4 Signs Your Agency’s Just Not That Into You

“You picked a lemon, throw it away. Lemonade is overrated.”

As with many women, Greg Behrendt was like a messiah in my mid-twenties. Aside from his writing for Sex in the City, he also published a bestselling-book-turned-major-motion-picture, He’s Just Not the Into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys. The quote above most succinctly sums up the point he aims to make—stop making excuses to save a relationship that just isn’t going to make you happy.

In a similar vein, this blog delivers the tough love truth about why you need to stop wasting your time with an agency that’s never going to change. At Pyxl, we are tired of seeing our friends in lousy relationships with other agencies. They don’t return your calls. Their work seems lackluster and they don’t continue to bring fresh ideas to the table. They are territorial, failing to work well with your in-house staff or other agencies. So why are you still with them?!

Also read 9 Signs It’s Time to Hire a Digital Marketing Agency

I’m not trying to butter you up. I’m just trying to get you to see the truth: your agency’s just not that into you. So let’s sit back with a glass bottle of wine and a carton of Ben and Jerry’s and dish about the deets.

Your Agency’s Just Not That Into You If They’re Not Calling You

You had, what you thought was, a successful first meeting. There was a good connection. You thought your goals aligned. They said they’d call. But they haven’t. Plain and simple, if they aren’t calling, you aren’t on their mind. From the very start, this agency has set a precedent that they’re okay with disappointing you. Meanwhile, you’re busy trying to help your business succeed. So why waste time with an agency who doesn’t follow through?

I know, I know. Maybe they’re just busy. We’re all busy. If I had a dollar for every time a friend told me how busy they are at work, I would have so much money that I would be busy counting dollar bills on my private island. It seems like a good excuse, but remember that in business, people are never too busy to get what they want.

You deserve a phone call.

Your Agency’s Just Not That Into You If They Don’t Like Your Friends

In his book, Behrendt says, “Any good [agency] better make an attempt to love your friends and family—especially when they’re great.” In the business world, your friends and family are your coworkers and vendors…the people you see and work with every day. Why would you work with an agency that doesn’t make an attempt to play nicely with these people?

And what about the way agencies try to be everything to every client? “We do websites! We do PR! We Do Events! Don’t see what you need, just ask and we’ll come up with a way to say we do that too!…” You should know better. You should know that the same way your business fills a specific niche, many agencies should, too.

At Pyxl, we know digital is our expertise and our passion. We were born digital, and it’s still where we love to work and play. We also work and play nicely with others. Being a good agency means doing the best work possible for our clients, and if that requires us to work with say…a traditional advertising agency, we’re happy to do so in the name of creating truly impactful work.

Your Agency’s Just Not That Into You If They’ve Disappointed You

I bet it started off with a few small slip ups—they missed a deadline or maybe they delivered underwhelming website mockups that aren’t at all what you talked about in all those kickoff meetings. Don’t settle for an agency that sets a precedent of disappointing results.

If it hasn’t happened already, your boss will also be disappointed because the money she spent on a new website, social media ads or a PPC campaign isn’t showing an impressive ROI.

It’s time for a gut check. Ask yourself the following questions: Are you seeing the results you want? Does your agency understand what success looks like? Are they pushing your company toward meaningful change? If you answered no to any of them, maybe it’s time to break up with your agency.

“Remember always what you set out to get, and please don’t settle for less.” – Behrendt

Your Agency’s Just Not That Into You If They’re Selfish Jerks

We’re not going to lie. Winning an award is pretty amazing. But it shouldn’t be what drives an agency’s work. If an agency is really into you, they’ll make strategic recommendations based on your company’s best interest.

At Pyxl, we like awards not because they are shiny but because it means we’re turning out incredible work for our clients. We created something that’s unique and was conceived to satisfy a specific need. When clients are happy, we’re happy.

“Life is hard enough as it is without choosing someone difficult to share it with.”- Behrendt

Now What Do You Do?

With a little push, we all recognize the warning signs when it comes to significant others, but we need to get better about doing the same in our professional relationships. Those initial warm and fuzzy feelings can give way to bland, boring and disappointment when it comes to marketing agencies, too. Since I’m clearly a fan of his book, I’m going to throw one more Behrendt quote at you, “The quickest way to rectify that mistake [choosing the wrong agency] is by learning from that, moving on, and choosing much more wisely in the future.” And guess what? The future is here, and it’s time for you to start seeing someone new.

When Pyxl was founded, we knew we wanted to create meaningful work that furthers the goals of the businesses we partnered with. We didn’t want the crazy, self-centered egos. That’s why we stopped being an agency.

So are you ready to break up with yours? We’ll be here when you’re ready to move on.

Let’s get to know each other.

One last note of advice, if you’re looking to engage with an agency for the first time (or just looking to improve the experience), download our reseource for Guide to Hiring a Digital Agency Workbook.

Updated: Sep 12, 2023