What Should I Ask a Marketing Agency Before I Hire One?
Updated: Oct 20
By Daniel Aharon · Updated September 26, 2026 · 11 min read
People. Plan. Price. Proof. Print those four boxes, leave space under each line, and you've already got a hiring filter most proposals can't pass.
Ask who does the work, what the first 90 days include, what you keep if you leave, and whether they sell Ads Only or a full mix. A marketing agency is a team you hire to plan and run promotion you don't have time to run yourself. RedFork has helped more than 800 businesses grow since 2014. We still won't guarantee rankings or revenue. This page is how you buy written scope instead of a mood.
Key Takeaways
The questions that matter most are who works the account, what the first 90 days include, what costs extra, and what you keep if you leave.
RedFork has helped more than 800 businesses. This list is for owners who've already paid for a retainer that never explained itself.
Express marketing is Ads Only. Pro adds social, email, SEO content, and design. If a shop can't say which they're selling, the scope is already fuzzy.
Demand the site and ad accounts live in logins you own. Common License versus Copyright Enabled changes what you can take with you.
The Short Version
Hire the agency that answers with named people, a 90-day plan for your business, written exclusions, and clear ownership. Walk if the room only has a sales deck.
Scorecard box | A useful answer | A slow-down answer |
People | Names you can meet now | "The team after kickoff" |
Plan | Diagnosis, tracking, then tests in 90 days | "We hit the ground running" |
Price | Written inclusions and exclusions | "It depends, we are flexible" |
Proof | A named business and a constraint they can explain | Anonymous "home services" claims |
In This Article
What Questions Should I Ask Before Hiring?
Ask a marketing agency who will do the work, what the first 90 days include, what costs extra, and what you keep if you leave. Write the answers down. Vague answers are still answers.
These 12 are enough if you use them in this order:
Who works on my account each week, and can I meet them before I sign?
What is included in the fee, and what always costs extra?
Which channels are you recommending for my business, and which are you leaving out?
Who owns the website, the ad accounts, the domain, and the files if we part ways?
How do you measure success, and which numbers do you refuse to treat as proof?
What does the first 90 days look like for a business like mine?
Will you guarantee rankings, leads, or revenue?
Can I see work for a business in a trade like mine, and can I speak with them?
How do you use AI, and who checks the output before it goes out?
What happens if the plan is not working after 90 days?
What are the contract term, the exit, and the handoff?
If my budget is limited, what would you cut first?
You don't need a 25-question marathon. You need these 12 answered in plain language. If any answer trips a kill-switch, pair this list with the red flags when hiring a marketing agency before you book a second call.
The Partner Fit Scorecard From 800+ Engagements
The Partner Fit Scorecard rates people, plan, price, and proof so a burned owner can compare two agencies in one sitting. RedFork has helped more than 800 businesses. The pattern that repeats is a pleasant call and a foggy PDF.
Score each box 1 or 0. Two zeros is a pattern. Thank them. End the call. You're not being difficult. You're buying work that will sit next to your trade.
Box | Score 1 if | Score 0 if |
People | You meet the day-to-day names before signing | "We assign after kickoff" |
Plan | They name diagnosis, tracking, then tests | They sell a canned channel package |
Price | Exclusions fit in writing on one page | Flexibility is the whole pricing story |
Proof | A named business, constraint, and result they can explain | Category claims with no names |
Who Will Do the Work After the Sales Call?
Ask for the names and roles of the people who will work your account after the sales call, and meet them first. "We will assign a team after kickoff" is a delay. Meet the designer and the ads lead now.
Ask for a weekly hour picture, even if it is a range. A senior person on the pitch and a junior inbox after the signature is an old trick. You want names. You want a first meeting with the people who will touch the account.
Proof should be specific. "We work with home services" isn't proof. A named business, a named constraint, and a result they can explain is closer. None of the 13 portfolio items on RedFork's public work page publish a metric. We won't invent one. Ask any shop for the same honesty.
Proof, Process, and the First 90 Days
Ask for proof from businesses like yours and a 90-day plan that starts with diagnosis, not a canned channel package. A real plan names what they won't do yet. A pitch says they do everything.
Listen for a first-90-day sequence that starts with tracking, not a content dump. Impressions aren't appointments. Clicks aren't booked jobs. A good report names the action you wanted and the limits of the data.
Phase | What a serious plan usually covers | What a pitch pretends |
Days 1 to 30 | Access, tracking, offer clarity, baseline | "We launch everywhere week one" |
Days 31 to 60 | First tests on the channel that fits | More posts, same unclear goal |
Days 61 to 90 | Keep, cut, or change based on real signals | A longer PDF and a larger retainer |
RedFork has created more than 5,000 digital ad posts for Partners and has sent over 10,000 marketing emails on their behalf. Those counts are company-reported. They describe volume of work, not a result you will get.
What Should Be in Writing Before I Sign?
Before you sign, get deliverables, exclusions, contract length, notice, logins, and asset rights in writing, not only in a slide. Ad spend isn't a management fee. Creative rounds, landing pages, tools, and extra revisions often sit outside a pretty retainer.
