In this episode of The Clerics of Marketing, Adam tackles one of the biggest questions he hears from friends, clients, and even other business owners. Why is marketing so expensive? Instead of giving a fluffy answer, he breaks it down with real numbers, labor hours, and a transparent look at what it actually takes to run high quality marketing for a home service business.

Adam walks listeners through the hidden workload behind Google Business Profile optimization, social media content creation, email marketing, and full website builds. He breaks down exactly how many hours go into each task, why cheap agencies can charge $500 a month, and the huge difference between template swapping and true custom work done by real professionals.

This episode also includes a first look at the Marketing Clerics new 2026 model. Adam explains how the next evolution of the agency is moving away from rigid packages and toward a flexible base plan with modular add ons that contractors can scale up or down with the seasons. Instead of locking clients into bloated retainers, the new model focuses on transparency, choice, and a build-your-own-marketing-stack approach that adapts as the business grows.

Along the way Adam gets real about the pressure small agencies face when competing with overseas labor, how margins work in a service business, and why fair wages and honest work matter. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re truly paying for in a marketing retainer, or if you’ve been burned by low cost “set it and forget it” agencies, this episode gives you clarity on the real cost of doing it right and a preview of what smarter marketing will look like in 2026.

In this episode of The Clerics of Marketing, Adam tackles one of the ugliest truths in the industry: most marketers stretch the truth far beyond what actually happened. From inflated case studies to “unicorn” ROI claims, Adam breaks down how agencies twist numbers, take credit for results they didn’t cause, and hide behind shiny headlines that fall apart under real scrutiny.

He shares personal stories from both marketing and IT consulting, including situations where results were legitimate but lacked the hard tracking data needed to back them up. Adam also walks through the generator installation example, showing why raw lead counts don’t tell the full story and why honesty about qualified leads, close rates, and real revenue matters far more than splashy metrics.

The conversation shifts into a practical guide for home service contractors on how to evaluate marketing partners. Adam highlights what questions to ask, what red flags to watch for, and why you should care more about consistency, communication, and long-term support than a handful of impressive screenshots.

At its core, this episode is about integrity — the kind that prefers truth over hype and genuine partnership over high profit margins. If you’re tired of marketing companies overselling their magic, this honest breakdown will help you see through the noise and choose a partner who shows up, sticks around, and tells the truth.

In this episode of The Clerics of Marketing, Adam walks through one of the most important tools in business: the customer journey map. He breaks down what makes someone actually buy from you, call you, or choose your service over another. From defining your top customer profiles to understanding their challenges, motivations, and pain points, Adam explains how to see your business through your customers’ eyes.

He walks through each stage of the journey — awareness, consideration, conversion, retention, and referral — and shows how electricians and other home service pros can use this framework to shape their messaging, ads, website, and overall strategy. Using real examples like standby generators and storm season frustrations, Adam connects the dots between customer behavior and smart marketing.

You’ll learn how to identify what your customer is thinking, what they’re feeling, where they interact with your brand, and how to move them from “never heard of you” to “lifelong client who tells everyone.” If you want clearer messaging, stronger connection, and more consistent growth, this episode gives you a simple but powerful roadmap to get there.