Directive Consulting

Was in the market for SEO and decided to give these guys a call. I had previously received 5 different quotes from some local companies in Orange County and some Nation Wide. I liked that these guys were local and not too far from my company.
1^st impression (A+)
Spoke with Andrew on the phone Wednesday of last week. Great sounding conversation. Energetic and sounded excited to work with me. I explained my business model and told him that I needed a quote as soon as possible as I needed to move forward quickly. He told me that they would customize one and get me it soon. I felt excited about the possibility of working with this company.
Quote and Presentation (D-​)
The quote I received looked VERY boiler plate. A total 2 pages summarizing $ 3k for an initial startup with additional 6 month contract at $ 3k a month. TOTAL PRICE $ 21,000 So I thought maybe these guys have some additional value that the other firms do not have. On my next appointment with Andrew I really tried to ask what makes your team stand out more than others. Your firm is is almost 3 times the cost. I don’t mind paying for value but I have to know it’s going somewhere. At this time I was not offended by the price and still very much considered hiring this company if they checked out.
I was not able to received an answer to this question. He told me that he would set up conference call with the owner and that he could further assist me. (or close the sale) I said certainly, and before i got off the phone asked if he had any references that they could email over. (Anyone who is about to spend $ 21,000 is stupid to not ask for some kind of business reference.) Andrew told me sure thing.
References (F-​)
I received an email from Andrew shortly after listing some items I didn’t really care for or ask for and below was a list that said:
«Here are a few of our current clients:»
No phone numbers and no direct contacts
So I’m thinking great they are going to make me do the work. I start calling these companies. Many of them didn’t have listed phone numbers… A real estate firms contact extensions were all disconnected. I basically couldn’t get through to anyone live.
Frustrated I called Andrew and told him that I was frustrated and to please provide someone I can ACTUALLY call and confirm your work.
«I misunderstood you» So I responded. Ok let me give you an example
«hello I was given your phone number by Directive Consulting. Do you know them? Have they worked for you? Do they do quality work? I’m about to spend $ 21,000 can you confirm they offer value?
Final Impression (F-​)
Andrew told me he would get back to me. Shortly after I received an email from Andrew saying that I would not be a good fit for their company and good luck.
WOW!!!
SEO companies ARE IN THE BUSINESS OF MANIPULATING DATA. They have the power to filter what they don’t want and push what they do. Why would I feel comfortable working with a firm based on JUST what I saw on Unilocal.
I saw in the «not recommended section below another user had the same quote and experience as mine. My custom quote ended up seeming pretty generic.
Any questions please feel free to contact me.
c: 805−234−6216
Michael JDM
CEO /​Owner
— — — — — — — — -
In response to the owner:
A full page response (not a phone call… still waiting) from the owner avoiding the entire issue (REFERENCES!) with the marketing SPIN at the end. «sacrificing employee well being???»
I just wanted references from people you worked for without the car salesman pitch!
Your blood sweat and tears should spent on references validating your work. Start there. Phone numbers, and actual people. Pretty simple.
Anyone that would like proof of this call, eliminating half the accuracy in the texts below, my ACTUAL tone of voice, and asking this company for references can contact me. I have proof of it all. All our calls are recorded. It only got weird when they couldn’t deliver.

I received a call from Garrett after inquiring about an estimate for SEO services. He was knowledgeable, informative, and most importantly HONEST. It was a breathe of fresh air to get an unbiased opinion from another business owner about my web presence, and realistic SEO goals for my company.

These guys are top notch! Highly recommend and when it comes to SEO, this company is incredibly helpful, knowledgeable, and beneficial. 5 Stars.

Lots of SEO companies are great at generating activity and sending bills (and I get spammed by them all the time), but Directive Consulting delivers results. They have real «domain IQ» in SEO — meaning they are not just following a formula or pretending to have expertise as an add-​on service, but rather they understand SEO and can adapt intelligently to whatever a business needs. And they are genuine, good, competent people.

I use the services of directive consulting for two companies that I own I am very happy with the results and plan to be with him for a long time to come!

Any business who wants to have an online presence should be working with Directive Consulting. They have the knowledge and expertise but most importantly they execute on their plans and deliver results. They’re driven and passionate about what they do. I highly recommend them.

