The 90-Day Review That Usually Happens at Day 7
The standard agency onboarding:
- Week 1-2: "Discovery phase"
- Week 3-4: "Strategy development"
- Week 5-8: "Implementation"
- Week 9-12: "Optimisation"
- Month 3: First proper review
That's 90 days before anyone asks difficult questions about whether this is working.
What we do:
Day 1: Account access. P&L review. Margin data.
Day 2-5: Deep audit. Every campaign. Every product. Every number against commercial reality.
Day 7: "Here's what's actually happening. Here's what's profitable. Here's what isn't. Here's what we're going to do about it."
What we typically find by day 7:
- 30-50% of spend is going to unprofitable products
- Brand campaigns are stealing credit from organic
- The best-performing campaigns are hitting ceilings
- Smart Bidding is optimising for the wrong thing
- The account structure doesn't match commercial reality
None of this takes 90 days to discover. It takes a week of focused attention with the right questions.
Why agencies take 90 days:
Because 90 days creates dependency. By the time the review happens, you're committed. Switching agencies again feels exhausting.
Because 90 days of billing happens first. That's £6,000-15,000 in fees before anyone evaluates performance.
Because real reviews are uncomfortable. Delaying them delays discomfort.
Our approach:
If we can't find the problems in a week, we're not looking properly. If we can't start fixing them in two weeks, we're moving too slowly.
Speed isn't rushing. It's respecting your time and money.