July 2, 2025 • 28 mins
In this episode of PPC Live, The Podcast, host Anu sits down with seasoned PPC professional Serge Nguele to discuss one of his biggest professional mistakes and how integrity helped him turn it around. Serge shares the story of a £20K overspend at his former agency and the valuable lessons learned from the experience.
Key Takeaways
For PPC Professionals Facing Mistakes:
- Stay Calm: Remember that no lives are at stake in PPC
- Own It Completely: Take full responsibility without making excuses
- Be Proactive: Report issues yourself rather than having them discovered
- Learn and Improve: Use mistakes as opportunities for systemic improvements
For Managers:
- Respond with support and problem-solving rather than blame
- Recognize that integrity in crisis reveals character
- Use individual mistakes to improve team processes
On AI in PPC:
- Common Mistake: Over-complicating AI implementation because it's trendy
- Better Approach: Start with actual problems you need to solve
- Reality Check: Ensure you have the basics covered before adding sophisticated AI solutions
00:00 Introduction to PPC Live Podcast
01:18 Meet Serge Nguele: PPC Expert and Marathon Runner
05:29 Serge's Biggest PPC Mistake
08:17 The Aftermath and Lessons Learned
14:42 Agency Mistake and Resolution
15:44 Learning from Mistakes
17:21 Building Trust and Integrity
20:45 Advice for Handling Overspending
22:58 AI in Paid Search
24:42 Fun and Farewell
Find Serge on LinkedIn
Book a coaching call with Anu
PPC Live The Podcast (formerly PPCChat Roundup) features weekly conversations with paid search experts sharing their experiences, challenges, and triumphs in the ever-changing digital marketing landscape.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:05):
Hello and welcome to PPC Live, the podcast formerly known as
PPC Chat Roundup. My name is Anu, the founder of
PPC Live. And if you're used to hearing
from PPC experts about how to ensure that we are keeping up
with the ever changing landscape, don't worry, you are
still in the right place. But instead of relaying what the
PPC experts are saying, I'm going to be bringing the PPC
(00:28):
experts to you. Every week I'm going to be
speaking to a different PPC expert about their biggest F up
and how they've turned things around.
And this week I am so delighted to speak to a seasoned
professional, Surge Angele, who has spoken on the PPC Live
stage, who has helped me moderate some events, who spoken
(00:48):
internationally, not even just at Brighton SEO, but also
internationally in different European conferences.
So he's such a great guy to speak about his experiences with
failing, but also picking himself back up and going about
it the right way. So yeah, this is an experience
he shares with us, really going the right way, going about
things the right way and how hisintegrity led to such an amazing
(01:13):
reception of him speaking about the mistake that he made.
So let's go speak to Serge. Hello everyone.
I am so delighted for another episode of PPC Live, the podcast
from PPC Live. The podcast.
Today we have the fantastic Surge Ingele with us.
Hello, Surge. Hello Anu, how are you?
I am very well, thank you. How are you doing?
(01:34):
Yes, I'm doing well, Sony there.Thank you for having me.
My pleasure, my absolute pleasure.
So for those who don't know, whojust have not been part of the
PPC life community for a while, because if you have, you will
know Sergey's name. He is the founder of Your PPC
Doctor and he leverages 15 yearsplus of experience managing PPC
campaigns. So very experienced in managing
(01:56):
PPC campaigns across various verticals to help businesses
maximise their paid search budgets.
With a background in strategic marketing and management.
He's invested millions on behalfof clients and 50K of his own
budget himself. I've never even done that.
I can't say. But he's really invested into
Google Ads with his own funds for an e-commerce venture using
(02:18):
Google Ads and Microsoft Ads. So he knows first hands what
it's like to make every click account.
So yeah, talking about mistakes when you're trying to make every
click count is just going to be,it's going to be a fantastic
conversation today. Fun facts, Surge loves to run.
That's one of the, in fact, morethan sometimes I feel more than
(02:39):
PPC, he loves to run. I don't know how he keeps up
with it. He even did a marathon this year
and oh, God, what an amazing achievement.
But I feel like you're even the first days after it was so
realistic after you, you did that marathon.
We didn't hear from you for a few weeks.
And I'm like, I get it. You're recovering because that's
(02:59):
what a marathon does. It takes a lot out of you.
So yeah, tell us a little bit more about your running venture.
OK, yeah, thanks for that. And yeah, quickly on the
marathon, why I'm running, as you said, I'm doing it more than
PPC, it's to make sure I surviveall the treasure coming with
doing mistakes and we'll talk about a few mistakes I have
(03:21):
done. And I can guarantee you running
was really an important part on how to cope with it.
But coming back to the marathon,yeah, I run the London Marathon,
which was a great experience. I call it the rest of my life.
I'm sure. Really, and I mean it, I did it
to challenge myself, but most importantly was to fundraise for
(03:44):
an amazing charity doing a wonderful work out there.
Marie Curie, nice. Helping people at the end of
their life. And to to your question, at the
end of the marathon, yeah, I disappeared, which is really
true. Yeah, I was exhausted.
Yeah. Not physically, but really
(04:05):
mentally. And also the training and the
fundraising. It's taking so much on you.
People are not realising. But I'm.
Yeah, I'm fine. I'm happy.
And yeah, I'm good to yeah, goodto be here and happy to share
the team. I think it's an important one
because yeah, the PPC industry, we talk about how great we are.
(04:27):
We we did this on that for the client we increase the roars by
XYZ but. We don't talk about.
We don't talk. About we don't talk about the
behind the scenes because even when we increase, that roars.
Yeah, what happened before? Yeah.
We never really get into it. So that's why when you offer,
you know, this, I said, yeah, yeah, it could be a good place,
(04:50):
you know, reflect on my career. Absolutely.
I will be pleased to share. That's amazing.
