How to talk to your PPC Manager

During my time at Goldman Sachs, I worked closely with highly skilled specialists—developers, software engineers, investment analysts. Building complex systems for investment portfolio processing and reporting required relying on their expertise while ensuring their contribution translated into clear decision-making frameworks for senior leadership. Not a small feat.

And bridging the gap between technical expertise and business priorities was both an ongoing overarching North Start and a challenge. These specialists thrived in their nerdy worlds—building, analyzing, optimizing, testing —but their success had to be measured against real business outcomes, not just technical brilliance.

For example, a software engineer might develop a highly sophisticated algorithm for data processing. But if it didn’t speed up, or improve reporting, and rsulted in the same number of calls fron angry traders, it wasn’t success in the eyes of business leadership, or clients.

In the ecommerce space, PPC managers and advertising experts play a similar role. They operate in a technical black box—optimizing bids, managing campaigns, testing keywords—but their work has direct, high-stakes consequences for sales, margins, and business growth.

No wonder one of the biggest frustrations I hear from brand owners is dissatisfaction with PPC performance and difficulty finding a manager or team that truly aligns with their business goals.

So, this post is for non-PPC decision-makers and business owners who want to communicate effectively with their PPC team, understand progress without getting lost in technical jargon, and hold their PPC manager accountable without micromanaging.

1. Define Business Goals First, PPC Metrics Second

Too often, business owners tell their PPC managers: “lower my ACOS”, “I want more sales”.

The problem? These are PPC performance indicators, not business objectives. Instead, frame your goals with real business context:

“I need to improve profitability, so let’s prioritize reducing ACoS while maintaining sales volume.”
“We’re launching a new product. I’m okay with a higher PPC expense in the first 60 days to build organic ranking.”

2. Set Realistic Benchmarks and Timelines

Amazon PPC requires data collection, testing, and optimization. And most business owners understand that. The challenge is when is that balance of time required to build up results, and a definitive failing performance.

Benchmarks and timelines come to the rescue here.

Here are couple questions to ask:
“How long will it take to optimize campaigns before we see improvement in (top sales, ACOS, TACOS, ranking, etc.)?”
“What benchmarks can we expect at 30, 60, and 90 days?”

It’s important your PPC manager gives input on these questions, to create accountability. Specific timelines will prevent knee-jerk reactions and allow for data-driven decisions rather than emotional pivots.

3. Provide Support and Business Context

Many PPC managers struggle because they lack business context  that would help them make smarter decisions. Good ones ask probing business questions that go beyond direct impact to PPC. At a minimum a PPC manager would assess product pages for optimization, reviews. Ideally they would have access to:

• Profit margins – So they can balance ad spend vs. profitability

• Inventory levels – So they don’t over-scale and cause stockouts

• Seasonality and promotions – So they can adjust campaigns proactively

Examples of good questions:

• “Here’s our profitability data. Let’s align our ad strategy accordingly.”

• “We’re running a Prime Day deal. What’s the best PPC approach to maximize it?”

This pulls your PPC manager more as a partner, rather than just a campaigns operator.

4. Establish Regular, Structured Communication

At the root of any business problem there is lack of communication.

I suggest to have a recurring cadence of two-way communication (monthly, bi-monthly call).

Instead of asking vague questions like “How’s PPC going?” ask specific questions such as:

• “What insights did we gain from last week’s data?”

• “What adjustments are we making based on the results?”

• “Which strategies, keywords are working?”

Regular, structured updates keep everyone on the same page.

5. Trust the Process, But Hold Them Accountable

PPC managers are specialists that need autonomy, but that does not mean they operate without accountability. Give them room to work, but set clear milestones.

“ On what metric(s) will you judge if (text, strategy,campaign) is performing? ”

Red Flags: When Your PPC Partnership Is Not Working

1. They cant explain what they are doing - If your PPC manager cannot explain their strategy in clear, simple terms, that is a problem. You do not need deep technical details, but you do need to understand their approach and reasoning. If they cannot articulate why they are making certain adjustments, it is a sign of poor communication or lack of strategy. Either one - ability to translate their technical work into business, OR no thoughtful approach to their work makes it a bad partnership for you

2. No consistent, data-driven adjustments - A good PPC manager analyzes performance and adapts. Consistently. If weeks go by with no changes or justifications for poor performance, they might not be optimizing effectively, or simply not spending time on your account. If you suspect the latter, ask specific questions about their process, and frequency of it.

3.They Ignore Business Context - If they are focused purely on PPC metrics without understanding your broader business goals, you are misaligned. Ask them how the current PPC strategy supports overall profitability and growth targets. Make sure they are aware of growth and profit targets. If they cannot make that connection, they mosts likely are optimizing campaigns in a way that does not serve your business interests.

If these red flags show up, have a candid conversation before making a switch. Often, misalignment is a communication issue rather than a competence issue.

Final Thoughts

I understand the frustration that comes with PPC. It is a significant investment, and when results are unclear or disappointing, the instinct is to look for a new manager or assume the current one is not good enough. However, more often than not, the issue is not expertise but communication, and the overall business strategy flowing down to advertising strategy.

Also be wary of finding a mythical PPC unicorn. That creates an uncomfortable (for your business) dependency on them. Typically success comes from making sure you and your PPC manager are speaking the same language, setting clear expectations, and working as one team. Before looking for a new PPC hire, try shifting the conversation. You might find that your current PPC team is capable of delivering great results—it just takes better alignment.

Saludos,

Irina