How to choose a marketing agency, with a five-stage method and a scoring sheet you fill in yourself
Choose a marketing agency in five stages: define the need, longlist, request information, run chemistry calls and a pitch, then negotiate terms.
To choose a marketing agency, run five stages in order: define the need, build a longlist, send a request for information (RFI), hold chemistry meetings followed by a briefed pitch, then negotiate. Stage one carries the cost. UK marketers estimate 26 percent of marketing budget is wasted on poor briefs, and a 2023 industry report put marketers' average out-of-pocket search costs at $408,500.
Agency scoring sheet
Type your own weights, agency names and scores. The weighted scores update as you type.
How it is worked out
weighted score = Σ(weight × score) ÷ Σ(weight)- weight
- how much a criterion matters to this hire; any numbers work, because the sheet divides by their total
- score
- 1 (weak) to 5 (strong), agreed by the people who read the responses and met the teams
Worked example, with the default inputs:
- Agency A: (25 × 4 + 20 × 4 + 20 × 3 + 15 × 4 + 10 × 3 + 10 × 4) ÷ 100 = 3.70
- Agency B: (25 × 3 + 20 × 4 + 20 × 4 + 15 × 3 + 10 × 4 + 10 × 3) ÷ 100 = 3.50
- Agency C: (25 × 5 + 20 × 2 + 20 × 3 + 15 × 3 + 10 × 4 + 10 × 3) ÷ 100 = 3.40
| Input | Default | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Criteria weights and scores | 25, 20, 20, 15, 10, 10 | Example input, not a benchmark. Replace it with your own. |
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<iframe src="https://www.cmotribune.com/embed/agency-scoring-sheet" title="Agency scoring sheet, from CMO Tribune" width="100%" height="900" style="border:0;max-width:760px" loading="lazy"></iframe>How to choose a marketing agency in five stages
Choosing a marketing agency works best as five stages run in order: define the need, build a longlist, issue a request for information (RFI), hold chemistry meetings followed by a briefed pitch, then negotiate. The sequence is not new. The ANA and 4A's search guidelines of 2011 already covered an "Initial List / Request for Information (RFI)" stage, then semi-finalists and a request for proposal (RFP), then finalists.
The current reference point is newer. Earlier this year the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As) issued a set of "Positive Pitch Principles". Its 10 recommendations cover the number of contenders, timelines, compensation and contract negotiation. They open with a "mutual commitment to transparency" on goals, key performance indicators (KPIs), budget, team structures and availability.
Marketing Dive, ANA and 4As offer guidelines to make agency pitches more bearable, 15 June 2026
| Stage | What it produces | Owner (our reading) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Define the need | A written business problem, budget range, KPIs and reason for the search | CMO |
| 2. Longlist | Agencies screened for fit and conflicts | Marketing lead, with procurement |
| 3. RFI | Comparable written answers on capabilities, team and terms | Procurement, with marketing |
| 4. Chemistry and briefed pitch | Meetings with the working team, then responses to one shared brief | CMO chairs a small panel |
| 5. Negotiation | Scope, compensation and ownership of intellectual property agreed | Procurement and finance, CMO signs |
Why stage one carries the cost
In our reading, most failed searches we hear about went wrong before the first agency call, when nobody wrote down the problem. UK marketers estimate that 26 percent of their marketing budget is wasted on poor briefs and misdirected work. Three in four UK agencies, 73 percent, say the briefs they receive are not good enough. Only 6 percent say they are clear on strategic direction.
As an example, not a benchmark: on a budget of 100, a 26 percent waste rate equals 26 lost to briefing problems. In our reading, a pitch brief that is vague repeats that loss across every competing agency.
The search itself is also costly. A 2023 ANA and 4As report found average out-of-pocket costs of $408,500 for marketers running a search, while incumbents spent $406,092 defending their business. Assuming three pitching agencies, the total cost was upward of $1 million.
