If your agency meetings have started to feel like a recurring subscription you forgot to cancel, it’s time for a reality check. There is a massive difference between a partner who drives your growth and a passenger who just enjoys the ride (and the retainer). Before you commit to the soul-crushing paperwork of a full-blown pitch, you owe it to your budget – and your sanity – to ask these ten questions:
1. When was the last time you surprised and delighted us ?
And no, a box of lukewarm cupcakes with the agency logo on them doesn’t count. We mean a strategic pivot or a creative “aha!” moment that didn’t make you wince. If the last time you were delighted was during the pitch, you’re officially in a “ghosting” phase.
2. If we didn’t speak for a week, would we actually notice?
This is the ultimate test of your retainer. If the agency disappeared into a silent void for seven days and your business kept humming along perfectly, you aren’t paying for strategic partnership – you’re paying for a very expensive security blanket.
3. What’s the last really smart thing you shared with us?
Agencies should be your external brain, not just your extra hands. If the last “insight” they gave you was “video is big on TikTok right now,” you’re paying for a news feed, not a consultant. You want the kind of smarts that make you feel like you’ve just had a double espresso.
4. Who actually works here anymore?
Is the senior lead who sold you the dream still on the business, or have you been quietly handed off to a more junior team? If the turnover is higher than a pancake house, your brand soul is leaking out the door.
5. What’s the AI plan (besides “we’re looking into it“)?
If your agency doesn’t have a clear AI roadmap, they’re basically bringing a horse and carriage to a Formula 1 race. You need to know:
- Are they using it to save time (and are they charging you less for that time)?
- Do we have guardrails so our data doesn’t end up in a public bot’s stomach?
6. Are you caught up in Holding Company Hunger Games?
With all the mergers and synergy talk you need to know: Is your account lead focused on your ROI, or are they busy updating their org charts because their department was ‘consolidated’ into a different business unit.
7. Are you growing our business or just keeping the lights on?
Is the agency a thermostat (changing the environment) or a thermometer (just telling you it’s cold)? If they’re just executing the SOW like a robot, they aren’t a partner; they’re a utility bill.
8. Is there a turf war happening on my dime?
If your creative agency and your media agency are fighting over who owns the brand’s soul like divorced parents at a birthday party, you’re the one losing out. Performance should be the only goal, not who gets to claim the most line items in a budget.
9. Does our contract belong in a museum?
If your Scope of Work hasn’t changed since 2021, you’re likely paying for ‘print ad coordination’ while your competitors are winning the Metaverse (or at least the current version of it). A stale SOW is just a slow way to overpay.
10. Would I recommend you to a friend, or would that be a mean prank?
Be honest. If a peer asked for a recommendation, would you enthusiastically hand over the agency’s number, or would you change the subject and ask about the weather? Your gut usually knows the ROI before the spreadsheet does.
The Request for Transformation (RFT)
If these questions left you feeling a bit awkward, don’t panic.
You don’t have to fire everyone and start a grueling six-month pitch process. You can issue a Request for Transformation. It’s the marriage counseling of the marketing world – a chance to reset the rules, fix the fees, and get the A-team back in the room without the drama of a breakup.
Stephan Argent
Stephan Argent is Founder and Principal at Listenmore Inc, Canada’s leading confidential advisory consultancy that specializes in Agency Search Management. Read more like this on our blog Marketing Unscrewed / follow me @StephanArgent