“What did you
actually do?”
Ask about the assignment behind the client logo. Who was the audience? What was the agency’s role? What changed?
See our UFP example ↗The Carbon guide / Choosing an agencyNice pitch.Who’s doing the work?
How to choose a B2B marketing agency you’ll enjoy working with.
The deck looks great. The chemistry seems good. Now comes the useful part: finding out whether this is the team that can help you get where you need to go.
The short answer
Start with the problem you need to solve. Then look at relevant work, meet the people who will deliver it and compare clear scopes. Before you choose a B2B marketing agency, agree on what success looks like and how you’ll work together.
Give everyone the same problem
A better brief.
A better conversation.
“We need more leads” is a start. Which customers do you want? What makes someone a good prospect? What happens after they raise their hand?
The same goes for a brand or website project. Explain what customers don’t understand today and what you want them to think or do differently.
Share your goals, audience, timing, budget context and the people involved. Add whatever research or performance data you already have. The clearer the starting point, the easier it is to compare what comes back.
Get past the presentation
A few questions
worth asking out loud.
“What did you
“What do those
results mean?”
Check the timeframe, baseline and definition. Reach, leads and sales opportunities aren’t interchangeable.
See our HubSpot example ↗“Who’s on
our team?”
Meet the people you’ll actually work with. Ask how decisions get made and what happens when priorities change.
Meet the Carbon model ↗“What’s in
the scope?”
Compare deliverables, research, media, production and technology before you compare the final number.
Talk through the budget ↗Make the pitch prove itself.
Compare the evidence.
Then trust the chemistry.
To vet a B2B marketing agency, compare six things: buyer understanding, relevant work, measurement, the working team, scope and cost, and working fit. Ask every agency for the same evidence. Agree on your priorities before the presentations start.
| Criterion | Suggested weight | Ask this | Look for this evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buyer understanding | 25% | Can they explain how your buyers evaluate a partner? | A diagnosis of the problem, the buying team and the information still missing. |
| Relevant work | 20% | What did they actually do on a comparable assignment? | The brief, the agency’s role, actual deliverables and a result with its timeframe and limits. |
| Measurement | 20% | How will we know the work is helping? | A baseline, agreed measures, access to the right data and a plan for connecting inquiries to qualified opportunities. |
| The working team | 15% | Who will do the work after the pitch? | Named roles, day-to-day ownership and a chance to meet the people responsible for delivery. |
| Scope and cost | 15% | What is included, excluded and needed from us? | Deliverables, timing, fees, responsibilities, approval rounds and how changes will be agreed. |
| Working fit | 5% | How will we make decisions together? | A practical approach to feedback, approvals and resolving a disagreement. |
On a small screen, scroll the table sideways to see every column. These weights are Carbon’s suggested starting point. They are not a research finding or an independent agency ranking. Adjust them to your assignment, keeping the total at 100%.
Use a simple scoring scale.
1: A weak answer or little relevant evidence. 3: A clear, credible answer with some supporting work. 5: Strong evidence directly relevant to your brief. Use 2 or 4 for the steps between.
Leave unanswered criteria blank and follow up. Missing evidence is not an average score. Have your team score independently before you discuss the differences.
Keep the must-haves separate.
An impressive total should not outweigh an unresolved requirement. Agree on essentials such as the skills you need, a feasible deadline, access to the working team and a scope you can afford.
Record any condition that must be resolved before you can appoint the agency. The scorecard supports the decision; it does not make it for you.
What the math looks like.
If buyer understanding carries 25% of the decision and you score an agency 4 out of 5, that contributes 1.00 to its weighted score. Add each score multiplied by its weight to get a total out of 5—once every criterion has been answered.
For a manufacturing assignment, ask the agency to walk through a real capability page: what did an engineer need to know, what evidence supported the claim, and how did a buyer reach the right person? Carbon’s UFP case study shows how buyer research shaped the website. For measurement, our HubSpot story distinguishes reported reach and traffic from sales outcomes.
