15 Questions to Ask Any Digital Marketing Agency

Written by: Aaron Rovner, Founder, Saas Hero | Last updated: September 3, 2026

Key Takeaways

• Revenue-focused agencies build campaigns around CRM data and qualified pipeline rather than form submissions or vanity metrics.
• Always verify who will work on your account day-to-day and confirm they are full-time employees, not contractors.
• Retain full ownership of ad accounts, creative assets, data, and documentation to avoid lock-in or loss of historical learning.
• Flat retainers indexed to spend remove conflicts of interest that arise from percentage-of-spend pricing models.

The 15 Questions to Ask Any Digital Marketing Agency (Quick List)

1. “How do you measure success, and do you build campaigns around CRM data or form submissions?” An agency that optimizes for form fills tells the ad platform that a form fill is the goal. The platform then finds more form-fillers such as students, competitors, and job seekers instead of buyers. A revenue-focused agency optimizes for qualified opportunities and lifecycle-stage events that flow back into the bidding algorithm.
2. “Who will be working on my account day-to-day, and are they full-time employees or contractors?” The people in the pitch deck are rarely the people doing the work. Ask for names, titles, and employment status. Verify that senior strategists, not only junior media buyers, actively manage your account.
3. “Who owns the ad accounts, data, and creative, and what happens if we part ways?” You should own ad accounts, conversion tracking configurations, landing page files, design assets, dashboards, and documentation. Walk away from any agency that hesitates on full ownership.
4. “How are you compensated, and does adding a channel change your fee?” Percentage-of-spend pricing creates a structural conflict because the agency earns more when you spend more, regardless of performance. A flat retainer indexed to total ad spend removes that conflict.
5. “What does your reporting look like, and can I access the dashboards directly?” Static PDFs of platform metrics do not qualify as reporting. You need live, CRM-connected dashboards that show pipeline, CAC, and payback period instead of impressions and clicks.
6. “Can you show me how your optimization connects to CRM revenue data?” A strong answer explains how lifecycle-stage events flow back into the ad platforms when a lead becomes a sales-qualified lead, when an opportunity is created, and when a deal closes. A weak answer focuses on cost per lead or click-through rates and treats the ad platform as a black box.
7. “What is your primary conversion action, and what do you track as secondary?” The primary conversion action is what the ad platform optimizes toward. When the primary action is a form fill, the platform finds form-fillers. When the primary action is a qualified opportunity or lifecycle-stage event, the platform finds buyers. Ask them to name primary and secondary conversions clearly.
8. “How do you handle multi-touch attribution in a long sales cycle?” B2B SaaS sales cycles run for months and involve many touchpoints. Last-click attribution credits the branded search that happens after the buyer already feels convinced. That approach makes the channels that create demand look unproductive. A sophisticated agency uses multi-touch attribution that reflects the full buyer journey.
9. “What metrics do you report, and which do you ignore?” A revenue-focused agency reports pipeline created, cost per sales-qualified lead, and payback period. An agency that leads with impressions, clicks, and cost per lead focuses on surface-level activity. Ask them to walk you through a recent monthly report and connect each metric to revenue.
10. “How do you define a qualified lead, and how do you validate that definition?” The gap between a form fill and a sales-qualified lead is where many B2B SaaS marketing programs fail. A good agency works with your sales team to define “qualified” and validates that definition against CRM conversion data.
11. “Who exactly will be working on my account, and how long have they been with your agency?” Ask for names, titles, and tenure. Ask whether each team member is a full-time employee or a contractor. Agencies that outsource core work struggle to maintain messaging cadence and strategic continuity.
12. “How do you handle underperformance, and can you share a real example of a campaign you killed?” A strong agency has a documented process for spotting underperformance and acting on it. They should describe a specific campaign they paused or restructured, what the data showed, and what they learned.
13. “Who is my main point of contact, and what response times can I expect?” You should have a named senior account strategist who owns strategy and a coordinator who manages projects. Ask about response times and escalation paths so expectations stay clear.
14. “Who owns the ad accounts, analytics properties, and CRM integrations?” You should own every account. The agency should work inside your properties rather than theirs. When an agency owns the accounts, you lose historical data and learning when the relationship ends.
15. “How are you compensated, and what happens if we reduce spend or add channels?” A spend-based retainer allows the agency to recommend pausing channels or reducing budget without taking a pay cut for honest advice. Per-channel or percentage-of-spend pricing creates pressure to keep spend and channel count high.

