Many of our team have worked as client-side marketers, so we’ve had our fair share of agency experiences - both good and bad. When it does go bad, your agency can make your life a misery. So, we wanted to call out the tell-tale signs that will often lead to a client-agency relationship going south.
We get it. You could see this blog as blatant agency-bashing to position ourselves as a better alternative. So, if you’re already sceptical of our motives with this one, at least give us a minute to explain.
If you’ve ever had a bad agency experience, you might appreciate our need for sharing this. It’s a bit of payback from our client-side days, when we sat in your shoes. It’s that article we wanted to write, when we were raging about our agencies.
We’re not going to pretend it’s a grand attempt at trying to change the agency world, because it won’t. But we did find the process very cathartic. Get a group of marketers together and it’s amazing how many have suffered the same shit.
But the main reason for this blog is to say to anyone putting up with any of this crap, that you really don’t have to. You can nip these things in the bud early or even get your agency out before they do any real damage. There are many good alternative options out there. And then there are others who give everyone else a bad name.
Here's the 7 signs…
Being honest, we had to cut this list right down to a top 7. It was tough. But what follows are the most common signs that you’re heading for a bust-up with your agency. Don’t leave before you’ve added up your score at the end, because we'll also suggest one of three routes to take.
ONE - Being called ‘an account’ and the Account Manager role:
When an agency referred to us as an account, I’d think ‘I’m not your account, I’m your fucking client’. An account is something you withdraw money from, which sums up what some agencies think their clients are for. This is the kind of transactional attitude to clients that is regularly displayed by some agencies.
Unsurprisingly, ‘Account Managers’ (AMs) are generally sales people who are measured and incentivised to grow revenues generated by their accounts. Some AMs have very little actual marketing experience, so they are trained to spot opportunities and then bring in the relevant specialists. This means you're having redundant conversations with your AM and then you have to wait for said specialists to be available. It’s a huge waste of your time.
As a client you often think you are just being sold to by your AM. And there’s nothing more annoying. There’s a big difference between a specialist or fellow marketer sharing ideas that could genuinely help you - as opposed to being put in an awkward position by a clueless AM, who’s overtly pushing services when there’s clearly no need.
In our experience, AMs can sometimes be inflexible and obstructive too, while offering no real value in the relationship beyond facilitating meetings and taking orders.
Go on, say ‘Account’ once more. FFS.
Score: 5
When an agency referred to us as an account, I’d think ‘I’m not your account, I’m your fucking client’.
TWO - Over-promising, but under-delivering:
‘You’re going to get so many leads from this ad campaign, you literally won’t know what to do with them.’ This was a statement made by another agency during a client project we were involved with. How many leads did they get? Sweet FA.
It’s easy to promise the earth to win your business. And it’s not just generating leads. It’s committing to meet unrealistic deadlines. Agreeing to work to a budget, then dropping the bombshell of hidden costs half-way through a project. It all demonstrates a lack of expertise and industry experience; an inability to scope projects accurately; poor project management discipline and a failure to discuss issues openly and honestly.
This is without doubt the fastest way to kill a client-agency relationship. Unfortunately, this is also very common and the main reason why clients are rightly cautious when hiring a new agency. You should always do your due diligence thoroughly.
Score: 10
THREE - An overemphasis on ‘blitz’ campaigns and vanity metrics:
Many agencies have built their business models on running expensive, ‘guns-a-blazing’ short-term campaigns, rather than more predictable, longer-term programmes. The campaigns are also promotional in nature, rather than educational. They focus on trying to push buyers to the bottom of the funnel quickly.
This may work in some industries, but in B2B tech the buying process is long and complex, involving multiple stakeholders. Campaigns that end after a few months fail to engage the vast majority of targets who aren't in market during the campaign window.
As such, one-off campaigns won’t deliver business outcomes in the short-term, which leads agencies to resort to the facade of vanity metrics to cover-up their flawed approach.
This could put you in the unenviable position where you’ve dedicated a shitload of your budget to a short-term campaign that’s going to yield very low ROI. You’re left holding a bag of turd, while the agency takes your money and runs.
