EP324 - The £20K Overspend: How Integrity Saved My Career ft Serge Nguele

  📍  📍  📍 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 experts to you.

Every week I'm gonna be speaking to a different PPC expert about their biggest f-up and how they've turned things around. And this week I'm so delighted to speak to a seasoned professional Serge Nguele, who has spoken on the PPC Live stage, who has helped me moderate some events, who has spoken

internationally, not even just at brightonSEO, 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 about really going the right way going about things the right way and how his integrity led to such an amazing 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 Serge Nguele with us. Hello Serge. Hello, Anu, how are you? Hi. I am very well, thank you. How are you doing? Yes, I'm doing well, sunny day. Thank you for having me.

My pleasure, my absolute pleasure. So for those who don't know, who just, have not been part of the PPC Life community for a while, 'cause if you have, you will know Serge's name. He's the founder of Your PPC Doctor and he leverages 15 years plus of experience managing

PPC campaign. So very experienced on managing PPC campaigns across various verticals to help businesses maximize their paid search budgets. With a background in strategic marketing and management, he's invested millions on behalf of clients. And 50 K 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 Google ads and Microsoft ads. So he knows firsthand what it's like to make every click count. So yeah, talking about mistakes when you're trying to make every click count, it's just gonna be, it's gonna be a fantastic conversation

today. Fun fact - Serge loves to run. That's one of the, in fact, more than sometimes I feel more than 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 your, even the post 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 are recovering. Because that's what a marathon does. It takes a lot out of you. So yeah, tell us a little bit more about your running venture. Okay. 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 to make sure I survive all the pressure coming with doing mistakes. And we will talk about a few mistakes I have 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 race of my life I'm sure really, and I mean it I did it to

challenge myself. But most importantly was to fundraise for 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. Yeah. Which is really true.

Yeah. I was, exhausted. Yeah. Not physically, but really mentally. And also, the training Yeah. And the fund, the fundraising. Yeah. It's it's taking so much on you, yeah. People are not realizing, but I'm yeah, I'm I'm fine. I'm happy and yeah. I'm good to, yeah.

Good to be here. And happy to share the thematic, it's yeah, an important one because Yeah. The PPC industry, we talk about how great we are. We, we did this and that for the client. We increased ROAS by X, Y, Z. But we don't talk about, we don't talk about the mistakes. We don't talk about the behind the scenes.

Yeah. 'cause even when we increase, that ROAS. Yeah. What happened before? Yeah. We, 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. You know what? And it tells me, 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 scenes when Serge and I were discussing to, to, come on this podcast. And I was like, Serge, do you have a story? He's [like] I'll share four or five of them.

I'm like, Serge, no, just share one. We just need one strong story. We might need to have, we'll, definitely need to have Serge on the podcast again, because he clearly has more stories and more lessons. If you want, we could do four 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? Yes, today 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 world.

And here I should say, we know agency world is such a quiet place, a peaceful place. I'm, I know I literally was like, I stopped. I was like, sorry, what is he talking about? Yeah. Okay. Yeah. You know what I'm talking about. So yeah. Agency, it's a fast moving everything go, at a light speed.

Yes. I had a big client yeah, tens of tens of thousand budget per month. And it was an always on campaign. Yeah, it was just a matter of, going on. However, we were the budget was sign off quarterly, so every quarter they will sign off. Yeah. Now I know that you have a diverse audience.

I should stop here and say in a normal PPC world before spending any dollar, you have to have it in writing. Yes. And the proper process is to have your media plan yes. For the campaign. What whatever it is get it signed up by your client and. Also internally raise a purchase order and the money into the bank, and then only you could be spending.

Yeah didn't do none of these. So what happened is from one quarter to another, the budget was agreed verbally and, I carried on with the campaign. It was an always on campaign. So for me, it wasn't any issue. So just investing optimizing how I used to do.

However the new campaign sign off was 20 k lower than in the previous quarter. Okay. But I carried on as you could imagine, just, spending has, I did in the previous quarter. Yeah. Yeah. You could see the disaster. So you're seeing it 20 k, overspend. Yeah. Yeah. And then how did I realize it.

Just we were having our monthly Yeah our monthly catch up with the client. But before you'll internally prepare yeah, with my manager, when I was preparing the inside and the number I just went across everything and yeah, number were not they were not making up.

So I had a 20 k more. Okay. Hold on. What's happening here? So I did everything, you, start feeling where you check everything. So went back, checking still 20 K. Okay. So Serge what is happening? So thinking, and then I realized, oh I see I'm having overspend. 20 k.

You said that I think like 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, you realize you'd overspend, but 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 the, or the next quarter, that the budget was actually less. When were you informed that the budget would actually be less? Okay with that one. Yeah, we used to have a monthly catch up with the client and then at the end of the quarter we would decide what to do next.

Yeah. We were even having, a QBR where we decide the next step, and then it was agreed. But as, I'm saying the mistake here, and that will probably come at with the learnings, 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 media physically the media plan.

You didn't check it out, okay. To do the media plan, send it over to be signed off by the client and having it however it was agreed let's go with we'll go bit lower with the budget, okay by 20 k. Okay. So it was all confirmed, wasn't a problem. It was confirmed. Yeah.

But just the size of the spending, that's where the issue was. Yes. So that's where the issue was. I'm totally clear on that, the fact that 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? It's when I had the number to present. Yeah. I was having that the media budget part was matching with what I had in the previous quarter. Yeah. However, I just told you that next quarter was to have 20 k less. Less Okay.

Than in the previous. So I still had the same amount and that's where it came up with what was a agreed, which I didn't, prepare the media plan to get it signed off. So it, it was not one mistake, but quite a lot of mistakes, in, 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. Yeah. Of what was agreed, the, so it was like s how comes, we are having the same amount on the thing. That's where I realized, okay, we've overspent. 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?

Yeah. Okay. Just after I realized, okay, man, you have to be humble, at this point. Yeah. Yeah. So what was your manager's reaction? My manager's reaction quickly I realized I was wrong. Okay. Because, and I, and then I told to him, because at this point it was our pre-meeting

before the big meeting with the client. . Okay. Our MD and all, the top people in the agency. So in that meeting, I told him you know what, that's totally my mistake. And I will take responsibility for it. Yeah. That but what did, what was, what did he do?

So in, in response to you saying that, what did he do? To me taking responsibility. Yeah. So finally, yeah, he, yeah, he behave as a proper manager. He told me, you know what, it's fine. You are, you acknowledge your mistake. So now leave that with me. I would talk to, to he said, leave that with me.

Okay. So that's, because honestly, I think a big lesson I try to really try to tease out in these 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 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 gonna get fired. Oh my God, who do I, what do I do? What do I do? So that's why I'm really asking what was this manager's response? Because that really affects

a relationship, in your team, like Yes. How the manager responds. So you'd say that the manager actually had a very good response. He didn't get angry. He didn't start shouting? No. None of that. So he said, okay. And I even think, yeah, anticip expecting, probably your next question.

Yeah. And at this point I would say, when is happening, we'll 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, oh my god, I'm dead or whatever. No, you are not dead. So have a breath and just be op, be open and talk about it.

Own it on, on, own your mistake. I think the worst thing to do is, to try to blame it. No. So own 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 how simple as that. I was I was surprised, when I told him, because in my head I always own my mistakes. So in my head it was like okay, 20 k. It's over for me in my head. Yeah. At that point. Yeah. But I said, yeah, regardless, nevermind, 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 end of the day, maybe 4, 4.30, just around now this, around now and the next day, you know what, when I came in the morning. The first thing he told me, he said it's all good. So I had a, a conversation with yeah I won't give name, but without md.

Yeah. And, yeah, he told me it, it was fine. Okay. He just said, but so what was, what, how did you, how did things get smoothed over with the client? Were you able to go to Google and get the spend back? Like in what was then actually in terms of actually dealing with the client and and that overspend happening?

What was the solution for you guys? Okay. So for us, because it was an agent, it was a human mistake. My mistake. It's not the client didn't do anything, yeah. At this point. So it was just a case of the client ask you to agreed on 100K

And you just, spend 120K. Yeah. As simple as that. So it's it was our agency, problem basically. Yeah. So what happened? That was written off as simple as that. Oh, okay. Yeah. So that mean internally our MD decided it was us because how are you going to Yeah.