5 Questions About Business Outcomes and Revenue Focus

Revenue-focused agencies define success in terms of pipeline and closed revenue instead of lead volume. These questions keep every conversation grounded in outcomes your board cares about.

1. “Can you show me how your optimization connects to CRM revenue data?” A good answer describes how the agency pushes lifecycle-stage events back into the ad platforms when a lead becomes a sales-qualified lead, when an opportunity is created, and when a deal closes. A weak answer focuses on cost per lead or click-through rates. The ad platform follows the signals it receives, so high-quality CRM data trains it to find buyers instead of casual form-fillers.
2. “What is your primary conversion action, and what do you track as secondary?” The primary conversion action guides the bidding algorithm. When the primary action is a form fill, the platform hunts for people who fill out forms. When the primary action is a qualified opportunity or lifecycle-stage event, the platform learns to find buyers. Ask them to name primary and secondary conversions explicitly so you can see how they think about intent.
3. “How do you handle multi-touch attribution in a long sales cycle?” B2B SaaS deals often involve multiple stakeholders and months of research. Last-click attribution credits the final branded search or direct visit and makes early-stage channels look weak. A sophisticated agency uses multi-touch or custom attribution that reflects the full buyer journey and protects demand creation channels from budget cuts.
4. “What metrics do you report to your clients, and which do you ignore?” A revenue-focused agency reports pipeline created, cost per sales-qualified lead, and payback period. An agency that leads with impressions, clicks, and cost per lead focuses on activity instead of outcomes. Ask them to walk through a recent monthly report and explain how each metric ties back to revenue.
5. “How do you define a qualified lead, and how does that definition get validated?” The gap between a form fill and a sales-qualified lead is where many programs break. A good agency collaborates with your sales team to define “qualified” and then validates that definition against CRM conversion data. A weak agency accepts whatever the platform labels as a “lead” and never checks sales feedback.

5 Questions About Team Accountability and Who Really Does the Work

Once you confirm an agency focuses on revenue, you need to understand who actually executes the work. These questions expose bait-and-switch staffing and clarify accountability.

1. “Who exactly will be working on my account, and are they full-time employees?” Ask for names and titles. Ask whether each person is a full-time employee or a contractor and how long they have been with the agency. Agencies that outsource core execution struggle to maintain consistent messaging and strategy across campaigns.
2. “What is the seniority level of the person managing my account day-to-day?” You want a senior strategist who understands B2B SaaS sales cycles instead of a junior media buyer who only follows a checklist. Ask about their experience with companies at your revenue level and with your sales motion. If the agency cannot name that person during the sales process, expect similar disorganization after you sign.
3. “How do you handle underperformance, and can you share a real example of a campaign you killed?” A strong agency has a clear process for identifying underperformance and acting on it. They should describe a specific campaign they paused or restructured, what the data showed, and what they changed. An agency that cannot name a single campaign they killed rarely makes hard decisions.
4. “Who is my main point of contact, and how quickly do they respond?” You should have a named senior account strategist who owns strategic direction and a coordinator who manages day-to-day tasks. Ask about standard response times and escalation paths. Fuzzy answers here usually predict fuzzy ownership later.
5. “How do you handle creative, and is it in-house or outsourced?” Creative functions as a core capability in B2B SaaS. Agencies with in-house designers and copywriters can iterate quickly on messaging tests. Agencies that outsource creative introduce delays and lose strategic continuity across the messaging sequence. Ask who writes the copy and who designs the landing pages.

See how SaaSHero answers these accountability questions on a discovery call.

5 Questions About Data Ownership, Reporting, and Exit Terms

Your data and accounts form a long-term asset. These questions protect that asset during the engagement and when the relationship ends.