Marketing Dive, ANA and 4As offer guidelines to make agency pitches more bearable, 15 June 2026
In our reading, that is the case for doing stage one properly. Write a short brief that names the business problem, budget and success measures before any agency is contacted, and keep the panel to the people who will actually work with the winner.
Decide whether you need a review, then write down the need
The first test is whether you should run a review at all. The Finding an Agency guide from the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) lists, among the things to consider before a review, "Whether a review is the correct action to take" and "When to involve procurement".
ipa.co.uk, IPA | Finding an Agency
Before you call a review, write one paragraph that answers three questions. What is failing: the work, the agency's team, or the brief and budget you gave them? Could the incumbent fix it with a sharper brief and a 90-day reset? What does your current contract require on notice? If the honest answer points to your own brief, a review moves the same problem to a new agency. That view is ours.
On procurement, we think the useful moment is now, while you write the need, rather than at contract stage. Procurement can then shape the budget range and the commercial terms in the brief, so no agency pitches against numbers that change later.
The one-page need statement
The need statement is the page that becomes your brief. Keep it short. One agency strategist quoted by creative.salon told clients to "Write a concise, focused two-page brief". Another said agencies are ready once the client is "aligned on the business problem, audience, message, targets, timings and budgets".
Audience deserves its own line.
Scope sets the agency type. As one agency's guide puts it, SEO (search engine optimization) agencies help you rank higher in search results, while digital marketing agencies combine paid ads, video and automation into integrated campaigns.
TechArk Solutions, How to Choose the Right Marketing Agency for Your Business | TechArk, 20 June 2025
| Field | What to write | Our guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Business problem | The commercial issue in one sentence | State what is broken, plainly |
| Audience | Who you need to reach, by segment | Name one primary group |
| Scope | Channels and agency type | List what is out of scope too |
| Budget range | Fees plus working media, as a range | Agree it with finance and procurement first |
| Success measures | Two or three numbers tied to revenue | Set a baseline and a date |
| Timing | Start date and first milestone | Allow time for internal sign-off |
A worked example of the budget line, using round inputs rather than a benchmark: if your annual agency budget is 100 and the scope covers 5 workstreams, each averages 20. Writing that split down tells agencies where depth is expected. It also shows the board, in our experience, that the review has a defined cost envelope. For how agency spend sits within the wider plan, see our marketing budget benchmarks.
Build a longlist and send a short request for information
The longlist is cheap to build and expensive to keep. Every agency on it will read your request, and every one you advance will spend real time on a proposal. The job of the request for information (RFI) is to cut the list down to semi-finalists before anyone writes a pitch, following the sequence of RFI, request for proposal (RFP) and finalists set out in the guidelines covered earlier.
Expect the longlist to start long. When the guidelines were published, the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) noted that "there has been a proliferation of new agencies due to media fragmentation". Start from referrals, current vendors and agencies whose work you have seen. Then filter hard.
What the RFI must state
In February 2022, the ANA and the 4A's surveyed their respective members about pain points in agency search. Four of the topics that survey covered work as a checklist for your RFI: standards for constructing a comprehensive RFI, budget disclosure, clear criteria for agency success, and the identification and participation of key client decision-makers.
We add two filters of our own: agency size and senior access. On size, one agency chief executive wrote that for her firm, 120 to 150 employees is the sweet spot for us and many of our clients. Treat that as one operator's view. The more useful part is her advice to focus on their operational structure: how accessible senior leaders are and how quickly decisions can be made. Those questions belong in the RFI, not the pitch.
Forbes, Top Five Things To Consider When Choosing A Marketing Agency, 23 April 2025
| RFI section | What you state or ask | Why it filters (our reading) |
|---|---|---|
| Scope and format | The work, the channels, a fixed answer format and length | Comparable answers are faster to score |
| Budget | A range for fees and working media | Agencies outside the range drop out early |
| Success criteria | The measures you will judge the agency on | Agencies self-select on fit |
| Decision-makers | Who reads, who scores, who signs | Agencies know whose problem they are solving |
| Size and structure | Headcount, team on your account, other clients of similar size | Shows whether you would be a large or small client |
| Senior access | Which senior leaders work on the account, and how decisions get made | Separates the pitch team from the delivery team |
Compare the headcount the agency proposes for your account with your own team, using our marketing headcount benchmarks, so you can judge whether the agency team is in proportion to the in-house team it would work with.
