YourGoogleRepIsNotYourFriend
Google assigns reps to accounts above a certain spend threshold. They schedule calls. They send recommendations. They seem helpful.
They are not on your side.
How Google reps are measured:
- Spend growth in their portfolio
- Adoption of Google products (Performance Max, Discovery, etc.)
- Implementation of recommendations
- Optimisation Score improvements
Notice what's missing? Your profitability. Your business outcomes. Your success.
They're measured on Google's success, not yours.
Common rep recommendations that hurt advertisers:
"Switch to broad match." This increases impressions, clicks, and spend. It also decreases relevance and often tanks conversion quality.
"Increase budgets on limited campaigns." Limited by budget doesn't mean there's profitable demand you're missing. It means the algorithm wants more money.
"Try Performance Max." PMax gives Google maximum control over your spend. It often looks good because it steals credit from other campaigns and brand traffic.
"Lower your ROAS target." This means you'll spend more for worse efficiency. Google's dream, not yours.
The tell:
Ask your Google rep about incrementality. Ask them how to measure cannibalisation. Ask them about contribution margin.
They won't have good answers. Because these questions lead to spending less, not more.
What to do with Google rep calls:
- Listen politely
- Evaluate every recommendation against your actual business goals
- Ignore the Optimisation Score entirely
- Never implement something just because Google suggests it
- Remember who pays their salary
Google reps are salespeople. Their product is your budget. Treat their advice accordingly.