How do I vet a marketing agency before signing?
Most owners get burned because they pick on personality instead of evidence. The fix is a short list of questions and contract terms. If an agency dodges any of these, walk. We use the same checklist on ourselves whenever we onboard.
Five questions to ask before signing
Who owns the ad accounts and the website code? The answer must be you. Ask for a written copy of the 90-day plan with specific KPIs. Ask which conversion actions they will track and how. Ask for three references in your industry, not just any references. Ask what happens if you cancel in 60 days.
If they cannot answer all five in a single 30-minute call without dodging or repeating slogans, you are talking to a sales team that has never actually run an account.
Contract red flags to refuse
Twelve-month minimums for a brand-new relationship. Vague deliverables like ongoing optimization. Refusal to give you admin access to your own ad accounts. Markups on ad spend without disclosure. White-labeled reports that hide where the work actually came from.
A confident agency will agree to a 30 or 60-day mutual out, full account ownership, and disclosed pass-through pricing. We do all three because that is the only fair way to start.
Ready to talk?
We will send you a free copy of the vetting checklist we built for our own clients. Use it on us, on whoever you are talking to now, and on anyone you consider in the future.
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