Key Services & Capabilities

Demand generation channels

A good B2B marketing partner in Seattle should run several channels at once and be honest about where you’ll actually win. Expect a mix of paid media, organic programs, and direct account outreach. The agency should map channels to sales cycle stages, not just toss budget at every shiny tactic.

Paid search, display, and ABM ads — expected outputs and KPIs

Paid should produce pipeline, not just impressions. What to demand:

• Leads and meetings by account tier, with CPL and CPL by intent signal.
• Pipeline value and SQL conversion rate tied back to spend.
• Audience overlap and frequency to avoid ad fatigue.

KPIs to watch:

• Cost per high-intent lead (not just form fills).
• Meeting show rate and SDR-to-opportunity conversion.
• CPA by account tier for ABM.
• Incremental pipeline: estimate lift versus control window.

Example: if ABM campaigns target 50 named accounts, expect 6-12 meetings in first 90 days if creative and SDR outreach align. Fewer meetings means either targeting or message is off.

Organic lead channels — SEO, content, and thought leadership deliverables

Organic programs should be outcome-oriented, not just monthly blog posts. Deliverables to insist on:

• Topic clusters mapped to target accounts and purchase stages.
• One pillar asset per quarter aimed at high-value keywords or decision-maker concerns.
• Thought leadership distribution plan: syndication, earned placements, and gated syndication for lead capture.

Metrics:

• Organic MQLs, assisted pipeline from content, and SERP share for targeted keywords.
• Top-funnel attention is fine, but insist on middle-funnel assets that drive trials, demos, or meetings.

Mini example: don’t accept "monthly SEO updates." Ask for a quarter plan: pillar page, two mid-funnel case studies, and a targeted guest article that gets a tracked CTA.

Account-based marketing & content

ABM is about personalization at scale and tight sales alignment. If the agency pitches generic personalization, walk away.

Ideal asset types, distribution tactics, and measurement

Assets:

• Executive brief tailored to persona and vertical.
• Technical whitepaper for procurement or IT stakeholders.
• Short case studies that map to each buyer’s job to be done.
• Interactive ROI tools for sales to use in conversations.

Distribution:

• Targeted paid ads to named lists.
• SDR sequences that reference the asset and include a “viewed asset” trigger.
• Account-specific microsites or tracking URLs for attribution.

Measure by:

• Account engagement score, meetings generated, and pipeline attributable to asset downloads.
• Movement on account intent signals (site visits, content depth, repeat sessions).

Sales enablement & lead ops

This is where many agencies fail: they hand over leads and vanish. Don’t accept that.

Playbooks, lead qualification, CRM workflows, and handoff SLAs

Must-haves:

• Clear lead scoring logic with thresholds tied to SDR action.
• Playbooks: what SDR says, what content to share, objection rebuttals.
• CRM workflows: who owns a lead at each score, SLA timers, and escalation rules.
• Handoff SLA: e.g., SDR must attempt contact within 1 hour of handoff, 3 attempts in first 24 hours, and next-step resolution within 48 hours.

Ask for example playbook snippets during RFP. If they can’t show scripts tied to outcomes, they’re theoretical.

Analytics, tracking, and attribution

If tracking is weak, the whole engagement is guesswork. Demand clarity.

Required tracking, attribution models, and baseline metrics to request

Tracking essentials:

• UTM hygiene and server-side tagging for reliability.
• CRM events for demo requests, meetings, and opportunity creation.
• First touch, last touch, and weighted multi-touch attribution models applied.

Baseline metrics to request:

• Lead to SQL rate by source.
• Time-to-opportunity by channel.
• Revenue influenced vs. directly sourced.

Ask for reproducible reports, not artful dashboards with hidden calculations.

Selection Criteria & Red Flags

Team composition and experience

You’re buying people as much as process. Validate the team.

Roles to validate, minimum seniority, and expected involvement

Validate:

• Strategy lead with enterprise B2B experience and examples.
• Paid media lead who’s run ABM buys and can discuss frequency capping and list hygiene.
• Content lead who has written decision-focused assets.
• Analytics/ops lead with CRM integration track record.

Expected involvement:

• Strategic weekly touchpoints with the strategy lead for first 60 days, then biweekly.
• Day-to-day ops via a dedicated campaign manager.

Seniority matters. If the person proposing the plan is junior and the senior people are “available on request,” push back.

Evidence and relevancy

Case studies are often polished. Look for the hard bits.

What to look for in case studies and references

Look for:

• Measured outcomes, not vanity metrics.
• Baseline before engagement and realistic timelines.
• Reference contacts who match your company size and deal complexity.

Ask references: “Tell me the thing that went wrong and how you fixed it.” If they dodge, that’s a red flag.

Tech-stack and data compatibility

If they can’t integrate with your stack, they can’t drive outcomes.

Essential integrations and data access requirements

Non-negotiable:

• Full CRM access (not just report extracts).
• Ad account admin access or partnership-level read/write.
• Analytics property and GTM access, plus permission to implement server-side tracking.

If they ask for PDFs or CSVs only, they’re not set up for real work.

Communication and processes

Clear rhythms reduce firefights.

Meeting cadence, reporting format, and decision workflows

Expect:

• Weekly tactical calls, monthly strategic reviews, and quarterly business reviews.
• Reports that map to decisions: spend adjustments, content production shifts, or targeting changes.
• Defined single points of escalation on both sides.

Avoid vendors who schedule 3-hour weekly meetings. If you need that, your scope is off.

Red flags to avoid

Trust your gut on these.

