The Secrets to Smarter Paid Media and Incremental Growth With Paul Rakovich

Paul Rakovich is the CEO of Clicks and Clients, a full-service digital marketing agency specializing in lead generation and performance-based advertising for B2B and B2C businesses. Since founding the company in 2008, he has helped clients manage over $100 million in ad spend, focusing on ROI-driven strategies across platforms like Google, Meta, and TikTok. Paul began his digital marketing journey in 2003 by launching a successful e-commerce business from his garage, which quickly scaled through paid search advertising. A graduate of Northern Arizona University, he is also a recognized PPC expert and a recommended Perry Marshall consultant. 

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• [2:12] Paul Rakovich shares how a dropshipping side hustle led to founding Clicks and Clients
• [5:14] Key paid media metrics that matter beyond cost per lead
• [8:39] The importance of measuring multiple steps in the customer funnel to improve quality
• [11:09] How Paul navigates tough client conversations about sales performance
• [15:43] Lessons Paul learned from Perry Marshall on incremental improvements for big gains
• [27:01] Building strong agency teams through relationships and personal connections

In this episode…

Want to know why your paid media campaigns hit a wall even when the leads look cheap and the clicks seem steady? Many brands fall into the trap of chasing surface-level metrics without understanding what really drives scalable growth. So, what’s the smarter approach to incremental success that unlocks bigger wins?

According to Paul Rakovich, a seasoned paid media strategist, the key lies in looking two to three steps beyond the first metric — because cheap leads often deliver poor downstream results. He highlights that real optimization happens when brands measure deeper funnel actions like booked meetings, show rates, and lead quality, not just the front-end cost per click. This deeper measurement approach reveals where campaigns truly succeed or fail, allowing for precise, data-backed improvements. By focusing on incremental lifts, teams can compound small wins into major gains over time, while avoiding costly mistakes and knee-jerk optimizations.

In this episode of Built to Convert, host Tyler Lane sits down with Paul Rakovich, CEO of Clicks and Clients, to discuss smarter paid media strategies and the power of incremental growth. They explore how to optimize beyond initial metrics, why client-agency collaboration lessons from managing multimillion-dollar accounts and navigating tough client conversations.

Resources mentioned in this episode

• Tyler Lane on LinkedIn
• Session Interactive
• Paul Rakovich on LinkedIn
• Clicks and Clients
• Perry Marshall

Quotable Moments

• “The cheap leads are cheap because they suck, right? They’re cheap, but they don’t convert.”
• “Incremental improvements over the course of three or four things really add up and improve performance.”
• “We’re generally looking two to three steps beyond an initial result to optimize paid media.”
• “Don’t launch a campaign on Friday. If you do, you better be checking it Saturday.”
• “It’s always cool until it’s not, when the CFO gets involved and starts asking questions.”

Action Steps

1. Measure deeper funnel metrics: Tracking not just leads but booked meetings and conversions uncovers true campaign effectiveness and quality.
2. Focus on incremental improvements: Small, layered optimizations across campaigns can collectively drive major performance gains over time.
3. Collaborate closely with clients: Engaging clients on sales performance ensures alignment and reveals issues beyond media metrics alone.
4. Be cautious when scaling ad spend. Do not pour more budget into campaigns without solving underlying performance challenges first.
5. Maintain strong team relationships: Building trust and personal connections within your agency fosters loyalty, innovation, and long-term success.

Sponsor for this episode…

This episode is brought to you by Session Interactive — a digital marketing consultancy that helps businesses turn complex data into clear strategy. 

From SEO and analytics to paid media and content, Session zeroes in on what truly drives growth: smarter decisions and better user experiences. Known for their collaborative approach and measurable results, they partner with forward-thinking companies across industries to solve digital challenges — and turn them into opportunities. 

Learn more at sessioninteractive.com.