Hiring a digital agency is one of the most consequential decisions a business can make. The right partner accelerates growth, builds brand equity, and delivers measurable ROI. The wrong one wastes budget, delays timelines, and can set your digital presence back years.
After working with hundreds of clients and seeing what makes partnerships succeed or fail, we've identified the critical questions every business should ask before signing an agency contract.
Strategy & Approach
1. What's your process for understanding our business?
Great agencies invest heavily in discovery. They should have a structured process for learning your business model, competitive landscape, target audience, and goals. Be wary of agencies that jump straight to tactics without understanding strategy.
2. How do you measure success?
Look for agencies that tie their work to business outcomes, not vanity metrics. Ask about their approach to KPIs, reporting cadence, and how they handle underperformance.
3. Can you show me case studies similar to our situation?
Industry experience matters, but more important is experience solving similar problems. An agency that's helped other B2B SaaS companies reduce CAC is more valuable than one with general 'tech experience.'
Team & Execution
4. Who will actually work on our account?
The people in the pitch meeting are often not the people doing the work. Ask to meet your actual team—the strategists, designers, and developers who will execute day-to-day.
5. What's your team structure and how do you handle turnover?
Agency turnover is real. Understand how institutional knowledge is preserved and what happens if your main contact leaves. Documentation practices and team overlap matter.
Red flags in team discussions:
- Vague answers about who does the work
- Heavy reliance on offshore or freelance resources
- No clear account management structure
- Unwillingness to introduce the actual team
Communication & Partnership
6. What does your communication cadence look like?
Weekly standups? Monthly strategy reviews? Quarterly business reviews? Understand the rhythm and ensure it matches your needs. Over-communication early in a relationship is usually better than under-communication.
7. How do you handle disagreements or scope changes?
Every project hits bumps. Great agencies have clear processes for handling scope creep, creative disagreements, and timeline changes. Transparency here prevents relationship damage later.
"The best agency relationships are partnerships, not vendor arrangements. Look for agencies that challenge your thinking, not just execute your requests."
Commercials & Contracts
8. What's your pricing model and what's included?
Retainer vs. project-based? What's in scope and what costs extra? How do you handle change requests? Get clarity on all commercial terms before signing. Surprises in billing destroy trust.
9. What are your contract terms and termination clauses?
Long lock-in periods benefit agencies, not clients. Look for reasonable termination clauses and IP ownership terms. You should own your work product.
10. What does onboarding look like and how quickly can we start?
Good agencies have structured onboarding processes. Rushing this phase often leads to problems later. Understand the timeline from contract to first deliverable.
Making Your Decision
Chemistry matters. Skills and process are important, but you'll be working closely with these people. Trust your instincts about cultural fit alongside the objective evaluation criteria.
At Group Taiga, we welcome these questions. Transparency about our process, team, and commercial terms is fundamental to how we work. If you're evaluating agencies and want to see how we'd approach your challenges, let's have a conversation.
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