Overpromising guarantees, opaque reporting, and high turnover signs

Immediate declines:

• Guarantees of X pipeline in Y days without seeing data.
• Dashboards with undisclosed data sources or aggregate-only views.
• Frequent account team changes in reference calls.

Also be wary of agencies that insist on owning all creative assets or lock you into long minimum terms with little performance recourse.

Pricing, Contracts & SLAs (Seattle)

Common pricing models

Know the tradeoffs.

Retainer, project, performance, and hybrid pros/cons

• Retainer: predictable, good for ongoing ops. Risk: can lull teams into output-over-outcome mode.
• Project: great for audits or website builds. Risk: scope creep and short-term thinking.
• Performance: aligns incentives but can encourage gaming or poor data reporting.
• Hybrid: most realistic. Baseline retainer plus performance bonus on agreed KPIs.

Insist on transparent KPI definitions when performance fees are involved.

Budget ranges and negotiation tips

Seattle pricing is higher than smaller markets, but you don’t need to overpay. Typical ranges:

• Content-led retainer for mid-market: $8k to $20k per month.
• Full-funnel demand programs with paid media and ops: $15k to $60k per month.
• Pilot projects: $15k to $50k one-time depending on scope.

Negotiation tips:

• Start from outcomes not hours.
• Ask for a 90-day pilot with defined deliverables before a long-term commit.
• Hold back 10% of payment pending implementation of tracking and handoff SLAs.

Contract clauses to insist on

You want options when things go sideways.

IP rights, scope-change mechanisms, exit terms, and penalties

Insist on:

• You retain IP for creative and data produced.
• Clear scope-change process with time and materials rates.
• Exit clauses with 30 to 60 days notice and data handoff obligations.
• Penalties or credits if SLAs are missed repeatedly.

SLA metrics and remedies

Measure response and performance.

Reporting frequency, response times, and remediation triggers

Typical SLA items:

• Reporting frequency: weekly campaign summary, monthly performance deep dive.
• Response times: 4 business hours for critical issues, 24 hours for standard requests.
• Remediation: if SLA missed 3 times in a quarter, trigger a root cause and action plan and fee credit.

RFP, Evaluation & Pilot Design

RFP essentials to include

A short, sharp RFP beats a novel.

Clear objectives, data access, timelines, and decision criteria

Include:

• 3 measurable objectives, e.g., increase SQLs by 30% in 6 months.
• Data access requirements and sample exports.
• Timeline with pilot start and decision date.
• Decision criteria and weightings up front.

Scoring and evaluation framework

Score to separate signal from charm.

Recommended weighted criteria and scoring example

Example weights:

• Relevant experience: 25%
• Proposed approach and creativity: 25%
• Team and availability: 20%
• Tracking and ops capability: 15%
• Price and contract terms: 15%

Use a 1 to 5 score per criterion. Compare weighted totals and check references before shortlisting.

Pilot project blueprint

A pilot is a short, measurable bet. Design it that way.

Scope, success metrics, duration, deliverables, and budget cap

Blueprint:

• Duration: 60 to 90 days.
• Scope: target one segment or 25 named accounts, one paid channel, and one content asset.
• Success metrics: number of qualified meetings, meeting-to-opportunity conversion, and working tracking in CRM.
• Deliverables: campaign setup, one pillar asset, two SDR playbook sequences.
• Budget cap: keep it to 20% of projected monthly run-rate so it’s a real test.

Transition and scaling triggers

Don’t scale blindly.

Handoff criteria and phased scale milestones

Trigger points to scale:

• Consistent KPI achievement for two consecutive periods.
• Clean data and repeatable playbooks.
• SDRs reporting predictable lead quality.

Scale in phases: double spend only after meeting rate-of-sale and pipeline velocity milestones.

Onboarding, Reporting & Optimization

30-60-90 day onboarding checklist

Make the first 90 days about foundations.

Initial audits, goals alignment, and quick wins

30 days:

• Audit of CRM, analytics, and ad accounts.
• Agree goals and KPIs.
• Implement basic tracking and 1 quick win (e.g., fix a broken landing page form).

60 days:

• Run pilot campaigns and produce first pillar asset.
• Deliver playbook and SDR training.

90 days: - Measure pilot, refine scoring, and prepare scale plan.

Data and integration checklist

Don’t ship until this is done.

CRM, analytics, ad accounts, and lead routing validation

Checklist:

• CRM mappings validated and test leads created.
• Analytics events firing and cross-domain tracking confirmed.
• Ad accounts linked to analytics and CRM.
• Lead routing rules tested end-to-end.

Dashboarding and reporting cadence

Reports should enable decisions.

Core KPIs, dashboard examples, and stakeholder reports

Core KPIs:

• Leads by source, SQLs, pipeline created, opportunity velocity.
• CPL and CPA by account tier.
• Content engagement for target accounts.

Provide:

• Weekly brief for SDRs and marketing ops.
• Monthly exec summary with trend lines and decisions required.

Continuous optimization process

Optimization isn’t optional.

Test roadmap, KPI review loop, and escalation paths

Process:

• Monthly test roadmap with prioritized hypotheses.
• Weekly KPI review to pause or scale tests.
• Escalation path when KPIs deviate beyond a threshold so fixes are fast.

Renewal and performance review triggers

Use objective triggers for renewal.

Benchmarks for renewal decisions and renegotiation timing

Renew if:

• Primary KPIs met or exceeded for the last two quarters.
• Tracking and ops are stable and documented.

Renegotiate if:

• KPIs miss targets by 20% for two consecutive quarters.
• There are repeated SLA breaches.

Set reviews 60 days before contract end to avoid last-minute scramble.