How to Get the Best Work from Your Agency

Want to get better work from your agency? Try this: think of them as a partner. Yes, they are technically a vendor. But somehow putting them in the same category as Office Depot seems wrong.

Whichever way you choose to see your agency, try out these ideas for making the most of your relationship.

There’s a reason the appliance sales guy asks you what your budget is before he leads you to the refrigerator aisle. He doesn’t want to waste your time—or his. When you ask your agency for an estimate without giving them a place to start, you’re sending them on a wild refrigerator chase. Agencies are great at a lot of things but chasing refrigerators isn’t one of them. There are endless ways to approach your business challenges, but you probably don’t have an endless pile of cash to throw at them. Whether you have a million dollars or just few hundred, tell your agency what you’re trying to accomplish and how much you can spend. They’ll tell you the best way to get there. They know this stuff—it’s one of the reasons you hired them.

Okay, you don’t have to master it but knowing the problem you’re trying to solve and describing it in detail is extremely helpful—and not just for your agency. When you ask yourself (and answer) questions like “Who is my audience?”, “What do I want them to do?”, “What do I want to tell them?”, and “How will I measure success?”, before you talk to your agency, the whole process will move faster and smoother. If you’re not sure, that’s okay. Thinking about and writing down what you do know ahead of time will give your brain time to process and win bonus points with your agency.

Yes, your agency needs to grab their shovels and dig deep to understand your business and your industry—and they will. But you know your business better than anyone else. So, when they ask you questions that might not seem relevant (like, “tell us more about your culture”) answer them as if you’re a Gen Zer placing your order for a half-caf, double-shot, extra-foam, oat milk latte with a dash of cinnamon and a hint of existential dread. Seriously there’s no such thing as too much information. The more they understand the ins and outs of your business—good, bad, or otherwise—the more authentic and accurate their work will be.

This one’s a toughie. We all have opinions and leaving them on your front porch before heading to the office is impossible. But when assessing the creative work your agency presents, you should always separate what your audience will like or dislike from what you like or dislike. If you let your personal opinions affect the final product, you’re doing a disservice to your company (and your customers). Just because your ex used a sans serif font on their wedding invitation doesn’t mean it’s not the right choice for your website copy. Listen to your agency’s rationale behind the choices they made before you make yours.

Agencies are full of smart, experienced, been-there-done-that kind of people. They got into this line of work because thinking and strategizing on behalf of their clients gets them out of bed every day (coffee helps too). It’s okay (and encouraged) to bring your own ideas. But let them do their thing—they might surprise you with a perspective you love. You’re not obligated to follow through on their suggestions or take their advice, but you’ll probably want to. Your marketing rodeo won’t be their first.

Yes, we know this is the Midwest and passive aggressiveness rules. But when you’re paying an agency (or anyone else for that matter), you should be acting like an east coaster. We’re not suggesting being rude (and we’re not suggesting east coasters are rude). We’re just saying be honest and upfront about what you need. Don’t hold back or worry about offending anyone. The client-agency relationship is only as good everyone’s ability and willingness to say what’s on their mind.

If you don’t like something they created, try and articulate the reasons why, instead of saying “I’ll know what I like when I see it”.

Don’t “test” your agency by leaving them in the dark to see if they can read your mind—they can’t. They need your wisdom to do their best work.

There’s no way around it. Brilliant, thoughtful, kickass creative work takes time. It’s a process—there’s no magic button or formula. Not even AI. Your agency needs time to learn your business, to think, to explore different approaches, and to create work that will blow your audience’s socks off, and yours too. Rushing the creative process leaves everyone wondering if the work could have been better. Because guess what…it probably could have been.

Agencies rarely have the luxury of “padding” timelines because clients usually want their marketing projects done yesterday. So, when your agency sends you a schedule to sign off on, make sure all the decision makers can stick to it. Don’t be like that old laser printer jamming things up. Be like Taylor Hawkins, who never missed a beat (RIP TH). Many times, agencies rush to meet a deadline, only to have the work languish in a client’s inbox for days before opening it. Stuff happens—we get it. Just keep the lines of communications open.

When your agency sends you creative work to review, resist the urge to get an opinion from everyone with a C in their title, all the middle managers, your best front liners, the cleaning crew, and your mom, before telling them what you think—unless you want unremarkable, watered-down work. (Does anybody want that?) Most of these people don’t have the background, understanding, or context to fairly assess the work. Those of you who’ve been in the trenches with your agency from the start have your eyes on the goal, and that matters most.

If we had a dollar for every time a client stopped communicating with us in the middle of a project, we could buy at least one share of Google stock. Sure, things come up and the work gets pushed aside. Just keep your agency team updated on where things stand. Agency folks are like your dog. They want to please you, they’re loyal, and they work hard. When you disappear with no explanation (or pat on the head) they’re left wondering if you’re ever coming back.

This one may seem like a no-brainer, but there’s no denying that people who like and respect each other just plain work better together. True, your agency is your partner vendor (sigh) and you’re paying them to serve you. But agencies are made up of people with feelings and emotions and they appreciate kindness just like everyone else.

Here’s the thing…your agency really wants to help you reach your business goals. Yes, they are running a business of their own and they have their own goals. But they can’t do it without you. So why not do it as a team?