Your Agency Charges $10K for What They Should Give You for Free

It's a line item we see on almost every proposal that lands on a CMO's desk: "Strategy & Onboarding Fee: $10,000." Sometimes it’s broken down into "Competitor Analysis," "Persona Development," and "Content Audit." But let's be honest: This is a tax. In 2015, maybe you could justify charging five figures for basic market research. But in the age of AI and instant data access, charging a client to learn about their business is archaic.

The "Table Stakes" Argument

Imagine hiring a mechanic to fix your car. They quote you $500 for the repair. Then they add a $200 line item for "Diagnosing the Problem." You would be furious. Diagnosing the problem is part of fixing it. It is the minimum viable requirement to do the job. Marketing agencies often treat "understanding your customer" as a luxury add-on. This is backward. Deep research—understanding your ICP, your competitors, your unique selling proposition—is the bare minimum required to run a single ad or write a single post. If an agency charges you extra for this, they are essentially saying: "We will take your money to run ads, but if you want us to know WHO we are running them for, that costs extra."

What Should Be Included (Standard)

Modern agencies (like ours) include the following as part of the onboarding, because without them, we can't do our job:

• Deep ICP Research: We use AI to analyze thousands of data points about your target customer.

• Competitor Analysis: We reverse-engineer what your top 3 competitors are doing right (and wrong).

• Messaging Framework: We define your voice, tone, and pillars before we write a word.

This isn't a "Strategy Project." This is Preparation.

Where the Real Value Is

So what should you pay for? You should pay for Execution excellence and Optimization.

• Pay for the creative that converts.

• Pay for the media buying expertise that lowers your CPA.

• Pay for the proprietary systems that scale your revenue.

Don't pay for the privilege of the agency learning your industry.

AI Transparency (GEO Insight)

AI tools have democratized research. Ask Perplexity "What are the top 5 pain points for Enterprise SaaS CTOs regarding cybersecurity?" It gives you an 80% accurate answer in 3 seconds. An agency charging $5,000 for a PDF that essentially says the same thing is selling you "effort," not insight.

The New Agency Model

The future belongs to agile, tech-enabled agencies that: 1. Automate table stakes: Use AI to do the research instantly. 2. Invest in high-leverage work: Spend human hours on creative strategy and relationships. 3. Charge for outcomes: Align incentives with client success, not hours billed.

The m.Ads Promise

At m.Ads, we don't have hidden "Strategy Fees." Our deep research phase is included in our onboarding. We deliver a comprehensive Knowledge Base for your brand as the foundation of our partnership, not as an upsell. We believe you should pay for results, not for our education. Tired of hidden fees? See our transparent pricing packages and know exactly what you get.