And you know what, I'll even give you guys a sneak peek into
some of our behind the scene when Serge and I were discussing
to to come on this podcast and Iwas like, Sir, do you have a
story? He's I'll share four or five of
that. I'd like say say no, no, just
share one. We just need one strong story we
(05:13):
might need to have. We'll definitely need to have
Surge on the podcast again because he clearly has more
stories and more less. If you want, we could do 4 or
even more. Yeah, we'll absolutely do that.
So let's not waste our audience's time any longer.
Let's get straight into it. Serge, what is the F up that you
want to share with the audience today?
(05:34):
Yesterday I'm doing the effort, I've done the effort to pick
only one, and that one would be from a previous agency when I
was still in the agency ward. And here I should say we know
Agency Ward is such a quiet place, a peaceful.
I was like. I stopped.
(05:55):
I was like, sorry, what is it? Talking about okay, yeah, you
know what I'm talking about. So yeah, agency, it's a fast
moving, everything goes at a lightspeed.
I had a big client, yeah, 10s of1000 but yet and it was an
always on campaign yet was just a matter of going on.
However we were the budget was signed off quarterly.
(06:17):
So every quarter they would signoff.
Yeah. Now I know that you have a
diverse audience. I should stop here and say in a
normal PPC world before spendingany dollar you have to have it
in writing and the proper process is to have your media
plan for the compare whatever whatever it is, get it signed up
(06:40):
by your client and also internally raise the purchase
order and the money into the bank.
And then only you could be spending.
Didn't do none of this. So what happened?
It's from 1/4 to another. The budget was agreed verbally
and I carried on with the company.
(07:01):
It wasn't always on campaign. For me, it wasn't any issue.
So just investing, optimising how I used to do.
However, the new company sign off was 20K lower than in the
previous quarter. But I carried on.
As you could imagine, just spending as I did in the
previous quarter, you could see the disaster.
(07:23):
So you're seeing it 20K overspend.
Yeah. And then how did I realise it?
Just that we were having our monthly, yeah, our monthly catch
up with the client. But before you will internally
prepare with my manager when I was preparing the inside and the
number, I just went across everything and yeah, number were
(07:46):
not, they were not making up. So I had a 20K more OK hold on
what's happening here? So I did everything you that
feeling where you check everything so went back checking
still 20K OK so sad what is happening so thinking and then I
(08:06):
realise oh I see I'm having an overspend 20K.
You said that I think I need a bit of understanding myself.
I'm not really getting in terms of how you overspend and without
any input from anybody else, yourealise you'd overspent, but
(08:29):
they hadn't told you who told you, Who informed you that you'd
have been overspending because you weren't told.
You then told that in Q2 that then all the next quarter that
the budget was actually less. When were you informed that the
budget would actually be less? OK with that one, yeah.
We used to have a monthly catch up with the client and then at
(08:51):
the end of the quarter we would decide what to do next.
We were even having QBR where wedecide the next step and then it
was a grid. But as I'm saying, the mistake
here and that would probably come up with the learning is
that I didn't, I wouldn't say I was lazy, but I yeah, really
busy. So I didn't do the the physical
(09:15):
media, physically the media plan.
You didn't check it out to. Do the media plan send it over
to be signed off by the client and having it, however, it was a
great, let's go with and we'll go a bit lower with the budget
by 20 K. So it was all confirmed.
It wasn't a problem, it was confirmed, but just the size of
(09:37):
the spending, that's where the issue.
Yeah. So that's where the issue was.
I'm totally clear on that, the fact that I was the issue.
So how did you at you said that you before the meeting, the
monthly meeting, you are like looking at something was not
matching with something else. What do you mean what was not
matching? So what was not matching?
(09:59):
It's when I had the number to present.
I was having that the media budget part was matching with
what I had in the previous quarter.
However, I just told you that next quarter was to have 20K.
Less. Less than the previous, So I
still had the same amount and that's where it came up with
(10:23):
what was a grade, which I didn'tprepare the media plan to get it
signed off. So it was not one mistake, but
quite a lot of mistakes in one. Yeah.
So who was the one that kind of pointed out that oh, Serge,
you're overspending? Yeah, when I went to my manager
because he would have tracked. All the spends.
(10:45):
So it was like, how comes we arehaving the same amount on the
thing? That's where I realised, OK, and
you know what, I was so confident.
So yeah, with my manager, we beef up a bit where I was like,
what you talking about? OK, and just after I realised,
OK man, you have to be humble atthis point.
(11:07):
Yeah, yeah. So what was your manager's
reaction? My manager's reaction, quickly I
realised I was wrong, OK? And then I told to him, because
at this point it was our play meeting before the big meeting
with Ryan, OK, our MD and all the top people in the agency.
(11:30):
So in that meeting, I told him, you know what, that's totally my
mistake and I will take responsibility for it.
Yeah, that's. But what did, what was what did
he do? So in response to you saying
that, what did he do? In response to me taking
responsibility. Yeah.
(11:51):
So finally, yeah, he Yeah, he behave as a proper manager, he
told me. You know what, it's fine.
You are your knowledge, your mistake.
So now leave that with me. I would talk to SO, he said.
Leave that with me. OK, so that's because honestly,
I think a big lesson I try to really try to tease out in these
(12:14):
interviews is that with every mistake, and this is what we see
online and we see everybody talking about all their wins and
everything, because I think they're trying to impress the
next manager, the next the future employee.
And a lot of people are scared, might be scared to talk to a
manager. They'll see they've made a
mistake and they'll be like, Oh my God, I'm going to get fired.
Oh my God, who do I, what do I do?
(12:34):
What do I do? So that's why I'm really asking
what was this manager's response?
Because that really effects a relationship when your team like
how the manager responds. So you'd say that the manager
actually had a very good response.
You didn't get angry. You didn't start shouting.
