Free Tool · Digital & Commerce

Performance Marketing Agency Evaluation Kit

Twelve questions that separate agencies that report ROAS from those that build profit.

Twelve questions that separate agencies that report ROAS from those that build profit. Run the same script with two or three agencies, score answers 0–2 against the 'look for' notes, and attach the 30/60/90 scorecard to the contract.

For: CMO / Founder·Free — no sign-up for results·Related service: Performance Marketing & Paid Media

Twelve questions that separate agencies that report ROAS from those that build profit. Interview two or three agencies with the same script; score each answer 0–2 against the 'look for' notes.

1. Show us contribution-level reporting from a current client — not ROAS screenshots.
Look for: P&L-level fluency; asks about your margins before promising multiples.
2. Which client fired you, and why?
Look for: A real story with a real lesson. 'We've never lost a client' is a red flag.
3. What would you NOT spend our money on?
Look for: Channel restraint. Agencies paid on spend have opinions worth testing.
4. How do you separate your effect from seasonality and our own promotions?
Look for: Holdouts, geo-splits, matched baselines — or at least honest uncertainty.
5. Who exactly works on our account, and how many accounts do they carry?
Look for: Names and a number. The pitch team is rarely the delivery team.
6. What happens in weeks 1–4, before 'the algorithm learns'?
Look for: Structure, tracking, creative testing plan — not vague ramp-up talk.
7. How is creative produced, tested and killed?
Look for: A cadence with kill criteria, not 'our designers are great'.
8. What do you need from us weekly to do your best work?
Look for: Specific asks: margins, stock, promo calendar, fast approvals.
9. Show a test you ran that failed and what changed after.
Look for: Failure literacy — the defining trait of honest performance teams.
10. How do you charge, and what would make you recommend we spend less?
Look for: Incentive awareness; a credible answer to the spend-less question.
11. What access do we keep — ad accounts, pixels, data?
Look for: 'Your accounts, your data, full admin' — anything else is a hostage clause.
12. What will you tell us at month 3 if results are flat?
Look for: A diagnosis framework, not a promise. Guarantees are marketing, not planning.
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How it works

Questions probe the things pitches hide: contribution fluency, client losses, channel restraint, measurement honesty, who actually staffs your account, and what happens when results are flat.

Score 0–2 per answer. 18+ is strong; 12–17 is workable with contractual gap-closing; under 12, keep interviewing.

The 30/60/90 attaches to the contract: verified tracking by day 30, a winning creative by day 60, contribution-positive at scale by day 90.

Worked example

Two agencies pitch the same 4× ROAS slide. The kit separates them: one answers 'which client fired you' with a real story and asks for margin data before promising anything; the other guarantees results and deflects the account-access question. The choice makes itself.

Illustrative figures, not a client outcome.

Questions, answered

Should agencies have access to our ad accounts?

Your accounts, your data, your admin access — always. An agency that wants to run spend in accounts you can't see is asking you to rent your own history.

What if we score our current agency and it's under 12?

Run the 30/60/90 as a reset conversation first. If the response to clear expectations is defensive rather than specific, you have your answer.

Version 1.0 · Reviewed 2026-10 · Methodology is fixed and version-controlled; results depend on your inputs.

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Choosing — or auditing — a performance agency? Interview with an edge.

BLEZZINGS runs this analysis inside a focused engagement — with your data, your market and a plan to act on it.