These guys know SEO! But it’s more than just SEO, it’s their willingness to help and give great advice in all aspects of online marketing, and are constantly discovering new ways of getting my business more leads. Their communication is outstanding, their knowledge is superb, and their willingness to teach the «why» behind what they do is a pleasure. The more I learn about what they do, the happier I am about paying them to handle it all.

Directive Consulting has been great to work with. They really helped us get our SEO in order and get us up in the rankings. Being #1 for our search term has really driven us new opportunities.

The directive consulting team is the definition of professionalism. Every member is very knowledgeable about their field and their customer service deserves the highest praise. Directive consulting will go above and beyond for the client every time, for that they receive a perfect 5 stars.

As someone who is barely learning how to build my own website, I was thrilled to attend their Google Webmaster Tools session. Great presentation and added humor that made it entertaining and informative. Hope to catch another one of their sessions again! Totally worth checking out!

Attended a session on On-​Page Optimization by the Directive Academy. Garrett’s demonstration on how to boost your ratings on any search engine was put together very well and easy to follow. If you’re in the Irvine or Santa Monica area, I definitely recommend checking out one of their sessions

Garrett and his team at Directive Consulting are really the best when it comes to SEO. Garrett understands that SEO isn’t about how you code your website or tricking a search algorithm, Garrett knows it’s about the customers and how they find you online.
His team is not only technically knowledgeable but they are great to work with. I highly recommend them.

Tanner helped me get a #1 placement on Google. He had quick, simple, and concrete advice on how to improve my sites placement and the results have been amazing!

If your looking for an honest, ethical seo professional to help you market your small business directive is a great place to go. I have send several of my customers to to handle their Local Search Engine Optimization. They are realistic with their promises and give you monthly reporting to show the progress.

I worked with Directive Consulting for several months to craft a marketing strategy for my glasses app, Reframe. Garrett helped us build a fantastic landing page right when we needed it most. He also used his SEO expertise to help us pick keywords for the Apple’s App Store. I eventually had to give up working on Reframe 8 months ago, but it still ranks in the top 3 for Glasses, Sunglasses and Eyewear. It sits immediately behind
, an app which costed over $ 1,000,000 to develop and had a nearly unlimited marketing budget.
To put it simply, Directive Consulting performed so well for us that as a tiny startup we were able to compete directly with the largest eyewear company in the world for the top glasses app. They know their stuff and their rates are unbeatable.

DC has helped PeopleSpace in ranking #1 in co-​working and co-​working in Orange County. An asset to any company and they also truly believe in educating you about your company’s SEO.

I attended one of their free classes at People Space and was very intrigued at how well thought out the lessons were. Garrett gave valuable tips on SEO and marketing that I have been able to apply for my business. I definitely recommend attending their classes and learning a thing or two on how SEO can help boost your website.

These folks are the real deal and are capable of driving qualified leads to your business. Directive Consulting knows what they’re talking about and they keep up with the latest trends in SEO/​SEM/​online marketing. Highly recommend speaking with them!
Also, Tanner is really good at customer support.

Garrett, Tanner, Chip and the team at Directive Consulting are really authentic people. I highly recommend working with them.
I took an SEO class here and absolutely loved it! With very little background in SEO, it was an eye opening experience that helped me see how important it is. Garrett led the class. He provided a lot of useful information and was able to answer pretty much any question that came up. And when he couldn’t he was quick to either find it or someone else in the class could. No questions were left unanswered. They offer a diverse range of classes through Directive Academy. I’ve actually already signed up for another class, this time for Facebook Advertising!

Tanner, Garrett, and their team are amazing. SEO is such a hard field to find someone who you can trust. Especially because marketing is what they specialize in. So I was very skeptical of everyone who I was interviewing for handling our marketing. Directive consulting won my vote and since then they have been phenomenal.
They created a beautiful website. We are ranking on page one in Laguna Niguel on Google search! Most importantly, they have amazing customer service. I am very picky about how our website looked like and they accommodated me without complaint. They are very competitive pricing wise. I am excited to see what’s going to happen in the next 6 months of doing business with them!