No, no, none of that. So he said OK, and I even think
(12:56):
you're anticipating probably your next question.
And at this point, I would say when it's happening, we will say
that again later, But really when it's happening, it's not
end of the world. Yeah, as worse as you would like
to think, my God, I'm dead or whatever.
No, you are not dead. So I have a believer and just.
Be, be open and talk about. It on on on your mistake.
(13:21):
I think the worst thing to do isto try to blame and not so on
your mistake. Be humble and just go to whoever
you have to. If you're dealing directly with
the client, just talk to the client directly.
If you are within an agency, talk to your manager.
You know, as simple as that. I was, I was surprised when I
told him because in my head I always on my mistakes.
(13:46):
So in my head it was like, OK, 20K, it's over for me in my head
at that point. And I said, yeah, regardless,
never mind, I still own it. But when I told him, yeah, he
said leave that with me. And it was, we had that meeting.
It was somewhere at the end of the day, maybe 4430, just around
(14:08):
like this on now. And the next day, you know what,
when I come in the morning, the first thing he told me, he said
it's all good. So I had a conversation with
yeah, I won't give them, but without MD.
Yeah, yeah. It was fine.
OK. He just, So what was what, how
did you, how did things get smoothed over with the client?
(14:30):
Were you able to go to Google and get the spend back like what
was then actually in terms of actually dealing with the client
and that overspend happening? What was the solution for you
guys? OK.
So for us, because it was an agent, it was a human mistake,
my mistake. It's not.
The client didn't do anything atthis point.
(14:51):
So it was just a case of the client ask you to agree on 100K
and you just spend 120, simple as that.
So it's it was our agency problem, basically.
Yeah. So what happened that was
written off as simple as that. OK, Yeah.
So that's mean internally, our MD decided it was us because how
(15:14):
are you going to to go to the client and say, OK, we agreed
100K and we invested, which was fine because even it was serving
them and what we were doing yet was a big yeah, giving the
industry but not the name. But it was a big charity, yeah.
So those 20K, you could imagine it was all beneficial, worth it
(15:36):
bringing donations. But still, yeah, it was just a
matter of being ethical. We didn't do stuff how we should
do. And that was a big learning
within the agency because it changed how we did things from
that point. Or in terms of always having a
media plan, even though it was in OK, so we would agree, but do
(15:57):
whatever you want. Get that media plan, send it,
get it signed off and talk with the account director to make
sure the rest of the purchase invoice and the cash is there.
So it was a win, but I genuinelywas relatively surprised.
And that, yeah, that's a big lesson.
Whenever I'm talking with more junior people, I will tell them,
(16:21):
you know what, PPC's so diverse with so much happening and you
are well placed there to see everything changing or coming
every single day and not even every single day, every single
minute there is a decent that changing.
Yeah, you can master all of it. So it's just being humble, open
(16:44):
and not pretend to be knowing itall and mistakes they would
happen. Yeah, they are still happening.
I've been there for 16 years. I'm still doing mistakes.
I'm PPC doctor, but I'm still doing mistakes.
Do that. Well, you know, you say you're
PPC doctor, but also we need to remember that even though you
are a doctor, you're not a doctor trying to save actual
(17:06):
lives. You're a doctor of pizza.
We said that we're not here saving lives.
We're just helping to save budget.
And sometimes the budget will goover and but if the budget goes
over, it doesn't mean someone has died.
So yeah, we need to be very muchaware of that.
But I think what I'd also like to really tease out is she said
that you had a really great manager.
(17:26):
They had a really great response.
And I imagine and they didn't you didn't get fired after
working with that agency that. Didn't close.
So can you give us? You must have built a very
positive reputation for them to see you as someone that even
though you made a mistake that cost them, cost them because it
(17:47):
now cost the agency 20K, didn't cost the client because you guys
absorb the cost. What advice do you give to like
our listeners to be that kind ofperson of trust, of of
integrity, that even when a mistake that that happens, you
get a manager. What was the key thing?
Would you say it was all on the manager, that you had an amazing
(18:08):
manager or was there things thatyou were doing to ensure that
was the relationship? OK, Yeah, that's wow.
So, yeah, that's a professional question.
I like it the way you turn it. I would say it's that it was
both way. Yeah, the manager was great, but
it was part of the relationship.So we'll start with it.
It's just how you behave. So you have to to have that
(18:32):
integrity wherever you are. And in this instance, it was
within the agencies or I join. And actually going back when I
joined that agency, they knew about my expertise.
So that was OK. And I worked so hard.
So the story with that agent is the day I joined, I remember I
joined, you would expect to haveit easy.
(18:54):
And right away I was given a campaign to report on a company.
I never work on it. Was like.
OK. Yeah, we have this.
OK, I turn it around. At that point I had maybe 13
years experience or or 12. So yeah, I was confident to go
into the platform. Look what's happening.
So sorted. So all of those are just credit
(19:16):
you build up. I could have, I had every right
in the world to say, guys, I'm just joining, I won't do that.
But all of that when you show, OK, you can really work hard for
your client and later on that could save you.
And that wasn't my first mistake.
I had another always with here with budget.
(19:37):
That's really the big thing and.It was.
The PPC, yeah, there is not thatmany.
It's always about. Yeah, it's there.
Yeah, it's. A critical one, Yeah.
So I had an overspending, a small one.
It was so small that really, to be honest, I could have covered
it up. I went to my manager to let him
(19:59):
know that that happened and I told him right away it's OK,
whatever need to happen. I would be happy with it.
Yeah. So he was, he was really
impressed with that day. He said, OK, He said, no, this
is it's nothing. So when that happened at that
stage, the overspending, the bigoverspending.
So I guess he didn't say that. But I guess all of that history
(20:22):
of building trust, the integrityoption, the dedication was part
of his decision. Yeah, to say we know this guy
and also the feedback I was having from clients, yeah, they
were very pleased with the way Iwas working.
