The account, page, tracking, offer, and reporting are already clean. The vendor is running a known plan.
Evaluator stage ยท before the retainer
Agency retainer vs audit first: diagnose before you commit.
Use the retainer when the problem is already known. Use the written diagnostic when the account, page, tracking, offer, or follow-up path is still unclear.
The verdict
Use the retainer for execution. Use the audit for truth.
A retainer is useful when the direction is already right and the work needs repetition. An audit is useful when the direction itself is still uncertain. Most bad retainers are not bad because monthly work is evil. They are bad because the monthly work starts before the actual constraint is known.
The reports sound polished, but nobody can name the constraint in one sentence.
The proposal sells activity, but the first 90-day correction is not explicit.
Decision rule
Choose the next move by the failure layer.
Use this comparison when: Agency, vendor, retainer, or outsourced marketing spend is not producing a clear return. The business may renew, fire, or switch vendors before the actual failure layer is known. If the cause is unclear, diagnose first instead of buying more motion.
| Decision state | Choose | Why | Next route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Failure layer known | The execution option. | The work can be scoped because the leak is already named. | See the service route |
| Proof standard unclear | Proof before commitment. | The buyer needs evidence of a similar pattern before another spend decision. | Review proof |
| Problem keeps moving | Diagnosis first. | A comparison cannot fix an unknown constraint. | Get the written diagnostic |
| Symptom matches a known leak | Read the problem page. | The problem page keeps the decision tied to the revenue leak. | Read the problem route |
Side by side
What each option actually buys.
| Axis | Agency retainer | Audit first |
|---|---|---|
| Best use | Recurring execution after the plan is known. | Independent read before the plan is bought. |
| Cost shape | Monthly fee, often multi-month or annual. | $999 written diagnostic starting point. |
| Main risk | Paying for motion around the wrong problem. | Finding out the retainer should be smaller, different, or delayed. |
| Output | Work, reporting, meetings, campaign changes. | Written decision document with the fix order. |
| When to choose | After diagnosis is settled. | Before signing, renewing, firing, rebuilding, or increasing spend. |
Pre-sign checklist
Seven things to know before the retainer starts.
- What is broken now?
- What will the retainer fix in the first 90 days?
- Who owns the accounts and tracking?
- Which conversion event is the account optimizing for?
- Does the landing page match the paid traffic?
- What will still be your problem after month three?
- What would make renewal obvious?
Connected cluster
Follow the path through the hubs.
Before you sign the retainer, buy the audit.
$999. Written diagnostic. No retainer required. Use the document to sign, renegotiate, pause, or fix the first layer before the monthly relationship starts.
Get the Conversion Second Opinion