The partnership model
Questions to ask a performance marketing agency before signing
Use these practical questions to evaluate funding, attribution, execution, reporting, and the responsibilities behind an agency’s performance promise.
A useful agency conversation should make the working relationship clearer. Leave with an understanding of who funds the ads, who does the work, how sales are measured, and what happens when circumstances change.
Ask what the performance model actually includes
Who pays the media invoices? Is there a retainer, setup charge, minimum fee, or separate production budget? Which work is included, and what requires a separate agreement? Ask the provider to describe a normal month in operational terms, not just repeat the name of its pricing model.
At EP4P, we fund the advertising and manage strategy through daily optimization within the agreed scope. Clients pay an agreed percentage on ecommerce sales directly tracked to clicks on our ads, with no monthly retainer or setup fee.
Ask how an order becomes billable
Which interaction qualifies? What attribution window applies? How are repeat purchases, duplicate platform claims, refunds, and cancellations handled? Which records can your team review?
Request an example that starts with the ad click and ends with the invoice calculation. It should be possible to understand why a particular order was included without needing to accept an unexplained dashboard total.
Ask who is accountable for execution
Who owns campaign builds, product-feed issues, creative coordination, conversion tracking, and daily decisions? Who steps in when a platform or website change affects performance? A specialist team needs a workable way to connect those disciplines.
Also ask what the agency requires from you. Product information, stock updates, approvals, and development access can affect delivery. Responsibilities should be explicit enough that important work does not fall between two teams.
Ask how decisions change with the evidence
What would lead the team to stop promoting a product? How does it decide whether to increase investment? What happens if sales grow while return rates or shipping costs worsen? Good answers should refer to commercial conditions and measurement, not a promise that every campaign will keep improving.
Finally, discuss reporting access, account ownership, and the practical arrangements for changes to the partnership. A professional relationship should be understandable at the beginning and manageable throughout. These questions help reveal whether the agency has thought through the responsibility behind the promise.
Let our team handle the marketing.
EP4P brings strategy, specialist execution, measurement, and daily campaign management into one partnership, with our advertising money behind the work.
We build, fund, and manage your campaigns. You pay an agreed percentage only on ecommerce sales directly tracked to clicks on our ads. Our work and the ad spend are included. No monthly retainer or setup fee.