Score the answers against the need you wrote down in the previous stage. Advance only the agencies that clear every filter, and tell the rest promptly so they stop spending time on you.
Questions that separate agencies in a first chemistry call
A chemistry call is short, and most agencies arrive with a rehearsed credentials presentation. The questions below move the conversation off that presentation and onto how the account would run day to day. Send the four topic headings to each agency a few days ahead so the right people attend. Keep the specific questions for the call itself.
It also covered timely and actionable client feedback. The ANA and 4A's briefing guidance from 2013 told marketers that "At each review phase, expand the interaction between the client and agency teams". In our reading, that means the first call should include the people who would do the weekly work, not only the new-business lead.
The question list
| Topic | Question to ask | What a useful answer includes (our reading) |
|---|---|---|
| Who works the account | Name the people who would work on our account each week. Are they in this call? | Names, roles, share of their time on your account, cover when they are away |
| Who works the account | Which of these people will still be on the account after the first quarter? | A direct answer, plus how handovers work |
| Speed of decisions | Walk us through a decision your team made last month: who approved it and how long it took. | One specific case with real steps |
| Speed of decisions | "Can you share an example of a campaign that you had to pivot mid-execution?" | What triggered the change, who made the call, what it cost |
| Senior involvement | How often does your agency head see our work before we do? | A named person and a fixed rhythm |
| Senior involvement | What happens when we escalate a problem to your leadership? | Who picks it up and what they do first |
| Reporting | Show us a report you sent a current client, with names removed. | Results tied to business targets, not only activity counts |
| Reporting | How do you tell a client a campaign is not working? | A recent example, told plainly |
The pivot question comes from an agency CEO who also suggested clients ask about protocols for crisis management and capitalizing on trending topics. The same writer suggested asking How easily can they pivot? next to the questions on senior access and decision speed.
Forbes, Top Five Things To Consider When Choosing A Marketing Agency, 23 April 2025
Using the answers
Score each answer on the same scale as your scoring sheet, for example a 5-point scale, while the call is fresh. Have every client attendee score separately before you compare notes. Record one extra line for each agency: whether the working team attended or only senior presenters.
Then send each agency short, specific feedback on a date you set before the calls. Agencies that hear back quickly can sharpen their next round, and in our reading that produces better material for your shortlist decision.
How many agencies to invite to pitch, and whether to pay them
In our reading, the pitch is the stage where the cost to every agency in the room climbs fastest.
What the trade bodies ask of clients
The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and the 4A's set out a plain rule in their 2013 update: "Every phase of a review requires a brief for the agency". They added that, as the review moves forward, marketers should escalate the information that they provide to the agency participants. The same release stated that agency reviews are costly and time-consuming for marketers and agencies.
ISBA later reported that 24 brands have now signed up to the Pitch Positive Pledge. In our reading, signing commits a client publicly, which gives agencies a way to hold it to its word.
isba.org.uk, Pitching | ISBA, 7 September 2022
CMO Tribune's method: finalists and fees
What follows is our view, not an industry standard.
Invite three finalists. Two gives you a coin toss. Four or more spreads your team's attention thin and asks more agencies to spend money on a slim chance. If the longlist and chemistry calls have done their work, three is enough to compare.
Pay a pitch fee when you ask for finished work. Spec work means creative or media plans produced before any contract exists. If your brief asks only for strategic thinking, a written response and a team meeting, an unpaid pitch is defensible. If it asks for mocked-up campaigns, pay.
