How to Break Up with Your Agency (Without the Drama)

It’s rarely a single disaster that kills an agency-client relationship. Usually, it’s a slow, expensive death by "monthly reports" that don't actually move the needle on your bottom line.

I’ve spent 8 years in the agency trenches and 4 years on the client side. I know exactly what a "good" partnership looks like. And I know the specific smell of a relationship that’s just running on autopilot.

If the spark isn’t there anymore, I know when to call it a day.

The Red Flags

• The "Vanity Metric" Shield: 

  If your agency is shouting about "record-high CTR" but your actual revenue is flatlining, something fishy is going on.
  

• The "B-Team" Swap: 

  You pitched with the senior partners, but now your account is being run by a junior who doesn't know your contribution margin from their LinkedIn feed.
  

• The Black Box: 

  If they can't explain their attribution model without using five layers of jargon, they probably don't know how it works either.

  
  

The Clean Break: A 3-Step Blueprint

1. Audit Your Assets First: 

   Before you send the "we need to talk" email, ensure you own the keys. Check your permissions for Google Ads, Meta, and GA4. Never let an agency "host" your data in an account you don't control.

   
   

2. Hire the Internal "Bridge": 

   Don't just fire the agency and hope for the best. You need a senior lead (think Global Head of Performance) to manage the handover and audit the mess they left behind.
   

3. Reset the North Star: 

   Use the breakup to stop chasing clicks. Shift your KPIs to commercial growth: LTV, CAC, and actual profit.

   
   

Breaking up is hard, but staying in a mediocre relationship is like paying for a premium Netflix subscription just to watch the loading screen—expensive, frustrating, and a total waste of potential.

Ready for a cleaner, more commercial way to scale? Let's chat about your in-housing strategy.

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About the Author

Winnie Chan is a Performance Marketing Lead and Strategist based in Melbourne, Australia. With over a decade of experience across Agency and In-House roles, she specialises in bridging the gap between creative brand building and commercial targets. She is currently on an "Involuntary Sabbatical" (ask her about it) and writing about the future of marketing.