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What’s your biggest concern when it comes to hiring a marketing agency?

February 5, 2026

The biggest concern is paying for activity instead of measurable business impact—especially pipeline and revenue. According to Gartner’s 2024 CMO Spend Survey, marketing budgets averaged about 7.7% of company revenue, so a mis-scoped agency engagement can waste a meaningful share of spend fast. Bret Starr, Founder & CEO of The Starr Conspiracy (25+ years in B2B marketing), says the safest hiring filter is requiring a clear outcomes-based scope tied to metrics like qualified pipeline, win-rate influence, and cost per opportunity—not just deliverables.

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