1. “Who owns the ad accounts, analytics properties, and CRM integrations?” You should own every account. The agency should operate inside your properties, not theirs. Google’s ownership processes show that recovering access to accounts claimed by another party takes time and effort. It is far easier to prevent that situation contractually than to fix it later.
2. “Can I have direct access to the dashboards, or do I only receive reports?” Static PDFs do not provide real reporting. You need live dashboards that connect ad spend to leads, pipeline, and revenue. Ask to see a sample dashboard during the sales process. If they cannot show one, they likely do not have one.
3. “What happens to my data, creative, and documentation if we part ways?” A good agency follows a documented offboarding process. You should receive all files, assets, and documentation without friction. Agencies that hold accounts hostage usually lack confidence in their results.
4. “How do you handle the transition if we switch from our current agency?” The transition affects performance and learning. Ask about their onboarding process, how they handle conversion tracking setup, and how quickly they can launch campaigns. A capable agency can have campaigns running within 30 days and should describe the first 90 days in clear milestones.
5. “What is your contract term, and is there flexibility in the first 90 days?” Agencies that require 12-month lock-ins with no evaluation gate protect themselves instead of you. A confident agency offers a validation period followed by a committed term with clear exit terms if the relationship does not work. Ask what happens to your assets and accounts under each exit scenario.

5 Questions About Fees, Contracts, and Industry Experience

Fee structure reveals incentive structure. These questions confirm that the agency’s financial incentives align with your revenue goals.

1. “How are you compensated, flat retainer or percentage of spend?” Percentage-of-spend pricing means the agency earns more when you spend more, regardless of whether the spend makes sense. A flat retainer indexed to total ad spend removes this conflict. Under a spend-based model, the agency can recommend pausing a channel or reducing budget without taking a pay cut for honest advice.
2. “Does adding a channel like LinkedIn or Meta increase my fee?” Per-channel pricing discourages testing. When adding a channel requires a contract amendment and a fee increase, the agency has a financial interest in keeping your channel mix static. A spend-based retainer means testing a new channel does not change fees, so recommendations stay aligned with performance.
3. “Can you share case studies from B2B SaaS companies with similar sales cycles and ACV?” Generic case studies from ecommerce or B2C companies do not translate to B2B SaaS. You need proof that the agency understands multi-month sales cycles, buying committees, and CRM-based attribution. Ask for references you can call and speak with directly instead of relying on slide-deck summaries.
4. “What does your first 90 days look like, and what are the milestones?” A good agency follows a documented onboarding process that covers conversion tracking setup, campaign architecture, audience construction, and a validation gate at day 90. An agency that cannot describe the first 90 days in specific terms has not designed a repeatable process.
5. “What happens if we need to reduce spend or pause a channel?” A revenue-focused agency can recommend reducing spend or pausing a channel without a financial conflict. When fees are tied to spend or channel count, the agency has a built-in reason to resist those moves even when the data supports them.

Red Flags and Deal-Breakers: Spotting Problem Agencies Fast

Some warning signs justify an immediate “no.” These are the most common and most damaging failure modes to watch for when you vet an agency.

1. They guarantee specific results. The FTC requires that advertising claims stay truthful, non-deceptive, and evidence-based. An agency that guarantees a specific ROI or cost-per-lead figure makes a claim they cannot fully substantiate. The FTC also warns that marketers cannot imply results they cannot prove. Ask what evidence backs any performance promise and whether the results cited are typical or best-case. Legitimate agencies focus on process and methodology instead of guarantees.
2. They refuse to share data ownership. Agencies that insist on owning ad accounts, analytics properties, or creative assets hold your data hostage. You should own every asset, and the agency should operate inside your accounts from day one.
3. They cannot explain their attribution methodology. If the agency cannot explain how they attribute revenue to their efforts, whether multi-touch, first-touch, last-touch, or custom, they do not know what works. In B2B SaaS, last-click attribution rarely fits long sales cycles and often defunds the channels that create demand.
4. They keep optimizing for form fills instead of CRM revenue. This pattern represents a common and damaging failure mode. As discussed earlier, training the platform on form fills trains it to find form-fillers. Ask what their primary conversion action is and listen for a clear focus on qualified outcomes.
5. They cannot name the team who will work on your account. The FTC notes that businesses stay responsible for what their agents say and do in marketing. Vague assurances from a sales rep do not protect you. Ask for names and titles of the actual team and verify that they are full-time employees. When the sales pitch features senior people who will not touch your account, you face a structural issue, not a one-off staffing choice.

