Looking for a marketing agency? Flex-service with senior freelancers

Looking for a marketing agency, or for something better?

Anyone searching for a marketing agency tends to run into the same things: standard packages, long contracts, an account manager between you and the work, and juniors doing the execution. There is another way. Alongside my freelance work I am part of Sales Marketing Coach (SMC): a flex-service for marketing in which senior specialists, who run businesses themselves, work for you as a single specialist or as a complete team. For as long as you need, with no fixed team and no long-term commitments.

So if you are looking for an agency for your digital marketing but want direct contact with the people doing the work, this set-up is probably more interesting than a classic agency.

How does flex-service marketing work?

For each request, SMC assembles a team from the Sales Marketing Group (SMG) network: a group of independent sales and marketing professionals who share knowledge and keep each other sharp. I have been a member of that network since 2021 and have built its data and automation side, including the member platform, since 2023. For you as a client this means:

• Direct contact with the specialist doing the work, with no intermediary.
• Scaling up or down whenever you need it, without long contracts.
• Specialists with an entrepreneur's view: we look at revenue, leads, margin and growth, not at clicks and impressions.
• Co-creation with your own team, so the knowledge stays in your organisation.
• Honest advice, including advising against spending when it isn't needed.

The approach in five steps

1. A free 30-minute introductory conversation about your goals.
2. Advice and a tailored proposal; no standard package.
3. Matching with the right specialist or team from the SMG network.
4. Execution in co-creation with your own people.
5. Measuring, adjusting and scaling up or down.

Which specialisms does the team cover?

Through SMC, thirteen specialisms are available across four clusters. Some of them I deliver myself; the rest comes from the network:

• Strategy & data: online marketing strategy, data & analytics and conversion optimisation.
• Visibility & advertising: SEO and link building, SEA (Google Ads), social media advertising, affiliate marketing and marketplaces.
• Content & creation: content marketing, content creation, email marketing and social media marketing.
• Web: web development.

My role within Sales Marketing Coach

Within SMC I am the online marketing and AI specialist, alongside founder Dolf Kos and team lead Patrick Roebersen. My own focus is SEA, SEO, data and AI, and I also give training sessions on Google Ads and AI. The collaboration is not new: between 2017 and 2021 I already worked as a Google Ads specialist for Sales Marketing Coach, first on payroll and then as a freelancer, for clients such as Teeuwissen Rioolreiniging, ERIKS, Packlinq and Schaduwdoekplaza. Since 2023 I have been working for Sales Marketing Group on data automation and the member platform.

Clients that have worked with specialists from the network through SMC include Heineken, DPG Media, Volkswagen, Lidl, NCOI, Beter Bed, Pon and beslist.nl. My own experience with brands such as ALDI, Mediahuis and NCOI is on my digital CV.

Freelancer, interim or agency: what suits you?

If you have one clear question, such as Google Ads or SEO, you can hire me directly as a freelancer or interim specialist. If you need several channels at once, or want a team that grows with you, SMC's flex-service is the logical route: I remain your point of contact for my field and the other specialisms come from the network. Either way, it starts with a conversation about your goals, not with a package.

Want to know whether this set-up fits your organisation? Contact me, or book an introduction directly via salesmarketingcoach.nl (in Dutch). You can read more about the network at salesmarketinggroup.nl.