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This is the oldest conflict in the B2B agency world. The marketing director (the agency) says: "Look, we brought you 50 leads this month, the CPL (Cost per Lead) has decreased by 20%!" The sales director (the client) replies: "Yes, but these are 50 low-quality leads. None have signed. Your campaign is a failure."
Who is right? Often, both. The agency optimizes for volume (the Lead), the client wants value (the Contract).
The problem is the data gap. Google and Facebook see the filled form, but they become blind as soon as the prospect enters the CRM or the sales representative's phone.
The technical solution we deploy at A-Track is called Offline Conversion Tracking. It is the only method to manage your campaigns based on real ROAS (Return on Advertising Spend), even if the sale occurs 3 months later during a business lunch in Lausanne.
What is Offline Conversion Tracking? (Definition)
It is a mechanism of a "feedback loop".
The internet user clicks on an ad. We capture their unique identifier (GCLID for Google, FBCLID for Facebook).
They become a Lead (fills out a form). We store this ID in their CRM contact record.
They become a Client (Offline). The sales representative changes their status to ">Won" in the CRM, 30 days later.
The Return: The CRM (or a server script) sends the information back to Google/Facebook: "ID X generated 10,000 CHF".
Why is it the ultimate weapon for Swiss Agencies
In Switzerland, the economy is dominated by high value-added services (Private Banking, Insurance, Clinics, Real Estate, Construction, Software). In these sectors, sales are not made online with a shopping cart.
If you do not use Offline Conversions:
You optimize for the "curious": Algorithms will look for people who fill out forms, not people who buy.
You undervalue your work: You cannot prove that your March campaign generated the big contract signed in June.
The Technical Tutorial: How to set up the pipeline?
This is not magic, it is data engineering. Here are the 3 steps we implement.
Step 1: ID Capture (The "Tagging")
On your client's website, forms need to be modified.
We create a hidden field in the form.
Through Google Tag Manager, we retrieve the URL parameter gclid (Google Click ID) or fbclid.
When the user submits the form, this ID is sent to the CRM along with their name and email.
Step 2: Storage in the CRM
This is often where it gets stuck. The client's CRM must be able to accommodate this data.
The "Big Ones" (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive): They have native fields or easy integrations.
The "Swiss Ones" (Bexio, Winbiz, SecuTix): It is more complex. Often, a custom field must be created via API. This is where A-Track intervenes to make the technical bridge.
Step 3: The Upload
How to tell Google "It’s won"?
Manual Method (The worst): Export a CSV from the CRM and import it into Google Ads every week. It’s tedious and no one does it for the long term.
Automated Method (Ours): Use Zapier, Make (Integromat), or a Server-Side connector to send the info automatically via the API as soon as the status changes to "Deal Won".
Bidding Strategy: Switching to "Value-Based Bidding"
Once the data comes in, the magic happens. Instead of telling Google: "Find me people for 50 CHF per lead" (Target CPA), you can tell it: "Find me contracts to achieve a 400% ROI" (tROAS).
The algorithm will understand that a lead coming from Geneva on the keyword "Wealth Management" converts better than a lead coming from elsewhere on a generic keyword, and it will adjust the bids automatically.
Compliance nFADP and "Enhanced Conversions for Leads"
Sometimes, we do not have the GCLID (due to cookie refusals or iOS). Not everything is lost. Google offers "Enhanced Conversion Tracking for Leads".
The principle: Instead of matching on the click ID, we match on hashed email or hashed phone number.
If the prospect who signs the contract used the email jean@entreprise.ch which is also their Google/YouTube account, Google makes the connection.
A-Track Note: This method requires strict SHA-256 hashing before sending to comply with nFADP.
The A-Track Expert's Advice
Do not only report the final sale! Also report the qualified intermediate steps (e.g., 'Discovery Meeting Scheduled' or 'Offer Sent'). This gives faster signals to the algorithm (Machine Learning) without waiting 6 months for the sales cycle to end.
Are your salespeople complaining about lead quality?
It is time to connect the reality of the field to your marketing campaigns. No longer let your clients judge your work based on impressions, but on revenue.
A-Track connects your CRM to Google & Meta Ads for management based on real ROI.