{"id":1933,"date":"2025-11-20T15:28:16","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T16:28:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gogetmuscle.com\/?p=1933"},"modified":"2025-11-26T17:45:44","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T17:45:44","slug":"10-questions-that-reveal-the-truth-about-your-agency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/gogetmuscle.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/20\/10-questions-that-reveal-the-truth-about-your-agency\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Questions That Reveal the Truth About Your Agency"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ducttapemarketing.com\/10-questions-marketing-partner\/\">10 Questions That Reveal the Truth About Your Agency<\/a> written by <a href=\"https:\/\/ducttapemarketing.com\/author\/johnjantsch\/\">John Jantsch<\/a> read more at <a href=\"https:\/\/ducttapemarketing.com\">Duct Tape Marketing<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- Insert Audio Player Here --><\/p>\n<p><!-- Title will be added via WordPress template --><\/p>\n<section><em>Catch the full episode:<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Overview<\/h2>\n<p>On this solo episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast, John Jantsch lays out the 10 questions every small business owner should ask before hiring\u2014or continuing to pay\u2014a marketing partner. After decades of seeing business owners overpay for underperformance, John shares a practical checklist you can use to weed out smoke-and-mirrors agencies, avoid being held hostage by your own assets, and find true marketing leadership instead of task-doers. If you\u2019re tired of vague reports, long-term contracts, and unclear results, this episode gives you a clear, no-nonsense framework.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section>\n<h2><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-84620 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/gogetmuscle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/john-jantsch-1.png\" alt=\"john jantsch (1)\" width=\"181\" height=\"181\" \/>About the Host<\/h2>\n<p><strong>John Jantsch<\/strong> is a marketing consultant, speaker, and author of several best-selling books including <em>Duct Tape Marketing<\/em> and <em>The Ultimate Marketing Engine<\/em>. As the founder of Duct Tape Marketing, he helps small and mid-sized businesses build simple, effective, and scalable marketing systems.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Website: <a href=\"https:\/\/ducttapemarketing.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ducttapemarketing.com<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Podcast Archive: <a href=\"https:\/\/ducttapemarketing.com\/podcast\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Duct Tape Marketing Podcast<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<section>\n<h2>Actionable Insights<\/h2>\n<p>John walks through 10 key questions and what to watch for in the answers:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Who owns my marketing assets and accounts?<\/strong><br \/>\nYou should own your website, ad accounts, data, and tools\u2014no exceptions. Agencies should have access, not ownership.<\/li>\n<li><strong>How do you define success, and how often will we review it?<\/strong><br \/>\nAvoid vanity metrics. Push for clear definitions around leads, conversions, and revenue, plus a regular review cadence where they translate metrics into insight.<\/li>\n<li><strong>How do you connect tactics to strategy?<\/strong><br \/>\n\u201cTactics = strategy\u201d is a red flag. Look for a framework or system that starts with strategy and then maps to campaigns and tasks.<\/li>\n<li><strong>What happens if I want to end the contract?<\/strong><br \/>\nWatch for long-term lock-ins, hidden fees, and non-compete-style clauses. Month-to-month or flexible arrangements signal confidence and transparency.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Who will I actually work with day to day?<\/strong><br \/>\nDon\u2019t get sold by the senior strategist and then handed off blindly. Ask to meet the team you\u2019ll work with and understand their roles and experience.<\/li>\n<li><strong>How do you report on results, and can I see a sample?<\/strong><br \/>\nAsk for a sample report and look for narrative, interpretation, and recommendations\u2014not just raw numbers or tool exports.<\/li>\n<li><strong>How are you using AI, and what is still human-led?<\/strong><br \/>\nYou\u2019re not trying to avoid AI; you want to know how it\u2019s used to support strategy, operations, and performance while keeping your brand voice, judgment, and expertise human-led.<\/li>\n<li><strong>How will you collaborate with my team (and other partners)?<\/strong><br \/>\nGood partners integrate with your internal resources and existing vendors, not operate as a disconnected black box.<\/li>\n<li><strong>What is your process for creating strategy before you execute?<\/strong><br \/>\nLook for a clear discovery and strategy process: ideal client, core message, differentiation, customer journey\u2014before they start pitching tactics.<\/li>\n<li><strong>What will you teach me along the way?<\/strong><br \/>\nYou don\u2019t need to become a marketer, but you do need a partner who educates and empowers you to make better decisions\u2014not one who keeps you in the dark.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/section>\n<section>\n<h2>Great Moments (with Timestamps)<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>00:01 \u2013 Why This Episode Exists<\/strong><br \/>\nJohn\u2019s frustration with business owners getting ripped off by marketing partners.<\/li>\n<li><strong>02:06 \u2013 Question #1: Who Owns the Accounts?<\/strong><br \/>\nWhy ownership of websites, ad accounts, and data is non-negotiable.<\/li>\n<li><strong>03:20 \u2013 Question #2: How Do You Define Success?<\/strong><br \/>\nMoving beyond vanity metrics to real business outcomes.<\/li>\n<li><strong>04:28 \u2013 Question #3: Tactics vs. Strategy<\/strong><br \/>\nThe danger of \u201cmagic behind the scenes\u201d without a framework.<\/li>\n<li><strong>05:40 \u2013 Question #4: Ending the Contract<\/strong><br \/>\nHow to spot traps in long-term agreements.<\/li>\n<li><strong>06:37 \u2013 Questions #5\u20137: Team, Reporting, and AI<\/strong><br \/>\nWho does the work, how results are shared, and how AI fits into modern marketing.<\/li>\n<li><strong>08:40 \u2013 Question #9: Strategy Before Execution<\/strong><br \/>\nWhy understanding your ideal client, message, and journey must come first.<\/li>\n<li><strong>10:54 \u2013 Question #10: Will You Teach Me?<\/strong><br \/>\nThe difference between abdication and empowered collaboration.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<section>\n<h2>Insights<\/h2>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cIf an agency owns your website or ad accounts, they\u2019re not a partner\u2014you\u2019re renting your own marketing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cVanity metrics are worthless unless someone can tell you what they mean and what you should do next.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cAnyone can sell you tactics. You want someone who connects strategy to execution and outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThe best marketing partners educate you, integrate with your team, and make you smarter and more in control\u2014not more dependent.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>10 Questions That Reveal the Truth About Your Agency written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing Catch the full episode: Overview On this solo episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast, John Jantsch lays out the 10 questions every small business owner should ask before hiring\u2014or continuing to pay\u2014a marketing partner. After [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1935,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/gogetmuscle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1933"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/gogetmuscle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/gogetmuscle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gogetmuscle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gogetmuscle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1933"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/gogetmuscle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1933\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1936,"href":"http:\/\/gogetmuscle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1933\/revisions\/1936"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gogetmuscle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/gogetmuscle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gogetmuscle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gogetmuscle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}