If you’re running a shop and trying to take things to the next level, you’ve probably felt the pressure. Maybe you’ve hit a plateau. Maybe your car count is unpredictable. Maybe you’re doing okay, but you know there’s more out there, and you’re just not sure what step to take next.
That’s when the advice starts rolling in. “You need a coach.” “Hire a marketing agency.” “Bring in a fractional CMO to build your strategy.”
Sounds good in theory. But what do these people do? And more importantly, which one will help your shop grow?
A lot of shop owners end up working with all three, but still may not get the results they expected. Not because these folks aren’t doing anything, but because nobody ever draws the line on who’s responsible for what.
Let’s break this down. No fluff. Just the truth about who does what and how to know who you need in your corner.
Who Does What? The Raw Breakdown
There’s a lot of noise out there about marketing, coaching, and strategy. But at the end of the day, as a shop owner, you don’t care about titles. You care about results.
Marketing Agencies (like Shop Marketing Pros)
A marketing agency is like your best technician. They don’t just talk diagnostics. They get under the hood and do the work.
They execute. That means websites, SEO, Google Ads, AI search optimization, social media, and content development.
They optimize. A good agency isn’t just setting and forgetting. They’re checking ad performance, tweaking keywords, posting updates, and making sure your digital presence is dialed in.
But here’s the deal. If you want world-class results, you’ve got to feed them info. Send photos. Share what’s happening in the shop. Answer the phone. Otherwise, they’re working blind.
Fractional CMOs
Now, picture a shop foreman. Not the guy doing the actual repair, but the one creating the plan, directing traffic, and making sure every tech is where they need to be.
That’s your fractional CMO.
They build the overall marketing plan. What should your shop be doing in terms of digital, local, and community marketing? What message are you sending?
They manage vendors. That includes your agency, your CRM provider, maybe your direct mail company.
They hold people accountable. That’s the job. At least in theory.
Here’s the problem. Some fractional CMOs also want to be the ones running the ads and posting on social. That’s like the foreman grabbing the tools and saying, “I’ll do it myself.” It could be a conflict. After all, if their role is to hold people accountable and be an unbiased eye making sure the job is done well, who’s holding them accountable to a high standard of work? So be sure to understand exactly what you’re hiring.
Business Coaches
Your business coach is like your mentor in the trade. They’re the ones who taught you not just how to turn a wrench, but how to run a shop.
- They teach you to read your P&L, set KPIs, and price your labor correctly.
- They train your service advisors and help with culture, hiring, and leadership.
- They offer peer groups and accountability.
But they don’t touch marketing execution. They’ll tell you to get your act together. They won’t run campaigns for you.
The "Spider-Man Pointing" Problem
You’ve probably seen the meme. Three Spider-Men are pointing at each other.
That’s what it feels like when your ads are “working,” your coach says, “get better ops,” and your fractional CMO just nods in the Zoom meeting.
Here’s what usually happens.
- You say, “My ads aren’t working. We’re not any busier than we were before we started running them.”
- The agency says, “We’re driving the leads. Your ads are performing well. Maybe it’s your service advisor.”
- The CMO says, “The strategy is in place. Maybe the agency ads aren’t optimized.”
- The coach says, “You are getting a lot of calls, but they aren’t becoming clients. Let’s listen to your calls to see how your team is doing.”
And you’re standing in the middle, losing sleep and bleeding budget.
The fix? Everyone needs to stay in their lane. And talk to each other.
Think of it like diagnosing a drivability issue. If the tech, the advisor, and the parts department don’t communicate, you’re wasting your time and your client’s money.
Time and Effort: How Much Do You Need to Show Up?
Let’s be honest. Our best outcomes come from shop owners who are involved. This article focuses on the roles of the agency, the fractional CMO, and the coach – but YOU have a role, too.
Here’s what that looks like. And no, it’s not overwhelming.
- Snap a few photos each week
- Review some call recordings
- Meet with your marketing CSM once a month
- Let them in on your goals and what’s happening in the shop
That’s it. About 4… maybe 8 hours a month.
You don’t need to become a marketer. You just need to be present enough to make the relationship work.
Marketing without shop involvement is like handing a tech a broken car and no repair order. He might fix something. But he has no idea what the customer’s concern is.
