Industry — Professional Services
Questions to ask a professional services & b2b marketing agency
Before hiring a professional services marketing agency, ask what they think your constraint is — before they propose anything.
8 min read · Reviewed by both partners
Every firm passes the surface tests. These are the questions that separate them.
Sector-specific: ask how professional conduct rules restrict how work may be solicited and compensated changes their approach. Vague answers are the answer.
Step by step
What do you think is capping growth, and why?
Asked before a proposal exists. The quality of the guess tells you what they know.
How does this sector’s rulebook change your plan?
In professional services, professional conduct rules restrict how work may be solicited and compensated. A firm that has worked here answers specifically.
Who is on the account in month three?
Ask for names. This is where most disappointment in this industry originates.
What would make you tell us not to hire you?
A firm that has never declined an engagement is optimising for its own revenue.
What will you report, and can it be deposited?
Impressions and rankings cannot. Cost per customer and payback can.
Common mistakes
Being sold by the client list
Logos prove they can sell. They do not prove the engagements worked.
Accepting a proposal at meeting one
It came from a template. Your business was not in it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions to ask a professional services & b2b marketing agency?
Every firm passes the surface tests. These are the questions that separate them.
How soon should a business owner act on this?
It sits under Professional Services in the Growth Scaling Method. The next step for an owner is the $1,500 Assessment, which reads your own numbers against everything described above.
How much should we budget?
Budget $4,500 to find out what to build. Budget from $5,000 a month only if the Plan says a recurring engine is warranted — sometimes it says the opposite.
Who works on the account?
The two founders, directly. David Mitroff, Ph.D., handles strategy; Steven Lockhart handles systems and measurement. Nothing is passed to a junior team.
References
- www.consumerfinance.gov — primary source
- www.census.gov — primary source
- www.federalreserve.gov — primary source
Growth-Scaling is a marketing and business-scaling firm. It is not a licensed practitioner in any client vertical and does not provide medical, legal, financial, or contracting services; all industry content on this site is marketing and growth guidance for owners in those fields. Figures describing past engagements refer to specific businesses under specific conditions and are not a prediction of any future result. No outcome is promised.
Written by Steven Lockhart, reviewed by David Mitroff, Ph.D. Figures and regulatory details reflect the cited public sources; requirements vary by state and situation. Growth-Scaling is a marketing and business-scaling firm, not a licensed practitioner in any client vertical.