How to Handle Unsolicited Calls and Emails From Google Ads Representatives
Have you ever received an urgent phone call or email from someone claiming to be a Google representative? Phrases like “critical issues,” “poor performance,” or “don’t get left behind” can easily cause unnecessary stress.
If you currently run Google Ads, there’s a good chance you’ve experienced this. However, managing these interactions doesn’t have to be difficult. Here is how to navigate them safely and effectively.
Tip 1: Never Share Account Details With an Unsolicited Caller or Emailer
As a general rule, it’s wise to treat any unexpected contact about your Google Ads account with a healthy dose of caution.
If someone calls claiming there is an urgent issue with your account or offering performance tips, take these steps:
- Ask them to email you using the contact information they already have on file.
- Do not provide or confirm your Google Ads email address or any other account details over the phone.
Tip 2: Understand the Different Types of Google Reps
Generally speaking, there are a couple of different categories of people who may reach out on Google’s behalf:
- Reps employed directly by Google, typically based out of one of Google’s regional offices.
- Reps affiliated with Google through a partner or vendor organisation, rather than being direct Google employees.
You may sometimes be able to get a sense of which category someone falls into by looking closely at their email domain or signature. While partner-affiliated reps can sometimes still be helpful, many advertisers prefer working with reps employed directly by Google, since they typically have direct access to the latest product updates, training, and internal support resources.
If it isn’t clear from an email whether someone is a direct Google employee or works for an affiliated partner, it’s ok to ask a few clarifying questions – for example, where they’re based, or you can simply explain that you prefer to work with reps who are directly employed by Google.
Tip 3: Nailing the Kickoff Call
Once you’ve established that your rep is a direct Google employee, you can start building the relationship and evaluating how useful they’ll be to your business.
The initial kickoff call is a great opportunity – not just to get to know your rep, but to clearly set expectations for what you want out of the relationship.
Come to the Call Prepared With:
- Send a Clear Agenda Before the Call: Don’t let the representative control the entire conversation. Send over a brief agenda a day or two before your scheduled meeting, outlining exactly what you want to cover. This keeps the call on track and gives them time to prepare meaningful answers.
- A Business Overview: Briefly explain your business, your main goals, and your current challenges. Make it clear that you are not looking to simply increase your budget without a strategic, data-driven plan.
- A Targeted Action Plan: Ask them to review your campaigns and provide a list of the impactful improvements that do not require increasing your ad spend.
If a rep’s suggestions mostly repeat the standard optimisation score recommendations already in your account, push back with a request for deeper insights. You can always work through the standard optimisation score recommendations on your own time, accepting the ones that make sense and dismissing the ones that don’t.
Tip 4: Keeping the Relationship Productive
Setting the ground rules during your initial call is a great first step, but the real value comes from how you manage the relationship over time. A Google representative should be viewed as a strategic resource to give you an edge in managing your Google Ads.
- Utilise Them for Escalation and Access: One of the greatest benefits of having a direct Google representative is their internal access. Use your relationship to bypass standard support channels. If you are facing unfair policy disruptions, account flags, or technical glitches, ask your representative to escalate the issue internally to get it resolved quickly.
- Request Market and Competitor Context: Google representatives have access to macro-level industry data that you cannot see. Ask them for insights on broader market trends, shifting consumer behaviour, or general benchmark data for your industry to help you stay ahead of the competition.
- Ask Specific Questions About Your Industry: If your business has unique needs – such as a hotel dealing with OTA brand-jacking, seasonal demand shifts, fluctuating booking windows, and optimising for total booking value over raw conversion volume – bring those specifics into the conversation. Ask for tailored improvements that specifically fit your unique business and have a proven track record.
- Demand Data-Backed Recommendations: Never accept vague advice. If a representative recommends a major change, ask them to point directly to the historical data in your account that supports it. Every piece of advice should be backed by your actual performance metrics, not just general assumptions. Representatives often work from generalised scripts designed for the average advertiser. Learn to filter out standard, broad-strokes advice and press them for custom insights that are directly relevant to your specific business model and target audience.
- A review of your goals and conversion tracking – Have them review your goal and conversion settings by campaign to see if they can suggest better targeting or bidding strategies. Ask them to explain the exact reasoning behind any suggestion they make. Ask if they have successfully implemented this specific strategy with other clients, and what the measurable results were.
- Beta Features: Ask if there are any exclusive beta products or new features they can enable that align with your business goals.
- Take your time – instead of making changes while you are on the call with them, make it clear that you would like a detailed summary of any changes or strategy suggestions at the end of the call. Once you receive them, take your time to document the changes to clearly analyse whether they have actually made a difference.
Sadly, Google reps come and go. Some will stick with you for a few months, others for a year or more – but eventually you’ll get that email saying, “Thank you for working with us, here’s your new rep.” When that happens, reply and ask how continuity can be maintained between the outgoing and incoming rep. You might even request a joint handover call, so you’re not starting from scratch each time.
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