When to Bring In Who
Here’s where it gets real.
| Your Situation | Start Here | Next Move | CMO? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Just Opened or Scrambling | Coach. Get your systems, margins, and pricing dialed in. | Then bring on a marketing agency. | Not yet. |
| Ops Are Solid, You Need More Cars | Marketing agency. You're ready to turn on the lead machine. | Supplement with coaching if conversions slip. | Still probably not. |
| Multi-Shop or Scaling Hard | You’ve got ops and marketing dialed in. | Bring in a fractional CMO to tie it all together. | Yes. Now it makes sense. |
As you can see, your current situation will dictate the right outside services to help in making your shop a success. Get this wrong and it only hurts your cash flow. Get it right, and you’re on your way to building the business you’ve dreamt of.
The Partner vs. Vendor Test
There’s a big difference between hiring someone who just completes tasks and partnering with someone who’s invested in your success.
A vendor checks the boxes.
“Here’s your five posts.”
“Your ad is live.”
“We did what you paid us to do.”
And that’s where it ends. If things aren’t working, they’ll still smile and send the invoice. It’s not their problem. They did the job.
But a true partner thinks differently. A partner looks at the data, the results, and the bigger picture. They’re not afraid to say, “This isn’t working. Let’s pivot.” Even if that pivot means they make less money in the short term.
If your coach, agency, or CMO isn’t willing to talk you out of something that’s not working, they’re not a partner. They’re just protecting their contract.
At Shop Marketing Pros, we’ve told clients to stop running services that weren’t producing. We’ve had conversations that ended with, “You’re better off putting that money into training right now.” That may not be the best thing for our immediate bottom line, but we’ll take short-term losses over long-term damage to trust, any day.
Because at the end of the day, we’re not trying to win a sale. We’re trying to win with you. And sometimes that means telling you the thing you didn’t want to hear but needed to.
That’s what a real partner does.
Real-Life Scenarios to Help You See the Difference
Sometimes it’s easier to understand the roles of a coach, a marketing agency, and a fractional CMO when you see them in action. These aren’t theories. These situations occur frequently in shops.
What you’ll notice is that in each case, more than one person is involved. That’s because no single provider can fix everything. The key is knowing who owns which part of the problem and who should be stepping up with the solution.
Here are two common scenarios we see, who’s responsible for what, and the most likely fix that will move the needle.
| Scenario | Agency’s Role | CMO’s Role | Coach’s Role | Likely Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ads Are Performing, But the Phone Isn’t Ringing | Shows data proving ads are delivering calls | Confirms strategy and lead flow are solid | Evaluates how calls are handled and trains service advisors | Listen to calls, improve phone scripts, fix conversion issues |
| Want to Grow, But Don’t Know What to Do Next | Executes campaigns based on the growth plan | Creates the high-level growth strategy and market positioning | Strengthens internal systems, culture, hiring, and financials | CMO + Coach working together to provide clarity and direction |
Who Do You Actually Need?
If you only take one thing away, let it be this.
You may not need all three. You need the right one/s for where you are right now.
Coach: Helps you fix the foundation
Marketing Agency: Brings in the leads
Fractional CMO: Oversees the bigger picture once you’re scaling
You may rotate between them or build your dream team. But don’t assume you do or don’t need any or all of these services just because someone on Facebook said so. Evaluate your current situation and make your decision based on facts and strategy.
Ready to Get the Right Help for Your Shop’s Growth?
If you’re tired of feeling stuck, second-guessing every marketing decision, or wondering if you’ve got the right people in your corner, you’re not alone. Most shop owners don’t need more noise. They need clarity and a plan they can trust.
At Shop Marketing Pros, we don’t just “run ads” or “post on Facebook.” We partner with you to figure out exactly what’s holding your shop back and what’s going to move it forward. Sometimes that means we roll up our sleeves and get to work. Sometimes it means pointing you toward a coach or another resource.
The point is, you’ll get real answers. No hype. No “just trust us.”
If you’re ready to stop guessing and start growing, schedule a free discovery call. We’ll figure out where your shop is now, where you want to go, and who belongs in your pit crew so you can get there faster.
Brian Walker
“Digging in and figuring out why a business’ marketing isn’t working is a lot like it was when he was elbows deep into a car that no one else could fix. When you figure it out, there’s nothing else like it.”
To get to do this for auto repair shop owners combines his passions, and he couldn’t be more excited about helping shop owners.