Finding the right agency to work with takes more than reviewing some slick in-person presentations or marketing. You need to know whether the team can work well together, as well as whether or not they have enough staff to handle your business. You also need to understand how they treat their current clients: You don’t want to get stuck working with a group that’s poor at communications, or won’t help you generate ideas or refine approaches.
So as you prepare to find the right agency for you, what should you look for and what are warning signs? Members from Forbes Agency Council advise that you keep the following traits in mind.
1. Find Out If They Are Marketing Themselves, Or Farming It Out
Work with the agency that is actively spending their own money, with success, to market their own offers. Don't fall into the trap of being a victim of "those who couldn't do it for themselves, consult for others." Find marketing you love. Verify ownership marketing structure: Are they running their own marketing or are they subbing it out? Reach out and have them simply replicate for you their results. - Trevor Chapman, Trevor Chapman Companies
2. Avoid Being Locked In
Avoid firms that lock you in and want a ton of money upfront. We operate on a win-win based system because we are confident in our ability, and fully examine the clients before taking them on. If an agency wants a ton of money upfront or locks you in for months, it’s normally a red flag. The best agencies don’t need to, as the results speak for themselves. - Rudy Mawer Bellingham, ROI Machines
3. Seek Firms With The Ability To Reframe Objectives
This boldness and attentiveness means you have found a thinking partner, one who does not take every brief as scripture. Often, clients are trapped by their own frame of reference, and can benefit from different perspectives in order to elevate the work, starting with the brief and scope itself. Framing the “why,” and not just executing the “what,” is key. - Meggan Wood, Innate Motion
4. Pay Attention To Team Size
Smaller agencies often claim they can do everything that larger agencies can, but often because of the small team size, they may not do things as well. For example, the SEO person also handles the social media advertising — are they really good at both? - Cash Miller, Titan Web Marketing Solutions, Inc.
5. Talk With Current Clients
Too often, businesses select agencies based on a good sales presentation. I always prefer to speak with the sales engineer when evaluating SaaS, and the same can be said for evaluating agencies. Talk to their current clients. Ask specific questions about how the agency delivers results, what their processes are like and whether the agency makes the internal stakeholder's life easier. - Lacie Thompson, Streamline Marketing
6. Hire A Team That Works Well Together
It's all about the team. Business leaders focus on things like price, location or even experience with similar clients; these things matter. But what matters the most is team chemistry and fit: A team full of drama will not perform as well as a team where people like and respect each other. - Carlos Horn, Emphatic Thinking
