How to Know If Your Marketing Agency Is Actually Working (And What to Do If It Isn't)

You're spending $2,000, $5,000, maybe $10,000 a month on marketing. Your agency sends a report every month. You glance at it, see some numbers, and move on.

But here's the question nobody wants to ask: Is any of this actually working?

After 20 years in marketing and managing 79 active accounts, I can tell you — most business owners don't know. And most agencies prefer it that way.

Here are 7 questions to ask your agency this week. The answers will tell you everything you need to know.

1. "What revenue has my marketing generated this month?"

Not impressions. Not clicks. Not "brand awareness." Revenue.

What a good agency says: "Your campaigns generated $X in tracked revenue from Y leads that converted."

Red flag: "Well, it's hard to attribute directly, but your impressions are up 40%."

If your agency can't connect their work to your revenue, they're either not tracking it or the results aren't there.

2. "Which specific campaigns are profitable and which aren't?"

Every campaign should be measured individually. The profitable ones get more budget. The unprofitable ones get killed or fixed.

What a good agency says: "Campaign A is returning 4.2x. Campaign B is underperforming at 1.1x — here's our plan to fix it by next month."

Red flag: "Overall, things are trending in the right direction."

3. "Can I see my actual ad spend vs. your management fee?"

You'd be surprised how many business owners don't know the breakdown. Some agencies bundle everything together so you can't see that you're paying $3,000/month in fees on $1,500 in actual ad spend.

What a good agency says: "Here's your ad spend, here's our fee, and here's the return on each."

Red flag: They get uncomfortable or say it's "all-inclusive."

4. "What happened to the leads that came in last month?"

A good agency doesn't just generate leads — they care what happens after. Did those leads convert? Did the front desk follow up? Was the phone answered?

What a good agency says: "32 leads came in. 28 were contacted within 2 hours. 11 booked. 4 are still in follow-up."

Red flag: "We delivered the leads. What happens after that is on your team."

5. "What are you doing differently this month than last month?"

Marketing isn't a set-it-and-forget-it machine. Markets shift. Competitors adjust. What worked in January might not work in June.

What a good agency says: "We noticed your competitor started bidding on your brand terms, so we adjusted your defensive campaign and shifted $500 to higher-converting long-tail keywords."

Red flag: "We're continuing to optimize."

6. "What would you do if you were spending your own money?"

This one separates the order-takers from the strategists. A good agency will give you an honest answer — even if it means recommending you spend less.

What a good agency says: "Honestly, I'd pause Facebook and move that budget to Google. Your cost per lead is 3x lower on search."

Red flag: "We recommend increasing your budget across all channels."

7. "If I cancelled tomorrow, what would I own?"

Do you own your Google Ads account? Your analytics? Your website content? Or does the agency own everything and you'd have to start from scratch?

What a good agency says: "Everything is in your accounts. If we parted ways tomorrow, you'd keep all your data, campaigns, and content."

Red flag: "We manage everything through our master account."

What to Do If the Answers Aren't Good

Don't panic. But don't ignore it either.

Start by requesting full access to your ad accounts and analytics. Then get a second opinion. Many agencies — including us — offer free marketing audits that can tell you exactly where your money is going and what's being wasted.

The best marketing agencies welcome scrutiny. The worst ones rely on confusion.

Your money. Your data. Your results. Ask the hard questions.

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Josh Levine is the founder of Wise Roots LLC, a Google Partner AI marketing agency based in Phoenix, AZ. Get your free competitive intelligence report