Home Service Marketing ConsultantSenior Judgment Without Hiring a CMO.
At a certain size the problem stops being tactics. You have vendors, maybe an internal marketer, a real budget, and no reliable way to judge any of it. What is missing is senior judgment in the room when decisions get made.
That is what consulting is for. Not campaign execution — reviewing what your agency is actually delivering, deciding whether to hire internally, setting the KPIs your team reports against, sizing the budget, and structuring a marketing function that fits the size of company you are becoming.
Chris works with owners and leadership teams directly. Eighteen years in construction and 25+ years in digital marketing means the conversation happens in your language, not a vendor's.
Serving home service companies nationwide. $497 Marketing Audit · No ranking, lead, or revenue guarantees.
Who this is written for
- You are doing roughly $5M or more and marketing decisions now carry real consequences
- You have agencies or internal staff and no objective way to evaluate them
- You are deciding whether to hire a marketing manager or keep outsourcing
- You want to build an internal marketing function rather than depend on vendors forever
Smaller or newer companies are genuinely welcome to use our free training and $197/month DIY membership instead — no pressure either way.
What consulting actually covers
The work is decisions and structure, not execution. Execution belongs to your team or to a done-for-you engagement.
- Agency and vendor performance review against the numbers that matter
- In-house versus outsourced decisions, and what to hire for first
- Marketing KPIs and a scorecard leadership can read in five minutes
- Budget allocation across channels, services, and markets
- Marketing org structure as you scale or add locations
- Multi-location and acquisition marketing integration
Hiring a marketing manager: the honest version
A single generalist hire cannot personally do SEO, paid search, content, design, reporting, and strategy well. What works is hiring one capable owner of the function and giving them a system plus vendor support. Hiring before you know what the role is responsible for is how companies end up with an expensive person producing social posts nobody reads.
How to tell whether your agency is working
Ask for cost per booked job by channel, the qualified-lead definition they use, and what they recommend cutting. A partner worth keeping answers all three without discomfort. Vague answers, impression-based reporting, and resistance to giving you admin access to your own accounts are the signals that matter — not likeability.
Two ways to engage
Some decisions need one senior conversation. Others need a standing seat at the table.
- Strategy Session — 60 minutes with Chris at $1,500 per hour, no retainer
- Executive Retainer — ongoing senior advisory from $5,000/month, with the first 90 days committed, then month-to-month
- Insourced Marketing Blueprint™ — from $18,000, when the goal is training your own team to run it
Where this usually goes wrong
What to measure
Hold whoever does this work — your team, us, or your current agency — to these.
Cost per booked job, company-wide
The number leadership should see monthly.
Marketing-sourced revenue share
Distinguishes marketing from repeat and referral flow.
Revenue per marketing dollar by channel
Drives allocation decisions rather than opinion.
Vendor performance against agreed targets
Makes accountability conversations factual.
Internal capability coverage
Shows what your team can run without outside help.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a home service marketing consultant do?
Reviews your marketing performance objectively, evaluates vendors and internal staff, sets the KPIs you manage against, sizes and allocates budget, and helps structure a marketing function that fits your revenue. Consulting covers decisions and structure rather than day-to-day campaign execution.
How much does marketing consulting cost?
Strategy Sessions are $1,500 per hour with no retainer. The Executive Retainer for ongoing advisory starts at $5,000/month with the first 90 days committed, then month-to-month. Team training through the Insourced Marketing Blueprint™ starts at $18,000.
Should I hire an agency or build an in-house marketing team?
It depends on capacity, speed, and how much you want the capability to live inside the company. In-house is usually better long-term if you have or can hire someone capable and train them properly. Outsourced is faster when nobody internally has the time. A hybrid — your person owning the function with specialist support — works well at $5M and up.
Can you review my current agency without replacing them?
Yes, and that is a common engagement. The $497 Marketing Audit is often used exactly this way: an independent read on whether the work is sound, what is missing, and what to renegotiate.
Not sure where to start?
Start with the $497 Marketing Audit for a personalized video walkthrough and 90-day roadmap. Then choose DIY, build in-house, or have us run it. Private strategy is available when you need Chris personally.
Get an independent read before the next big decision
Start with the $497 audit for an objective baseline, or book a Strategy Session if you already know the question you need answered.
