Our guest on this episode is Zaid Ammari, the CEO and Founder of PPC Masterminds. Before getting into the world of PPC, Zaid was once working for minimum wage in a bank. Then, in 2009, he decided to take his small savings and build a website that functioned as a virtual car marketplace. This marked the very beginning of his journey into making money from ads.
After about a year of building the traffic to his site, he was approached by a buyer. He sold it, and this experience gave him the injection of confidence he needed to continue pursuing this as a career. He decided to move to LA to take his skills to the next level. He went to work at an agency for a few years to continue gaining knowledge in PPC.
While there, he was able to build relationships with established clients. This helped him build trust and rapport with people, which prepared him for when he went out on his own. Zaid emphasizes how important building these relationships is in the industry—and its capacity to take you much further than a cold call.
Unsatisfied with his paycheque, he felt like he was doing himself a disservice by working for someone else. So, in 2014, he founded PPC Masterminds. Over the years, he had to go through a lot of challenges to figure out how to be successful. In the beginning, he had to figure out what he should handle on his own versus what he should be outsourcing.
Another thing that has helped him be efficient is tracking his time. Knowing how much time he’s spent and on what has helped him figure out the areas where it’s worth spending his time and where it’s not.
To this day, Zaid still works closely with his clients. This helps him maintain trust with his clients and ensures a strong line of communication. If a client comes to him with outside needs, he helps align his clients with the right solutions. It’s also important to have clarity on what your client is looking for so you know you can deliver in a way that meets their needs and your values.
Zaid isn’t afraid to shake hands and say hello to new faces in the media and other agencies. For him, this has become almost a lost art as more and more people tend to connect over Zoom. In his experience, those real-life connections are so much more valuable than the virtual calls.
During COVID, the demand for online marketing skyrocketed, and so did Zaid’s business. He started recognizing his most valuable leads and presented his packages with transparency. That said, you should always be happy with how much a client is paying you—which may mean avoiding giving out discounts.
While there is always going to be competition out there, Zaid knows there is more than enough business to go around for everybody. His advice for those just starting out? Remember that it takes trial and error to figure out the right clients for you. Don’t be afraid to let the toxic ones go.
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