# 12 Questions to Ask a Marketing Agency Before You Hire One

https://motorgrowth.com/guides/questions-to-ask-a-marketing-agency/ · Updated 2026-10-12

Ask who owns the ad account, who answers the leads, whether they work with shops near you, how they track bookings and what it costs, early. These twelve questions come from what tint, PPF, coating and detailing owners told us went wrong with agencies they'd hired before.

## The 12 questions

Ownership, exclusivity, lead handling, tracking, industry focus, price, contract, time to launch, what you supply, references, guarantee and what happens if you leave. A good agency answers all twelve plainly on the first call.

| Question | Good answer | Red flag |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1. Who owns the ad account? | You do | "We run it in our account" |
| 2. Who owns the website and leads if I leave? | You do | "The page is ours" |
| 3. Do you work with other shops near me? | No, one per area | "We have several in your city" |
| 4. Who answers and books the leads? | They do, or a clear handoff | "We send you a spreadsheet" |
| 5. How do you track results? | Cost per booking | Clicks, reach, "SEO score" |
| 6. Do you specialize in my industry? | Yes, with examples | "We work with all local businesses" |
| 7. What does it cost? | A clear number, early | 45 minutes before any price |
| 8. What's the contract? | Monthly or short-term options | Long lock-in with no exit |
| 9. How fast can it go live? | About a week | Months of setup |
| 10. What do I need to supply? | Prices, photos, access | Weekly filmed content |
| 11. Can I talk to clients? | Yes, not just the best one | "Reviews are private" |
| 12. Is there a guarantee? | Yes, explained on the call | Vague promises |

## Why ad account ownership matters most

Your ad account holds the history, audiences and conversion data that make ads cheaper over time. If the agency owns it, you start from zero when you leave. Same with the website: one owner told us, "If I stopped paying, I lost the website."

## Why lead handling matters

Most shop owners can close a job once they're on the phone, often 50% to 90% of genuine inquiries. The bottleneck is answering fast while installing. An agency that only sends leads leaves you with the hardest part.

Owners told us about leads arriving in a spreadsheet, slow replies from the agency, and automated texts they couldn't control. Ask exactly what happens in the first five minutes after a lead comes in.

## How Motorgrowth answers these

- Ownership: the client owns the ad account, the leads and the page if they leave.
- Exclusivity: one shop per area.
- Lead handling: Motorgrowth handles all the leads, including calling, follow-up and booking.
- Tracking: cost per booking.
- Industry: window tint, ceramic coating, PPF and detailing only.
- Price: given on the call, early.
- Contract: monthly and three-month options.
- Launch: as little as 7 days.
- Filming: not required.
- Guarantee: Double Your Revenue in 90 Days.

See [FAQ](https://motorgrowth.com/faq/), [reviews](https://motorgrowth.com/reviews/) and [case studies](https://motorgrowth.com/case-studies/).

## Know these five numbers before any agency call

Your monthly revenue, average job value, how many more jobs a week you can handle, your rough close rate on genuine inquiries, and the daily ad budget you can commit. With those five numbers you can check any agency's promises against your own math in minutes.

| Number | Example | Why it matters |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly revenue | $12,000 | Below $5,000, most agency fees won't pay back |
| Average job value | $450 | Sets how much a booking can cost |
| Spare capacity | 8 more cars a week | No point buying leads you can't install |
| Close rate on genuine inquiries | 60% | Owners we speak to report 50% to 90% |
| Daily ad budget | $40 | Below $30 a day, ads learn too slowly |

## Bring your partner to the call

If a business partner or spouse shares the decision, bring them. Five of the sales calls we analyzed in 2026 ended with the owner needing to check with a partner who wasn't there, and one was blocked by a partner who'd been burned by agencies before.

Hearing the answers to these twelve questions first-hand saves a second call and a lot of back and forth. If they can't make it, send them [the FAQ](https://motorgrowth.com/faq/), [how it works](https://motorgrowth.com/how-it-works/) and [our guarantee](https://motorgrowth.com/guarantee/).

## Frequently asked questions

### What should I ask a marketing agency before hiring?

Who owns the ad account, who answers the leads, whether they work with competitors near you, how they track bookings, and what it costs.

### What are signs of a bad marketing agency?

They own your ad account, report clicks instead of bookings, take several shops in your area, and won't give a price early.

### Should a marketing agency have a contract?

A short term is reasonable, because ads need a few weeks to learn. Be wary of long lock-ins with no way out if results don't show up.

### Should I ask for client references?

Yes, and ask for clients other than their best one. A good agency should be able to put you in touch with an ordinary shop that's happy, not just their headline case study.

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