Part Two in a Three Part Series
Last week, Tangelo Media offered advice on interviewing potential agency partners to gauge their capabilities, areas of expertise, and relevant experience. In Part Two, we explore how to determine the agency's working style and what you can expect in your daily interactions. Some of these less "obvious" questions can provide you and your team with valuable insights:
1. What is your agency's process for handling conflicts of interest?
An agency needs to have policies or a plan for managing potential conflicts that may arise if they work with competitors or companies in related industries.
2. How do they approach collaboration with in-house marketing teams?
Your partner must be able to work effectively with in-house teams, so you want to understand how they would collaborate to ensure a smooth working relationship and avoid any potential adverse interactions.
3. What level of transparency will they provide regarding campaign performance?
Clarifying expectations upfront can ensure you have access to the information you need to evaluate the effectiveness of the campaigns.
4. What is the average tenure of their client relationships?
The reason to ask this question is that an agency's average length of engagements can indicate its ability to build long-term partnerships and deliver consistent results.
5. How would they handle feedback and revisions during the creative process?
Understanding the agency's approach to incorporating revisions and managing the creative process can help you gauge their responsiveness, flexibility, and willingness to adapt to your preferences.
6. How do they stay organized and manage multiple client accounts simultaneously?
This helps you gain insight into the agency's project management skills and whether they have a structured process to ensure your projects receive the attention they deserve.
7. How do they stay updated on changes in the advertising industry, such as new methods for reaching a target audience?
Advertising is a fast-paced industry, and partners need to be adaptable and understand new opportunities while evaluating whether they fit their clients. You want an agency that keeps up with trends but doesn’t follow them blindly.
8. Can they provide examples of campaigns that did not go as planned and how they addressed the situation?
Learning about challenges and even failures can often tell you as much, if not more, than successes. It is vital to understand how they hold themselves accountable and use their problem-solving skills to change strategy if necessary.
9. Can they provide an example of a client they chose not to work with and why?
o Just like personal relationships, certain business partnerships are not a good fit. It's crucial to understand how an agency handles a situation when they think the partnership will be unsuccessful.
A potential partner’s answers to these questions will help you identify their "personality" and working style. It will also provide crucial insights into how they handle conflict or challenges when things don't go smoothly. Do they respond quickly? Are they accountable? Do they seem defensive? These are all essential criteria that will help you decide if an agency is the right fit for your organization.
Check back next week for Part Three of our Three Part Series!
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