The Marketing Agency Vetting Checklist (Use This Before You Sign Anything)
Most owners pick agencies on personality and end up burned. The fix is a written checklist of questions and contract terms you use on every agency you evaluate, including us. Anyone who passes deserves a real conversation. Anyone who dodges is wasting your time.
Questions to ask on the first call
Who owns the ad accounts, website code, and content? Answer must be you. Will you give me a written 90-day plan with specific KPIs before I sign? Yes only. What specific conversion actions will you track and how? Should be a clear list, not a vague answer. Can you provide three references in my exact industry? Yes only.
What happens if I cancel in 60 days? You should keep everything and pay no penalty beyond the prorated month. Who specifically will manage my account day to day, and are they your employee? Should be a name, a LinkedIn profile, and a clear yes.
Contract terms to require
30 or 60-day mutual notice instead of 12-month lock-ins. Full ownership of all ad accounts, GBP, website, content, and creative assets. Disclosed pass-through pricing on ad spend with no markup. Defined deliverables and KPIs, not vague ongoing optimization language. Termination clause that returns access to all accounts within 5 business days.
A confident agency will agree to all five. Anyone pushing back on any of them is protecting themselves from accountability and you should walk.
Red flags that mean walk away
Vague answers to specific questions. Refusal to give you admin access to your own accounts. Hidden markup on ad spend. Twelve-month minimums for a new relationship. Heavy reliance on impressions and reach in case studies instead of leads and revenue. Stock photos passed off as client work in their portfolio.
Trust your gut. If something feels off in the sales process, it will feel worse two months in when you are trying to get straight answers about why results stalled.
Ready to talk?
We will send you the printable PDF version of this checklist. Use it on us, on whoever you are talking to now, and on anyone you evaluate in the future.
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