1. All B2B marketing partners enter in saying that they will help you grow business. Ask them how? Response to this pointed question will reveal whether your would-be partner is a Marketing Falcon or an Advertising Parrot.
2. If they give you a bag full of ‘strategic’ intent, initiatives and programs as part of the marketing mix – give it back to them. Ask them what they are? Be wary of ‘social media marketing’ in the mix. Ask them for tactical plans and the ways to measure the results.
3. Request them to showcase their present share of work on real and actual marketing trends. What are the potential trends or emerging trends that they are planning to ride on? You will get to hear quite a lot on their true strengths if they choose to answer the above questions.
4. Have they ever got duped by a fluke trend in online marketing? If they answer ‘Yes’ to this… appreciate their honesty and their risk-taking capabilities. Assuming it was a calculated risk!
5. Do a quality check on their work. Ask for a copy of their favorite white paper or a case study. Scan it for strict adherence to best practices in B2B Marketing.
6. Ensure that “We will be an extension of your marketing team.” is not just an empty catchphrase from their side. Ask them for their engagement models and growth plans.
7. Do they have a right mix of marketing and creative resources? Meet the partner team on your account. Remember delivery is as important as content and strategy.
8. Don’t fall for big names! Marketing companies know how to market themselves well. Ask them for their core target segments. Partners that say they do this as well that and for start-ups as well leaders then they actually do very little. If you are in the SME Technology bracket, then pick a partner who specializes in the SME Technology space. Period.
9. Ask them to compartmentalize the proposed programs into 2 buckets. One with programs that will have an impact on revenue and the other with programs that will focus more on awareness and credibility building. Do a simple math and find out whether you are getting a real bang for your tight marketing dollars.
10. Ask for metrics. Ask for results. Ask for pre-built flexibility in the marketing plan and marketing strategy. Ensure that their skin is in the game. 

Ask these hard questions and select the best fit B2B marketing partner to help you generate more revenue and take you toward your corporate goals. As a corporate buyer what other acid questions that you have asked or planning to ask during evaluating your next B2B marketing partner… share it with us…