Framework
Most agency evaluations happen on the wrong criteria. Proposal quality, case study presentation, and pricing structure are the wrong signals. The right signals reveal how the agency actually operates when the contract is live and the results are disappointing.
Quick answer
Evaluating a marketing agency requires eight specific questions about account ownership, reporting methodology, staffing structure, subcontracting policy, onboarding process, attribution approach, exit terms, and references. Most agencies fail at least two of these. Stan Consulting's $999 Conversion Second Opinion provides an independent diagnostic that confirms whether the work a prior or current agency produced is structurally sound.
The framework
01
Account Ownership
Who owns the ad account when our relationship ends?
An agency that retains account ownership after contract end is using your performance history as a retention mechanism. You should own every account the agency operates on your behalf from day one.
02
Who Runs The Account Daily
Who specifically will be in my account every day and what is their experience level?
Senior people pitch. Junior people manage. The answer to this question reveals the agency's actual operating model, not its proposal model.
03
Reporting Methodology
Show me a sample report from a current client in my category.
What metrics appear in the report reveals what the agency optimizes for. If cost per acquisition against margin is not in the report, it is not the priority.
04
Subcontracting Policy
Do you subcontract any account management work and if so to whom?
Many agencies win business at a senior level and deliver through offshore or junior operators. This is rarely disclosed in proposals. The answer confirms who actually does the work.
05
Onboarding Process
Walk me through exactly what happens in the first 90 days.
The first 90 days determine the quality of data the algorithm learns from. An agency without a structured onboarding process is learning on your budget without a plan.
06
Attribution Approach
How do you measure true revenue return from our campaigns separate from platform-reported ROAS?
Platform ROAS is not actual revenue return. An agency that cannot explain how they reconcile platform data with actual revenue is optimizing for a metric that flatters the report.
07
Exit Terms
What is the notice period to end the relationship and what happens to our accounts and assets?
A 90-day notice period with agency-held account access is a contract written for the agency's benefit. Reasonable terms are 30 days notice with immediate account access transfer.
08
Category References
Can you provide a reference from a client in my specific business category or revenue range?
Generic references confirm that the agency can retain clients. Category-specific references confirm that they can produce results in your specific commercial context.
Signal vs signal
Green Flags
Red Flags
Diagnostic first
Most businesses asking this question have a specific commercial problem they are trying to solve. The framework above matters less than an accurate diagnosis of what the problem actually is and what structure of help will solve it most efficiently.
The Conversion Second Opinion provides an independent structural review of work a current or prior agency has produced, separate from the evaluation of a new agency candidate. The diagnostic surfaces structural problems that agency reports rarely disclose.
If the evaluation is of an existing agency rather than a new one, see when to fire your marketing agency for the framework to decide whether the relationship should be ended or repaired.
The proposal tells you what the agency wants you to think. The eight questions tell you how the agency actually operates.
Where Stan Consulting fits
Stan Consulting's $999 Conversion Second Opinion provides an independent structural review of work a current or prior agency has produced. The diagnostic confirms whether the campaign architecture, conversion tracking, and attribution methodology are sound regardless of what the agency's reports show.
For businesses considering switching agencies, the diagnostic provides an independent view of what the incoming agency is inheriting before any transition decision is made.
For businesses that have evaluated agencies and concluded that ongoing management is the need, Stan Consulting provides Google Ads, Meta Ads, and Shopify PMax management as direct engagements with full account ownership from day one.
Not sure what you need
The $999 Conversion Second Opinion diagnoses the structural problem before recommending any engagement type.
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The $5,000 Revenue Sprint or a consulting retainer from $1,500 per month. Scope determined by diagnostic findings.
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See all services →Common questions
What is the most important question to ask a marketing agency before signing?
Account ownership. Every other question matters, but the account ownership question determines what you own when the relationship ends. An agency that retains account ownership after contract end has built a structural lock-in that costs you your performance history when you try to leave. All eight questions matter, but account ownership is the first filter.
How do I verify who will actually manage my account day to day?
Ask to speak with the named account manager during the evaluation, before signing. An agency that cannot make the named manager available for a single conversation is signaling that the name on the proposal is not the person on the account. Specific experience questions, specific past work questions, and a direct conversation confirm the answer that proposal language does not.
What should a marketing agency report include?
Cost per acquired customer against margin. Revenue contribution reconciled with actual business revenue, not platform-reported ROAS. Structural changes made in the reporting period and why. Campaign architecture details that show what the agency is optimizing for. Reports that show only impressions, clicks, CTR, and engagement rate are optimizing for activity metrics, not commercial outcome.
How long should a marketing agency contract be?
The minimum commitment should be 90 days to produce meaningful data. The notice period to end the relationship after that window should be 30 days with immediate account access transfer. Contracts longer than six months with 90-day notice periods are written for the agency's benefit, not the client's. Negotiate exit terms before signing.
What do I do if my agency will not answer these questions directly?
Treat non-answers as red flags. An agency unwilling to disclose account ownership, staffing structure, or subcontracting policy is signaling how they operate when the contract is live. The time to resolve that signal is before signing. An independent diagnostic of the work the current agency has produced confirms whether the structural concerns you have are accurate before any change is made.
Start with the diagnostic
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