To go to the client and say, okay, we agreed 100K and we invested oh hundred, which was fine because even it was serving them and what we were doing yet was a big, so good. Yeah. Giving the industry, but not the name, but it was a big charity. Yeah. So those 20 k you could imagine it was all beneficial, worth it, 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, in terms of, yeah. Always having a media plan, even though it was in a rush. Okay. So we would agree. But do whatever you want. Get that media plan, send it, get it signed off, and talk with the account director to make sure they raise the purchase invoice, and the cash is there.

Yeah. So it, it was a win, but I genuinely was, positively, surprised. Yeah. And that, yeah, that's a big lesson. Whenever I'm talking with more junior, people I will tell them, you know what, PPC 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. So yeah you can't master all of it. So it just being humble, open, and not pretend, to be knowing it all and mistakes they would happen.

Yeah. They're still happening. Yeah. I've been there for 16 years. I'm still doing mistakes, be it, I'm PPC Doctor, but I'm still doing mistakes. Those are happening. I know you say you're a PPC Doctor, but also we need to remember that even though you are a doctor, you're not a doctor trying to save actual lives.

You're a doctor of paid such, we said that we are not here saving lives, we're just helping to save budget. And sometimes the budget will go over and, but if the budget goes over, it doesn't mean someone has died. So yeah, we need to be very much aware of that. But I think what I'd also like to really tease out is, you said that you had a really great manager, 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 cause, so can you give us you must have built a very positive reputation for them to see you as someone

even though you made a mistake that cost them, cost them, 'cause it now cost the agency 20 K didn't cost the client because you guys absorb the cost. What advice do you give to like our listeners to be that kind of person of trust? Of, of integrity that even when a mistake like 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 manager? Or was there things that you were doing to ensure that was the relationship? Okay. Yeah, that's wow. So yeah, that's a professional question. I like it the way you turn it. I would say it's, it was both way.

Yeah. So the manager was great, but it was part of the relationship. Yeah. So we'll start with it. It's just how you behave. So you have to, to have that integrity wherever you are. And in this instance, it was within the agency. So I joined and actually going back, when I joined that agency they knew about my expertise.

So that was okay. And I worked so hard. So the story with that agency is the day I joined, I remember I joined you would expect to have it easy and right away I was given a campaign to report on a campaign I never work on. Yeah. It was like Serge, okay, yeah, we have this.

Okay, I turn it around. At that point, I had, maybe 13 years experience or okay. 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, 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, okay you can really work hard for your client and later on that could save you. That wasn't my first mistake. I had another always with here with budget. That's really the big thing, in pc it was Yes in PPC . Yeah.

There is not that many always, about yeah. There's spending, yeah. So it's, yeah. It's overspending. That's a critical one. Yeah. So I, I had a overspending a small one. It was so small that really to be honest I could have, covered it up. But I went to my manager, to let him know that that happened.

And I told him right away it's okay, whatever need to happen, I would be happy with it. Yeah. Yeah. So he was, he was really impressed, that day he said, okay. He said, no, this is it's nothing, so when that happened, at that stage the overspending, the big of overspending.

So I guess he didn't say that, but I guess, all of that history, of building trust the integrity action, 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 I was working.

I think all of that, getting into account took an account to that. Fantastic. So somebody's going through that same 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 takeaway advice to them? The first one we, we said it, it's no one, no, no one lives, it's at stake.

When, we said I'm a PPC doctor. It's not someone gonna die. So at that point, I will tell to the person, make sure you save your life by not stressing too much. Yeah. And risk having a heart attack. Yeah. Yeah, that, that will really be, the first piece of advice I will be stay calm and yeah.

Once when you have that calmness, you could look at solution. Sometime it could also be a case of you, of a spend and it wasn't your fault. Yeah. Yeah. So it could, yeah, it could be multiple, things. Yeah. The story I had to share, I'm having, I had quite a few where it wasn't me, but we overspent.

Yeah. So when you are calm, you would be able, to deep dive. Yeah. Sounds a bit ai, but Yeah. I'm a human, yeah. Yeah. That's right. That's right. Deep diving is important. Yeah. Deep dive. You will be able to look what was agreed. Do we have have we had anything, in written or, and so yeah.