Score: 10
FOUR - Scope inflexibility:
Flexibility is key in any successful partnership, yet some agencies seem unwilling – or unable – to adapt to the changing needs of their clients. Once the ink has dried on the contract, they refuse to deviate from the predetermined scope of work, even if it's clear that adjustments are necessary for you to succeed.
Of course, there has to be a reasonable limit to how much scope can be changed. As clients, admittedly we would sometimes try to push that limit a little too far. But if scope needs to flex there has to be a willingness on both sides to reach a fair compromise. Expectations should also be set from the outset and where possible contingencies built in.
If your agency is a stickler for scope, at some point you are going to butt heads.
Score: 10
FIVE - Unresponsive agencies who operate in slow motion:
Client: This project is a top priority for us, so when can we get started?
Agency: We want Dave to lead this project. OMG, Dave is the shit. He really is the best in his field. You’ll friggin’ love Dave.
Client: Amazing. So when is Dave available?
Agency: ‘Dave’ (laughs) is heavily in demand. But the good news is, he is available in 6 months, so we’ll look to schedule the project to start then. Aww - You’re welcome!
Must have had a conversation like this over a hundred times. No sense of urgency or appreciation for the weight of expectation and pressure on you to move things forwards. If this is happening, you're either a low priority client or your agency is trapped in a quagmire of inefficiency.
We probably shouldn’t get started on responsiveness. It’s the lifeblood of any successful partnership, yet some agencies still move at a snail’s pace. Emails go unanswered for days, you have to chase to get a reply. Then all you get is, ‘Your question is being reviewed by the team.’
Again, this gives you the sinking feeling that you aren’t important, while also revealing an underlying, ‘We’ll get back to you when we’re ready’ sense of arrogance.
Score: 10
SIX - The ‘Chameleon Agency’:
The world moves fast and every organisation has to adapt to the changing needs of its buyers. Business models, value propositions, products and services - all must continually evolve.
But there’s natural business evolution, and then there’s superficial agency reinvention. We call them ‘Chameleon Agencies’. We’ve witnessed some literally transform overnight to latch-on to the latest marketing fad. One minute they’re a website design agency, the next an SEO specialist, then a content agency, then inbound…then they make a leap to ABM or even strategy.
Today, the Chameleon Agency is obviously ‘driven by AI’. It’s shameful bandwagonism of the highest order.
There’s not a chance they can become experts in these fields as quickly as they reposition their websites. Not only does it mean they will inevitably screw up your projects, we just think it’s kind of sad.
Score: 5
SEVEN - Glad hands, massive egos & bullshit:
As a client, I once sat in a room with a PR agency director who introduced himself as an ‘award-winning journalist-turned successful entrepreneur.’ And that was without even flinching. In his world, this was totally normal. In my world, it hit me right in the cringe.
It’s like some agencies are full of people from another planet. There’s an obsession with being big-headed, over-the-top and quirky. This is most likely encouraged in the agency to imply a level of talent and creativity that’s beyond us mere mortals. Then you have the bullshit bingo vernacular some agencies use to sound clever - ‘The team is in ideation, then we’ll synergise before we move into omnichannel activation.’ Sorry, what?
This is a more subjective view, which may polarise. Undoubtedly there will be clients who love this agency nonsense. Maybe it’s a British thing, but for me this kind of pretentious behaviour is like nails on a chalkboard.
Score: 5
In summary
Nobody wants to fall out of love with their agency. And as your score might indicate, that might not be the way it plays out. But as a helpful guide (when you've added up your scores), here's our views on what you might want to do about your current situation.
Score 0-10: 'Ave a word
Even though you've got a few gripes, the relationship is probably salvageable. But it's important to flag these issues early and see how things change, before taking any more drastic action.
Score 11-25: 'Ave it out
Things are potentially getting bad and the relationship is on a downward spiral. It's time to take the gloves off and kick some agency ass. You need a thorough drains-up review and then an agreed action plan to see if things can be resolved.
Score 26-50: 'Ave a look
If you're scoring over 26, in our experience, it's probably time to pull the plug - especially if you've taken them to task previously, but then seen no improvements. It's worth looking at what other help is out there. At least now you'll have a good idea of who will be a better partner.
Not every client-agency relationship is a good fit, and its best to spot the signs early. You wouldn't be reading unless you've got some doubts, but if things don't improve it normally just gets worse. Best of luck!
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