• Right People
  
  • Request bios of account team, including senior counsel and day-to-day account manager
    
  • Ask: "What percentage of each person's time would be devoted to My Company?"
    
  • Find out why certain people are selected for My Company's team

• Industry Expertise
  
  • Look for demonstrated knowledge of products; industry challenges; business approach
    
  • Review relevant case study
    
  • Ask: "What media do you think should be in our top tier? Why?"
    
  • Secure writing examples (news releases, press kits, byline articles, white papers, etc.)

• Media Relations Success (specific types of media)
  
  • Ask for "how-we-did-it" case studies of successful media placements (objective, pitch, reporter relationships, business outcomes)
    
  • Define media training capabilities
    
  • Learn process for identifying media opportunities
    
  • Ask about "Behind the scenes" media pitching approach - "How do you interest a reporter in a story if we can't reference customers?"
    
  • Learn spokesperson preparation approach (for every interview)
    
  • Ask for relevant reporter relationships -- scope and depth -"Who do you contact regularly and why?"

• Program Implementation/Measurement
  
  • Learn account structure to service all offices, worldwide
    
  • Ask for approach for deploying consistent strategy across all regions, e.g. "How do your teams collaborate?"
    
  • What other services can they offer? (graphic design, investor relations, analyst relations, etc.)
    
  • Who is responsible for account team work?
    
  • How are communications managed between the account team and My Company's contact?
    
  • How/when is account activity reported?

"What's your approach for meeting these expectations?"
"What outcomes can we expect?"

• Conflicts of interest
  
• What is your fee structure?
  
• What is your invoice cycle?
  
• Do you mark up expenses? (copies, deliveries, phone, vendors, etc.)
  
• How do you handle inter-office billing?
  
• References?

Culture Fit:
Does the agency demonstrate an awareness of cultural/organizational issues at My Company?

Action vs. Strategy:

• Did the agency manage our expectations by telling us what the biggest obstacles would be to getting prime media placements?
  
• Did they explain our greatest opportunities?
  
• Did they demonstrate enthusiasm for "our story"?
  
• Did they leave us with the feeling that they're ready to roll?