escalated when the client refused to pay £12,500 in consultancy fees, forcing Kat to write off the loss and end the relationship.

Key takeaway discussed:

Key Takeaways

• "Eat the dog food" - Always test and understand your client's products before marketing them
• Red flags to avoid: Clients who speak poorly about their own team, have churned through multiple agencies quickly, or consistently ignore expert advice
• Don't launch on Fridays unless you'll monitor campaigns over the weekend
• Start conservative: Begin with exact match keywords and modest budgets, then scale based on performance
• Cut losses quickly - Don't waste time chasing bad debts or difficult clients; focus energy on good relationships
• Document everything - Keep clear records of advice given when clients ignore recommendations
• Don't take failures personally - Sometimes clients aren't ready to listen, and that's not your fault
• Be transparent with mistakes - Clients appreciate honesty; cover-ups destroy trust
• Use AI as a tool, not a crutch - Maintain strategic thinking and creativity rather than relying completely on AI
• Create psychological safety - Leaders should share their own failures to normalise learning from mistakes
• Know when to walk away - Some clients aren't worth the stress and damage to your business
• Maintain perspective - "We're not heart surgeons, it's just advertising" - don't let work stress destroy your mental health

00:00 Introduction

01:31 Kat Sale's Background

02:48 The Concept of 'Eating the Dog Food'

04:43 Major Business Failure and Learnings

22:43 Discussion on AI in Digital Marketing

28:03 Conclusion and Where to Find Kat Sale

Follow Kat on ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠

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PPC Live The Podcast (formerly PPCChat Roundup) features weekly conversations with paid search experts sharing their experiences, challenges, and triumphs in the ever-changing digital marketing landscape.

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