I think all of that getting intoaccount.
It took an account to that. Fantastic.
(20:43):
So somebody's going through thatsame problem right now.
Maybe they've just seen that they've overspent by 20 K What's
your advice to them? What's your one take away advice
to them? The first one we, we said it's,
it's no one, no, no one life. It's at stake when we said I'm a
PPC doctor, is not someone goingto die.
(21:04):
So at that point I will tell to the person, make sure you save
your life by not stressing too much and the risk having a heart
attack, that that will really bethe first piece of advice.
I will stay calm. And yeah, once when you have
that calmness, you could look atthe solution sometime it could
(21:25):
also be a case of you overspend and it wasn't your fault.
Yeah, yeah. So yeah, it could be multiple
things. The story I had to share, I'm
having. I had quite a few where it
wasn't me, but we overspend. So when you are current, you
would be able to deep dive, yeah.
Sounds a bit AI, but yeah, I'm human, yeah.
(21:47):
Yeah, that's right. That's right, Deep diving.
Is then yeah, deep dive you willbe able to look what was agreed.
Do we have have we had anything in written or so yeah really the
big piece of advice here it's sticker.
No one gonna die Yeah and it's amatter of owning the thing
that's really the keyword. You own it and then you do the
(22:09):
right thing. Or if you have to be humble,
apologise. Just.
And most of the time, most of the time, and I've been in the
industry for a long time, I would say easily at 99%, when
you own the mistake, nothing is happening.
(22:31):
No one going to fire you. Yeah, on a mistake, you know you
are owning because when you own it, that's mean, OK, It's
happened that you were smart enough to learn the lesson
because it really was where it'shappening and it's someone else
spotting it and you even not realising.
That's really the worst case scenario.
(22:52):
But as long as you are owning it, yeah you will be fine.
Amazing. So let's get take a different
tangent now because we're comingto near the end of this episode
now and we are very much in the era of AI.
So I would like you to quickly share if you can make it like
snappy as possible, that would be great in terms of a big
mistake that you think people make when it comes to using AI,
(23:16):
Impaid search especially. With this one, I would say we
it's trendy and yeah, we get so much obsessed into trying to do
sophisticated stuff. We are not even, we don't even
know what they could bring into the account.
So I would say, yeah, the mistake is to try to
(23:42):
overcomplicate it. But it's trendy.
Everyone is talking about AI is doing this on that, but we are
not at the same level. Yeah.
So it's just a case of bringing it to your reality.
Do you even have a problem you want to solve with AI starting
from there? Because yeah, I can see people,
(24:03):
they are obsessed there, but without having a problem and
even without covering the basicsand trying to just because it's
trendy, OK, XYZ, they are using AI and it could be adapted to
the client, to the issue they are having to sort out.
If you don't have none of those.And yeah, AI is there.
(24:23):
We have to adapt. Just use it and don't too much.
Don't over complicate. It over complicate or try to
solve problem you don't have. Basically if I can summarise it
this way. Yeah, fantastic output for that
one. So that brings us to the end of
this fantastic chat. Thank you so much, Serge, for
being on the podcast today. But before we go, a very fun
(24:44):
question has nothing to do with PPC.
If your PPC career was a movie, what would be the title?
Oh, wow, That's that's an yeah, that's a good one.
OK, yeah. 16 years. How would we, if it was a movie,
could have two titles. So it would be the Chameleon.
The Chameleon. The chameleon.
(25:06):
OK. Yeah, so much PPC to just adapt
the entire with all the thing happening.
But yeah, could also be. How can I say it?
Yeah, it could be. The doctor will see you now.
The doctor will see you now. I love it.
You have a PPC headache? Yeah, so the doctor will see.
I love that, I love that. Thank you very much for that
(25:29):
search and where can people findyou online or where can people
find you they want to run with you even on your fitness
journey. Yeah, to find me.
LinkedIn is one of my preferred social media those days.
So yeah, if you type search and delay on LinkedIn, you will find
me. I'm on Instagram as well with my
running. So yeah.
(25:50):
Or if they reach out to you PPC live, it's it's my home as well.
So yes, if you knock to PPC livedoor.
You'll find me. You will find.
Me, you will. Thank you so much for that.
I really appreciate that. Thank you, Serge.
Thank you so much, Serge, for that amazing and honest
(26:10):
transparency about that experience with your agency,
past agency, with a client. And I'm sure a lot of our
listeners have that whole wishful thinking of life.
Oh, I wish I had an agency. I worked with an agency that if
I made the mistake of spending by 20 K, they'll just absorb
that budget spend. And I don't think we should, we
(26:31):
should be wishing that we had that kind of agency.
Actually, I think we should go by more of the Lessing that
surge gave us of leading with integrity and trying your best
to put your best foot forward assoon as you join the agency.
See, hit the ground running. So that if if you do come across
the issue of having a mistake where there's quite a bit of
(26:54):
overspend, your you have a team,you have a manager that knows
what you're worth, knows what you're worth and wouldn't be so
hard on you. So yeah, I do wish for all of
you guys that that you have a manager just like Serge had, so
that they are someone that's very supportive as we had, we
spoke in the in the previous episode with D Puller, that with
(27:15):
agency, with managers, you need to be the kind of person that
encourages your team to grow. What's your response when
becoming the mistake? Is it harsh or is it, are you
the kind of person that allows them to grow and are more
confident to confide in you? Yeah, let's remember that from
both sides of the coin. Remember, for all the
information and the full transcript of this show, please
(27:37):
go to podcast dot PPC dot live. You'll get the show notes,
transcripts and all the places, all the links that we shared
here as to where you can find search and more.
Also for our next PPC live event, we are coming up very
close. It's going to be on July the
31st to the last day of this fantastic month.
And then, yeah, I've got some three amazing speakers.
