Behind the Work

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of a web design & development business. We specialize in websites for attorneys, professional services, and non-profits.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 120/80, and what were your goals?

The digital ad space is very dense for attorneys and my client wanted to spend a consistent amount each month but not have to weed through hundreds of unwanted calls.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

They showed that they were focused on what we were focused on. There was no badgering or upselling for unnecessary services, only straightforward talk about how to get where we wanted to go and what they could do about it.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and campaigns.

We had a few meetings getting the preliminary scope outlined, compared ad campaigns of competitors, replaced vague ad concepts with concrete ideas. All of this was guided by rigorous research and guidance from 120/80 showing different avenues of ROI based on the array of ads we were considering. Our relationship is ongoing and we are very happy with their performance.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We've worked with 3 or 4 people since the relationship started. The owner primarily and now with a 1 on 1 PPC strategist. All very capable.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We are consistently competing in the right space against the right size firms with similar philosphies. That is great for us, because we are often very niche and need that focus.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

All good experiences, prompt response times, and good explanation. We communicate mainly through email with an occasional call.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Cutting through the noise. They always aim for success. There is no fluff and layers of customer services, there is action and solution.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

I don't know - I think they have the right personality and professionalism for advertising and marketing. Very practical and nice people delivering the products. What more could you ask for?

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

M & A consultant

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 120/80, and what were your goals?

implantation of a CRM

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Referral, and their capabilities

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and marking tools used.

They worked on creating and implementing a CRM. It started with workshops that helped get me familiar with Hubspot and all the many functions it can do. From the workshops I had many privet sessions with Seth (who is amazing and so easy to work with) who walked me step by step through many functions. One being how to import data and add contacts and companies. How to create mass marketing emails.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

I worked mostly with one person, Seth Trimble. He worked mostly with the CRM development

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We have not launched any of the work we have done so far but would be willing to share once we do.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Workflow was effective. Seth Made time for me as much as I needed. I was meeting with him two-three times a week 30-60 minutes sessions. I was in communication via email on other questions throughout the week. Seth responded in a timely fashion.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

I am impressed with how smart they are and how easy it is to communicate with them. Any question I had there was always an answer. If there was not an immediate answer they would figure it out. How quick their response rate was on any information needed, which helped to get work done fast.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

I personally do not see any areas of improvement at this time.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of Strategic Development for Amply, a donation matching platform helping nonprofit organizations maximize their fundraising efforts.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 120/80, and what were your goals?

We were looking for a way to reach Chief Advancement Officers & Directors of Development, and 120/80 set us up with a multipronged outreach effort, via LinkedIn and Google Ads.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We submitted a detailed list of desired outcomes, and were impressed by 120/80’s understanding of our potential sales channel.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and campaigns.

The engagement began with a thorough assessment of our desired client sectors. We prioritized them and set up a plan to test social media and direct sales messaging, while dynamically modifying our processes.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

I worked directly with their account manager, but had a direct line to the CEO.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

I added over 1,000 LinkedIn contacts, while tripling Amply’s social media followers.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

120/80 was always very responsive, and never missed an opportunity to help us improve our marketing efforts.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their ability to pivot and learn new skills that could help their clients made us value their overall offering.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Wish we could have been part of a meeting with more of their team members, to help find out what other clients were addressing some of the problems we were facing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We currently have two outsourced sales and marketing firms that are engaged with 120/80: our parent company Acquirent and our subsidiary company LeadJen. Both help clients in either a lead generation (sales setting) capacity or in a full-sales cycle closing role. As the senior business development executive, I’m in charge of client acquisition and business development between the two companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 120/80?

We were looking for a new marketing partner when the world essentially shut down due to COVID-19. Toward June 2020, we started to peak our heads out to look at agencies that could provide both Acquirent and LeadJen with prospective clients to pursue. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

120/80 primarily manages digital marketing campaigns for us, such as SEO/PPC, Google Ads strategies, and retargeting ads. Occasionally, they will support us with LinkedIn support, but their main responsibility is to funnel leads and potential prospects for us to work with.

What is the team composition? 

We have a team of 4–5 core people who are involved on an ongoing basis. I’ve worked directly with Sonny (Founder & CEO), Seth (Digital Marketing Director, Nick (Data Scientist), and Peter (Copywriter).

How did you come to work with 120/80?

Funny enough, 120/80 is actually a floor above ours in our office building, which really strengthened our relationship. Our CEO was familiar with Sonny and had had some conversations with him to become familiar with his business. 

