Sara breaks down the 10 essential questions every small business should ask before hiring a marketing agency, consultant, or fractional CMO. From who owns your marketing assets to how results are measured, Sara shares hard-won lessons from 16+ years helping businesses avoid costly mistakes. Learn how to spot red flags, demand transparency, and build a partnership based on strategy—not secrecy. Perfect for anyone ready to own their marketing and stop getting trapped in bad contracts.

Today we discussed:

00:00:00 Introduction

00:02:50 Why Marketing Is Hard

00:04:26 10 Questions Overview

00:05:14 Question 1: Asset Ownership

00:07:20 Question 2: Measuring Success

00:09:11 Question 3: Strategy Alignment

00:11:09 Question 4: Contract Terms

00:12:11 Question 6: Reporting Standards

00:12:23 Question 5: Team Interaction

00:13:04 Question 7: AI Integration

00:15:12 Question 8: Keep Your Team Involved

00:17:48 Question 10: What You'll Learn

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This episode is brought to you by Duct Tape Marketing.

Struggling with marketing chaos? Our CEO, Sara Nay, has created a free 30-minute workshop, The Clarity Engine, along with a practical worksheet to help you build a marketing system that actually scales.

Ready to finish the year with a clear plan? Start the workshop & grab your free worksheet - https://dtm.world/clarity

Want a second set of eyes on your strategy? Sara's offering a few free, year-end review sessions (limited capacity)

Book your strategy call - https://dtm.world/yearend

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