Working with an agency
six questions to ask a marketing agency before you sign
Six questions do most of the vetting. Who owns the accounts. Who actually does the work. What happens in month one. How will we measure success. What would make you tell us to stop spending. And how do we leave. Ask all six and the decision usually makes itself.
ownership and access
The accounts, the data and the learning your money buys should live in your name from day one, with the agency working inside them. Any other arrangement means changing agencies costs you your own history. The right answer to this question is immediate and unhesitating.
the people and the plan
Ask who touches your account each week and what month one contains, specifically. You are listening for real activity: tracking verified, search terms reviewed, first tests defined. You are also listening for the difference between the person selling and the person doing, and whether you get to meet the second one.
measurement and the exit
How will we know it is working should produce numbers you understand, tied to customers rather than clicks. What would make you tell us to stop is the honesty test; good agencies can describe the situation where they would hand money back. And how do we leave should be boring: notice period, handover, everything stays with you.
the honest catch
These questions have polished answers, and a smooth operator can pass an interview. So verify one layer deeper: call a reference and ask what actually happened in a bad month. How an agency behaves when the numbers dip tells you more than anything it says when selling.
Common questions
Is it rude to ask these directly?
- No, it is a professionalism filter. The agencies you want enjoy these questions because they clear out the competition.
What if the answers are vague?
- Vague answers to direct questions are the answer. Move on without guilt.
Should I run a paid trial before committing?
- A defined starter project, an audit or a single campaign, is a fair test for both sides and cheaper than a bad year.
Tom Claydon
Co-founder of Nudge
Ask Tom anything about search, he answers on WhatsApp.