This is an important (and very true) cautionary story for both Marketers and Agencies about how a Paid Media Agency landed on the "Do Not RFP" list for a Creative Search.

It's also a reminder of why you should vet an Agency for any type of partnership, even one you've worked with before.

Here's what happened: We were onboarding a large Enterprise B2B Technology Brand for a substantial Creative Agency RFP.

As part of onboarding, we run an extensive discovery process to understand what matters most to our client: business goals, scope, partnership requirements, audience nuances, office location needs, procurement requirements, budget, and more.

We always ask this question: "Are there any agencies you would NOT like to include in this RFP?"

For this client, a Paid Media Agency was on the "Do Not RFP" list.

That surprised us. The scope was Creative-focused and this was a Paid Media Agency. We were never going to vet or include them anyway, so we didn't think much of it.

We moved on.

Months later, the client team told us the backstory. They had previously hired that Paid Media Agency for Creative work.

A leader at the company had worked with the Agency at a previous company and brought them in without assessing whether they could actually do the job.

This happens all the time, unfortunately.

And guess what? It didn't go well. (Shocker, we know.)

The Agency couldn't deliver the Creative. Goals were missed. Balls were dropped. Money was wasted. Frustration ran high.

The Agency was fired.

To our Agency friends.

Please stop selling services you don't actually offer.

Remember, most Marketers won't retire at their current company. They'll carry a bad experience with you to their next role and they'll tell their peers about it along the way.

They'll never hire you again.

A short-term win isn't worth long-term damage to your reputation.

To our Marketing friends.

Please assess whether an agency can actually do the work you're hiring them for, even if you've worked with them in the past.

Are they the right fit for this work, at this company, right now?

Cutting corners to pick an Agency quickly will cost you far more in the long run. The wrong partner will keep you from hitting goals, delivering the outcomes you need and meeting leadership's expectations.

And when that happens, the Agency isn't the only one on the chopping block. Your job could be too.

The bottom line.

Familiarity is not the same as fit. A great past relationship is a reason to put an Agency on the list, not a reason to skip the evaluation.

The best Client-Agency partnerships start with honesty on both sides: Agencies being clear about what they do best and Brands being clear about what you need (and confirming that what an Agency does best is the work you’re hiring them for).

A little rigor up front protects your budget, your results, and your reputation.

And it keeps everyone off the "Do Not RFP" list.