Cutting the field cuts that bill in the same proportion, and in our reading it also lifts the quality of each response, because each agency knows its odds are real.
| Pitch stage | What the agency receives | Payment (our view) |
|---|---|---|
| Request for information | Short written brief | None |
| Chemistry call | Brief plus your business problem | None |
| Strategic response | Full brief, budget range, decision-makers named | Optional |
| Finished creative or media plan | Full brief plus data access | Pay a set fee |
Tell every finalist the fee, the deadline and who decides, in writing, on the same day. Budget the fees inside the review cost you take to the CEO; our board deck template has a slot for it.
The weighted scoring sheet, with a worked example
The sheet below turns pitch impressions into a number you can defend to a CEO. It draws on the Evaluating the pitch stage in the IPA and ISBA guide, Finding an Agency, and on coverage areas that buyer guides return to, such as communication style, reporting cadence, and company culture. The seven criteria, the weights and the scale are our own method. Change the weights to fit your brief, but fix them before the first pitch.
ISBA, ISBA and IPA publish best-practice guide on agency search and selection, 5 September 2019
improvado.io, How to Choose the Right Digital Marketing Agency (2026 Guide), 24 April 2025
Score each criterion from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong). Weighted points equal the weight times the score, divided by 5, so a perfect sheet totals 100.
| Criterion | Weight (our method) | What a 5 looks like (our reading) |
|---|---|---|
| Grasp of the business problem | 20 | Restates your problem better than your brief did |
| Channel and industry expertise | 20 | Relevant cases with named results and references |
| Data, measurement and reporting | 15 | Cross-channel reporting tied to revenue |
| Quality of thinking in the pitch work | 15 | A clear idea that answers the brief |
| The team who will do the work | 10 | The people pitching are the people staffing |
| Communication and reporting cadence | 10 | A cadence that matches your planning cycle |
| Culture fit | 10 | Your team wants to work with theirs |
For the data row, one buyer guide describes the standard as unified cross-channel reporting, advanced attribution models, and analysis that connects marketing activity directly to business outcomes like revenue.
improvado.io, How to Choose the Right Digital Marketing Agency (2026 Guide), 24 April 2025
Worked example: three finalists
This is an example, not a benchmark. Agency A gave the most memorable pitch and was the room's favorite on the way out.
| Criterion (weight) | A score | A points | B score | B points | C score | C points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business problem (20) | 3 | 12 | 5 | 20 | 4 | 16 |
| Expertise (20) | 3 | 12 | 4 | 16 | 5 | 20 |
| Data and reporting (15) | 2 | 6 | 5 | 15 | 3 | 9 |
| Pitch thinking (15) | 5 | 15 | 3 | 9 | 4 | 12 |
| Team (10) | 4 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 6 |
| Communication (10) | 3 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 8 |
| Culture (10) | 5 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 8 |
Agency A won the two criteria a room remembers: pitch thinking and culture. It trailed on the two heaviest rows.
The sheet does not make the decision. It shows where the gut and the weights disagree, which is the conversation the panel needs to have. Here, the question for A is whether its data score of 2 can be fixed in the contract, or whether it is the agency's working model.
How to run it
- Agree weights in writing before invitations go out.
- Each panelist scores alone, straight after each pitch, with one line of evidence per score.
- Collect sheets before any discussion, then average them.
- Discuss only the rows where panelists differ by two points or more.
In our reading, this keeps the decision tied to capability alignment rather than general impressions or portfolio appeal. Keep the completed sheets. They become the baseline for the first annual agency review and a slide for the board deck.
improvado.io, How to Choose the Right Digital Marketing Agency (2026 Guide), 24 April 2025
Negotiation, contract terms and red flags
The last stage is where a sound selection can still go wrong. The contract decides what you can see once the pitch team has gone home, and a weak one is expensive to unwind. In a 2023 report, the ANA and the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As) found average out-of-pocket costs for marketers conducting an agency search and review of $408,500.
Marketing Dive, ANA and 4As offer guidelines to make agency pitches more bearable, 15 June 2026
Contract and transparency terms
Start with media money. In 2016 an Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and K2 Intelligence report found that markups on media ranged from 30% to 90%, and that agencies had received rebates not passed on to marketers. The ANA then issued transparency guidelines and a template for a media buying contract. The guidelines also called for regularly assessing the relationship and creating a code of conduct between advertisers and agencies.
