So you’ve just hired a marketing agency to help get your business some exposure (hopefully Marketing 360!).  You have a lot of questions for them.  Not only do you want to understand the overall plan, you also want to know if your marketing exec knows what she’s doing.

Here is one way you can know.  There are three questions your marketing exec should ask you so they can better understand your business and how your relationship will work.  These are three tougher questions that indicate the exec is looking to peal away a few layers and make sure they really know where you’re coming from.  These questions, asked and answered, will set the foundations for a successful client/agency relationship.

#1.  What are your key performance indicators (KPIs)?

This question gets to the fundamentals of why the marketing campaign is being pursued in the first place.  This is not just knowing your goals.   It’s understanding how those goals will be reached.

It also gives direction to the type of campaign you’re creating.  Are you looking for exposure or sales?  High rankings or targeted traffic?  Long or short-term results?  High-level or low-level for the business?

In digital marketing, analytical data will probably be a focus of KPI’s.  But it could also be likes on social media, views of a YouTube video, or attendance at an on-site event.

Use the SMART criteria with KPI’s:

• Specific objective
• Measurable results
• Attainable within a realistic scope
• Relevant to the success of your business
• Time-frame that’s set and understood

This is something you should discuss in detail with your exec, and you should both be on exactly the same page.

#2.  How will you judge my work?

Your marketing exec will want to know how you’ll judge the relationship and how you’ll rate it a success.

This includes – but goes beyond – just knowing KPI’s.  This also connects to how you communicate and even what your relationship is like.

It’s a massive problem when the way your exec is working and the way you judge the success of that work is not aligned.  Your exec will be making huge efforts you won’t appreciate, and they’ll think you don’t know your own business.

Get this clear.  What are your expectations in terms of work and communication?  How will you make sure you’re viewing issues beyond your personal bias?

There is nothing worse than a seemingly friendly phone call that ends with client and exec hanging up and immediately accusing one another of idiocy.

A real test of how marketing work is judged is when you run a campaign that doesn’t perform, but both of you understand it was worth trying – that every effort was made for it to be a success.  When you can say to your exec “great effort, it was worth trying” even though you’re having to move onto a new tactic, you know that you’re working well together.

#3.  Where are your warts?

Most marketing companies/consultants will ingratiate themselves to you by telling you how awesome they think your business idea is.  And indeed, they should think you’re on solid ground – or they shouldn’t work with you.

But a great marketing executive doesn’t just kiss your ass.  They’ll ask you about your problem areas and expect honesty.  In truth, we know every business has its warts, and the person who’s in charge of your marketing should know where they are.

Don’t try to pretend you don’t have knowledge gaps.  Don’t act like you haven’t made mistakes.  Think of your marketing exec like a business counselor.  This is the place to admit where you have shortcomings.

It’s also true that you can’t remove warts unless you know where they are.  Being honest about areas you struggle is the first step towards correcting those problems.  That’s a good reason to work with an experienced marketing agency in the first place.

You’ll have a lot of questions for your marketing exec.  But expect to hear these three from them.  The better your answers, the better both your relationship – and results – will be.