What Questions Should I Ask Before Hiring a Marketing Agency?

The Complete Pre-Call Checklist — With What Good Answers Actually Sound Like

You've got a sales call with a marketing agency coming up. Maybe you scheduled it yourself. Maybe they reached out, and you're curious. Either way, you're now sitting across from — or on a video call with — people who are very good at talking about marketing, and you need to figure out whether they're actually good at doing it.

This is the asymmetry that makes hiring an agency so difficult. They have this conversation every day. You don't. They know every question you might ask, and they've prepared answers for all of them. That doesn't make them bad — it just means the standard questions aren't enough.

This guide gives you the questions that matter, organized by the thing they're actually designed to reveal, and — more importantly — tells you what a good answer sounds like versus what a rehearsed non-answer sounds like. By the time you're done reading, you'll be able to walk into any agency evaluation call with confidence and walk out knowing exactly what you learned.

Before the Call: Three Things to Know Going In

Before you ask a single question, there are three things you need to be clear on yourself. An agency can't give you a useful answer if you're not clear on what you need.

Know your primary goal. Is it generating more leads? More foot traffic? E-commerce revenue? Brand awareness for a fundraising campaign? The more specific you can be, the more you can evaluate whether the agency's proposed approach is genuinely tailored to your situation or just repackaged for your logo.

Know your rough budget range. You don't need to give them the exact number — but you should know it. Agencies price differently, structure differently, and serve different budget ranges well. Knowing your range helps you filter quickly and have a real conversation instead of dancing around the question.

Know what's not been working. If you've done any marketing before — in-house, with another agency, on your own — what didn't work? What did? That history is valuable context both for you and for a good agency, which will want to understand it before proposing anything.

With those three things clear, here are the questions to ask — organized by category.

Category 1: Experience and Fit

These questions are about whether the agency has genuinely done this before — for businesses like yours, with challenges like yours — or whether they're pattern-matching from a generic playbook and hoping it sticks.

"Can you share two or three case studies from businesses similar to ours — including the starting metrics, what you did, and the specific results?"

This is the most important question you'll ask in the entire call, and you should ask it before the agency gets too far into their pitch. The answer tells you: whether they have relevant experience, whether they track results rigorously, and whether they're willing to be specific.

Ask for case studies with client industry, starting metrics, ending metrics, attribution methodology, and any supporting data. If an agency cannot provide detailed case studies, they may be hiding something. UpGrowth

What a good answer sounds like: "We worked with a [similar business type] in [your market or adjacent market]. They came to us with [specific starting point — traffic, leads, revenue]. We implemented [specific approach]. After six months, they were seeing [specific measurable result]. Here's the actual report."

What a bad answer sounds like: Vague mentions of "significant growth," logos of impressive brands without any specifics, testimonials that praise the team but don't mention outcomes, or "we're not able to share client details" applied to every example.

Simply seeing a bunch of other company logos on the agency's website isn't enough. Look for case studies that provide background on why the agency was hired and what they contributed to. If you can't read about them in depth or learn about what they do for clients, that's a warning sign. Landscapeprofessionals

"Who will actually be working on our account day to day — and can I meet them before we sign?"

This is one of the most commonly skipped questions and one of the most revealing. The people presenting to you on the sales call are often not the people who will manage your account. Agencies frequently lead with senior strategists in the pitch and hand off to junior staff on day one.

The experienced partners wow you in the pitch, then hand off your account to junior staff or interns for execution — this is a real and common pattern. Ask to meet your actual account manager or strategist before you commit. 183 Degrees

What a good answer sounds like: They introduce you to your actual account lead, explain their background, and can describe exactly what that person's day-to-day involvement looks like on your account.

What a bad answer sounds like: "You'll be assigned an account manager after onboarding" or "our whole team will be working on your account" — which typically means there's no clear owner and accountability will be diffuse.

Follow-up worth asking: "What is the typical client load for an account manager at your agency?" An account manager juggling 20 clients cannot give any of them meaningful attention.

"What does your own marketing look like — and is it working?"

This sounds like a trick question. It's not. Asking agencies what their own marketing and sales strategy looks like is a vital question. If you're a marketing agency, you should be really good at marketing your own business. Landscapeprofessionals

An agency that can't clearly articulate how they get clients, grow their audience, rank for relevant searches, or run effective campaigns for themselves should give you pause. Their own business is their most direct proof of concept.

What a good answer sounds like: They can explain how their website drives leads, which channels they prioritize and why, what content they create, and how they've grown. Bonus: if they can show you metrics for their own channels.

