How to tell if your agency is working

Most agency reports look good. Charts go up and to the right. But a good-looking report and a growing business aren't the same thing. These five questions help you tell the difference.

1. Do their numbers match your numbers?

If the agency says ads drove 300 sales and your store shows 180 new customers, ask why. Platforms often take credit for sales that would have happened anyway.

2. Can they explain what they'd stop doing?

A good partner tells you what isn't working, even when it means less work for them. If every recommendation is more spend or more scope, be careful.

3. Do they know your customer?

Ask them to describe your best customer and why they buy. If the answer is vague, the work probably is too.

4. Are they testing, or repeating?

Look at the last three months. Did they try new ideas and learn something, or run the same thing with small changes?

5. Who owns the strategy?

Agencies are great at doing the work. If they're also deciding where all your money goes with nobody checking, you've handed them a job that isn't theirs.

If the answers worry you

Don't fire them yet. Set clear goals, agree on how results get measured, and give it one quarter. Many agency problems are really missing-direction problems. (See do you need a CMO, or a better plan?)

Want someone to look at your agency's plan or results? Get a free second opinion. I'll record a review with the questions I'd ask before you spend more.