Marketing Dive, ANA releases new transparency guidelines for agencies and advertisers, 19 July 2016
In June 2026 the ANA and 4As issued Positive Pitch Principles, whose 10 recommendations covered compensation and contract negotiation. One was to "define the role and value of speculative work" with clear terms on scope, compensation and ownership of intellectual property.
Marketing Dive, ANA and 4As offer guidelines to make agency pitches more bearable, 15 June 2026
| Term | What to put in writing | Why it matters (our reading) |
|---|---|---|
| Rebates | All rebates and volume credits pass to you | Keeps media income visible |
| Media markups | Every markup is disclosed by line | Lets finance compare true cost |
| Pitch work | Who owns ideas shown in the pitch | Avoids disputes after appointment |
| Relationship review | A scheduled, written assessment | Gives both sides an exit point |
Red flags, on either side of the table
- Ghosting. The ANA's Greg Wright cited trade press stories about ghosting agencies. Tell every agency the outcome.
- Junior-only decision panels. A 4As executive described the ‘juniorfication’ of decision-makers. Put a senior owner in the final room.
- A pitch that keeps running. The principles say "Stop the pitch once a decision has been made".
- Vague answers on rebates or markups. We treat refusal to sign the disclosure terms above as a reason to pause.
- A consultant who will not state how it is paid.
Marketing Dive, ANA and 4As offer guidelines to make agency pitches more bearable, 15 June 2026
Brief your board on the signed terms using the CMO board deck template.
How long an agency search takes, and how to know it worked
Plan the search as a fixed calendar, not an open-ended project. The IPA and ISBA guide treats the timing and type of pitch you hold as a decision to make before the review starts, and we agree: set the dates first, then hold every stage to them.
ipa.co.uk, IPA | Finding an Agency
Our planning assumption, not a benchmark, is need 2 weeks, longlist and request for information (RFI) 3 weeks, chemistry calls 2 weeks, pitch 4 weeks and negotiation 3 weeks, for a total of 14 weeks.
| Stage | Weeks (our planning assumption) | Owner | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Need | 2 | CMO | Signed need statement with success criteria |
| Longlist and RFI | 3 | Review lead | Shortlist for chemistry calls |
| Chemistry calls | 2 | Review lead with CMO | Pitch list and pitch brief |
| Pitch | 4 | Scoring panel | Completed scoring sheets and a preferred agency |
| Negotiation | 3 | CMO with procurement and legal | Signed contract and start date |
A worked example, counting back
- Need: January 25 to February 5
- Longlist and RFI: February 8 to February 26
- Chemistry calls: March 1 to March 12
- Pitch: March 15 to April 9
- Negotiation: April 12 to April 30
If any stage runs over, move the start date in writing and tell the agencies still in the process the same day.
How to know it worked
At 90 days, check three things.
- Brief clarity, checked with the agency. Ask the account lead to play back the brief in their own words, then compare it with your stage-one need statement. The guide's stated aim is for agencies to decide based on a clear understanding of the client’s requirements, and the playback tests whether that understanding survived the pitch.
- Time to first work: count the days from contract signature to the first piece of live work.
- Progress against each success criterion from stage one, marked on track, behind or not started.
ipa.co.uk, IPA | Finding an Agency
At one year, score the agency against the same criteria and the same weights you used in the pitch. If the people who won the pitch are no longer on the account, record that too. As an example, if you set 5 criteria and 2 are behind, you have a specific list for the annual review rather than a general impression.
Reporting the decision to the CEO and board
- Write a one-page memo: the need, the agencies considered, the winning scores, the contract value and the start date.
- List the stage-one success criteria and the dates you will report against them at 90 days and one year.
- Name the risks you accepted in negotiation and how you will watch them.
- Present it in your regular board pack using the CMO board deck template, then put the 90-day review in the calendar the same week.
