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What proof should an enterprise buyer request?

Agency selection and evidence

An agency comparison tests delivery fit, ownership, work quality, technology access and measurement against the same brief. Awards and public cases are background evidence; a scoped demonstration and comparable outcome definitions make the purchasing decision more specific.

The work you should leave with

A fair scorecard, an inspectable sample and a bounded pilot with agreed measures.

Define your account context and baseline before choosing a method. Record the evidence, unknowns, accountable owner and review decision. The guides below address different parts of that task.

Inspect a sample account play

Give every partner the same account brief

Specify the account objective, offer, available evidence, required deliverables and permitted channels. Ask each partner to explain the work needed, the client inputs and the decisions that require your approval. Comparing a broad lead programme with a bespoke named-account strategy without normalising scope can obscure both value and cost.

Request an inspectable sample using a fictional or authorised account. Follow one observation through the message, supporting asset and sales handoff. Check whether the sources support the observation and whether unknowns remain visible. This gives a more concrete discussion of delivery fit than a capability list alone.

Ask what the result actually measures

For a case study, ask for metric definitions, starting conditions, programme period, sample size and the evidence source. Distinguish a publisher’s reported result from independent measurement. Ask how existing opportunities, sales activity and missing data were handled. A client quote can show a person’s experience, but does not by itself establish causal revenue lift.

Awards can help you understand the work a judging process recognised. Ask which criteria and category were assessed, then evaluate the delivery capability your programme requires. An award and an operational performance comparison answer different questions; neither should substitute for a clear scope and demonstrable work.

Commission a pilot you can evaluate

Agree the scope, access dependencies, delivery owner, client reviewers and acceptance criteria before starting. Separate fees, media and data licences. Record the starting account position and define what evidence would support continuing, revising or stopping the programme. A pilot should answer a specific purchasing question rather than promise to prove every commercial outcome.

For Outsell, inspect the sample account play and programme inputs first, then ask who would own the commissioned work and how it would be measured. Apply the same scorecard to the other agencies you are considering. A fair evaluation should make the trade-offs visible and support the choice that fits your account objective.

Start with these decisions.

Evidence to inspect

These sources inform a test design. They do not establish an Outsell result or guarantee that an effect transfers to your account programme.

AI Agents, Humans and Untangling the Marketing of Artificial Intelligence in Learning Environments — Describe the actual agent task, evidence and decision owner.

Navigating the Jagged Technological Frontier — Evaluate extraction, drafting and strategic inference separately.

Complete the operating picture.