Is Your Agency Actually Worth $15K/Month?

You're spending $10K-$20K/month on an agency.

Growth is... okay. Not terrible. Not great. Just... fine.

But you have this nagging feeling you're overpaying for underwhelming results. And here's the problem:

You have no objective way to tell if they're actually good.

They send reports. They explain their work. They're responsive in Slack. But when you ask the hard question—"What's actually working and what needs to change?"—you get dashboards, not decisions.

Meanwhile, you're 8 months in and $120K deep, and you still can't tell if you're getting your money's worth.

Here's Why You Can't Tell

Agencies aren't trying to rip you off. But their business model creates three problems that cost you money:

1. You're funding their overhead, not your growth

That $15K monthly retainer breaks down like this:

• •15-20% goes to their sales team (who sold you)
• •10-15% covers account management (who explains things to you)
• •20-25% disappears into overhead (office, software, admin)
• •40-50% goes to actual execution

You're paying $15K to get $6K-$7K of work. Every month.

2. You get whoever's available, not who's best

Agencies staff projects based on utilization rates, not fit. That junior media buyer managing your account? They're learning on your dime while juggling 11 other clients.

3. Their incentive is retention, not results

The easiest way for an agency to lose a client is to change too much, too fast. So they optimize for "no surprises" instead of breakthrough performance.

The result: You plateau. They stay comfortable. And you keep wondering if you're getting your money's worth.

The Solution: Get an Objective Audit Before You Spend Another $50K On Ads

I've managed over $100M+ in ad spend and reviewed countless agency relationships for DTC brands—from startups spending $10K/month to established brands scaling to $1.5M/month on one channel.

In 7 days, I'll get inside your accounts and tell you exactly what's happening.

This Pays for Itself in Week 1

A few years ago, I took over a drinkware startup from a multi-channel agency. They were in that critical early phase—still figuring things out, trying to break through to real scale.

They were paying $15K+/month for Meta ads, Google ads, and email marketing. But they were stuck.

Here's what the agency was reporting:

The Agency's Critical Mistake:

They were measuring Meta in isolation. Looking at 1.8x ROAS and saying "can't scale."

But here's what they completely missed: Meta was the rising tide lifting all boats.

What We Actually Found:

When we dug into the numbers, we discovered something the agency never saw:

• •Meta was driving top-of-funnel awareness
• •People were seeing the ads, then searching for the brand on Amazon
• •Amazon sales spiked on days when Meta spend increased
• •When we factored in the Amazon halo effect, true ROAS was 3.5-4x, not 1.8x

The agency was "managing" both Meta and advising on Amazon, but they never connected the dots. They didn't understand incrementality. They just looked at Meta in a silo and said "doesn't work."

That one blindspot was costing them 10x growth.

What We Fixed:

The Results:

The Real Problem:

The agency had "specialists" managing each channel. But nobody:

• •Owned the full customer journey
• •Understood cross-channel attribution
• •Asked "What's driving our Amazon spikes?"
• •Saw that Meta was the growth engine for everything

They were executing channels. Nobody was solving the business problem.

That's the difference between a fractional CMO and an agency.

We own outcomes, not just channel execution.

The Same Methodology Works At Any Scale

That drinkware brand went from startup to $250K-300K/month using cross-channel attribution insights.

But this isn't just a "small brand" strategy.

I've used the same methodology to help brands scale to $1.5M/month in Meta ad spend by understanding how their paid channels drive lift across their entire ecosystem—including Amazon, retail partnerships, and organic channels.

Most agencies can't think this way. They manage channels, not businesses.

When you understand true incrementality and cross-channel attribution, you can scale with confidence—whether you're spending $10K/month or $1.5M/month.

💡 The Pattern I See Everywhere

This isn't unique. I see this in almost every audit:

• •Agency A runs Meta, reports isolated ROAS
• •Agency B runs Google, reports isolated ROAS
• •Nobody tracks cross-channel lift
• •Nobody sees how channels drive each other
• •Result: Massive underinvestment in the channel creating the most total business value

Your agency might be making the same mistake right now.

