Stop Quibbling About Marketing—You’re Either Getting Booked or You’re Getting Beat

Robert Sporner Lanz • June 16, 2025

This isn’t about offending anyone—it’s about telling the truth most limo operators need to hear if they want to grow.

Let’s talk reality.

If you’re running a limo business in a major metro like Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta, or Chicago and you're spending $30/day on ads thinking you’ll own the city—you're wasting your money. - That budget won’t even cover coffee and a donut for your competitor who’s actually showing up.

I’m not here to offend anyone. I’m here because I want to see you succeed.
I’ve worked with enough operators to know what works, what doesn’t, and what keeps businesses stuck in neutral. If I’m being direct, it’s because too many good companies are getting beat—not because of service quality, but because no one can find them.

If You’re Still Shopping for the Cheapest Option, You’re Not Ready to Grow

You wouldn’t trust a $50 mechanic with your $100,000 Escalade.

So why are you trusting your marketing—your entire booking pipeline—to the cheapest bidder?

This is what I hear all the time:

“I’ll do ads when it slows down.” → It’s slow because you’re not doing ads.
“I need to keep costs low.” → Low visibility is your highest cost.
“Can you match what this other company quoted me?” → No. Because I actually deliver.

Marketing isn’t an accessory you bolt on after everything else is in place. It’s the first engine that gets your business moving—and the one that keeps it moving when referrals dry up and Google changes the game.

You're not ready to grow if you’re still looking for the cheapest option. If you're prepared to do it right the first time, that’s when I step in.

Marketing Isn’t a Gamble—Doing It Wrong Is

It’s not that marketing doesn’t work. It’s that bad marketing doesn’t work.

Trying to reach everyone in Dallas-Fort Worth on a shoestring ad budget is like dropping a fishing line into the ocean and hoping to feed your family. You’ll burn through money and come up empty. Meanwhile, someone else is working smarter—starting with one corner of the city, owning it, and scaling out from there.

Here’s How We Do It at RJS Media Consulting

We don’t spray and pray. We get surgical:

We target a high-value neighborhood or zip code, not the entire metro.
We go after the trips that actually make you money—weddings, corporate, airport runs—not cheap party traffic.
We tighten your landing pages and follow-up so every click has a chance to convert.

And when that starts working—and it always does when done right—we expand. Zip code by zip code. Service by service.

That’s how you scale profitably, not wastefully.

Let’s Talk About What You’re Really Spending

You’re not just spending $30/day. You’re also spending:

Your time, wondering where the next booking is coming from.
Your confidence, every time a competitor shows up ahead of you in search.
Your future, if you're not building anything sustainable.

A full-day SUV run might earn you $400. Would you give up a $400 booking to save $30 on ads?

Because that’s exactly what’s happening when your marketing isn’t visible.

If You're Getting Results—Lean In, Not Back

I’ve had clients start seeing results and then get nervous and pull back. Why? Because the phone quote request forms started coming in / phones started ringing and they weren’t ready for it.

That’s not a marketing problem. That’s a you weren’t prepared to grow problem.

If your marketing delivers leads and visibility, don’t second-guess it—amplify it. Build the systems, hire the drivers, and start acting like a business that expects to grow.

Bottom Line

If you're serious about running a successful limousine business in a competitive market, you need to stop thinking of marketing as an expense and start thinking of it as your lead engine.

It’s not optional. It’s the engine that powers every ride you book, every account you land, and every dollar you earn.

If you’re still on the fence, ask yourself: