Maren Holt
Fractional CMO
ESSAY
Why I fire the agency in month two, most of the time
Why I fire the agency in month two, most of the time
Why I fire the agency in month two, most of the time
8 min
Agencies are good at doing more of something. In month two, most companies still don’t know what the something should be.
Agencies are good at doing more of something. In month two, most companies still don’t know what the something should be.
“You can’t outsource a decision you haven’t made yet.”
The month-two test
By week eight I can usually tell whether the agency is executing a strategy or substituting for one. If nobody can explain which customers the spend is meant to reach, it’s the second.
What happens next
We pause the retainer, put the budget into one channel we can measure, and bring an agency back once we know exactly what to ask it for.
Next essay
Positioning is a sales problem wearing a marketing hat
→
The Thursday Memo
One email a week, written on Thursdays between client calls. 4,200 founders and marketers read it.
Maren Holt
Fractional CMO
ESSAY
Why I fire the agency in month two, most of the time
Why I fire the agency in month two, most of the time
Why I fire the agency in month two, most of the time
8 min
Agencies are good at doing more of something. In month two, most companies still don’t know what the something should be.
Agencies are good at doing more of something. In month two, most companies still don’t know what the something should be.
“You can’t outsource a decision you haven’t made yet.”
The month-two test
By week eight I can usually tell whether the agency is executing a strategy or substituting for one. If nobody can explain which customers the spend is meant to reach, it’s the second.
What happens next
We pause the retainer, put the budget into one channel we can measure, and bring an agency back once we know exactly what to ask it for.
Next essay
Positioning is a sales problem wearing a marketing hat
→
The Thursday Memo
One email a week, written on Thursdays between client calls. 4,200 founders and marketers read it.
Maren Holt
Fractional CMO
ESSAY
Why I fire the agency in month two, most of the time
Why I fire the agency in month two, most of the time
Why I fire the agency in month two, most of the time
8 min
Agencies are good at doing more of something. In month two, most companies still don’t know what the something should be.
Agencies are good at doing more of something. In month two, most companies still don’t know what the something should be.
“You can’t outsource a decision you haven’t made yet.”
The month-two test
By week eight I can usually tell whether the agency is executing a strategy or substituting for one. If nobody can explain which customers the spend is meant to reach, it’s the second.
What happens next
We pause the retainer, put the budget into one channel we can measure, and bring an agency back once we know exactly what to ask it for.
Next essay
Positioning is a sales problem wearing a marketing hat
→
The Thursday Memo
One email a week, written on Thursdays between client calls. 4,200 founders and marketers read it.