Evaluation criteria and rubric

You should treat agency selection like hiring a fractional senior leader, not ordering a vendor. Build a checklist you can score objectively, then validate subjectively in calls.

Core capabilities to score

Score these as pass/fail plus quality rating 1 to 5:

• Strategy: ability to produce a GTM hypothesis with addressable market sizing and buyer personas.
• Tactical execution: repeatable processes for campaign setup, creative production and ad ops.
• Measurement: attribution, funnel definitions and closed-loop reporting.
• Creative production: in-house or proven partners for content, video and design.
• Sales integration: MQL definition, handoff SLA and objection handling assets.

Tip: ask for a one-page GTM plan on the first call. If they can’t sketch one in ten minutes, they’ll struggle later.

Industry fit and case evidence

Look for case evidence that mirrors your problem, not your industry. A campaign that grew volume in one vertical may work if the buyer journey and deal size match yours. Score:

• Direct vertical experience: 0–3
• Adjacent experience with transferrable mechanics: 0–2
• Documented outcomes with numbers and timeframes: 0–5

Demand more than a PDF case study. Ask to walk through the original brief, targeting, KPIs and what failed.

Technology, data and compliance

Swiss operations require multi-lingual support and attention to local privacy. Score:

• Stack compatibility with yours: CRM, analytics, CDP connectors.
• Data handling practices: hosting, encryption, retention.
• Compliance familiarity: Swiss data protection rules and common EU regulations.

If they can’t answer where raw data will sit and who owns it, stop the conversation.

Team seniority and retention

Look past titles. Evaluate:

• Ratio of senior strategists to execution staff.
• Tenure across client teams.
• Availability of the actual people you meet.

Require CVs or short bios for the team who will run your account. If your points of contact are juniors two weeks before kickoff, you’ll get junior work.

Scoring matrix and weights

Use a simple weighted scoring model. Example weights:

• Strategy and measurement 30%
• Execution and creative 25%
• Technology and data 15%
• Industry fit 15%
• Team seniority 15%

Score each criterion 1–5, multiply by weight, sum. Keep it under a single page.

Red flags checklist

• No references you can contact.
• Vague answers on data ownership.
• Promises of X% growth without baseline.
• Rapid pitch that recycles cookie-cutter templates.
• Extremely low prices that mean no senior time.

If three or more red flags appear, walk away.

Services and delivery models

Swiss companies need clarity on who does what. Services should be explicit and mapped to outcomes.

Strategic vs execution offerings

Strategic work is hypothesis driven. Execution is repeatable and process heavy. Beware firms that sell a strategy and then monetize the execution as an up-sell. Ask for deliverables and handoffs:

• Strategy: buyer map, ICP, 90-day plan, forecasting model.
• Execution: campaign calendars, content backlog, creatives, QA checklists.

If they cannot show a 90-day playbook tied to KPIs, the strategy is likely fluff.

Demand generation channels

Channel choice depends on deal size and cycle.

• For mid-market and enterprise: account-based outreach, intent-based display, targeted content syndication.
• For lower ACV: programmatic display, search and channel partnerships.

Don’t spread budget thin. Pick two channels, execute them well, expand after you have repeatable CAC and sales feedback.

Content, SEO and paid media

Content must sell, not just educate. Align content types to funnel stages:

• Top: thought pieces in native formats to target lists.
• Middle: problem/solution playbooks and ROI calculators.
• Bottom: case studies and pricing pages with close cues.

SEO is long game. If you need leads in 90 days, prioritize paid while building organic. Make sure paid creatives are tested against organic headlines; winners should inform both.

Sales enablement and alignment

A common disconnect is MQLs that sales ignores. Fix it by:

• Coauthoring the MQL definition and rejection reasons.
• Creating a shared scorecard with SLAs for contact within X hours.
• Producing objection playbooks and battlecards for top 10 sales objections.

Run a weekly score review in the first 90 days. If sales refuses to attend, the program will underperform.

Delivery types: retainer, project, performance

Options:

• Retainer: predictable cost, good for continuous campaigns.
• Project: fixed scope work like website or launch.
• Performance: pay-per-lead or revenue share. Useful when trust is high.

Avoid pure performance fees for early-stage programs. They incentivize volume over quality. If you accept a performance model, define lead quality very tightly.

Localization and compliance (languages, data)

Switzerland is multilingual. Expect translations not transcreations. Local idioms matter in German, French and Italian markets. Technical:

• Host PII in compliant jurisdictions.
• Localize forms, cookie banners and opt-outs per region.
• Plan for multilingual landing pages with identical conversion tracking.