What a bad answer sounds like: Pivoting to their clients' results without ever addressing their own, or vague answers about "word of mouth and referrals" without any ability to show their marketing in action.

Category 2: Strategy and Process

These questions reveal whether the agency thinks strategically about your specific situation — or whether they're delivering a template with your logo on it.

"Walk me through how you'd approach the first 90 days — specifically for our business, based on what you know so far."

A good agency won't be able to give you a perfect answer to this question in the first call, because they don't know enough about your business yet. And that's fine — as long as they tell you that. What you're listening for is how they think, not whether they have a complete plan.

Red flag: They jump straight into tactics without a clear process for discovery, positioning, and planning. Strategy should always start with identifying ideal clients, brand messaging, and the customer journey before any tactics begin. If a partner skips this, they're selling execution, not results. Duct Tape Marketing

What a good answer sounds like: "Honestly, there's a lot we'd need to learn before we could give you a real 90-day plan — but here's our process for the discovery phase, and here's what we're typically trying to understand before we build a strategy. Based on what you've told us, here's an initial hypothesis about where we'd focus." Then they ask you smart questions.

What a bad answer sounds like: A polished, confident 90-day plan delivered within 30 minutes of meeting you, with specific channel recommendations and projected results that couldn't possibly be grounded in real analysis of your situation.

"How do you define success for an engagement like ours — and what specific KPIs would you track?"

This is a deceptively important question because it separates agencies that think about your business outcomes from agencies that think about marketing metrics. These are not the same thing.

When you ask about ROI or business impact and you get vague answers about brand awareness and engagement without connecting to revenue — that's a red flag. Marketing exists to drive business results. If an agency can't articulate how their work connects to your sales and growth, they're not thinking strategically enough. 183 Degrees

Real metrics include cost per qualified lead, customer acquisition cost, return on ad spend, conversion rate by channel, and lead-to-customer close rate. Vanity metrics — impressions without conversion context, social followers without sales, website traffic without conversion rate — look impressive but don't connect to revenue. UpGrowth

What a good answer sounds like: "For a business like yours, we'd anchor on [specific metric tied to revenue]. We'd track [supporting metrics] to diagnose what's driving that. Here's what we'd expect those to look like at 30, 60, and 90 days based on similar engagements."

What a bad answer sounds like: "We'll improve your online presence and drive more traffic, and we'll report on engagement and impressions monthly." There's no revenue connection, no specific metric, and no accountability built in.

"Do you customize strategy for each client, or do you have a standard playbook you apply?"

Most agencies will say they customize. The follow-up — "Can you walk me through what that customization process looks like for a business like ours?" — is where you learn whether that's true.

High-value agencies don't rely on cookie-cutter solutions. They take the time to understand your business, your market, and your audience to build a marketing strategy that delivers meaningful results. Content Matterz

If an agency isn't asking detailed questions about your business before they present a strategy, they're not building a real strategy. They're just hoping their generic playbook happens to work for you. Top Growth Marketing

What a good answer sounds like: They describe a discovery process — questions they ask, audits they conduct, how they define your target audience and competitive landscape before recommending a channel mix or approach. And then they actually ask those questions during the call.

What a bad answer sounds like: "We have a proven process that works for businesses like yours" followed by a slide deck that could apply to any business in any industry.

"What happens when something isn't working? Can you give me an example of a campaign that underperformed and how you handled it?"

Every agency will tell you about their wins. This question gives you insight into their character, their accountability culture, and their actual competence — because how an agency handles failure reveals far more than how they talk about success.

What a good answer sounds like: "We had a client in [industry] where our initial paid strategy wasn't hitting the cost-per-lead targets we'd projected. By week six, we could see the issue was with audience targeting. Here's what we changed, and here's what happened to performance after that." Specific. Honest. Shows they track things closely enough to catch problems early.

What a bad answer sounds like: "We always deliver results for our clients" — which tells you they either don't track things closely enough to catch underperformance, or they won't be honest with you when it happens.

Category 3: Transparency and Reporting

These questions are about whether you'll actually know what's happening with your money, and whether you'll be able to make sense of what you're told.

"Can I see a sample report from a current client — or a redacted version showing the format and metrics you track?"

Ask for a sample report during the sales process. Without seeing what reporting looks like in practice, you're taking their word for it that you'll get what you need. Funklevis

A well-structured report should show: performance against the KPIs you agreed on, clear trend data over time (not just a snapshot), what's working and why, what isn't working and what they're doing about it, and a clear next step or recommendation. It should be readable by someone without a marketing degree.

