v1.1.0 to v1.1.0

---

name: hiring-agencies

description: >-

Evaluate, hire, and manage GTM agencies — outbound, RevOps/Clay, demand gen,

design, and dev shops. Agency vs in-house decision framework, pilot structure,

scorecards, kill switches, and handoff to internal teams. Use when outsourcing

GTM execution, evaluating an outbound agency, or deciding agency vs first hire.

Triggers on: "hire agency", "outbound agency", "GTM agency", "Clay agency",

"RevOps agency", "agency vs in-house", "outsource GTM", "marketing agency",

"dev shop", "manage agency".

license: MIT

metadata:

version: "1.1.0"

author: LeadMagic

category: founder-led

tags: [agencies, outsourcing, gtm, revops, outbound, contractors]

frameworks:

- "Winning by Design — GTM Index (Operating Model score)"

- "Jason Lemkin — SaaStr Agency vs Hire Guidance"

- "Paul Graham — Do Things That Do Not Scale"

related_skills: [hiring-contractors, sales-team-building, pipeline-management, cold-email-strategy, clay-automation, tool-selection-stack]

---

# Hiring Agencies

## Overview

Agencies buy speed, not strategy. The right agency proves a channel or builds

a workflow faster than hiring. The wrong agency burns 90 days and your domain

reputation with nothing to show for it.

You cannot outsource your ICP, positioning, or sales process — those are yours.

Agencies execute within a process you define (`pipeline-management`,

`gtm-context`). This skill covers agency vs in-house decisions, GTM agency

types, evaluation, pilot structure, weekly management, and when to bring

the function in-house (`sales-team-building`).

## When to Use

- "Should I hire an outbound agency?"

- "Agency vs building an in-house team"

- "Find a Clay / RevOps agency"

- "Evaluate a marketing or demand gen agency"

- "How to manage an agency engagement"

- "Structure an agency pilot"

- "When to fire an agency"

Do not use for individual freelancers — use `hiring-contractors`. Do not use

for partner/reseller programs — use `partner-programs`.

## Authoritative Foundations

- **Winning by Design — GTM Index (Operating Model).** Score your Operating

Model 1–10 before outsourcing. Below 6: you lack the process for an agency to

execute against. Fix `pipeline-management` first — agencies amplify process,

they do not create it.

- **Jason Lemkin (SaaStr).** Agencies work for channel testing and specialized

execution. Core sales motion and customer relationships stay in-house. Never

outsource strategy; outsource labor on a defined playbook.

- **Paul Graham — Do Things That Do Not Scale.** Founders must do unscalable

work first (sell, define ICP, write messaging). Agencies scale what you've

already proven — not discovery of what works.

## Step-by-Step Process

### Phase 1: Agency vs In-House Decision

| Factor | Agency | In-House |

|---|---|---|

| Time to start | 1–4 weeks | 3–6 months hire + ramp |

| Monthly cost | $3–15K (GTM ops), $5–20K (outbound) | $8–15K/employee fully loaded |

| Commitment | Month-to-month or 90-day pilot | Employment |

| Process control | You define playbook; they execute | You own process end-to-end |

| Best for | Channel test, overflow, specialized tooling | Core revenue function |

**Choose agency when:** Operating Model ≥6, playbook documented, you need

capacity or a channel test, specialized skill (Clay, paid media) you won't

hire for yet.

**Choose in-house when:** Core sales motion, ongoing customer relationships,

competitive differentiation, or agency pilot proved the channel and ROI justifies

a hire (`sales-team-building`).

### Phase 2: GTM Agency Types

| Agency Type | What They Do | Monthly Cost | Prove By Day 90 |

|---|---|---|---|

| **Outbound / SDR** | Cold email, LinkedIn, calling, meeting booking | $3–15K + tools | Qualified meetings at target CPA |

| **RevOps / Clay** | Enrichment workflows, CRM hygiene, automation | $3–8K | Pipeline data quality, workflow uptime |

| **Demand gen / Growth** | Content, SEO, paid ads, CRO | $5–20K | MQL→SQL conversion, CAC by channel |

| **Sales consulting** | Playbook design, process audit, training | Project: $10–30K | Documented process + rep certification |

| **Design studio** | Brand, UI/UX, web | $5–15K/project | On-brand assets, conversion lift |

| **Dev shop** | Product features, integrations | $10–50K | Shipped, reviewed, owned code |

Match agency type to gap. Do not hire an outbound agency to fix a broken ICP.