If an agency proposes a single English campaign for all Swiss cantons, that’s lazy and costly.

Pricing and contract benchmarks in Switzerland

Price transparency is rare. Here’s how to make sense of costs.

Common fee structures explained

• Hourly: flexible but can balloon.
• Monthly retainer: fixed capacity, predictable.
• Project fee: milestone payments.
• Performance: CPL, CPL with quality thresholds, or revenue share.

Combine models for large engagements: a retainer plus a bonus on performance.

Typical pricing ranges and what affects cost

Ballpark Swiss ranges:

• Senior strategist day rate: CHF 900 to CHF 1,600.
• Campaign management retainer: CHF 6,000 to CHF 20,000 monthly depending on scope.
• SEO or content monthlies: CHF 3,000 to CHF 12,000.
• One-off project like website revamp: CHF 30,000 to CHF 150,000.

Drivers of cost:

• Senior time required.
• Multilingual production.
• Regulatory complexity.
• Data engineering and integrations.

SLA, KPIs and exit clauses

Contracts should include:

• Response time SLAs for critical issues.
• Minimum deliverables per period.
• Defined KPIs with measurement method.
• 30 to 90 day exit clauses after notice with handover requirements.

Never omit data handover terms. You want full access to raw analytics and content assets on exit.

Pilot project and performance clauses

Structure pilots to minimize risk:

• Short duration 8 to 12 weeks.
• Clear objectives and go/no-go metrics.
• Fixed price for the pilot with options to roll into retainer.

Performance clauses should include:

• Lead validation process.
• Penalties or discounts if agreed KPIs missed.
• Escalation steps before financial adjustments.

RFP / contract questions to include

• Who owns raw data and creative assets?
• Where is data stored and who has access?
• Who are the people running the account and what are their hours?
• What exactly is included in the retainer?
• How do you validate lead quality?
• What are termination and handover procedures?

Onboarding and campaign ramp-up

A sloppy onboarding kills momentum. Treat the first 90 days as the most important quarter.

30/60/90-day implementation roadmap

30 days:

• Stakeholder alignment workshop.
• Data inventory and access setup.
• Quick-win campaigns launched.

60 days:

• Scale top-performing creatives.
• Integrate analytics and CRM mapping.
• Begin content production cadence.

90 days:

• Full reporting cycle with pipeline metrics.
• Optimization roadmap for next quarter.
• Formal go/no-go review.

Data handover and tech integration checklist

Must-haves before launch:

• CRM access and field mapping.
• Analytics view with conversion events.
• Ad accounts with billing and permissions.
• List of banned audiences and suppression lists.
• Test leads pipeline to validate handoff.

If marketers say they’ll “connect later”, demand a plan and dates.

Roles, responsibilities and governance

Define an RACI for every major task:

• Who approves creative?
• Who owns lead qualification?
• Who runs weekly performance calls?

One executive sponsor on your side is non-negotiable. Without it priorities get delayed.

Pilot success criteria and go/no-go points

Agree on 3 success metrics and thresholds. Examples:

• Cost per marketing qualified lead below X after week 8.
• Lead-to-opportunity conversion rate above Y.
• Clean data transfer and zero CRM errors in handoff tests.

If two of three fail, pause and diagnose before continuing.

Measurement, reporting and optimization

Bad measurement creates a false sense of security. Instrument once, optimize properly.

Core KPIs and target ranges

Targets will vary, but ballparks:

• Lead conversion rate (landing page to lead): 3 to 10 percent.
• MQL to SQL: 10 to 25 percent.
• Cost per MQL: depends on ACV, but ensure it aligns with target CAC.

Always map KPIs back to revenue math. If the numbers don’t support your growth model, change the tactics.

Attribution and pipeline mapping

Use a multi-touch model for B2B. Map touches to stages:

• Awareness touches credited to channel reach.
• Engagement touches credited to lead creation.
• Nurture touches credited to pipeline acceleration.

Sync marketing touches with CRM opportunity stages. If marketing can’t see deal progression, you’re flying blind.

Reporting cadence and dashboard templates

Report weekly on activity and monthly on outcomes. Dashboards should include:

• Traffic and conversion trends.
• Lead quality breakdown by cohort.
• Pipeline influence and closed deals attributed to campaigns.

One dashboard for executives, one operational dashboard for campaign teams.

Continuous optimization loop and A/B testing

A structured experiment pipeline:

• Hypothesis, primary metric, sample size and timeline.
• Run test with control and one variant.
• Stop, scale or iterate based on statistical thresholds.

Test cadence: at least one meaningful A/B test per channel per month. If you’re not testing, you’re guessing.