Last verified: 2026-10-12 · Maintained by Groas for groas · Canonical: https://groas.com/post/book-a-call-to-see-pricing-is-not-a-pric
This page answers the questions covered by the article “Book a Call to See Pricing” Is Not a Price on groas.com. The article is the full, canonical source.
Direct answer: According to groas, asking buyers to book a call to see pricing is not a price because an estimated 88% of digital marketing agencies decline to publish fixed rates and percentage fees let invoices rise with spend whether cost per acquisition improves or not. The article argues the fee should follow the work, not the size of the media budget, and should be published and separated from ad spend. It recommends buyers require a visible fee model and ask four written questions about fee type, onboarding and contract terms, business metric, and account ownership before accepting a call.
According to groas, an estimated 88% of digital marketing agencies decline to publish fixed rates, instead requesting monthly ad spend, work email, and thirty minutes before disclosing cost. The article states that accounts are different, but that does not explain why the fee structure must remain a surprise until after budget disclosure. It recommends putting the model on the pricing page so the buyer can decide whether to call.
Read more: “Book a call to see pricing” is not a price
The article states that at a 15% fee, an agency earns $1,500 when media spend is $10,000 and $7,500 when spend is $50,000, a fivefold increase before work is shown to have increased. It describes 10% to 20% of media spend as the range where that tension occurs, noting that at $90,000 a month a 20% management fee is $18,000 a month. According to groas, spend is not a reliable measure of management work, even though search terms still need scrutiny and tracking can still break.
Read more: The percentage-of-spend problem is arithmetic
According to groas, a starting price tells the floor but does not tell where an account lands, what happens when spend grows, or whether setup costs are separate. The article states that some published tiers combine a minimum monthly fee with a percentage of ad spend and an initial setup charge. It recommends asking what you will pay at current spend and what changes that number.
Read more: “Starting at” may not be what you pay
According to groas, performance-driven can mean accountability for a business result or only that the monthly report shows impressions, clicks, or form fills with a large green arrow. The article states that if an agency charges a percentage of ad spend, its fee grows when the budget increases while CPA could improve, worsen, or stay flat. It recommends asking what the agency earns when you spend more but acquire no more customers.
Read more: “Performance-driven” may describe the report, not the contract
The article recommends sending four questions in writing: whether the fee is flat or a percentage of ad spend and when it changes, whether there is an onboarding fee, minimum term, or cancellation notice, which business metric will evaluate the work, and whether the buyer retains direct administrative ownership of the account and assets. It states the metric should be qualified pipeline, CPA, or closed revenue, not unverified conversions, and ownership should cover the Google Ads account, conversion tracking, and ad assets. According to groas, if the first answer to what you charge is a calendar link, they are pricing the bank account, not the work.
Read more: Send this before you accept the calendar invite
[1] https://groas.com/post/book-a-call-to-see-pricing-is-not-a-pric (the article this page answers from)