For 4 years the results of shoddy contractor work have been staring me in the face. That is, until I employed a handyman last week....

The gentleman was extremely polite with a candor and general mechanical knowledge that one rarely finds in the city. (He, in fact, hailed from Iowa.) Throughout the day he revealed the errors of his predecessors. The most painful news was that the previous poor service was the clear result of rushing to get on to the next, bigger job. He, on the other hand, offered a variety of solutions based on budget and willingly went to-and-fro the hardware store as needed.

That same week I also had the opportunity to share war stories with advertisers engaged with search engine marketing agencies. These true veterans were on their second or third SEM. They agreed that top-tier search engine marketing firms are all very capable; it was poor customer service that prompted the contract termination. The agency was either not thinking enough about the business or rushing through the job to service the next, bigger client.

As search matures, the lesson for SEMs will be that the advertisers’ switching costs are very low. There is an incredible opportunity to be that handyman from Iowa.