We identified 120/80 as a great fit because they’re extremely flexible in their offerings, such as their service packages and pricing. They were also willing to accommodate our needs and give us the attention that we were looking for.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent between $10,000–$40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement started in June 2020, and we’re still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

In the short amount of time that we’ve been working with them, our lead volume and velocity have increased significantly. That’s played a notable role in helping us climb out of our COVID-19 hole so to speak. Leads turn into opportunities, and opportunities turn into sales. They’ve really helped us fill our pipeline so that we can build our business back better than it was before.

I’ll also mention that 120/80 is very transparent in their processes. Compared to other digital marketing firms, they do a great job of tying back our ROI to their services. They analyze the data to show where we’re seeing success versus issues, which allows us to make sure that we’re spending our marketing dollars in the most effective manner.

How did 120/80 perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been great on this front. The team is attentive to our needs and responds quickly to our questions. As far as our communication cadence, we have a standing meeting every other Friday to converse on official reporting and updates. Those numbers cover where we are for the month and quarter.

We have constant back-and-forth during the week outside of that, whether I’m engaging with Seth over CRM setup questions or talking to their copywriter about blogs. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

As a newer marketing firm out there, they’ve been able to give us a fantastic amount of attention, and we definitely feel like a high priority for them. 

Their ability to tie our ROI back to their efforts has been great, too. That could mean tracking a lead from a marketing campaign all the way through to the close. Their team is extremely bright with a strong knowledgebase. They come up with fresh ideas constantly to identify items that are most beneficial to our business and drive the most leads.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing that would be relevant today.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important to do your homework on what’s going to be the best firm for your business. However, if you take the time to explain to 120/80 what your business does, how you do it, and what you’re looking to accomplish, then they’ll certainly get in there and put the best plan in place for you.

I’d recommend being completely transparent and open with them, too. The more information they have, the more accurately they’ll be able to prescribe suitable campaigns and strategies. Those insights really do impact 120/80’s process.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Managing Shareholder of an accounting and tax practice for Main St - not Wall St. We are advisors for small businesses and their families.

Beyond advisory and consulting, our services include income tax preparation, income tax planning, financial statement compilations, bookkeeping, payroll, sales tax, entity formation, tax resolution. We are small business owners and we are in the business of supporting other small business owners.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 120/80?

We hired 120 over 80 for their LinkedIn Lead Generation services.

What were your goals for this project?

To generate more leads from our current activities online.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I had one intro call with Sonny. He told me the value proposition his company could provide my company, and I committed.

Describe the project in detail.

Initially we worked with their copywriter to write out the messaging. took a look at my profile and then hit the ground running with their automation, we saw instant results

What was the team composition?

Worked with Sonny directly and worked with Seth. They were available on the weekends

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We were seeing between 2-3 meeting requests a week.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They are extremely responsive and willing to get on a call whenever I was available.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

One month later, the results mapped to Sonny's original words on that intro call we had. That's so rare (i.e., to back up words with action so quickly, literally right off the bat). And his fees are so economical.

He's doing things right, you better sign up sooner than later before his rates increase. It's only inevitable that 120 over 80's rates will increase as their street credit increases over the upcoming months and years

Are there any areas for improvement?

They were a little slow to start but once they were going we saw results immediately.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re Acquirant outsourced sales and marketing, and we provide full-cycle sales and marketing services to a variety of companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 120/80?

Our company had been using a different vendor to handle many aspects of our digital marketing such as SEO management and case search. We weren’t getting as much clarity and transparency as we needed from the project, so we decided to make a switch to another company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

From the beginning of the process, their team was able to identify what wasn’t working in our existing digital marketing strategy, determine the best next steps to take from there, and then help us execute on them.

They assist us with a variety of digital marketing tasks, primarily focusing on PPC advertising and display retargeting. We’re not doing social media ads at this time, but that is something we’ve considered.

What is the team composition?

Sunny has served as our account manager and is our main point of contact for all of the work.

How did you come to work with 120/80?

We were near the end of an RFP process with several other vendors when Sonny (Chief Growth Officer) got connected with our CEO, who put me in touch with him. Right off the bat, he was speaking our language and clearly understood our goals.

I sent him an RFP and his response, which he delivered within two days, addressed every single concern we had for the project. It was clear that he was prioritizing us and was prepared to be involved, so we decided to go with him.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project just started in March 2020 and we are planning to work with them for at least the rest of this year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Our main goals center on lead generation, site traffic, and improving the spend per lead on our ads. Just since starting with him, we’ve seen that our site traffic seemed relatively resistant to the recent market downturn and has actually continued to rise in some areas, which we are very happy about.

How did 120/80 perform from a project management standpoint?

Sonny is very responsive, so I can reach out to him over Slack, text, phone call, or even in person because he works in the same building as us. He does a great job of utilizing a lot of different communication channels to stay as engaged with his clients as possible.

What did you find most impressive about them?

He is always willing to educate me and my team about what’s going on and why certain decisions are necessary. My background in content marketing so I don’t have as much knowledge about the technical aspects of the work, and he has been an incredible resource for helping us get a better understanding of those.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’m really happy with all of their work so far.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be engaged with him, because that’s how you will get the most out of the engagement.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Founder & CEO at SellerChamp - a multi-channel listing and inventory management SaaS platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 120/80?

We have been struggling with finding a good, reliable agency to build, optimize and scale our Google/Bing PPC ads on an ongoing basis. We hired 120/80 for this service as well as for general marketing advice and strategies given Sonny's vast array of expertise in this field.

What were your goals for this project?

Build, optimize and scale PPC Ads such that we can 10x our spend on it and still keep it profitable in the next 6 - 8 months.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I have worked with 5 different ad agencies before getting connected with Sonny. None had worked out to my satisfaction. Our niche is very complicated and it requires paying attention to very subtle things - like the call-to-action, the keywords, etc. Sonny was recommended to me by a colleague of mine.

We had initial discovery in which Sonny took the time to understand our needs, offered his suggestions and advice and followed up with a detailed email with a breakdown of his plan of action, fee structure, etc. After reading his email it came very clear to me that Sonny was our guy.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

After we starting working with Sonny, we had a series of calls where he asked the right questions and then put together a detailed plan of action. He started by cleaning up our existing campaign and then creating new ads, ad-groups and campaigns based on his learnings. He actively continues to do this and has been optimizing and growing our sign-ups while lowering the CPC and CAC

What was the team composition?

I along with my Head of Marketing interface directly with Sonny. He has an internal team of resources on his end but all of our interactions have been direct with him.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Our niche is quite complicated to fully grasp. The subtleties in the feature differentiators aren't obvious to an outsider. Sonny was able to understand this right off the bat. Within a few short weeks, he was able to clean-up our campaigns and lower our CPC and our CAC.

I believe his deep understanding and specialization in PPC ads enabled him to ask the right questions and do this for us. I am very happy with the quality of work Sonny has brought to the table. His help goes out of PPC. He has provided really helpful advice, tips/tracks on what we should be doing to grow our customer base. I couldn't be happier with the outcome.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. We meet bi-weekly via video-conference but Sonny has always been available whenever needed. He is prompt in his reply and very reliable.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was blown away by how deeply Sonny understands PPC and how much he already knew about our niche. I am amazed by the level of attention they are able to provide to our company.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None that come to mind. It's been a pleasure working with Sonny and I hope to continue to work with him for the longer-term.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Tulsa Chiropractic Rehab. We provide services that have to do with biomechanical dysfunction like the neck, back, joint, and muscle pain. We’ll also work on people’s coordination and retrain their bodies to work correctly and more efficiently so they’re less prone to damage themselves.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 120/80?

We’re located on the backside of a building that’s not visible to the road, and we’ve been low on patients. Chiropractors typically see about 10 patients a week, but we were seeing one or two per week. We’re located near several neighborhoods and didn’t expect to have so much competition from other businesses on the internet. 

We needed help with figuring out what was wrong with our digital marketing program. We initially went with another vendor, but they had a cookie-cutter approach that wasn’t effective. So, we decided to work with 120/80.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve performed a variety of digital marketing tasks, including fixing the SEO on our website. He’s been using software to determine which keywords to target online.

They showed us that there’s a certain percentage of the population looking for chiropractors by searching for particular keywords. Businesses can acquire a certain percentage of those customers, and we were at 6 percent, while our biggest competitor was at 2 percent. 

He’s also enhanced the way we attract referrals. We have a spreadsheet we submit to Sonny with the number of new patients and exactly where they came from. He uses that sheet to tweak his approach.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact is Sonny (Founder & Chief Growth Officer, 120/80).

How did you come to work with 120/80?

I found Sonny through LinkedIn. I sent out a post asking for someone who could help with SEO or digital marketing tasks. I felt good about him. He’s a Harvard graduate, he’s got good experience, and he seemed confident and willing to work within my budget. Also, I felt like he cared and was interested in my business. He asked me more questions than the other service providers. 