Download the editable scorecardCSV worksheet for Excel or Google Sheets. Add agency names, evidence, scores and unresolved requirements. No email required.
Still building your shortlist? Explore our B2B agency comparison or manufacturing agency guide. Carbon publishes these guides and is one of the agencies included.
Take this to your next call
Good chemistry.
Clear answers.
Use this checklist with every agency on your shortlist. Check an item when you have a specific answer you’re comfortable with.
A conversation aid, not an agency rating. Your selections stay on this page and reset when you reload.
0 of 5 covered
48%
said AI introduced a provider
they seriously considered.
How buyers build a shortlist is changing
The first introduction
might come from AI.
That’s one finding from Carbon’s 2026 study of 189 B2B decision-makers. Wherever a recommendation comes from—a colleague, Google or an AI answer—look at the work and meet the people behind it.
The study covers B2B business partners broadly, not just marketing agencies.
Explore the research and methodology ↗Good chemistry. Real people.
The crew you meet.
The crew you get.
Our strategists, creatives, media specialists and technologists work together. And you work directly with the experienced people doing the work.
Get to know our agency model ↗Put the thinking to work
A useful place to start.
B2B Marketing Agencies: 7 Options Compared | Carbon
Compare seven agency options for B2B teams, including Carbon, Godfrey, MX, Pretzl, Stein, Walker Sands and CerconeBrown. Find a fit for your brief.
Manufacturing Marketing Agencies: 7 Compared | Carbon
Compare seven manufacturing marketing agencies by focus, relevant work and questions to ask. Build a shortlist for your brand, website or demand-generation brief.
Boston Digital Marketing Agencies: 7 Options Compared | Carbon
Compare seven Boston-area agencies by published services, relevant fit and questions to ask. Includes source links, selection criteria and an editable shortlist.
Marketing agency vs. in-house: what does your team need?
Decide what to hire for, what to keep close and where an agency can help. Compare three ways of working and build a clear responsibility map.
What should a brand strategy proposal include?
Look past the workshop count. Learn how to compare research, positioning, messaging and rollout deliverables—with a practical proposal review worksheet.
How do you compare two PPC agency proposals?
Compare PPC proposals on the same terms: agency fees, media, landing pages, qualified leads and account access. Includes an editable comparison worksheet.
A B2B marketing agency RFP template that gets useful answers
Write an agency RFP around the business problem, working team, evidence and scope. Includes an editable brief and a practical comparison rubric.
Good questions. Clear answers.
A few things worth asking.
A little clarity before the next conversation.
What should I look for in a B2B marketing agency?
An understanding of your buyers, relevant experience, a team you trust and a scope you understand. Ask for evidence that fits your challenge, and agree on how you’ll judge progress.
Should I choose a specialist or an integrated agency?
A specialist can be a good fit for one clearly defined need. An integrated agency can help when research, brand, creative, media and digital all need to connect. Think about how much coordination your internal team can take on.
Do they need experience in my exact industry?
It helps, especially with technical products or complex buying processes. But experience with similar audiences and business challenges matters too. Ask how they’ll get up to speed on the things they don’t know yet.
What should the proposal include?
The goal, scope, deliverables, team, timing, fees and exclusions. It should also explain your responsibilities, how progress will be reviewed and what happens if the work changes.
How many agencies should I shortlist?
Enough to compare useful options, but few enough to get to know each team properly. A focused shortlist and a consistent brief usually make for a better decision than a long parade of pitches.
Keep exploring
Make the next connection.
Agency pricing & engagement models
B2B marketing agency pricing, without the awkward part.
Manufacturing & industrial marketing
Manufacturing marketing, with people at the center.
B2B technology marketing
Make people care about what your technology can do.
Create a reaction
Bring the questions. Meet the crew.
We’re happy to be on the other side of this checklist.