We're going to be talking about P Max.
(27:57):
We're going to be talking about Q4 already.
Yes, already. And we're going to be talking
about making the most out of your Google, Google ads accounts
to ensure that it actually worksfor the business.
Really. 3 great talks. We're going to be celebrating
our third day anniversary. So really excited for you to
have you all down there to join with us to celebrate with food,
drinks and cake. For sure there will be cake.
(28:19):
So go to PPC dot live to get your early bird tickets.
Still going on. How generous are we before you
leave? Yeah, this now I've put this on
LinkedIn. Everyone knows that I am sharing
my coaching services. I'm sharing my time to do some
paid search coaching, so go to themarketingannual.com to book
some coaching time with me. So yeah, I hope you've enjoyed
(28:40):
that episode and I look forward to bringing you more PPCF ups
and triumphs from next week. All right, speak to you later.
Hello and welcome to PPC Live, the podcast formerly known as
PPC Chat Roundup. My name is Anu, the founder of
PPC Live. And if you're used to hearing
from PPC experts about how to ensure that we are keeping up
with the ever changing landscape, don't worry, you are
still in the right place. But instead of relaying what the
PPC experts are saying, I'm going to be bringing the PPC
(00:28):
experts to you. Every week I'm going to be
speaking to a different PPC expert about their biggest F up
and how they've turned things around.
And this week I am so delighted to speak to a seasoned
professional, Surge Angele, who has spoken on the PPC Live
stage, who has helped me moderate some events, who spoken
(00:48):
internationally, not even just at Brighton SEO, but also
internationally in different European conferences.
So he's such a great guy to speak about his experiences with
failing, but also picking himself back up and going about
it the right way. So yeah, this is an experience
he shares with us, really going the right way, going about
things the right way and how hisintegrity led to such an amazing
(01:13):
reception of him speaking about the mistake that he made.
So let's go speak to Serge. Hello everyone.
I am so delighted for another episode of PPC Live, the podcast
from PPC Live. The podcast.
Today we have the fantastic Surge Ingele with us.
Hello, Surge. Hello Anu, how are you?
I am very well, thank you. How are you doing?
(01:34):
Yes, I'm doing well, Sony there.Thank you for having me.
My pleasure, my absolute pleasure.
So for those who don't know, whojust have not been part of the
PPC life community for a while, because if you have, you will
know Sergey's name. He is the founder of Your PPC
Doctor and he leverages 15 yearsplus of experience managing PPC
campaigns. So very experienced in managing
(01:56):
PPC campaigns across various verticals to help businesses
maximise their paid search budgets.
With a background in strategic marketing and management.
He's invested millions on behalfof clients and 50K of his own
budget himself. I've never even done that.
I can't say. But he's really invested into
Google Ads with his own funds for an e-commerce venture using
(02:18):
Google Ads and Microsoft Ads. So he knows first hands what
it's like to make every click account.
So yeah, talking about mistakes when you're trying to make every
click count is just going to be,it's going to be a fantastic
conversation today. Fun facts, Surge loves to run.
That's one of the, in fact, morethan sometimes I feel more than
(02:39):
PPC, he loves to run. I don't know how he keeps up
with it. He even did a marathon this year
and oh, God, what an amazing achievement.
But I feel like you're even the first days after it was so
realistic after you, you did that marathon.
We didn't hear from you for a few weeks.
And I'm like, I get it. You're recovering because that's
(02:59):
what a marathon does. It takes a lot out of you.
So yeah, tell us a little bit more about your running venture.
OK, yeah, thanks for that. And yeah, quickly on the
marathon, why I'm running, as you said, I'm doing it more than
PPC, it's to make sure I surviveall the treasure coming with
doing mistakes and we'll talk about a few mistakes I have
(03:21):
done. And I can guarantee you running
was really an important part on how to cope with it.
But coming back to the marathon,yeah, I run the London Marathon,
which was a great experience. I call it the rest of my life.
I'm sure. Really, and I mean it, I did it
to challenge myself, but most importantly was to fundraise for
(03:44):
an amazing charity doing a wonderful work out there.
Marie Curie, nice. Helping people at the end of
their life. And to to your question, at the
end of the marathon, yeah, I disappeared, which is really
true. Yeah, I was exhausted.
Yeah. Not physically, but really
(04:05):
mentally. And also the training and the
fundraising. It's taking so much on you.
People are not realising. But I'm.
Yeah, I'm fine. I'm happy.
And yeah, I'm good to yeah, goodto be here and happy to share
the team. I think it's an important one
because yeah, the PPC industry, we talk about how great we are.
(04:27):
We we did this on that for the client we increase the roars by
XYZ but. We don't talk about.
We don't talk. About we don't talk about the
behind the scenes because even when we increase, that roars.
Yeah, what happened before? Yeah.
We never really get into it. So that's why when you offer,
you know, this, I said, yeah, yeah, it could be a good place,
(04:50):
you know, reflect on my career. Absolutely.
I will be pleased to share. That's amazing.
And you know what, I'll even give you guys a sneak peek into
some of our behind the scene when Serge and I were discussing
to to come on this podcast and Iwas like, Sir, do you have a
story? He's I'll share four or five of
that. I'd like say say no, no, just
share one. We just need one strong story we
(05:13):
might need to have. We'll definitely need to have
Surge on the podcast again because he clearly has more
stories and more less. If you want, we could do 4 or
even more. Yeah, we'll absolutely do that.
So let's not waste our audience's time any longer.
Let's get straight into it. Serge, what is the F up that you
want to share with the audience today?
(05:34):
Yesterday I'm doing the effort, I've done the effort to pick
only one, and that one would be from a previous agency when I
was still in the agency ward. And here I should say we know
Agency Ward is such a quiet place, a peaceful.
I was like. I stopped.
