Up until five-and-a-half years ago, I spent my entire career on the client side. As the head of marketing at numerous companies, in lots of different industries, I hired virtually every size and type of PR agency on the planet — from boutique to big agency. Since my heart, soul and roots are with the client, I decided to build the “anti-agency” agency. What does this approach mean? I refuse to do all the self-serving things I hated about PR agencies.

Here are the 10 questions a PR agency doesn’t want a client to ask. And the “Dirty Little Secrets” (DLS) they don’t want you to know.

1. Does your PR agency founder come from an agency background or the client side?

DLS: People who have spent their entire career at an agency just don’t get what it is like to be you — the client. They have never been responsible for a marketing budget, never had it cut, and certainly never had to get up in front of a board of directors (not a fun bunch) and articulate a fully-integrated marketing plan (beyond PR) that is going to drive the value of the company.

2. What involvement will your agency’s CEO have in my business?

DLS: Chances are none. He or she will be the captain of the “pitch & switch” team that pitches your business, wins the account and is never heard from again. Think vaporize.

3. How do you approach strategy and positioning?

DLS: Again, PR agencies are usually filled with people who have spent their entire careers at an agency. Most agency people wouldn’t know a client business objective if it jumped up and bit them in the a**. Watching them try to articulate a strategy to support the business objectives can be hilarious. You want the person who is driving the positioning and strategy to have walked – no, even better, run – a mile in your shoes. Most agencies develop campaigns, not strategies. There is a HUGE difference between the two. A campaign is a tactical execution of a bigger strategy. Push them on strategy.

4. What is the average age of the agency’s entire PR team and how old is the person that will be leading the account? Can I meet the lead person?

DLS: You want an agency that has an average PR team age of 40+/- years. Most agencies make a lot of margin by hiring junior people at low salaries. Having a 20-something-year-old lead your account is a quick trip to hell. I’ve been there. Most twenty-something-year-olds don’t have the experience to drive top-tier coverage across all mediums – TV, print, radio and the internet (including Digital Media). If the agency starts rambling on about how you need young people to understand Digital Media, see my post on 11.12.07, Digital Media Fear Factor.

5. How many clients does each PR team member work on?

DSL: The truth is way too many. You want an agency that doesn’t allow team members to work on more than four clients at once. The PR industry average is probably north of eight. Again, this is all about margin for the agency: Lots of clients + junior people = bigger margins. Unfortunately this equation also yields low client retention rates.

6. Can your agency list four recent examples (i.e. four different clients) of how it secured top-tier media coverage across each medium – TV, print, radio and the internet – for clients who had zero awareness?

DLS: Most agencies showcase clients that already had some level of awareness. The untouchable talent lies with the agencies that can secure top-tier coverage for clients with zero awareness. Most agencies do OK with print coverage, particularly trades. Most fall short with the higher-viewed hits like TV. Also, make sure the examples are recent. Agencies are notorious for reheating and showcasing old hits.

7. Is my retainer tied to a certain number of billable hours?

DLS: Many agencies have retainers tied to hours. This sucks for the client. All the client wants is great media coverage. At the end of the day, if the client is getting outstanding coverage, they don’t care whether it took two hours or 202 hours. As the client, I used to go through the ceiling when an agency told me I had used all my hours, yet I didn’t get any coverage. Tell the agency you refuse to accept having your retainer tied to billable hours.

8. What is the termination notification in the contract?

DLS: Chances are it is between 60 days and 6 months. Tell the agency this is unacceptable. If you are unhappy with your agency you shouldn’t be stuck with them for months on end because of a contract. Tell them you want a 30-day out.

9. Do you charge me for phone calls within the

DLS: Any agency with half a brain has an unlimited calling plan and shouldn’t look to make money off the client by charging for phone calls. That type of nickel and dime approach made me nuts when I was the client.

10. Why don’t you have a section on your website that highlights all your recent client media coverage?

DLS: Chances are they have something to hide. Having been the client most of my career, I can tell you it is all about the coverage. That’s all that matters. If an agency is securing outrageously positive coverage for their clients, they should be screaming it from the rooftops beginning with their website. If they are not, run…very fast. Run even faster if their website highlights client press releases – a big smoke and mirror for trying to mask the lack of coverage.

For the record, I have come across a lot of fantastic PR agencies over the last few years and I am grateful for their existence. It helps improve the overall image of our industry. Unfortunately, there are still a ton of agencies operating under a model that doesn’t protect or favor the client. These are the agencies that hurt all our reputations because of the bad taste they leave with clients. Use these questions to help ensure you hire an agency that will deliver the results. Remember, your butt is on the line. And that’s a line my butt knows very well.