Bring this checklist to your SaaSHero discovery call and test every answer in real time.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the 5 C’s of digital marketing?

One widely cited version of the 5 C’s of digital marketing, attributed to Philip Kotler, consists of Company, Customers, Competitors, Collaborators, and Context. Company refers to your internal capabilities, resources, and strategic goals. It covers what your organization can realistically execute. Customers are your target audience. You need to understand their problems, buying behavior, decision-making process, and what they need to see before they trust a vendor. Competitors are the other companies vying for the same buyers, including how they position, what channels they use, and what gaps they leave open. Collaborators are the partners, agencies, and vendors who help execute your marketing strategy, which makes rigorous vetting essential. Context encompasses the broader market conditions, regulatory environment, technological shifts, and economic pressures that shape your strategy. A legitimate agency should explain how they analyze all five before recommending a channel mix or campaign structure. A strategy built without that analysis functions as a tactic dressed up as a plan.

How do I know if my digital marketing agency is legit?

Verification starts with credentials that are conferred externally rather than self-reported. Google Premier Partner status, for example, is a designation held by the top 3% of Google Partners and cannot be purchased. Industry rankings from platforms like G2 rely on verified customer reviews instead of agency self-promotion. Once you check credentials, the next step is direct validation. Ask for client references you can call and have unscripted conversations with. Request direct access to reporting dashboards instead of accepting monthly PDFs so you can see the underlying data. Confirm in writing that you own all accounts, assets, and data. Ask to see case studies from companies with a similar revenue range, sales motion, and average contract value. Stay cautious with agencies that guarantee specific results, refuse to disclose who will work on your account, cannot explain their attribution methodology, or make their compensation structure hard to understand.

What are some good questions to ask about digital marketing?

Effective questions focus on business outcomes instead of isolated tactics. The most important question asks whether the agency builds campaigns around CRM data or around form submissions, because that choice determines what the ad platform learns to find. Beyond that, ask who handles day-to-day work and whether they are full-time employees. Ask how the agency responds to underperformance and whether they can share a specific example of a campaign they paused or restructured. Ask who owns the data and what happens to it if the relationship ends. Ask how they are compensated and whether their fee changes when the channel mix changes. Ask what their reporting looks like and whether you can access dashboards directly. Ask what the first 90 days look like in specific milestones. These questions separate agencies that measure success by lead volume from those that measure success by qualified pipeline and closed revenue, which is the distinction that matters at the board level.

What is the difference between a revenue agency and a lead-gen agency?

A lead-gen agency optimizes for form fills and lead volume, which creates dashboards that look strong without necessarily producing revenue. The ad platform receives a signal that a form fill is the goal, so it finds people who frequently fill out forms such as students, competitors, job seekers, and companies outside your ideal customer profile. Cost per lead falls, lead volume rises, and the pipeline your sales team can work stays flat. A revenue agency optimizes for CRM outcomes such as qualified opportunities, lifecycle-stage events, and closed revenue. It separates primary conversions, which are the events that matter to the business, from secondary conversions like content downloads and webinar registrations. It uses only primary conversions for account-wide optimization and pushes lifecycle-stage events back into the ad platforms so the bidding algorithm learns from qualified outcomes. The ad platform follows the goal it receives. When you change the goal from form fills to revenue events, the platform starts to find different people, which forms the basis of revenue-focused paid acquisition.

Conclusion: The Revenue-Focused Agency Checklist

The 15 questions in this checklist separate agencies that measure success by lead volume from those that measure success by qualified pipeline and closed revenue. The central takeaway is simple. Hire an agency that builds campaigns around CRM revenue data, because the ad platform will find more of whatever signal you feed it, and the wrong signal trains the account toward the wrong audience for an entire quarter before the CRM exposes the damage.

The questions in this checklist reflect what a VP of Marketing at a B2B SaaS company should bring to every agency discovery call. The answers should be specific, documented, and verifiable. Vague assurances about “senior involvement” and “revenue focus” do not qualify as answers. Names, titles, conversion architectures, and dashboard access do.

Schedule a discovery call with SaaSHero and compare their answers to this checklist. You will see how a revenue-focused growth team that owns paid media, creative, landing pages, attribution, and strategy as a single accountable unit actually operates.