Your last agency promised the world and delivered disappointment. The one before that burned through your budget with nothing to show for it. Now you’re back to square one, trying to figure out how to pick an agency that won’t waste your time and money.
The problem isn’t that good agencies don’t exist. They do. But finding them requires knowing what questions to ask and what red flags to avoid. KEO Marketing recently surveyed 150 B2B companies about their agency experiences – the successful partnerships had five key traits that the failed ones lacked.
Here’s what you should actually look for when evaluating B2B marketing agencies.
They Ask About Your Revenue Goals First
Forget the agencies that want to talk about brand awareness and social media engagement in the first meeting. The good ones start with money.
They want to know:
- What’s your current revenue and where do you want it to be?
- How much does your average customer spend?
- What’s your customer acquisition cost right now?
- Which marketing channels have driven actual sales in the past?
If an agency doesn’t ask these questions upfront, they’re probably not focused on driving real business results.
The best agencies think like business partners, not creative vendors. They understand that marketing exists to generate revenue, not to win awards or impress people at conferences.
This focus on financial outcomes should continue throughout your relationship. Every campaign recommendation should connect back to revenue impact. Every report should show how marketing activities translate to business growth.
They Have Specific B2B Experience in Your Space
General marketing agencies often claim they can handle B2B work. They’re usually wrong.
B2B marketing is different from consumer marketing in fundamental ways:
- Longer sales cycles
- Multiple decision-makers
- Higher deal values
- Complex approval processes
- Relationship-based selling
You need an agency that understands these differences and has experience navigating them.
But here’s where it gets tricky. You don’t necessarily need an agency that only works in your exact industry. Sometimes that can actually hurt you because they might be too stuck in conventional thinking.
What you do need is an agency with deep B2B experience across similar business models. If you sell software to enterprises, look for agencies that have worked with other enterprise software companies. If you’re in manufacturing, find agencies with manufacturing experience.
The key is that they understand your type of sale, not just your industry.
They Show You Real Attribution Data
Any agency can show you website traffic reports and social media metrics. The question is: can they connect those metrics to actual revenue?
Great agencies have systems in place to track the complete customer journey. They know which marketing touchpoints influence deals and which ones are just vanity metrics.
Ask to see examples of their attribution reporting. They should be able to show you:
- Which campaigns generated specific closed deals
- How marketing influenced deal size and sales cycle length
- What percentage of leads actually convert to customers
- ROI calculations for different marketing channels
If they can’t show you this level of detail, they’re probably not measuring what matters most to your business.
Be especially wary of agencies that resist implementing proper tracking. They might claim it’s too complicated or expensive, but the truth is they don’t want to be held accountable for real results.
They Have a Clear Process for Onboarding
The best agencies don’t jump straight into campaigns. They have a structured approach to understanding your business first.
This onboarding process might include:
- Interviews with your sales team to understand the customer journey
- Analysis of your existing marketing performance
- Competitive research in your market
- Customer interviews to understand buying motivations
- Review of your sales materials and processes
This discovery phase can take 2-4 weeks, and good agencies won’t rush through it. They know that skipping this step leads to generic campaigns that don’t resonate with your specific audience.
Agencies that want to start running ads immediately are usually applying cookie-cutter approaches. They’re not taking time to understand what makes your business unique.
They Talk About Testing and Optimization
Marketing isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it activity. Especially in B2B, where small changes can have big impacts on results.
The right agency will have strong opinions about what might work, but they’ll also admit when they’re not sure. They’ll propose testing different approaches and measuring results.
Look for agencies that mention:
- A/B testing different messages and offers
- Trying multiple channels to see what works best
- Regular optimization based on performance data
- Willingness to kill campaigns that aren’t working
Avoid agencies that present their strategy as if it’s guaranteed to work. No one knows for sure what will resonate with your audience until you test it.
The best agencies are comfortable with uncertainty and have processes for finding what works through experimentation.
They Understand Your Sales Process
Your marketing agency should understand how your sales team actually closes deals. This sounds obvious, but most agencies never talk to sales people.
They should know:
- How leads get passed from marketing to sales
- What information sales needs to qualify prospects
- Common objections and how sales handles them
- What happens during the sales process
- Why deals are won or lost
This knowledge helps them create marketing campaigns that actually support sales efforts instead of creating more work for your sales team.
If an agency doesn’t want to talk to your sales people, that’s a red flag. Marketing and sales need to work together, especially in B2B where the handoff is so critical.
They’re Honest About What They Don’t Know
Perfect agencies don’t exist. Every agency has strengths and weaknesses.
The good ones are upfront about their limitations. They’ll tell you if they don’t have experience with certain tactics or if they think you need something outside their expertise.
This honesty extends to campaign performance too. They should be willing to admit when something isn’t working and pivot to a different approach.
Agencies that claim they can do everything perfectly are usually overselling their capabilities. You want partners who are confident but realistic about what they can deliver.
They Have Realistic Timelines
B2B marketing takes time. Anyone who promises quick results is probably lying or focusing on metrics that don’t matter.
Realistic agencies will tell you that good results take 3-6 months to develop. They understand that B2B buyers need time to research, evaluate options, and make decisions.
They’ll also explain that some tactics take longer than others. Content marketing and SEO need months to show impact. Paid advertising can generate activity faster but might not drive qualified leads immediately.
Be suspicious of agencies that promise dramatic results in the first month. They’re either inexperienced or planning to focus on vanity metrics that look good but don’t drive business growth.
They Ask About Your Budget Openly
Money conversations make people uncomfortable, but good agencies bring them up early.
They need to know your budget to recommend appropriate strategies. A $5,000 monthly budget requires different tactics than a $50,000 monthly budget.
Agencies that avoid budget conversations often propose strategies that are too expensive for your situation. Then you either have to scale back or spend more than you planned.
The best agencies will also give you options at different budget levels. They’ll explain what you can achieve with different investment amounts and help you make informed decisions.
They Focus on Your Success, Not Their Process
Some agencies are more interested in following their proven process than achieving your specific goals.
While having a process is good, the best agencies are flexible enough to adapt their approach based on your unique situation.
They should be willing to modify their standard procedures if your business requires something different. They should prioritize your results over their convenience.
This flexibility shows up in small ways too. They might adjust reporting formats to match what you need or change meeting schedules to work with your team’s availability.
Red Flags to Avoid
Watch out for agencies that:
- Guarantee specific results
- Won’t share case studies or references
- Require long-term contracts with no flexibility
- Focus mainly on creative work instead of strategy
- Can’t explain how they measure success
- Don’t ask detailed questions about your business
- Seem to have identical approaches for all clients
The right agency partnership can transform your marketing results. But choosing the wrong one will waste months of time and thousands of dollars.
Take time to evaluate your options carefully. Ask hard questions. Check references. Make sure you’re comfortable with their approach before committing.
Your marketing budget is too important to risk on the wrong partner.
Featured Image Source: https://pixabay.com/photos/meeting-business-architect-office-2284501