What a good answer sounds like: They share a real (or lightly redacted) report and walk you through how to read it. It connects marketing activity to business outcomes.

What a bad answer sounds like: "We customize reports based on client needs" without showing you anything, or a report that's full of platform-native screenshots with no plain-language interpretation.

"Will I have direct access to my own ad accounts, Google Analytics, and any other platforms you manage on my behalf?"

This is non-negotiable, and a confident agency will agree without hesitation. You should have admin access to every platform. The agency is an authorized user — not the account owner.

One of the biggest marketing agency red flags is unclear cancellation policies or hidden offboarding fees. A confident, experienced marketing partner will make it easy to part ways and won't hold your business hostage. Duct Tape Marketing

What a good answer sounds like: "Yes — all accounts are in your name, and we operate as authorized users. If you ever want to leave, everything transfers to you immediately."

What a bad answer sounds like: Any hesitation, any "we set up our own accounts for efficiency," or "we'll give you access once we've onboarded you" with no further specifics.

"How do you use AI in your work — and how do you make sure quality and accuracy are maintained?"

In 2025, virtually all digital marketing agencies integrate AI tools into their content creation and optimization processes. AI assists with tasks like generating drafts, analyzing data, and identifying trends. However, it's crucial that agencies maintain human oversight to ensure content aligns with a brand's voice, remains unique, and meets Google's evolving quality standards. Direct Online Marketing

This isn't about whether they use AI — most do and should. It's about whether they have a thoughtful process around it, or whether they're using it to cut corners.

Red flag: either extreme — "We use no AI" or "Everything is automated." A balanced partner blends automation with human insight for smarter execution. Duct Tape Marketing

What a good answer sounds like: "We use AI tools for [specific tasks — research, first drafts, data analysis]. Every piece of content that goes to a client is reviewed and edited by a human strategist before it's published. Here's how we maintain our quality standard."

What a bad answer sounds like: "We use cutting-edge AI technology to maximize efficiency" without any specifics about what that means in practice or how quality is maintained.

Category 4: Contract and Commercial Terms

These questions are about protecting yourself. A great agency will answer all of them without defensiveness.

"What's the minimum contract length, and what happens if we want to leave early?"

The best agencies operate on a simple principle: deliver results, keep the client. Fail to deliver, part ways professionally. If an agency is demanding a rigid 9 or 12-month lock-in with no performance-based exit clauses, they're more worried about their cash flow than your success. Top Growth Marketing

What a good answer sounds like: "Our initial term is [3–6 months] to give strategies enough time to show results. After that, we move to a monthly agreement. If you want to leave within the initial term, the process is [specific and fair]. We've never had a client want to leave who was seeing results."

What a bad answer sounds like: "We require a 12-month commitment because marketing takes time." Marketing does take time — but that's not justification for a year-long lock-in with no performance benchmarks and no exit options.

"Are there any fees beyond the monthly retainer I should know about?"

Some agencies mark up media buys, charge commissions on third-party services, or have vague handling fees buried in contracts. These hidden costs can add 15 to 30 percent to your actual expenses without any added value. 183 Degrees

Ask specifically about: ad spend — does it go directly to the platform or through the agency? Tool or software fees — are any passed through to you? Creative fees — is all creative included or billed separately? Reporting — is there a charge for dashboards or custom reports?

What a good answer sounds like: A complete, specific breakdown of every way you'd be billed. No hesitation. If they mark up ad spend, they should say so clearly and be able to justify it.

What a bad answer sounds like: "There may be some additional costs depending on what we scope," without being willing to enumerate what those might be.

"Who owns the creative assets, content, and data produced during our engagement?"

Everything produced for your business during the engagement should belong to you. The creative assets, the copy, the content, the campaign data, the website — all of it. This should be stated explicitly in the contract.

What a good answer sounds like: "Everything we produce for you is yours from day one. When the engagement ends, you have all assets, all data, and all account access transferred to you immediately with no additional fees."

What a bad answer sounds like: Any version of "the work is yours but we retain rights to the underlying creative frameworks" or "we'd need to discuss the handoff terms if you ever decided to leave."

Category 5: The Relationship

These questions are about whether working with this agency will actually be a good experience — and whether they'll tell you the truth when you need to hear it.

"How often will we meet, and who will be in those meetings?"

Communication cadence is one of the most common sources of frustration in agency relationships. Set expectations before you sign.

