Agencies don’t need to be grateful for your time. They need to be brilliant with it. If an agency isn’t making you uncomfortable at least once a quarter, they’re not thinking hard enough.
Yet too many first calls start with excessive deference—agencies positioning themselves as desperate-to-please vendors rather than strategic partners. It’s not just awkward; it’s commercially damaging. And whether CMOs realise it or not, they’re often the ones setting the conditions for this dynamic to unfold. The way an agency behaves on that first call—whether they challenge or comply, push back or play it safe—is a direct response to the signals they’re picking up.
From the moment they join the call, agencies are assessing the room. If the interaction feels like a rigid audition, a procurement exercise in disguise, they will default to risk aversion. They will stick to case studies, avoid controversy, and tell you what they think you want to hear. But if they sense the expectation is for sharp, unfiltered thinking, the conversation shifts. The best agencies aren’t looking for permission to challenge you—they just need to know it’s safe to do so.
Harvard Business School professor Teresa Amabile, a leading expert on creativity, reinforces this point:
“People will be most creative when they feel motivated primarily by the interest, enjoyment, satisfaction, and challenge of the work itself.”
If agencies feel they must constantly prove their worth rather than be valued for their thinking, their motivation shifts from innovation to self-preservation. They default to safe, predictable work—not because they lack ideas, but because the environment doesn’t encourage boldness.
Why ‘Psychological Safety’ Drives Better Work
Google’s Project Aristotle—one of the most extensive studies on high-performing teams—found that the number one predictor of success wasn’t intelligence, experience, or process. It was psychological safety: the belief that one could take risks, challenge ideas, and speak openly without fear of embarrassment or penalty. When psychological safety is high, people think expansively, take creative risks, and push for better outcomes. When it’s low, they hedge, self-censor, and play to expectation.
The best client-agency relationships thrive on strategic friction—a controlled tension that forces sharper thinking. The worst ones collapse into deference, where agencies nod along to bad ideas rather than risk upsetting the client. Your agencies are not an army of obedient servants; Humility will allow you to be wrong. If they’re always nodding, they’re not challenging you.
And yet, too many CMOs unknowingly cultivate an environment where deference wins out over debate. They run first calls like pitch evaluations, scrutinising performance rather than testing intelligence. They ask agencies to prove themselves rather than inviting them to think. The result? Agencies that sound polished but predictable, sharp but ultimately safe.
Getting the Best Thinking From Call One
If you want an agency that challenges you from day one, you have to set the tone early. That means abandoning procurement mode and engaging as a strategist, not a buyer.
Start with a real question, one that forces the agency to think rather than recite. Instead of the usual "Tell us about your approach", open with:
"What’s the biggest waste of budget in brands like ours?" or "If you were CMO here, what’s the first thing you’d kill?"
The reaction will tell you everything. Weak agencies will hedge. Strong agencies will have a point of view. The best ones won’t just answer the question—they’ll challenge the premise.
Once the conversation is rolling, watch for pushback. A great agency should be willing to disagree with you, even if it’s the first call. If everything they say is in alignment, if they are relentlessly agreeable, it’s a warning sign. True strategic partners don’t aim to please; they aim to push. And that push—when it’s rooted in expertise rather than ego—is precisely what drives better marketing.
The final test? See how they think in real time. Past case studies don’t tell you how an agency will think about your brand—they tell you what they’ve done before. A better approach is to give them a live problem and see how they respond. What happens when they don’t have a deck to lean on? Can they shift gears, make sharp connections, bring fresh angles? Or do they fall back on polished but pre-packaged responses?
This isn’t about making agencies uncomfortable for the sake of it. It’s about establishing a relationship that is based on mutual respect, not hierarchy. Because the reality is, the best agencies aren’t looking to be approved of. They’re looking for a client who values what they do best: sharp thinking, creative risk-taking, and the ability to challenge assumptions.
Creating the Conditions for a Strong Agency Partnership From Day One
The first conversation is a starting point, but the real test of a CMO-agency relationship is what happens after the contract is signed. The best CMOs don’t just expect great work—they create the conditions for it to happen. So what does that actually look like?
Kill the Power Imbalance. Treat Them Like Consultants, Not Suppliers.
Agencies perform at their best when treated as strategic partners, not order-takers. If they sense their role is merely executional, they’ll default to playing it safe—sticking to the brief, avoiding tough conversations, and holding back their sharpest thinking.
Smart CMOs shift this dynamic by making agencies intellectually accountable, not just contractually obligated.
How?
- Involve them in internal discussions early – Don’t just brief them when you need something. Get their input before decisions are made.
- Make them part of your business strategy, not just your marketing function – If they only see marketing problems, they’ll only provide marketing solutions.
- Show vulnerability – The best CMOs admit what they don’t know. When you invite your agency to challenge your thinking, you get better thinking.
Set Expectations for Pushback—Then Reward It.
Telling an agency to "challenge us" isn’t enough. They need to see that pushing back has value, not risk.
Too many CMOs say they want fresh thinking but then subtly punish dissent—ignoring feedback, doubling down on existing ideas, or showing preference for those who agree. Over time, agencies get the message: don’t rock the boat.
To break this cycle:
- Publicly reward great challenges. When an agency questions a decision and they’re right, acknowledge it.
- Ask for their perspective regularly. The simple act of saying “What are we getting wrong?” changes the power dynamic.
- Be transparent about what’s off-limits. If there are sacred cows—non-negotiable aspects of strategy—state them upfront so agencies know where they can and can’t push.
Replace the ‘Brief & Deliver’ Model With an Ongoing Strategic Dialogue.
The classic client-agency dynamic follows a linear process: the client briefs, the agency executes, the client approves. It’s tidy, efficient—and often the enemy of breakthrough thinking.
Instead, the best relationships are iterative, not transactional. They involve:
- More conversations, fewer presentations – Instead of polished decks, agencies should be engaged in workshop-style discussions where thinking evolves in real time.
- Early thinking, not just final work – Bring agencies into the process before solutions are fully formed. A half-baked idea is often a better starting point than a fully polished one.
- Shared risk, shared success – If the agency only hears from you when things go wrong, they’ll operate from a place of fear, not innovation.
Pay for the Thinking, Not Just the Execution.
Want better strategic work? Then incentivise strategy, not just delivery.
Many agencies bury their best thinking in the pitch—giving it away for free, then shifting into execution mode once hired. The smartest CMOs pay not just for output, but for the intellectual capital that drives it.
This means:
- Resisting the urge to drive fees to the bottom. If you want cheap execution, you’ll get cheap thinking.
- Paying for strategic time, not just deliverables. Compensating agencies for advisory services ensures they dedicate real intellectual horsepower to your brand.
- Creating bonuses for business impact, not just campaign performance. A good agency isn’t just driving marketing metrics—they’re driving commercial success. Reward that.
The First Call Is a Filter—But the Real Work Starts After.
The first call isn’t a formality; it’s a test of fit. Are you inviting an agency into an environment where intelligence thrives, where real debate is encouraged? Or are you, unintentionally, pushing them into performance mode, where safety matters more than strategy?
CMOs who want agencies that play it safe will always find them. But those who want real strategic partners—the kind that push a brand forward—need to make sure they create the conditions for that from day one and sustain it long after.
The best agencies don’t need to be coaxed into challenging you. They just need to know it’s safe to do so.
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