This episode is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts In this episode of the Contrarian Marketing podcast, hosts Eli and Kevin have an in-depth discussion about marketing agencies - the good, the bad, and the ugly. They talk about their personal experiences working with agencies, red flags to watch out for when evaluating an agency, and green flags that indicate a great agency partner. They also discuss the pros and cons of building your own agency versus remaining a solo consultant. Main discussion points: * Common issues with agencies - poor deliverables, lack of actionable recommendations, expanding contracts when scope changes, long delays before providing value (00:10:28 - 00:12:13) * Signs of a good agency - not requiring payment upfront before doing work, access to account manager, polished materials (00:20:28 - 00:22:17) * The exit strategy - Building an agency as an asset that can eventually be acquired so the founders can "exit" versus remaining a solo consultant (00:18:43 - 00:20:05) * Wanting to hire the person, not just the agency - Evaluating if the people you meet initially are the ones who will actually be working on your account (00:29:46 - 00:31:44) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.contrarianmarketingpodcast.com