That's why you need an audit from someone who owns the full funnel, not just one channel.

What You Get: The 7-Day Agency Audit

What Happens Next: Three Possible Outcomes

Option 1: Your Agency is Actually Good

(Rare, but it happens)

Great. I'll show you how to optimize the relationship, push them harder in the right areas, and fill the strategic gaps they're not covering. You keep your agency, get better results.

Option 2: Your Agency is Mediocre

(Most Common)

They're executing channels but missing the strategic layer—like the cross-channel attribution in the case study above. We have two paths:

• •Path A: They fix it with me managing them as your fractional CMO, or
• •Path B: We transition to a better model

Option 3: Your Agency is Bleeding You Dry

We build a new system. Either I take over as your fractional CMO with proven frameworks and managed specialists, or I help you hire the right team in-house.

Either way, you save $5K-$13K/month while getting senior-level strategic execution and better results.

My Guarantee: You Either Win Big or Make $500

Ever since doing audits like this, I've never had to pay the $500.

Why? Because there's always something:

• •Broken conversion tracking costing you 20-30% of your ad spend
• •Traffic campaigns when you should be running conversion campaigns
• •Overpaid specialists (like paying $3,500/month for email worth $1,200)
• •Missed cross-channel attribution (like the agency missing $120K in Amazon lift)
• •Wasted ad spend on irrelevant audiences or poorly structured campaigns
• •Stale creative with no testing framework

I'll find it. It's always there.

And here's the kicker: If you hire me as your fractional CMO after the audit, the full $2,500 is credited toward your first month.

So you're either:

1. Getting a free audit (if you hire me), or
2. Getting $10K+ in found opportunity (if you don't), or
3. Making $500 profit (if I somehow fail)

The worst-case scenario is you make money. The best case is 10x growth.

That's what I call a no-brainer offer.

The Investment

$2,500 for the complete audit + debrief.

If you decide to work with me as your fractional CMO after the audit, I'll credit the full $2,500 toward your first month.

If I don't find at least one opportunity worth $10K+ annually, you get your money back plus $500.

This Only Works If:

• •You're spending $50K+/month on paid ads (if you're spending less, you probably don't need an audit—you need a different strategy)
• •You're doing $1M-$5M+ in annual revenue (proven product-market fit)
• •You're a DTC brand (ecommerce, subscription, or direct-to-consumer B2C)
• •You're ready to make changes based on what the data shows

If that's you, book your audit call below.

Why Listen To Me?

I'm Michael Cocan. I've been doing performance marketing for DTC brands for 15+ years.

My track record:

• •Managed $100M+ in ad spend across 50+ brands
• •Scaled brands from $10K/month spend → $1.5M/month spend
• •Specialized in cross-channel attribution and incrementality (the stuff most agencies don't understand)
• •Worked across categories: Outdoor gear, hunting, fashion, subscription, CPG, drinkware, fitness, new-to-market products

What I do differently:

I own the full customer journey, not just individual channels. That means understanding how Meta drives Amazon sales, how paid drives organic, how your email list grows from paid acquisition, how all your channels work together to grow the business.

Most agencies execute channels. I solve business problems.

"But My Agency is Different"

You might be right. About 10% of agencies are excellent.

On the audit, I'll tell you honestly if you should keep working with them. I'm not here to talk you out of something that's working.

I'm here to show you the truth about what you're paying for—so you can stop wondering and start growing.

Book Your Agency Audit

Once qualified, I'll send over the simple agreement and payment link. 7 days later, you'll know exactly where you stand.

P.S. — Yes, I'm serious about the $500. I've built my business on delivering results, and I back it up with my own money. If you're not blown away by what I find, you profit. Simple as that.

P.P.S. — I work with 3-5 clients at a time, max. If you're thinking about this, don't wait. I typically have 1-2 audit slots available per month.