Really the big piece of advice here, it's a stay calm no one gonna die. Yeah. And it, it's a matter of, owning, the thing. Okay. That's really the key word. You own it own, and then you do the right thing, yeah. If you have to be humble, apologize, just do yeah. Okay. And most of the time, most of the time, and I've been in the industry for a long time, the, I would say easily at 99% when you own the mistake

nothing is happening. No one gonna fire you. Yeah. On a mistake, you know you are owning because when you own it, that mean okay. It's happened. But you were, smart enough to learn to listen. Okay. Because it, it really was where it's happening and it's someone else spotting it, and you even not realizing that's really, the worst case scenario.

But as long as you know you are owning it yeah, you will be fine. Amazing. So let's get, take a different tangent now because we are coming to 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 in paid search, especially. With this one I would say we, it's trendy and yeah. We get so much obsess 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 he, yeah, the mistake is to try to over complicate it. But it's trendy. Everyone is talking about Ai, it's doing this and that, but we are not at the same level. Yeah. So it's it just a case of bringing it to your reality. Do you even have a problem you wanna solve with Ai?

Yeah. Starting from there, because Yeah. I can see people, they're obsessed there, but, without having a problem and even without covering the basics and trying to, just because it's trendy, okay. X, Y, Z, they are using Ai. Yeah. And it could be adapted to the client, to the issue they're having to sort out.

If you don't have none of those, yeah, AI is there. We have to adapt. Just use it and don't too much, don't over complicate it. Overcomplicate, or try to, solve problem you don't have basically. Yeah. If I can summarize it, this way. Yep. 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 question. That's nothing to do with PPC. If your PPC career was a movie, what would be the title? Oh wow. That, that's an, yeah, that's a good one. Okay. Yes. 16 years. How would we if it was a movie .

Could have two titles. So it would be The Chameleon, the chameleon. The chameleon, okay. Yeah. So much PPC, to just adapt, be a child, with all the thing happening. But yeah, could also be how can I say it? Yeah. Could be The doctor will see you now. The doctor will see you now.

I love it. Yeah. You have a PPC headache. Yeah. So the doctor will see you now. Yeah. I love that. I love that. Thank you very much for that Serge. And where can people find you online or where can people find you if they wanna run with you? Even on your fitness journey? Oh to, yeah, to find me.

LinkedIn is one of my prefer social media those days. So yeah, if you type search and GLE on LinkedIn, you'll find me. I'm on Instagram as well with my running. So yeah, or if they reach out to you PPC Live, it's it's my home as well, so yeah. It's, if you knock to PPC Live door.

You'll find. You'll find me. You'll do. You will. Thank you so much for that. I am really appreciate that. Thank you, Sege.   📍  📍 Thank you so much Serge, for that amazing and honest transparency about that experience with your agency, past agency with a client, and Oh, I'm sure a lot of our listeners have that whole wishful thinking of like

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 should be re wishing that we had that kind of agency. Actually, I think we should, go by more of the lesson that Serge gave us of leading with integrity and trying your best to, pull your best foot forward.

As soon as you, you join the agency, hit the ground running so that if. If you do come across issue of, having a mistake where there's a quite a bit of overspend your, you have a team, you have a manager that knows what you are 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 Sge had, so that they are someone that's very supportive. As we had, we spoke in the, in the previous episode with de Pula that, with agency, with managers, you need to be the kind of person that encourages your team to grow.

What's your response when they come with a mistake? Is it harsh or is, are you the kind of person that, allows them to grow and are more, are 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 go to podcast.ppc.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 Serge and more. Also. For our next PPC Live event, we are coming up very close. It's going to be on July the 31st, so the last day of this fantastic month. And yeah, we've got some three amazing speakers.

We're gonna be talking about P max. We're gonna be talking about Q4 already. Yes. Already. And we're, we are gonna be talking about making the most out of your Google Ads accounts to ensure that it actually works for the business. Really. Three great talks. We're gonna be celebrating our third year anniversary, so really excited for to have you all down there to join with us

to celebrate with food, drinks and cake. For sure there will be cake. So go to ppc.live to get your early bird tickets. Still going on. How generous are we? Before you leave yeah, just 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 themarketinganu.com to book some coaching time with me. So yeah, I hope you've enjoyed that episode and I look forward to bringing you more PPC f-ups and triumphs from next week. All right, speak to you later.