(05:55):
I was like, sorry, what is it? Talking about okay, yeah, you
know what I'm talking about. So yeah, agency, it's a fast
moving, everything goes at a lightspeed.
I had a big client, yeah, 10s of1000 but yet and it was an
always on campaign yet was just a matter of going on.
However we were the budget was signed off quarterly.
(06:17):
So every quarter they would signoff.
Yeah. Now I know that you have a
diverse audience. I should stop here and say in a
normal PPC world before spendingany dollar you have to have it
in writing and the proper process is to have your media
plan for the compare whatever whatever it is, get it signed up
(06:40):
by your client and also internally raise the purchase
order and the money into the bank.
And then only you could be spending.
Didn't do none of this. So what happened?
It's from 1/4 to another. The budget was agreed verbally
and I carried on with the company.
(07:01):
It wasn't always on campaign. For me, it wasn't any issue.
So just investing, optimising how I used to do.
However, the new company sign off was 20K lower than in the
previous quarter. But I carried on.
As you could imagine, just spending as I did in the
previous quarter, you could see the disaster.
(07:23):
So you're seeing it 20K overspend.
Yeah. And then how did I realise it?
Just that we were having our monthly, yeah, our monthly catch
up with the client. But before you will internally
prepare with my manager when I was preparing the inside and the
number, I just went across everything and yeah, number were
(07:46):
not, they were not making up. So I had a 20K more OK hold on
what's happening here? So I did everything you that
feeling where you check everything so went back checking
still 20K OK so sad what is happening so thinking and then I
(08:06):
realise oh I see I'm having an overspend 20K.
You said that I think I need a bit of understanding myself.
I'm not really getting in terms of how you overspend and without
any input from anybody else, yourealise you'd overspent, but
(08:29):
they hadn't told you who told you, Who informed you that you'd
have been overspending because you weren't told.
You then told that in Q2 that then all the next quarter that
the budget was actually less. When were you informed that the
budget would actually be less? OK with that one, yeah.
We used to have a monthly catch up with the client and then at
(08:51):
the end of the quarter we would decide what to do next.
We were even having QBR where wedecide the next step and then it
was a grid. But as I'm saying, the mistake
here and that would probably come up with the learning is
that I didn't, I wouldn't say I was lazy, but I yeah, really
busy. So I didn't do the the physical
(09:15):
media, physically the media plan.
You didn't check it out to. Do the media plan send it over
to be signed off by the client and having it, however, it was a
great, let's go with and we'll go a bit lower with the budget
by 20 K. So it was all confirmed.
It wasn't a problem, it was confirmed, but just the size of
(09:37):
the spending, that's where the issue.
Yeah. So that's where the issue was.
I'm totally clear on that, the fact that I was the issue.
So how did you at you said that you before the meeting, the
monthly meeting, you are like looking at something was not
matching with something else. What do you mean what was not
matching? So what was not matching?
(09:59):
It's when I had the number to present.
I was having that the media budget part was matching with
what I had in the previous quarter.
However, I just told you that next quarter was to have 20K.
Less. Less than the previous, So I
still had the same amount and that's where it came up with
(10:23):
what was a grade, which I didn'tprepare the media plan to get it
signed off. So it was not one mistake, but
quite a lot of mistakes in one. Yeah.
So who was the one that kind of pointed out that oh, Serge,
you're overspending? Yeah, when I went to my manager
because he would have tracked. All the spends.
(10:45):
So it was like, how comes we arehaving the same amount on the
thing? That's where I realised, OK, and
you know what, I was so confident.
So yeah, with my manager, we beef up a bit where I was like,
what you talking about? OK, and just after I realised,
OK man, you have to be humble atthis point.
(11:07):
Yeah, yeah. So what was your manager's
reaction? My manager's reaction, quickly I
realised I was wrong, OK? And then I told to him, because
at this point it was our play meeting before the big meeting
with Ryan, OK, our MD and all the top people in the agency.
(11:30):
So in that meeting, I told him, you know what, that's totally my
mistake and I will take responsibility for it.
Yeah, that's. But what did, what was what did
he do? So in response to you saying
that, what did he do? In response to me taking
responsibility. Yeah.
(11:51):
So finally, yeah, he Yeah, he behave as a proper manager, he
told me. You know what, it's fine.
You are your knowledge, your mistake.
So now leave that with me. I would talk to SO, he said.
Leave that with me. OK, so that's because honestly,
I think a big lesson I try to really try to tease out in these
(12:14):
interviews is that with every mistake, and this is what we see
online and we see everybody talking about all their wins and
everything, because I think they're trying to impress the
next manager, the next the future employee.
And a lot of people are scared, might be scared to talk to a
manager. They'll see they've made a
mistake and they'll be like, Oh my God, I'm going to get fired.
Oh my God, who do I, what do I do?
(12:34):
What do I do? So that's why I'm really asking
what was this manager's response?
Because that really effects a relationship when your team like
how the manager responds. So you'd say that the manager
actually had a very good response.
You didn't get angry. You didn't start shouting.
No, no, none of that. So he said OK, and I even think
(12:56):
you're anticipating probably your next question.
And at this point, I would say when it's happening, we will say
that again later, But really when it's happening, it's not
end of the world. Yeah, as worse as you would like
to think, my God, I'm dead or whatever.
No, you are not dead. So I have a believer and just.
Be, be open and talk about. It on on on your mistake.
(13:21):
I think the worst thing to do isto try to blame and not so on
your mistake. Be humble and just go to whoever
you have to. If you're dealing directly with
the client, just talk to the client directly.
If you are within an agency, talk to your manager.
You know, as simple as that. I was, I was surprised when I
told him because in my head I always on my mistakes.
(13:46):
So in my head it was like, OK, 20K, it's over for me in my head
at that point. And I said, yeah, regardless,
never mind, I still own it. But when I told him, yeah, he
said leave that with me. And it was, we had that meeting.
