You own the accounts and the signal pipeline
Ad accounts, conversion connections and landing pages sit in your business’s name. Contract checklist
Hiring agencies · 5 guides
Working with a performance marketing agency: a B2B guide from decision to exit
For B2B teams deciding whether to hire, choose, contract, manage or replace a Google, Meta or LinkedIn ads agency. Vendor-neutral, and built around one idea: whoever does the work, your business keeps the accounts, the data and the definition of a qualified lead.
Quick answer
How do I hire a performance marketing agency for a B2B business?
Short answer
Confirm the basics first: working tracking, a written definition of a qualified lead and a way for sales to report lead status. Shortlist agencies with B2B sales-cycle experience, test them on the same brief, keep ad accounts in your name, model fees at planned spend, and agree how they’ll be judged on qualified pipeline.
Checklist
Five non-negotiables for any agency relationship
A qualified lead is defined in writing
Agreed with sales before launch, so everyone judges the same outcome. Questions to ask
Sales feedback flows back on a fixed cadence
Lead status from a CRM or a spreadsheet reaches the agency every week. Agency performance
Fees are modelled at planned spend
Compare retainers and percentage of spend per qualified outcome, not headline rate. Agency pricing
There’s an exit plan on day one
A notice period and a handover list protect your data if you change model. Contract checklist
The lifecycle
Five steps, one guide each
| Step | Done when | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Decide | You know whether an in-house team, an agency or a hybrid fits your spend, lead volume and sales feedback | In-house vs agency |
| 2. Select | Shortlisted agencies are scored on the same questions and a work test | Questions to ask |
| 3. Contract | Fees are modelled at planned spend and ownership and exit terms are written down | Pricing · Contract |
| 4. Manage | Monthly reviews judge qualified pipeline against a two-way SLA | Agency performance |
| 5. Exit or change | Accounts, data connections and assets are verified in your name before notice | Contract checklist |
All guides
The hiring agencies guides
In-house vs agency for B2B paid media
Choose an in-house team, an agency or a hybrid for Google, Meta and LinkedIn ads based on spend, lead volume and sales feedback, with a scorecard.
Questions to ask before hiring an agency
Questions, red flags and a weighted scorecard for choosing a B2B ads agency, plus a 90-day work test.
Marketing agency pricing
Retainers, percentage of spend, hybrid and pay-per-lead in India, the UAE and the US, and cost per qualified lead.
Agency contract checklist
Who owns your Google, Meta and LinkedIn accounts, conversion data and CRM integrations, and how to exit cleanly.
How to measure agency performance
Hold an agency to qualified pipeline, not lead counts: monthly KPIs, a two-way SLA, a report template and an onboarding brief.
AI vs agency
Our analysis of where software and agencies each fit in B2B paid acquisition.
Software and agencies
Does AI ad software replace a marketing agency?
Short answer
Not necessarily. Software can support an in-house team or an agency by diagnosing accounts and making changes within approvals and spend limits, while people set strategy and approve changes. Whether it replaces agency work depends on your team and needs; the AI vs agency analysis covers the trade-offs.
With Zephra, low-risk changes can run automatically, everything else follows your permissions or waits for approval, and every change is recorded in an audit log. Agencies use Zephra on the Enterprise plan. See how it works and pricing.
FAQ
Hiring agencies: common questions
01Where do I start?
If you haven’t decided on an agency yet, start with in-house vs agency. If you’re shortlisting, use the questions and scorecard. If you already have an agency, start with measuring its performance.
02What should never be negotiable with an agency?
Your business should own every ad account, conversion data connection and landing page; a qualified lead must be defined in writing; sales feedback must flow back on a schedule; and the contract must include a notice period and handover list. The fee model and cadence can be negotiated.
03Do I need a CRM to work with an agency?
No. A shared spreadsheet where sales marks each lead’s status is enough to judge an agency on qualified leads.
04When should I leave my marketing agency?
Talk first if the problem is context or cadence; many relationships improve with a better brief and sales feedback. Leave when problems are structural, such as refusing account ownership or reporting that hides qualification data. Verify ownership before giving notice.
05How much do agencies cost?
It depends on the fee model and your spend. The agency pricing guide compares retainers, percentage of spend and hybrid models in India, the UAE and the US.
Hiring, managing or replacing an agency?
Start with a clear view of your ad accounts.
The free assessment reviews wasted spend, campaign structure, performance constraints and measurement gaps across Google, Meta and LinkedIn.
- 10–15 minutes
- No CRM required to start
- No campaign changes during assessment