Without a clear communication plan and consistent updates, it's impossible to know if your marketing investment is actually working. Ask specifically: What is the standard process for client communication, including meeting frequency and the type of information shared in those meetings? Funklevis

What a good answer sounds like: "You'll have a weekly check-in with your account lead, a monthly performance review where we walk through the full report together, and a quarterly strategy session where we revisit goals and adjust the plan. Here's what each of those meetings covers."

What a bad answer sounds like: "We'll set up a meeting cadence after onboarding" or "We'll be in touch regularly" without any specifics.

"What do you need from us to be successful — and what slows you down most with clients?"

This is a question most people forget to ask, and the answer is genuinely important. Agency relationships are partnerships. An excellent marketing agency will tell you they'll need your feedback — to know they've correctly identified your target buyers, that the content they write is right for you, and more. Your involvement is essential to the success of your newly implemented marketing strategy. Evenbound

What a good answer sounds like: "We need timely feedback on creative — ideally within 48 hours. We need access to your team when we have questions about your product or customers. The thing that slows us down most is clients who go silent during approval rounds — it delays campaigns and hurts results."

What a bad answer sounds like: "We don't need much from you — we'll handle everything." This sounds appealing but is almost never true, and it signals the agency isn't planning to customize much to your situation.

"What would you tell us if we walked in with a marketing strategy you thought was wrong?"

You want an agency that will push back. You don't want a vendor that takes your order and executes it regardless of whether it's the right strategy for your business.

There are a lot of agencies that just take orders: 'What do you want to do? What do you want to put out?' They just really aren't challenging the client. The right agency should be willing to tell you when your baby is ugly — respectfully — and challenge you to think about doing things differently. Landscapeprofessionals

What a good answer sounds like: "We'd tell you, with data to back it up. We've had clients come to us with a channel they were committed to, and when the data showed a different channel would be more effective, we said so. Sometimes they agreed, sometimes they didn't — but we always give our honest read."

What a bad answer sounds like: "We work with whatever strategy the client wants" or a vague statement about "partnership" that doesn't address the actual question.

The Questions to Ask References

If you get to the reference stage — and you should always get to the reference stage — don't let the agency choose which clients you speak to without also being able to contact any client from the past two years.

When you speak with references, here are the questions that get you real information rather than a rehearsed endorsement:

"What was the hardest conversation you had with this agency — and how did they handle it?" This surfaces how the agency behaves under pressure, not just when things are going well.

"Was the actual work executed by the same people who sold you?" This reveals the pitch-vs.-delivery gap that is common in agencies.

"Was the final cost consistent with what you were initially quoted, or were there unexpected fees?" This tells you about pricing transparency in practice, not just in the pitch.

"If you were starting over, would you hire them again — and is there anything you'd do differently in how you structured the engagement?"

"What's one thing they do really well and one thing they could do better?" A reference who can only say positive things isn't giving you a useful picture.

References reveal problems the agency never mentions. Pay attention to hesitation or vague answers — these are often more informative than the answers themselves. UpGrowth

The Red Flags to Catch in Real Time

Beyond specific questions, here are the things to notice during the call itself — patterns that tell you something is off regardless of what's being said.

They haven't asked you a single question about your business. A good agency is in discovery mode in the first call. They want to understand your situation before they say anything definitive. If an agency is 45 minutes into a pitch and still hasn't asked you about your customers, your competitors, or what you've tried before, they're selling a product — not proposing a partnership.

They guarantee specific results. Any agency that immediately answers "yes" to whether they can guarantee specific rankings or lead volumes is one you might want to step away from. No matter how good a digital marketing agency is, only Google understands how Google's algorithm works. Evenbound Honest agencies provide realistic ranges based on industry benchmarks and past performance, not guaranteed percentages. UpGrowth

They create urgency to sign. Common high-pressure tactics include: "This pricing expires tonight." "We only take three new clients per quarter." "Your competitors are already working with us." These are designed to bypass your due diligence, not reflect actual scarcity. UpGrowth A great agency will still be there after you've taken a week to review the contract and speak with references.

They lead with awards and not outcomes. Agency awards are fine — but they're an indicator of industry recognition, not necessarily of results for your business. When an agency spends more time on their trophy wall than on your specific situation, that's a tell.

They can't explain their strategy in plain language. Good agencies translate complex data into clear insights. Bad agencies hide behind jargon and confusing dashboards. If you're constantly asking "what does this mean?" during the sales call, you'll ask the same question every month when you get your reports. Top Growth Marketing

The Green Flags to Look For

Good agency calls feel different. Here's what that looks like in practice.

They ask more questions than they answer in the first half hour. They're genuinely trying to understand your situation before proposing anything.