It was somewhere at the end of the day, maybe 4430, just around
(14:08):
like this on now. And the next day, you know what,
when I come in the morning, the first thing he told me, he said
it's all good. So I had a conversation with
yeah, I won't give them, but without MD.
Yeah, yeah. It was fine.
OK. He just, So what was what, how
did you, how did things get smoothed over with the client?
(14:30):
Were you able to go to Google and get the spend back like what
was then actually in terms of actually dealing with the client
and that overspend happening? What was the solution for you
guys? OK.
So for us, because it was an agent, it was a human mistake,
my mistake. It's not.
The client didn't do anything atthis point.
(14:51):
So it was just a case of the client ask you to agree on 100K
and you just spend 120, simple as that.
So it's it was our agency problem, basically.
Yeah. So what happened that was
written off as simple as that. OK, Yeah.
So that's mean internally, our MD decided it was us because how
(15:14):
are you going to to go to the client and say, OK, we agreed
100K and we invested, which was fine because even it was serving
them and what we were doing yet was a big yeah, giving the
industry but not the name. But it was a big charity, yeah.
So those 20K, you could imagine it was all beneficial, worth it
(15:36):
bringing donations. But still, yeah, it was just a
matter of being ethical. We didn't do stuff how we should
do. And that was a big learning
within the agency because it changed how we did things from
that point. Or in terms of always having a
media plan, even though it was in OK, so we would agree, but do
(15:57):
whatever you want. Get that media plan, send it,
get it signed off and talk with the account director to make
sure the rest of the purchase invoice and the cash is there.
So it was a win, but I genuinelywas relatively surprised.
And that, yeah, that's a big lesson.
Whenever I'm talking with more junior people, I will tell them,
(16:21):
you know what, PPC's so diverse with so much happening and you
are well placed there to see everything changing or coming
every single day and not even every single day, every single
minute there is a decent that changing.
Yeah, you can master all of it. So it's just being humble, open
(16:44):
and not pretend to be knowing itall and mistakes they would
happen. Yeah, they are still happening.
I've been there for 16 years. I'm still doing mistakes.
I'm PPC doctor, but I'm still doing mistakes.
Do that. Well, you know, you say you're
PPC doctor, but also we need to remember that even though you
are a doctor, you're not a doctor trying to save actual
(17:06):
lives. You're a doctor of pizza.
We said that we're not here saving lives.
We're just helping to save budget.
And sometimes the budget will goover and but if the budget goes
over, it doesn't mean someone has died.
So yeah, we need to be very muchaware of that.
But I think what I'd also like to really tease out is she said
that you had a really great manager.
(17:26):
They had a really great response.
And I imagine and they didn't you didn't get fired after
working with that agency that. Didn't close.
So can you give us? You must have built a very
positive reputation for them to see you as someone that even
though you made a mistake that cost them, cost them because it
(17:47):
now cost the agency 20K, didn't cost the client because you guys
absorb the cost. What advice do you give to like
our listeners to be that kind ofperson of trust, of of
integrity, that even when a mistake that that happens, you
get a manager. What was the key thing?
Would you say it was all on the manager, that you had an amazing
(18:08):
manager or was there things thatyou were doing to ensure that
was the relationship? OK, Yeah, that's wow.
So, yeah, that's a professional question.
I like it the way you turn it. I would say it's that it was
both way. Yeah, the manager was great, but
it was part of the relationship.So we'll start with it.
It's just how you behave. So you have to to have that
(18:32):
integrity wherever you are. And in this instance, it was
within the agencies or I join. And actually going back when I
joined that agency, they knew about my expertise.
So that was OK. And I worked so hard.
So the story with that agent is the day I joined, I remember I
joined, you would expect to haveit easy.
(18:54):
And right away I was given a campaign to report on a company.
I never work on it. Was like.
OK. Yeah, we have this.
OK, I turn it around. At that point I had maybe 13
years experience or or 12. So yeah, I was confident to go
into the platform. Look what's happening.
So sorted. So all of those are just credit
(19:16):
you build up. I could have, I had every right
in the world to say, guys, I'm just joining, I won't do that.
But all of that when you show, OK, you can really work hard for
your client and later on that could save you.
And that wasn't my first mistake.
I had another always with here with budget.
(19:37):
That's really the big thing and.It was.
The PPC, yeah, there is not thatmany.
It's always about. Yeah, it's there.
Yeah, it's. A critical one, Yeah.
So I had an overspending, a small one.
It was so small that really, to be honest, I could have covered
it up. I went to my manager to let him
(19:59):
know that that happened and I told him right away it's OK,
whatever need to happen. I would be happy with it.
Yeah. So he was, he was really
impressed with that day. He said, OK, He said, no, this
is it's nothing. So when that happened at that
stage, the overspending, the bigoverspending.
So I guess he didn't say that. But I guess all of that history
(20:22):
of building trust, the integrityoption, the dedication was part
of his decision. Yeah, to say we know this guy
and also the feedback I was having from clients, yeah, they
were very pleased with the way Iwas working.
I think all of that getting intoaccount.
It took an account to that. Fantastic.
(20:43):
So somebody's going through thatsame problem right now.
Maybe they've just seen that they've overspent by 20 K What's
your advice to them? What's your one take away advice
to them? The first one we, we said it's,
it's no one, no, no one life. It's at stake when we said I'm a
PPC doctor, is not someone goingto die.
(21:04):
So at that point I will tell to the person, make sure you save
your life by not stressing too much and the risk having a heart
attack, that that will really bethe first piece of advice.
I will stay calm. And yeah, once when you have
that calmness, you could look atthe solution sometime it could
(21:25):
also be a case of you overspend and it wasn't your fault.
Yeah, yeah. So yeah, it could be multiple
things. The story I had to share, I'm
having. I had quite a few where it
wasn't me, but we overspend. So when you are current, you
would be able to deep dive, yeah.
