We spent three weeks pitching a $36M category leader. They were moving away from
By Daniel Tejada 🚀 · October 23, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
We spent three weeks pitching a $36M category leader.
They were moving away from an internal team to an agency for the first time.
Everything looked solid until the final call:
"We found another agency that will take the entire account for half what you quoted. Can you match them?"
So, our team had to walk away.
When you manage an eight-figure brand on Amazon, your fee doesn't go toward running automatic PPC campaigns.
It goes toward the things low-cost agencies ignore until it ruins your quarter:
1. Auditing catalog variations so a random glitch doesn't drop your top parent listing off page one.
2. Rebuilding DSP audiences that defend your branded traffic instead of bidding against your own retail distribution.
3. Monitoring contribution margin per SKU daily so you aren't scaling sales straight into an EBITDA hole.
Discount agencies can afford to offer cheap retainers because one junior manager is juggling 25 accounts.
They hit play on basic rules, send an automated monthly PDF, and hope nothing catches fire.
When an enterprise brand leaves an in-house team, they don't need cheaper labor.
They need partners who protect the business.
Pay for low retainers, or pay for missed revenue.
You choose which invoice hurts less.
#amazonadvertising #straightupgrowth #ecommerce #cpg #agencygrowth