TL;DR:
- Forget Google. The best way to find a great agency is to identify your most successful competitor and find out who they are using.
- Set a “Risk Budget”. Before you talk to anyone, decide the maximum amount you’re willing to lose on testing an agency. This makes the financial decision simple and emotion-free.
- Ask Two Key Questions. “Do you use in-house staff or contractors?” and “Tell me about your biggest client’s results.” The answers reveal an agency’s stability and their true potential.
- Lead the First Call. Don’t let them run through a sales deck. Propose a clear agenda to get the answers you need quickly and respectfully.
You know the feeling. You need to grow, so you start the search for a marketing agency. You spend hours on Google, sit through endless sales pitches, and review beautiful proposals that all promise the world. You finally pick one, sign the contract, and hope for the best.
Sometimes it works. Often, it doesn’t.
This process is a gamble. You’re betting your time and money on a promise. But what if you could change the game? What if you could hire a partner based on proven success, not just a convincing story?
You can. Here is a simple, four-step framework to stop gambling and start making smart, calculated decisions when hiring your next marketing partner.
Step 1: Start with Who’s Already Winning
You don’t need to find an agency on Google. You need to find the agency your most successful competitor is already using.
Success leaves a trail. If a business in your industry is consistently outperforming everyone else, it’s likely they have a strong partner helping them. Your first job is to find out who that is.
How? By talking to people.
- Go to industry events and conferences.
- Join online communities and meetups.
- Ask people you respect in your field.
Be direct: “I really admire what [Competitor’s Name] is doing with their advertising. Do you have any idea who they work with?” You’ll be surprised how often a direct, honest question gets a direct, honest answer. This isn’t about stealing secrets; it’s about identifying the best players in the game.
Step 2: Define Your “Risk Budget” First
Before you even send an email, decide on a number. This is the maximum amount of money you are willing to lose to test a new agency relationship.
Think of it like a calculated experiment. For some, it might be $5,000. For others, it could be $20,000.
This number is your “risk budget.”
Why do this? Because it removes emotion from the financial decision. When an agency tells you their fee, the choice becomes a simple, binary one:
- Is the cost within my risk budget? Yes or no.
- Am I willing to run this experiment for this price? Yes or no.
If the answer is yes, you move forward. If it’s no, you walk away without regret. This prevents you from getting talked into a budget you can’t afford and keeps you in control.
Step 3: Ask the Questions That Reveal the Truth
Once you’re in a conversation, your goal is to get past the sales pitch and understand the agency’s real capabilities. You don’t need a hundred questions. You just need a few powerful ones.
Here are two of the most important:
“Do you do the work in-house, or do you use contractors?”
There’s no single right answer, but an agency with a stable, in-house team often indicates a more stable business. It means they’ve invested in their people for the long term and aren’t just assembling a temporary team for your project.
“What are the results your largest client is getting?”
This question tells you the agency’s ceiling. If their top client is only slightly bigger than you, they may not have the experience to help you achieve massive growth. But if their top client is operating at a scale you dream of, you know they have the proven ability to help you get there. You want a partner who can pull you up to their level.
Step 4: Control the Conversation
The first call with an agency can easily turn into a 45-minute sales presentation that doesn’t answer any of your real questions. Don’t let that happen.
Start the meeting by respectfully proposing a simple agenda.
You can say something like this:
“Thanks for your time today. To make sure we’re both efficient, how about we do this: I’ll spend 5 minutes telling you about my business and our goals. Then, you can spend 5 minutes telling me about your agency and what a perfect client looks like for you. After that, I have a few specific questions, and we can see if there’s a good fit. How does that sound?”
This simple act does three things:
- It shows you are prepared and professional.
- It respects everyone’s time.
- It ensures you get the information you need to make your decision.
It’s About Partnership, Not Pitches
Hiring a marketing agency shouldn’t feel like buying a lottery ticket. It should feel like finding a true partner who is as invested in your success as you are.
By following this framework, you shift the power back to yourself. You start with proven results, make decisions based on clear numbers, and ask questions that reveal the truth. You find partners who are genuinely capable of helping you grow, building a foundation of quality and trust from day one.
What’s the #1 question you ask when vetting a new partner or agency? Share your wisdom in the comments below. 👇