Week 15 – Shiny Offers, Empty Wallets, and a Timely “Nope”

The week the marketing wolves started circling:

Launching my Google Business Profile was a huge milestone. It made my business visible. Legit. Searchable. It also made me a target.

Almost immediately, the calls started. Yelp. Angi’s List. HomeAdvisor. Random SEO firms with mysterious “partnerships.” One guy called and said, “We can guarantee leads for $1,200 a month. You’d be crazy to say no.” I almost didn’t.

The offers sounded slick. Lead volume. Geo-targeted ads. AI-powered matching. All the buzzwords. I was tired. My CRM was still light. I was tempted.

The moment I almost handed over my credit card—and why I didn’t:

I was one click away from signing up with a big-name lead gen service. The sales rep made it sound so turnkey: “Just pay, and the clients come to you.” And in that moment of anxiety, it sounded amazing. But something felt off. So I called Curt.

One phone call later, I was grateful—and honestly, a little embarrassed. Not because I almost spent thousands, but because I almost handed over my business pipeline to someone who doesn’t know my market, my message, or my client experience.

What Curt said that snapped me out of it:

“They don’t care if the lead is right. They care if the lead exists. And now it’s your problem to convert them.”

He walked me through the fine print, the horror stories, the reviews. The mismatched leads. The bidding wars. The platform reviews that destroy your credibility if you opt out. He even showed me what it looks like when a franchisee gets too many junk leads and chases the wrong audience for months. I dodged a bullet.

What I learned about filtering hype and staying focused:

Just because someone says “marketing” doesn’t mean it aligns with *your* strategy. I don’t need quantity right now. I need quality. Consistent referrals. Realtor trust. Clean, inbound leads who actually want a detailed, professional inspection—not the cheapest name off a list.

I’m building a long game. That means saying no to the shortcuts, even when they’re wrapped in a bow and handed to you during a slow week.

The franchise filter I’m leaning on from now on:

I now run every major marketing decision through a simple checklist:

• Does this match the brand I’m building?
• Would this help or confuse my ideal client?
• Is this something other franchisees have seen success with?
• What’s the real cost—time, money, reputation?

Having someone like Curt to bounce ideas off is gold. He’s seen the shiny offers. He’s chased a few himself. And now he helps us avoid the potholes.

Next week’s focus: doubling down on what *does* work

I’m going back to Realtor outreach. More coffee meetings. More local engagement. The slow, steady stuff that actually works. I’m here to build a reputation—not rent one.

What I’ll absolutely keep doing:

Filtering every offer with skepticism and a phone call. “No” is a complete sentence. And this week, it saved me thousands.

→ Coming up next: Week 16: What My Franchise Coach Told Me That Changed My Focus

← Last week’s emotional rollercoaster? Week 14: My First Slow Week — I Thought the Growth Was Over

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