Before you hire another floor coating marketing agency, ask what you pay for if no estimates book, who owns the ad account, who calls each lead and how fast, what counts as a qualified estimate, and how many other coating contractors they work with in your market. Get every answer in writing. The 15 questions below each come with what a good answer and a red flag sound like, plus a scorecard you can fill out on the sales call.
Why does the second agency need tougher questions than the first?
Because the first one taught you what the sales call leaves out. Most burned owners got answers that sounded fine and meant something else: "leads" nobody could reach, "reporting" that was impressions, "no long contract" with a notice period buried deep in the agreement.
The broader story is in why floor coating contractors leave marketing agencies. This page is the checklist for the next sales call.
What should you ask about money and contracts?
1. What exactly am I paying for, and what do I pay if no estimates book?
- A good answer sounds like: A clear fee tied to a clear, countable result you can check yourself.
- A red flag sounds like: "Marketing takes time," with no number you can hold them to.
2. How long is the contract, and how do I get out?
- A good answer sounds like: A short notice period, in writing, with no penalty for leaving if the calendar is not filling.
- A red flag sounds like: A long term with an early termination fee and no performance clause.
3. Is ad spend separate from your fee, and can I see exactly where it went?
- A good answer sounds like: "Ad spend is separate and passed through at cost, and you can see the account," or "We cover the ad spend ourselves."
- A red flag sounds like: One blended monthly number with no breakdown.
Leads vs appointments as a pricing model explains how different fee structures move risk between you and the agency.
What should you ask about the ad account and your assets?
4. Whose ad account and Business Manager do the ads run in?
- A good answer sounds like: If you pay the ad spend, "Yours, and you are an admin." If the provider pays the spend itself (common with booked appointment services), running from their own account is normal, because the money at risk is theirs.
- A red flag sounds like: Your money spent in their account with no access for you.
5. Who owns the landing pages, domain, pixel or dataset, and creative files?
- A good answer sounds like: A written list of what is yours, what is theirs, and what transfers if you leave.
- A red flag sounds like: "We will figure that out if it ever comes up."
6. If we part ways, do I get my lead history and call recordings?
- A good answer sounds like: "Yes, exported from the CRM, on request."
- A red flag sounds like: Silence, or a fee to get your own data back.
If you are leaving an agency right now, the switching agencies guide has a full handoff checklist.
What should you ask about leads and speed?
7. Who calls each lead, and how fast?
- A good answer sounds like: A named team that knows floor coating, calling within minutes, with call recordings you can hear.
- A red flag sounds like: "We send the lead to your CRM, and you take it from there."
8. Do you send traffic to a landing page or use the native Meta lead form?
- A good answer sounds like: "A landing page," with a reason: it produces better leads than the native form.
- A red flag sounds like: Native forms only, sold on a low cost per lead.
9. How often do you refresh creative, and will you use my real floors?
- A good answer sounds like: Regular refreshes using photos and video of floors you installed. On Meta, the creative is the targeting.
- A red flag sounds like: The same template ads they run for every coating client.
Compare any agency against our floor coating benchmarks: 60 to 70% of leads should become a booked estimate when the ads, landing page, and calling are done right.
What should you ask about qualification and no-shows?
10. What counts as a qualified lead or estimate, in writing?
- A good answer sounds like: The homeowner owns the property, wants floor coating work, is inside your service area, and agreed to a time that fits your route.
- A red flag sounds like: "Any form fill counts as a lead."
11. What happens with no-shows and bad appointments?
- A good answer sounds like: A written policy for no-shows and appointments outside the agreed criteria, and every estimate confirmed and reminded.
- A red flag sounds like: No written policy, and no reminders before the estimate.
Reminders matter: about 80% of booked estimates show with no reminders, and about 95% show when confirmed at booking and reminded 24 hours and 1 hour out.
What should you ask about exclusivity?
12. How many other floor coating contractors do you work with in my market?
- A good answer sounds like: "One per market. Appointments are never shared, resold, or split."
