Pick the one with proof in your kind of work, a named team, a written scope and reporting you control. Ask five questions on the first call, then score each agency on the same sheet.
Most agency comparison pages are written by agencies that rank themselves first.
This one gives you a method instead: five questions for the first call, a list of red flags, and a scoring sheet you can copy. TBG is itself a marketing agency, so weigh what we say with that in mind, and use the sheet on us too. It is written for marketing heads at B2B companies in India, and at UK and Dutch firms selling into India.
Do you need an agency at all?
Sometimes the answer is no, and it is better to find that out before you shortlist anyone.
An agency helps when you know what you want done but lack the people, the range of skills or the time. It does not help when the offer is unclear, sales and marketing disagree on what a good enquiry is, or nobody on your side can brief and review the work.
The section on when not to hire an agency, further down, gives a short test.
What does a B2B marketing agency actually do?
It carries out parts of your marketing, usually in one or more of four areas.
- Content: articles, technical guides, case studies, video and email
- Social media: planning, publishing and community work, often LinkedIn for B2B
- Paid media: search, social and display campaigns, with budgets and testing
- Creative: design, visuals and brand assets
Some agencies add strategy, account-based marketing (focused outreach to a named list of target accounts) and lead generation. Ask which of these they do themselves and which they pass to others.
Should you choose a specialist, a full-service agency or a freelancer?
It depends on how much you need and how well you can manage it.
| Option | Fits when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Specialist agency | One area matters most, such as paid media or technical content | You may need several suppliers to cover everything |
| Full-service agency | You want one team across several areas | Quality can vary between areas; ask who does what |
| Freelancer | The task is clear and small, and you can manage it | One person's capacity, holidays and availability |
We cover this choice, and how each option fails, in a separate guide on in-house, agency and freelancer models.
What should you check before you shortlist an agency?
Check four things before any call.
- Do they work in your kind of market? Look for experience with similar buyers, not only similar industries.
- Is their own marketing good? An agency that cannot explain itself clearly will not explain you clearly.
- Who will do the work? Look for named people with real profiles.
- What do others say? Read reviews and ask peers.
You can also ask AI assistants for agency suggestions. G2's March 2026 survey of 1,076 B2B decision-makers found 54% said AI chatbots influenced their shortlists, though it covered software buyers. Treat any list from an assistant as a starting point and check each name yourself, since lists of the top B2B marketing agencies in India are often paid placements or self-ranked.
How do you test an agency's claims?
Ask for evidence you can check, then check it.
- Case studies: Do they state the starting problem, what was done and what changed? Vague case studies are a warning.
- Numbers: Ask what the figure measures and over what period. Ask what else changed at the time.
- References: Ask to speak to a current or past client. Agencies working under NDA often cannot name clients, so ask for a call with a contact who has agreed to talk.
- Work samples: Ask for a sample written or designed for a client in a similar field, with permission to show it.
If they cannot show anything, ask why. There may be a good reason, such as confidentiality. The answer should still be specific.
What are the five questions to ask on the first call?
These five questions tell you most of what you need.
- Who will work on my account, and how much of their time? You want names and roles, not "a dedicated team".
- What would you do in the first 90 days, and what do you need from us? A good answer is specific about both.
- How will you measure success, and who sees the numbers? Look for reporting in your own accounts, on goals you agreed, with an honest view on what takes time.
- What happens if it is not working? Ask about notice, minimum terms, and who owns the work if you leave.
- Which clients are not a good fit for you? An agency that says everyone is a fit is selling.
Which red flags should make you stop?
Stop and ask more questions if you see any of these.
- A guaranteed number of leads or a guaranteed ranking
- A proposal that arrives before anyone has asked about your buyers
- No named team, or a senior team in the pitch that does not appear in the work
- Case studies with no numbers, or numbers with no context
- Pressure to sign quickly, or a long minimum term with a hard exit
- Reporting in their dashboards only, with no access for you
- A request for admin passwords when view access would do
- Claims to be the best in India with nothing to back it
How do you score agencies side by side?
Use the same sheet for every agency, and score straight after each call. Give 0 for no or unclear, 1 for partly, 2 for yes with evidence.
| Criterion | What a 2 looks like | Score (0 to 2) |
|---|---|---|
| Relevant experience | Work for similar buyers, shown with detail | |
| Proof you can check | A case or reference you could verify | |
| Named team | Names, roles and time on your account | |
| Written scope | Deliverables, dates and what is excluded, in writing | |
| Reporting you control | Access to your own accounts and agreed goals | |
| Terms and exit | Clear notice, ownership of work, and data handling | |
| Fit with your effort | They state what they need from you, and you can supply it | |
| Total (out of 14) |
Our reading, as a rule of thumb and not a standard: 11 or more is worth a proposal, 7 to 10 needs more questions, and below 7 is a pass. Change the weights if one criterion matters more to you.
When should you not hire an agency?
In our view, wait if any of these is true.
- You cannot yet say who your best customer is.
- Sales and marketing do not agree on what a qualified enquiry is.
- Nobody on your side has time to brief, review and approve work each week.
- Your product or website has a problem that marketing cannot fix.
- You want results in a fixed number of weeks and will not accept a test period.
Fix the first one or two internally, or hire a short diagnostic, before you hire for delivery.
What will the agency need from you?
More than most buyers expect. The agency can only be as good as the input.
- A named person who briefs, reviews and approves, with time set aside each week
- Access to the people who know the product, such as engineers or founders, for interviews
- Your customer and sales knowledge: who buys, why they buy and why they walk away
- View access to analytics and ad accounts
- A clear view on what counts as a qualified enquiry
Ask the agency to list these in the proposal. An agency that asks for nothing is guessing.
How should reporting work, and what should the first 90 days look like?
Reporting should happen in your own accounts or dashboards, on goals you set together, on a regular schedule.
The first 90 days should have three parts. In the first month, the agency listens, audits what exists and agrees goals. In the second, it produces and tests a first set of work. In the third, it reports what it learned and agrees what to continue or stop.
Be wary of a report that lists activity such as posts and impressions without tying it to enquiries.
What changes with time zones, currencies and contracts?
If you work across India, the UK and the Netherlands, agree the practical points in writing.
- Time zones: meeting windows, response times and who covers holidays in each country
- Currencies: which currency the contract uses, and who carries exchange-rate changes
- Data: if the agency handles personal data for you, UK GDPR expects a contract that sets out the processing and requires the agency to act only on your instructions. The ICO lists terms such as security measures, sub-processor authorisation, help with individuals' rights, and deletion or return of data at the end. Check the equivalent rules for the EU and India with a qualified adviser.
- Outreach: if the agency sends marketing email for you, agree who checks consent and list rules
- Exit: notice, minimum term, and who owns the work