Sounds a bit AI, but yeah, I'm human, yeah.
(21:47):
Yeah, that's right. That's right, Deep diving.
Is then yeah, deep dive you willbe able to look what was agreed.
Do we have have we had anything in written or so yeah really the
big piece of advice here it's sticker.
No one gonna die Yeah and it's amatter of owning the thing
that's really the keyword. You own it and then you do the
(22:09):
right thing. Or if you have to be humble,
apologise. Just.
And most of the time, most of the time, and I've been in the
industry for a long time, I would say easily at 99%, when
you own the mistake, nothing is happening.
(22:31):
No one going to fire you. Yeah, on a mistake, you know you
are owning because when you own it, that's mean, OK, It's
happened that you were smart enough to learn the lesson
because it really was where it'shappening and it's someone else
spotting it and you even not realising.
That's really the worst case scenario.
(22:52):
But as long as you are owning it, yeah you will be fine.
Amazing. So let's get take a different
tangent now because we're comingto near the end of this episode
now and we are very much in the era of AI.
So I would like you to quickly share if you can make it like
snappy as possible, that would be great in terms of a big
mistake that you think people make when it comes to using AI,
(23:16):
Impaid search especially. With this one, I would say we
it's trendy and yeah, we get so much obsessed into trying to do
sophisticated stuff. We are not even, we don't even
know what they could bring into the account.
So I would say, yeah, the mistake is to try to
(23:42):
overcomplicate it. But it's trendy.
Everyone is talking about AI is doing this on that, but we are
not at the same level. Yeah.
So it's just a case of bringing it to your reality.
Do you even have a problem you want to solve with AI starting
from there? Because yeah, I can see people,
(24:03):
they are obsessed there, but without having a problem and
even without covering the basicsand trying to just because it's
trendy, OK, XYZ, they are using AI and it could be adapted to
the client, to the issue they are having to sort out.
If you don't have none of those.And yeah, AI is there.
(24:23):
We have to adapt. Just use it and don't too much.
Don't over complicate. It over complicate or try to
solve problem you don't have. Basically if I can summarise it
this way. Yeah, fantastic output for that
one. So that brings us to the end of
this fantastic chat. Thank you so much, Serge, for
being on the podcast today. But before we go, a very fun
(24:44):
question has nothing to do with PPC.
If your PPC career was a movie, what would be the title?
Oh, wow, That's that's an yeah, that's a good one.
OK, yeah. 16 years. How would we, if it was a movie,
could have two titles. So it would be the Chameleon.
The Chameleon. The chameleon.
(25:06):
OK. Yeah, so much PPC to just adapt
the entire with all the thing happening.
But yeah, could also be. How can I say it?
Yeah, it could be. The doctor will see you now.
The doctor will see you now. I love it.
You have a PPC headache? Yeah, so the doctor will see.
I love that, I love that. Thank you very much for that
(25:29):
search and where can people findyou online or where can people
find you they want to run with you even on your fitness
journey. Yeah, to find me.
LinkedIn is one of my preferred social media those days.
So yeah, if you type search and delay on LinkedIn, you will find
me. I'm on Instagram as well with my
running. So yeah.
(25:50):
Or if they reach out to you PPC live, it's it's my home as well.
So yes, if you knock to PPC livedoor.
You'll find me. You will find.
Me, you will. Thank you so much for that.
I really appreciate that. Thank you, Serge.
Thank you so much, Serge, for that amazing and honest
(26:10):
transparency about that experience with your agency,
past agency, with a client. And I'm sure a lot of our
listeners have that whole wishful thinking of life.
Oh, I wish I had an agency. I worked with an agency that if
I made the mistake of spending by 20 K, they'll just absorb
that budget spend. And I don't think we should, we
(26:31):
should be wishing that we had that kind of agency.
Actually, I think we should go by more of the Lessing that
surge gave us of leading with integrity and trying your best
to put your best foot forward assoon as you join the agency.
See, hit the ground running. So that if if you do come across
the issue of having a mistake where there's quite a bit of
(26:54):
overspend, your you have a team,you have a manager that knows
what you're worth, knows what you're worth and wouldn't be so
hard on you. So yeah, I do wish for all of
you guys that that you have a manager just like Serge had, so
that they are someone that's very supportive as we had, we
spoke in the in the previous episode with D Puller, that with
(27:15):
agency, with managers, you need to be the kind of person that
encourages your team to grow. What's your response when
becoming the mistake? Is it harsh or is it, are you
the kind of person that allows them to grow and are more
confident to confide in you? Yeah, let's remember that from
both sides of the coin. Remember, for all the
information and the full transcript of this show, please
(27:37):
go to podcast dot PPC dot live. You'll get the show notes,
transcripts and all the places, all the links that we shared
here as to where you can find search and more.
Also for our next PPC live event, we are coming up very
close. It's going to be on July the
31st to the last day of this fantastic month.
And then, yeah, I've got some three amazing speakers.
We're going to be talking about P Max.
(27:57):
We're going to be talking about Q4 already.
Yes, already. And we're going to be talking
about making the most out of your Google, Google ads accounts
to ensure that it actually worksfor the business.
Really. 3 great talks. We're going to be celebrating
our third day anniversary. So really excited for you to
have you all down there to join with us to celebrate with food,
drinks and cake. For sure there will be cake.
(28:19):
So go to PPC dot live to get your early bird tickets.
Still going on. How generous are we before you
leave? Yeah, this now I've put this on
LinkedIn. Everyone knows that I am sharing
my coaching services. I'm sharing my time to do some
paid search coaching, so go to themarketingannual.com to book
some coaching time with me. So yeah, I hope you've enjoyed
(28:40):
that episode and I look forward to bringing you more PPCF ups
and triumphs from next week. All right, speak to you later.
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