What this page does not cover
This page does not rank or recommend any agency, pitch consultant or tool, and it does not set out benchmarks for agency fees or compensation models. The contract terms described here are planning points, not legal advice: have your legal team review any agency or media buying contract before you sign.
Related on CMO Tribune: The CMO first 90 days plan, week by week; Marketing budget as a percentage of revenue in 2026, by sector and business model; Average CMO Tenure by Index, Sector and Year.
Questions
How do I choose a marketing agency?
Run five stages in order: define the need, build a longlist, send a request for information (RFI), hold chemistry meetings followed by a briefed pitch, then negotiate. Start with a one-page need statement that names the business problem, audience, scope, budget range, success measures and timing before any agency is contacted. Score the finalists on a weighted sheet you fix before the first pitch.
How many agencies should be in a pitch?
Our view is three finalists. Two gives you a coin toss, and four or more spreads your team's attention thin and asks more agencies to spend money on a slim chance. A 2023 report from the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As) found average out-of-pocket costs of $408,500 for marketers running a search. Assuming three pitching agencies, the total cost was upward of $1 million.
Should I pay agencies to pitch?
In our view, pay a set fee when you ask for finished work, such as mocked-up campaigns or media plans produced before any contract exists. If the brief asks only for strategic thinking, a written response and a team meeting, an unpaid pitch is defensible. The Positive Pitch Principles issued by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and the 4As in June 2026 recommended defining the role and value of speculative work, with clear terms on scope, compensation and ownership of intellectual property.
What criteria should I use to score marketing agencies?
Our sheet uses seven weighted criteria: grasp of the business problem (20), channel and industry expertise (20), data, measurement and reporting (15), quality of thinking in the pitch work (15), the team who will do the work (10), communication and reporting cadence (10) and culture fit (10). Score each from 1 to 5, then multiply the weight by the score and divide by 5, so a perfect sheet totals 100. Each panelist scores alone, straight after each pitch, and the weights are agreed in writing before invitations go out.
What questions should I ask a marketing agency before hiring?
Ask the agency to name the people who would work on your account each week, whether they are in the call, and which of them will still be on the account after the first quarter. Ask them to walk through a decision their team made last month, who approved it and how long it took, and for an example of a campaign they had to pivot mid-execution. Ask how often the agency head sees your work, what happens when you escalate a problem, to see a report sent to a current client with names removed, and how they tell a client a campaign is not working.
How long does an agency search take?
Our planning assumption, not a benchmark, is 14 weeks: 2 weeks for the need, 3 for the longlist and RFI, 2 for chemistry calls, 4 for the pitch and 3 for negotiation. Set the dates before the review starts and hold every stage to them. If a stage runs over, move the start date in writing and tell the agencies still in the process the same day.
Sources
- ANA and 4A’s Publish Guidelines for an Effective Agency Search, ana.net
- ANA and 4As offer guidelines to make agency pitches more bearable, Marketing Dive, 15 June 2026
- What do clients get wrong in the briefing process, and how can it be made better?, creative.salon
- IPA | Finding an Agency, ipa.co.uk
- How to Choose the Right Marketing Agency for Your Business | TechArk, TechArk Solutions, 20 June 2025
- ANA/4A’s Agency Search Simplification Report, ana.net
- Top Five Things To Consider When Choosing A Marketing Agency, Forbes, 23 April 2025
- ANA and 4A’s Provide Marketers with Updated Guidelines for Agency Search, ana.net
- Pitching | ISBA, isba.org.uk, 7 September 2022
- ISBA and IPA publish best-practice guide on agency search and selection, ISBA, 5 September 2019
- How to Choose the Right Digital Marketing Agency (2026 Guide), improvado.io, 24 April 2025
- ANA releases new transparency guidelines for agencies and advertisers, Marketing Dive, 19 July 2016
Written by the CMO Tribune Desk and edited by Lila Odinaev. Every factual sentence was checked against a passage on the source it cites. See how we work, or report an error on the corrections page.