You’ve decided you’re ready to hire an agency. Great, congrats! This will be exciting. Panic ensues. Did you know, according to IBIS World,  there are roughly 75,000 agencies in the US? Um, that’s, like, a lot of agencies.

How do you begin? Well, first, take a deep breath. Now, let’s dive in and begin.

Step 1: Take a look in the mirror

Ask yourself these 2 questions many times over: “Do we actually need an agency?” and “Are we ready to work with an agency?”

Many companies presume their needs require an agency and that’s just not the case. Many companies presume hiring an agency solves their problems as well. That is also just not the case. Take a look at your internal resources, goals, budget, needs, etc. and if you end up answering ‘YES’ then let’s move on to your readiness. Often times a company hires an agency and presume they can offload a ton of ‘stuff’ to them with minimal guidance and time commitment. Recipe for disaster. Agencies need client participation just as much, if not more, than clients need agency resources. If you/your team don’t have bandwidth to engage, provide guidance, toss around ideas, approve things in a timely manner, etc., you may not be ready — which isn’t a bad thing. Time and budget are potentially wasted if you’re not ready to be a partner to your agency.

Step 2: Whatcha Need, Whatcha Want

You MUST be able to clearly define your needs, wants, and expectations. If you can’t communicate what you need, how can an agency effectively show value?“Well Daniel, I’m paying an agency to tell me what I need!”

Eh, maybe…still gotta give them something, and the more you give, the more successful you’ll both be. Requirements docs, briefs, whiteboard sessions, etc.; will only make it easier for both sides to find a long term successful partnership.

Step 3: Dolla Dolla Bills, Ya’ll

Ah, the fun part. The age old song and dance of…

Agency: Have you given any thought to your budget?

Brand: We haven’t …why don’t you tell us what you think we need to spend?

Recipe for time wasting and a side of disaster. There are some scenarios where you, as a brand, may not understand exactly what something should cost. Completely valid. A website for example, can have such substantially different price tags, depending on who you talk to and the technical requirements. Come in with a ‘we are willing to spend’ budget. If you can’t spend more than $50k for an example, an agency partner can guide you, from the onset, on how best to maintain or come in under that budget.

Step 4: Expectations, Expectations, Expectations

Both sides MUST agree on expectations for this blossoming relationship. How do you as a potential client define success? What metrics are you working towards? Do you have benchmarks to measure against? One way we like to think about it is, in a year from now, what type of successes, if achieved, would make it impossible for the client to NOT renew their contract.

Put these expectations in writing and make sure both sides agree to them. What you don’t want to happen is a scenario where expectations are misaligned and you agree to work together regardless. For arguments sake, if a client defines success as a 10x return on their investment and the agency does some due diligence and is only confident they can provide a 3x return on the investment, well, then the agency either needs to bring the client back down to earth, or the client needs to find an agency comfortable with a 10x return.

Step 5: Warm and Fuzzies

Chemistry. Compatibility. Vibes vibes vibes. The work matters. Truly, it does. However, the experience matters too. Who do you hit it off with? Who speaks your language? Who can you see yourself trusting for the next 12 months? Who do you trust to pick up the phone, deliver bad news (almost always, there will at some point, be bad news to deliver) in a timely manner, pick up their phone, actually CARE about your brand?

Agencies and brands having a solid connection and foundation allows for GREAT to be produced. You don’t have to be in love, but you do need to at least, be in like with each other