As your business grows, you can hire an agency—a PR agency, a branding agency, or a sales training agency. For many entrepreneurs, this is new ground. You may find it difficult to differentiate between your choices, and even after you've surely hired the right set of experts for you, you may wonder how you can get the most out of your investment.

I've been in your shoes. I've hired agencies, I've worked with almost every type of agency, and I've been an agency founder twice. At every stage, pre-screening, selection and implementation, these are my insider recommendations for pulling off a successful agency relationship.

Before you start your search

It might surprise you to hear that some of the most important work starts before you even contact the first round of agencies.

Be prepared to identify a few things internally, including your budget, ultimate goals, and ability to work with an agency. Also identify your internal KPIs. You may not know how a particular agency will report, but if you can share your metrics, it's an important step toward success.

I usually hear people say they don't want to share their budget. We always make it our first call, because you can waste your time with agencies out of your budget; I think this is an important discussion. If you don't know how much an agency costs, a quick Google search can help. If you really think your budget is so big that you're afraid that splitting it will cost you more than you have to spend figuring it out, then one way to overcome this is to split your mid-range budget.

Your ultimate goals may include business goals and agency objectives. It is important to share why you are hiring an agency, because that really helps an agency plan if it would be an effective partner; agencies don't want to fail either.

Also, create a list of questions to ask. I personally think a lot people focus on the wrong questions and everyone asks the same questions, so the answers are easy.

Instead, dig deeper with questions like “What challenges do you think we'll have in achieving our goals with an agency?” “What are the characteristics of your favorite customers?” and “What do your average customers pay?” This last question about the average agency client is important for an easily overlooked reason: you don't want to be the smallest budget in an agency. Ideally, your budget is at least in the top twenty percent or higher of the average customer; top customers get top team talent and best service.

You'll have others, like team composition, past success, and the like, but consider probing deeper right away on the first call. It will really help you narrow down your choices. You should also identify how you will rate your top three agencies. What are the top three characteristics on which you will make your choice? This will inform your selection matrix.

Choosing Your Agency: Combining Intelligence and Instinct

As you narrow your search down to the top three agencies, you'll find yourself trying to determine the differences. First I recommend that everyone on the selection team create a 3x3x3 selection matrix.

In column A, list three main considerations of your choice. Along the top row in the BD columns are the names of your agencies. Here's where it gets interesting. Each person on your selection committee will weigh each of these considerations, with 3 being most important to them and 1 being least important to them. For example, the CEO might weight budget the highest out of three, but the person who will work the most with the agency might weight cultural fit the highest out of three.

When you score each agency from one to three in each category, you'll use the multiple of each category's score, then add each score and you'll have a clear winner.

You can rely a little on your gut. Don't ignore it. The signals you're getting may well indicate how you'll work with the agency, and that's probably the signal you should give the most weight to.

Three questions that keep the agency relationship up

Now that you've chosen experts to help you on your journey, remember: Everyone wants a successful engagement. Your agency is on your side. Each group is learning to work together, especially in the beginning. The initial stages of the collaboration will set the tone. Assuming there's no reason to think otherwise, look to your agency as the experts.

You may not be familiar with the latest data or trends that drive an agency's recommendations. So if something doesn't feel right or you don't understand a recommendation, you should absolutely ask for context instead of asking to change it. Instead of saying, “Please change it to…”, switch the question to, “Please explain this choice to me.” This question offers both of you an opportunity to learn from each other.

When a deliverable is near completion, especially when there has been a lot of back and forth, the last question before signing off should be, “In your professional opinion, what else should we change?” Of course, all along, your agency has given their best professional advice, but sometimes when there are a number of trade-offs and change requests from you – the client – to satisfy during a collaboration, they may have picked and chosen battles. Theirs. This question opens the door to the final piece of polishing that can distinguish between great and outstanding.

If there's a problem, whether it's with work or changing conditions that requires a pivot, my best advice is to look to your agency as your solution partner. People who work in agencies are drawn there because they like to make a difference. they they want to make you happy. They thrive on this. You can make this instinct work for you by taking a collaborative approach. Even if you're frustrated with the agency, asking your agency how they've handled this in the past and what steps each team needs to take to meet that fix will enable a productive outcome.

Hiring an agency it's a big commitment, regardless of your budget and what you hope to achieve with it. Agency partnerships are often best when they are collaborative. Small steps can make a relationship even more productive and your results more impactful than planned.