Managing agencies also means managing yourself

Original article published in Marketing Procurement iQ

By Elena French

If your agency relationships aren’t delivering, it may not be just the agency. This article explores how stronger internal agency management—clearer briefs, better processes, and more understanding and consistent collaboration—can make all the difference. Great agencies need great clients.

Hire people who know how to manage agencies…. These people aren’t typical marketers, but professionals with the discipline, curiosity, and financial acumen to oversee scopes, budgets, and creative workflows.

In nearly every agency optimisation effort we’ve been part of, whether it’s a competitive RFP, a contract reset, or a scope consolidation, there comes a moment when a well-meaning marketing leader pulls me aside and says something like this:

“We just need better agencies. Ours aren’t delivering. Too many errors. Budgets are out of whack. Creative isn’t on brief.”

And sure. Sometimes, that’s true. But more often? It’s only half the story.

Because the uncomfortable truth is this: you can have world-class agencies and bulletproof contracts, and still end up with lacklustre work, inflated costs, and a lot of finger-pointing.

Why? Because agency success isn’t just about the agency. It’s about how you manage them.

I hear this more often now from the smarter voices in the room, like a client we were presenting to just recently. “The contracts and scopes are fine, but our internal teams don’t know how to manage agencies. There’s no process for reconciliation, no rigour on Quality Assurance (QA), and no one’s catching the copy errors.”

The client is right but agency optimisation isn’t just about choosing the right partner. It’s about being the right client.

Here are a few tips to get on the right track:

• Hire people who know how to manage agencies. This means the ability to understand the work, the marketer needs, and the agency capabilities. These people aren’t typical marketers, but professionals with the discipline, curiosity, and financial acumen to oversee scopes, budgets, and creative workflows.

• Train teams to write a decent brief. A good brief does not guarantee good work but most good work begins with a clear brief.

• Create a two-way feedback loop that is reviewed and discussed between partners. Continuous process improvement is the foundation for all lasting agency client relationships.

• Establish QA protocols and make sure they’re incentivised and followed. There is no excuse for typos in your copy!

• Set expectations early and manage them often.

Most creative agencies are very good at what they do. But they’re not mind readers, finance controllers, or brand stewards. That’s your job.

And if you don’t build the internal muscle to manage the relationship both strategically and operationally, you’ll be back in another agency review in 18 months wondering why it didn’t work again.

So, if you’re heading into an agency review, make sure you’re also looking in the mirror. Tighten your internal processes.

Clarify roles and responsibilities. Be honest about where your team needs support. The way to get the best work out of your agency is to be the best partner.

The bottom line, don’t just audit your agencies, audit yourself. It’s one of the most overlooked (and most impactful) parts of building lasting partnerships.

About the author

Elena French, is a Strategic Marketing and Communications Consultant at Blum Consulting Partners, Inc.