How to find the right B2B marketing agency partner

Whether you’re looking for a creative, digital, content, PR or an all-in-one agency, we’re giving you a simple guide to use during the complex agency selection process.

Selecting a new B2B agency partner can seem like a simple task. Some bring in an agency you’ve worked with before or ask for recommendations from trusted friends. Some create a tight internal RFP taskforce and/or enlist the support of procurement to lead the way. While all of these can be part of the process, this is likely not the answer for helping you select the right agency partner to support your current business needs. 

In reality, finding a new agency partner (and running an RFP) is an extremely complex and time intensive task that spans across multiple teams (often globally) and across many months. There are moving parts, competing priorities and different personalities. It requires thoughtful coordination, a clear understanding of goals, dedicated time and energy, buy-in across teams, and (often) help from a third-party Agency Search Consultancy. It can feel like an overwhelming and daunting task, on top of many other job responsibilities. 

Regardless if you’re running an agency review in-house or with external third-party help, here are the six steps for identifying the right marketing agency partner: 

  1. Key stakeholder alignment: Create a defined partnership and RFP scope across agency requirements, services, budget, global support needs, anything nuanced, etc. This step is often skipped, which causes many challenges in the short-term and long-term. Be thoughtful and thorough in defining the scope of your partnership. 
  2. Agency shortlist: Only include agencies in your RFP that fundamentally meet the requirements discovered above. Make sure to only include agencies in your RFP who are clear that your scope is their core expertise, rather than something they “can do”. 
  3. RFP questions: Ask the agencies direct questions to highlight their thinking about you, as it relates to the scope included in the RFP. Keep the list of questions tight and specific, reducing philosophies, generalizations and the opportunity for them to lean on AI for content. 
  4. Financial viability: Ensure that your budget is appropriate for the agency, by asking for pricing insights in addition to RFP questions. There are challenges with being the smallest or largest account at an agency. We recommend that your budget fall somewhere in the middle-range at an agency.
  5. Pitch team: Require that the agency include people who will actually work on your business in the pitch meetings. This helps to avoid the “agency bait and switch” and lays a strong foundation for chemistry, trust and confidence. Ask agencies to respond to a real-world pitch assignment, rather than presenting creds and case studies. 
  6. Final vetting: You’ve come so far in the process, there is no need to cut corners now. Final vetting is used for a more in-depth Agency Q&A (lead by the day-to-day team), Executive Overview meetings to get partnership support, deep expertise reviews, ways of working discussions, etc. This is recommended as a final step for ensuring that your team is selecting the right partner based on your unique needs. 

Of course, now that you’ve identified a partner, you’ll want to hit the ground running. Many rush contracts at this stage in the interest of going quickly rather than thoroughly. We urge against this. In fact, there is an option for both. In parallel with a business onboarding (audits, team onboarding, business emersion, product walk-throughs, brand overview, etc.), take the time to ensure that your SOW directly and clearly outlines the parameters for the partnership (what is and isn’t included). Eliminate any ambiguity or risk for assumptions. Be clear and use normal human language, as opposed to big legal language. 

Selecting a new agency partner is a complex process, with multiple stakeholders across multiple teams and often with misaligned priorities. Especially as marketing organizations are being asked to do more with less and to show the impact of your investments, making sure you get this partnership right matters more than ever. In today’s competitive landscape, the wrong agency fit can ultimately translate to lost revenue and stunted growth, putting your company at a significant disadvantage.

Be thorough, thoughtful and specific in identifying the right agency partner. You’ll be glad you did. And, you can always enlist the help of an Agency Search Consultancy, which will put you head and shoulders above most.

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