# Choosing an agency – Agenturbewertung

> Shortlist, brief, pitch: how to narrow twenty candidates down to the two that fit.

- [How to Choose an Agency: A Shortlist Method That Works](https://agenturbewertung.de/en/choosing-an-agency/how-to-choose-an-agency/): To choose an agency, write down your goal, budget range and decision-maker before you contact anyone, then score every candidate against the same weighted criteria. Ask each finalist for two past clients and phone them. Shortlist two or three agencies for a proposal and judge them on the team that will do the work, not the pitch team.
- [Agency Brief Template: Nine Sections, With Examples](https://agenturbewertung.de/en/choosing-an-agency/agency-brief-template/): An agency brief should fit on two to four pages and cover nine things: background, a measurable goal, audience, scope, what is out of scope, technical constraints, deadlines, a budget range and how the decision will be made. The two parts clients skip most often, a measurable goal and a budget range, cause the biggest gaps between proposals.
- [Agency Pitch Process: Steps, Pitch Fees and Idea Ownership](https://agenturbewertung.de/en/choosing-an-agency/agency-pitch-process/): A fair agency pitch process invites three, at most four, agencies after a short chemistry meeting, gives them all the same written brief, fixes the judging criteria in advance and pays a pitch fee when concept work is requested. State in writing that work submitted by agencies you do not hire remains theirs.
- [Agency Red Flags: 11 Warning Signs Before You Sign](https://agenturbewertung.de/en/choosing-an-agency/agency-red-flags/): The clearest agency red flags are guaranteed Google rankings, domains or ad accounts registered in the agency's name, long minimum terms without a defined service, demands for full payment upfront, lump-sum quotes with no assumptions and no reference clients you can call. Before signing, check the company register and recent filed accounts.

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