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve invested $600 so far with 120/80.

What is the status of this engagement?

I’ve been working with Sonny since November of 2019, and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We have been feeling the difference. Now, we’re getting more patients from digital marketing sources. Before, we were relying on word-of-mouth and Groupon ads. We were able to stop using Groupon as it wasn’t generating a profit for us.

Also, I have noticed an increase in website traffic. Our position on Google has improved significantly. If you search in our area, we show up immediately. People are also finding us through Apple Maps or Google Maps, which didn’t happen before.

How did 120/80 perform from a project management standpoint?

They have paid personalized attention to my business. He’s constantly communicating with me to keep his ear to the ground. Also, he’s constantly trying to improve and modify his approach.

I never have a problem getting ahold of Sonny. He has never taken more than 24 hours to get back to me on an email. I can always call him, and he picks up 90% of the time. If he doesn’t pick up, he’ll call back later that day. I like talking with one person because I always know who I’m going to be speaking with.

We’ve had bi-weekly conversations where 120/80 checks in to make sure we’re happy with their services. They aren’t just going through the motions—they actually have an interest in seeing results. He is aggressively tackling and trying new things, which I appreciate.

For example, I ask my patients, “What changes are you seeing?” and then I change things. I try different approaches and tweak exercises if they aren’t working for them. That’s what I feel like 120/80 is doing for us. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

He cares for his clients, and he is interested in their success more than other companies I’ve worked with. He cares for the health of his client’s business how I care, as a doctor, for my patient’s health.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of a single area where they could improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You should just hire Sonny. He’s a self-motivated guy that really connects with his clients. The best way to work with Sonny is to let him do what he knows he needs to do.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I co-own a wedding videography business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 120/80?

We were so focused on filming videos that we needed suggestions on how to go in other directions.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sonny (Growth Consultant, 120/80) showed us how to use Google Ads and focused on helping us with the big picture. At the time, we were focusing on wedding videos and corporate videos, but he looked at our income statements and gave us suggestions for different directions and areas to specialize in.

He showed us why we needed to do these various things after taking the pulse on our business. We focused our advertising and SEO efforts and used wedding-specific websites.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with Sonny.

How did you come to work with 120/80?

We work in the same building as Sonny and he had offered us advice and helped us out a few times, so we decided to take him on as a consultant. Seeing the health and success of his business, we never questioned him. It wasn’t something we were looking for at the moment, so we weren’t comparing other consultants.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from 2017-2018 for about a year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

We tripled our traffic and doubled our revenue at that time, and we can confidently say that Sonny has contributed our increasing revenue and profit margins year over year. Since working with Sonny, our business has tripled overall. The advice he gave us has been priceless.

How did 120/80 perform from a project management standpoint?

We mostly met face-to-face for all of our communication. He took our goals and our size and gave us the insights that we needed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

He is highly intelligent. He can look through a business’ data and see things in a different way. Drawing from experience and a large network, he gives key insights that are incredibly helpful that we never would have thought about. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There are no ways they could improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I highly recommend working with him. If Sonny gets all the information he needs, he is going to be so much help. Not all businesses have the same goals, so make sure he is clear with the goals of the business.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work in business development for an electronic contract manufacturing company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 120/80?

We wanted to increase our lead conversion using Google Ads. We tried to do everything in-house previously, but it didn’t work out.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sonny (Growth Consultant, 120/80) overhauled our PPC strategy. He created different campaigns and keywords. 

What is the team composition?

Sonny was our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with 120/80?

He reached out to me and after we talked it over, he seemed like the right fit. We picked him as opposed to other competitors because he had experience, so he knew how to stretch our dollar and get the most results.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent roughly $240,000 on the ad spend.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working in mid-2018 and finished in mid-2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Our number of leads increased by about 20% through Google Ads. We also saw over 20% traffic increase. We are all very happy with everything they've done.

How did 120/80 perform from a project management standpoint?

He came into the office every now and then to give us a formal rundown, but he typically contacted us through email and phone. He was always on call and was really good at communication skills. He taught us everything he did from a decision perspective and it almost felt like we were the ones making the decisions.

What did you find most impressive about them?

His ability to communicate the results as well as his decisions was most impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The reason we stopped working with him was that he taught us so much, we figured we could do it on our own. Even though it's positive for us, I think that backfired on him.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Sit down with Sonny one-on-one and tell him your goals. Tell him specifically how many leads or new clients you want to gain. Don’t just give him a budget.