Ask who owns the domain, the site login, the ad accounts, and the files if you leave. You should own them. The agency should be a guest. License matters too. Express assets at RedFork use a Common License. Pro assets are Copyright Enabled. Other shops use other words for the same split. Ask which one you're buying. For the full exit map, read who owns your website and ads if you leave.
RedFork's live Pro Marketing page states "No Annual Contracts." Other firms differ. Ask. Get the notice period in writing. We won't invent industry averages. If you want those questions asked of us, bring them to the sales call.
Express Ads Only Versus Pro Full Mix
Express marketing is Ads Only; Pro adds social, email, SEO content, and design, so the monthly shape of the work is different. If a shop can't tell you which of those they're selling, they're selling a mood.
Tier pattern | What you're really buying | License signal |
Ads Only (Express-style) | Paid media with a tight start | Often Common License on Express assets |
Full mix (Pro-style) | Ads plus social, email, SEO content, design | Copyright Enabled on Pro assets |
Mystery "full service" | A mood with no monthly output list | Ask again, then leave |
Express also uses curated templates and a Common License. Express Marketing states "No Minimum Spend" and points-based budgeting on the live site. Pro is custom Wix plus Velo, the full mix, and Copyright Enabled assets. That's the growth seat. Don't pay full-mix money for a mystery. Don't buy Ads Only and expect a content calendar.
Answer Quality Ladder: Grade Every Reply
Grade each agency answer 0, 1, or 2 so a charming fog and a usable scope stop looking the same. Most hiring lists stop at the question. The Answer Quality Ladder scores the reply.
Score | What it sounds like | What you do |
0 | Slogan, dodge, or "trust the process" | End the topic. If it repeats, end the call. |
1 | Partial truth with a missing name, number, or exclusion | Ask once more. Write the gap. |
2 | Named people, written scope, clear ownership, and a no | Keep them in the shortlist. |
Run the ladder on the four boxes that decide money: people, 90-day plan, exclusions, and ownership. A shop can ace brand talk and still score zeros where the work lives. Print the table. Leave blank lines. If an answer won't fit in two sentences, it's not a 2.
How Do I Compare Two Agency Proposals Side by Side?
Compare two agency proposals on people, 90-day plan, exclusions, ownership, and channel mix, not on who designed the prettier PDF. Print the Partner Fit Scorecard. Add the Answer Quality Ladder under each box. If an answer won't fit in two sentences, it's not an answer.
Ask both shops the Ads Only versus full mix question in the same words. Ask both shops who holds the logins. Ask both shops what they won't guarantee. A guarantee of rankings or revenue is a red flag, not a comfort.
If you're still choosing between an agency, freelancer, or in-house seat, settle that shape first. Then run this script on the agencies that survive. Franchise owners should ask one extra question: what are we allowed to change locally? Corporate rules are real. A good shop works inside them.
The Questions We Expect You to Ask Us
We expect you to ask RedFork the same questions, including who your Designovators are and whether you need Express or Pro. A good shop will turn work down. They'll say when ads are the wrong first move.
RedFork is Wix Certified, with 134 completed Wix Marketplace projects and 4.9 stars from 47 reviews on that public profile. Google lists 4.9 stars from 35 reviews. Founded 2014. Those are checkable. Ask for the URLs.
Bring the last proposal you did not sign. We'll tell you where Express or Pro fits, and we'll tell you when you should wait.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many questions is too many for a first call?
Ten good questions beat forty unread ones. Cover people, 90-day plan, exclusions, ownership, and mix. Save legal review for the paper, not the pitch.
Should I hire a local marketing agency?
Local helps when the work is local search, creative that knows the market, or in-person onboarding. It doesn't replace named people and a written scope. RedFork is in Orlando and works with SMBs and franchises nationally. Local's a plus, not a substitute for the scorecard.
What if they won't show a sample report?
Treat that as a pause, not a maybe. You're buying a working rhythm. A redacted real report is a fair ask. If the pitch collapses without a dashboard screenshot, the pitch was the product.
Do I need to sign an annual contract?
Not always. RedFork's live Pro Marketing page states "No Annual Contracts." Other firms differ. Ask. Get the notice period in writing. Don't invent industry averages.
Who should own the ad accounts if I leave?
You should. Accounts, pixels, and creative should live under your business. Common License versus Copyright Enabled changes design files. Ask for both answers in one sitting.
Is a cheap retainer a warning sign?
A low number with a long exclusion list is how retainers hide their real cost. Compare scope, not the monthly headline. We won't publish a "typical retainer" because RedFork does not publish those figures.
Print the List. Leave Space Under Each Line.
If an answer won't fit in two sentences, it's not an answer. If you want those questions asked of us, bring the last proposal you did not sign. We'll tell you where Express or Pro fits, and we'll tell you when you should wait.
SPEAK WITH SALES at redforkmarketing.com/sales-contact.
References
Wix Marketplace, "RedFork Marketing," https://www.wix.com/marketplace/wix-partner/redfork-marketing
Disclaimer
This article is educational. It's not legal advice and not a results guarantee. Contracts differ. Read the paper. Ask a lawyer when ownership or exit language is unclear.
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