### Phase 3: Evaluation Scorecard

Score each candidate 1–5 on six dimensions:

| Dimension | What to Verify | Red Flag |

|---|---|---|

| **Relevant case studies** | Your industry, ACV, ICP — not generic logos | "We've worked with 200 SaaS companies" |

| **Process transparency** | Weekly deliverables, tools, data sources named | "Proprietary process" |

| **Reference calls** | 2–3 clients: actual results, what failed | No references or only cherry-picked |

| **Contract flexibility** | 90-day pilot, 30-day out | 12-month lock-in |

| **Data hygiene** | Verified contacts, suppression lists, opt-out | Purchased/scraped lists |

| **Your playbook fit** | Will execute YOUR stages and messaging | Insists on their own messaging |

### Phase 4: Pilot Structure (30–90 Days)

**Scope (specific, measurable):**

- Bad: "Generate pipeline"

- Good: "Book 8 qualified meetings/month with VP+ at Series B fintech, $20K+ ACV"

**Your inputs (non-negotiable):**

- ICP definition and exclusion list

- Approved messaging and `pipeline-management` stage definitions

- CRM access (they log activity in YOUR system)

- Suppression list (customers, competitors, opted-out)

- Weekly reporting template

**Weekly agency scorecard:**

| Metric | Target | Actual | Notes |

|---|---:|---:|---|

| Activities completed | | | |

| Qualified meetings booked | | | |

| Cost per qualified meeting | | | |

| Data quality (% verified) | | | |

| CRM hygiene (% logged) | | | |

**Kill switch:** End at day 90 if targets missed by >30%. No extensions without

a written remediation plan.

### Phase 5: Ongoing Management

- **You own:** ICP, positioning, messaging, sales process, approval on copy

- **Agency owns:** Execution, tooling, activity volume, reporting

- **Cadence:** 30-min weekly review (scorecard + pipeline inspection)

- **Access:** Agency works in your CRM and sequencer — not a black box spreadsheet

- **Graduation:** If pilot succeeds, either scale agency budget or hire in-house

using proven playbook (`sales-team-building`, `hiring-by-role`). Clay/RevOps

agency → **GTM Engineer FTE**: `gtm-role-descriptions` → `gtm-engineer-hiring.md`

### Phase 6: Agency → In-House Transition

When an agency proves a channel:

1. Document their playbook (stages, templates, targeting rules)

2. Hire for the proven role — not the agency's account manager

3. Run 30-day overlap: agency + new hire parallel

4. Cut agency scope as internal team ramps

5. Keep agency for overflow or specialized work only

## Output Format

Agency plan containing: agency vs in-house recommendation, agency type selection,

shortlist scorecard, 90-day pilot scope with measurable targets, weekly scorecard

template, kill switch criteria, and in-house transition plan.

Use `templates/output-template.md` for structure. Run `scripts/check-output.py`

before delivery.

## Quality Check

Before delivering, verify:

- [ ] Operating Model readiness assessed (process exists before outsourcing)

- [ ] Agency type matches the actual gap (not defaulting to outbound)

- [ ] Pilot goals are measurable with numeric targets and deadlines

- [ ] Suppression list and data verification requirements included

- [ ] Weekly scorecard template provided

- [ ] Kill switch defined at day 90

- [ ] In-house transition path documented if pilot succeeds

- [ ] Founder/strategy ownership explicit — agency executes, not decides

## Common Pitfalls

1. **Agency before process.** Without `pipeline-management` stages and SPICED

fields, the agency invents its own motion. Fix: document process first.

2. **Outsourcing strategy.** Agencies write messaging from scratch without your

positioning. Fix: provide approved copy, ICP, and talk tracks.

3. **Black-box reporting.** Activity counts without pipeline impact. Fix: score

on qualified meetings and cost-per-meeting, logged in your CRM.

4. **Unverified data.** Bad lists burn domain reputation. Fix: require verified

emails and suppression checks before any send.

5. **No kill switch.** Sunk-cost extensions for 6+ months. Fix: 90-day pilot

with explicit stop criteria.

6. **Never bringing in-house.** Perpetual agency dependency at 2–3x employee

cost. Fix: graduate proven channels to hires.

## Execution Artifacts

- `references/framework-notes.md` — agency types, scorecard, WbD readiness gate

- `templates/output-template.md` — agency evaluation and pilot plan

- `scripts/check-output.py` — validates deliverable sections

## Related Skills

- `hiring-contractors` — Individual freelancers vs agency teams

- `sales-team-building` — In-house alternative and graduation path

- `gtm-role-descriptions` — GTM Engineer JD when graduating Clay agency work

- `hiring-by-role` — GTM Engineer scorecard after agency pilot

- `pipeline-management` — Process agencies execute against

- `cold-email-strategy` — Outbound agency messaging standards

- `clay-automation` — RevOps agency workflow requirements

- `tool-selection-stack` — Tool budget when agency brings their own stack