Chapters 8, 10 & 11
Agency Health Scorecard
Chapters 8, 10, and 11 of Silent Spend examine how agency relationships decay over time - and why most organisations only notice once the damage is done. This scorecard tests the health of your current relationship across ten dimensions.
Rate each dimension from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) based on your direct experience. Be honest - the result is only useful if the inputs reflect reality.
Transparency
Do you receive complete visibility into how your budget is allocated - including media costs, mark-ups, and third-party fees?
Ownership
When results fall short, does the agency take clear responsibility, or do they attribute outcomes to external factors beyond their control?
Responsiveness
Are requests, questions, and concerns addressed promptly and thoroughly, without needing to follow up multiple times?
Strategic input
Does the agency proactively contribute to strategy and commercial thinking, or do they primarily wait for direction before acting?
Fee clarity
Are all fees, commissions, and mark-ups fully disclosed, agreed in writing, and consistent with what was originally proposed?
Staff continuity
Do the key people working on your account remain stable, or do you regularly deal with new contacts who lack context about your business?
Accountability
Are performance targets set in advance, reported against honestly, and used to drive decisions - including about continuation?
Contractual fairness
Do your contracts include balanced terms, meaningful exit provisions, and clear IP ownership clauses that protect your organisation?
Performance evidence
Does the agency provide evidence - not just reporting - of what is working, what is not, and what they are doing about it?
Cultural alignment
Does the agency understand your organisation's commercial priorities and operate in a way that reflects them?
The frameworks for evaluating and resetting agency relationships are covered in detail in Silent Spend.
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