They're willing to tell you what they don't do well. An agency that says "we're excellent at SEO and content but we're not the right partner for complex e-commerce paid campaigns" is being honest in a way that builds trust.

They push back on something you said. Not aggressively — but if you walked in with an assumption and the agency politely challenged it with data or reasoning, that's a sign they'll do the same when it matters later.

They're specific about timelines and realistic about what those timelines mean. "You should expect to see early lead data from paid campaigns in weeks four to six, meaningful SEO traction by month five to six" is useful. "It takes time but we'll get you there" is not.

They have a clear onboarding process they can walk you through before you've signed anything. They've done this enough times to have a framework, and they're transparent enough to share it.

They don't pressure you to sign during the call. A reputable agency will encourage due diligence. It will welcome questions, clarify expectations and give you time to evaluate whether the partnership is the right fit. Thrive Agency

The One Question That Cuts Through Everything

If you only had time for one question — and the call was ending faster than you expected — this is the one:

"If we hire you and things aren't working six months from now, what would you expect the cause to be, and what would you do about it?"

This question is powerful because it forces honesty about limitations, reveals how they handle accountability, and shows you whether they think of this as a real business partnership or a service contract.

An agency that answers this question well — specifically, honestly, without defensiveness — is an agency worth trusting with your marketing budget.

Where Ritner Digital Stands on These Questions

We'd rather you ask us all of these questions than skip half of them because you liked the pitch.

Here's how we answer the hardest ones:

We'll tell you when something isn't working before you notice it. We track things closely enough to catch problems early, and we'd rather have an uncomfortable conversation in week four than an uncomfortable conversation in month six.

We don't lock you in on pure faith. Our initial terms are reasonable, our contracts are readable, and everything we produce for you is yours.

We'll tell you if we're not the right fit. If what you need is a channel we're not exceptional at, we'll say so. We'd rather lose a sales call than take on a client we can't serve well.

And we'll ask you more questions in the first call than you ask us — because understanding your situation is the only way we know how to do this right.

If you're preparing for agency conversations, we hope this guide made you better prepared — whether the agency you're evaluating is us or someone else.

If you'd like to put these questions to us directly, let's set up a call. No pressure. We'll be ready for all of them.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many agencies should I talk to before making a decision?

Three is usually the right number. One is too few — you have no basis for comparison. Five or more creates decision fatigue and makes evaluation inconsistent because your thinking evolves during the process. With three agencies, you can compare meaningfully across the same set of questions, identify outliers in either direction, and make a confident decision without exhausting yourself. If one agency stands out strongly after three conversations, trust that signal.

Is it okay to ask an agency to do a small paid project before committing to a retainer?

Yes — and the agency's response to this request tells you a lot. A confident agency that believes in their work will often be open to a scoped pilot project, a paid audit, or a short initial term before locking in a longer engagement. An agency that insists on a long-term commitment before demonstrating any value is prioritizing their revenue security over your confidence. That said, be realistic: complex, multi-channel marketing programs need time to show results. A one-month pilot won't tell you much about SEO performance, for example. Frame the pilot around a channel or deliverable where you can reasonably evaluate quality in a short period.

What if the agency I like most doesn't have experience in my exact industry?

Industry experience matters less than you might think — and matters more than the agency will admit. What you actually need is for the agency to understand your customers' behavior, your buying cycle, and the competitive dynamics of your market. That knowledge can come from industry experience, or it can come from a rigorous discovery process. Ask them: "How do you get up to speed on an industry you haven't worked in before? What does that look like?" A great answer involves customer interviews, competitive research, and a willingness to defer to you as the subject matter expert. A bad answer is confidence that their general expertise will transfer automatically.

Should the agency's proposal match what they discussed on the call?

Yes — and discrepancies between the sales conversation and the formal proposal are worth raising directly. If an agency talked about a customized strategy on the call and sent you a templated proposal with your logo on it, that gap is revealing. If they mentioned specific deliverables on the call that didn't make it into the proposal, ask about it. The proposal is the document that becomes the basis for your contract. Anything that matters to you should be in it.

Is it a bad sign if an agency doesn't know my industry at all?

Not necessarily a disqualifier — but it should raise your expectations for their discovery process. If an agency doesn't know your industry and also doesn't ask you substantive questions about it, that's when it becomes a problem. The best agencies are curious and disciplined about learning what they don't know. They ask about your customers, your competitive landscape, your sales cycle, your margins, and your definition of an ideal lead. If you're the expert in your industry and they're the experts in marketing, and you both bring that to the relationship, the knowledge gap closes quickly.