- A red flag sounds like: "We have a few in your area, but there is plenty of work."
Leads split between contractors behave like shared marketplace leads, which typically close at 5 to 12%.
What should you ask about reporting and proof?
13. What numbers will you report every month?
- A good answer sounds like: Leads, booked estimates, shows, and spend. They will also ask you for closed jobs.
- A red flag sounds like: Impressions, reach, clicks, and engagement.
14. Can I see results from contractors in markets like mine?
- A good answer sounds like: Case studies with close rates and market details.
- A red flag sounds like: Screenshots of ad dashboards with no estimates or closed jobs.
15. When are you not the right fit?
- A good answer sounds like: A specific answer, such as "your market is taken" or "your crew is booked out and more estimates would hurt."
- A red flag sounds like: "We are a fit for everyone."
How do you score an agency on the sales call?
Score each area 0 (red flag), 1 (vague), or 2 (good answer in writing).
| Area | Questions | Good answer looks like | Red flag looks like | Score (0 to 2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you pay for | 1, 3 | Tied to a countable result | "Marketing takes time" | |
| Contract exit | 2 | Short notice, no penalty | Long lock in, termination fee | |
| Ad account | 4 | You own it, or they pay the spend | Your money, their account, no access | |
| Your assets and data | 5, 6 | Written list, exports on request | "We will figure it out" | |
| Speed to lead | 7 | Calls within minutes, recordings | Leads dumped in your CRM | |
| Lead quality | 8, 9 | Landing page, your real floors | Native form, template ads | |
| Qualification and no-shows | 10, 11 | Written criteria and no-show policy | Every form fill counts | |
| Exclusivity | 12 | One contractor per market | Several in your area | |
| Reporting and proof | 13, 14 | Booked, showed, closed | Impressions and clicks | |
| Honesty about fit | 15 | Names when they are not a fit | Fit for everyone |
Treat a zero on contract exit, ad account, or exclusivity as a deal breaker on its own. To compare providers side by side, see best floor coating lead generation companies.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most important question to ask a floor coating marketing agency?
Ask what you pay for if no estimates book. That answer tells you whether the agency or the floor coating contractor carries the risk. A fee tied to a result you can count puts more of it on the provider; a flat fee with nothing countable attached puts it on you.
Should I own the Meta ad account if I hire an epoxy flooring agency?
If you pay the ad spend, yes, or at minimum you should have full admin access. If the provider pays the ad spend itself, as many booked appointment services do, running from their own account is normal because their money is at risk.
What is a red flag in a garage floor coating marketing contract?
A long term with an early termination fee and no performance clause is the biggest one. Others: a blended fee with no ad spend breakdown, no written definition of a qualified lead, and reporting built on impressions instead of booked estimates.
How do I know if an agency's leads are exclusive?
Ask how many other concrete coating or floor coating contractors they serve in your market, and get it in writing. Exclusive means one contractor per market, with appointments never shared, resold, or split.
How many leads should a floor coating agency turn into booked estimates?
Our benchmarks put it at 60 to 70% when ads are high intent, sent to a landing page, and every lead is called fast. Ask the agency what rate they see and how they measure it.
Want to see how we answer these 15 questions?
Appointly runs Meta ads from its own ad account, calls every lead within minutes, educates and qualifies the homeowner, and books confirmed estimates on your calendar. Every estimate is confirmed and reminded, and we work with one floor coating contractor per market. Read how it compares on the agency alternative page, or see the case studies.
Bring this scorecard to the call.
Book a strategy call and we will check whether your market is open and whether booked estimates fit your crew, then answer every question on the scorecard.
About the author
Patrick Mietka
Co-founder, Appointly Solutions
Patrick runs the Meta ad campaigns and the numbers behind every Appointly client. He has managed lead generation and appointment booking for floor coating and home service contractors across the US, and writes about what actually turns ad spend into booked estimates.