We are outsourcing our marketing department to a fractional agency and want to know how to reflect this on our Accountability Chart. Do we put the agency owner in a seat with Lead, Manage, and Accountability, or how do we maintain internal control over their deliverables?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

An Accountability Chart must reflect accountability for every function in your business, regardless of whether that function is performed by an internal employee or an external vendor. If you outsource your marketing department, you must still have a marketing seat on your chart.

You have two choices for structuring this accountability. The first, and most effective, option is to assign an internal leadership team member to the Marketing Director seat. This internal leader holds the agency accountable for performance, metrics, and deliverables. The five roles under this seat will include managing the agency relationship and tracking marketing return on investment.

The second option is to place the fractional agency lead directly in the Marketing Director seat. If you choose this path, the fractional leader must fully GWC the seat. They must Lead, Manage, and Accountability the vendors or freelancers working on your account, attend your weekly Level 10 Meeting, and own quarterly marketing Rocks.

Never allow an outside agency to operate without a designated seat on your chart. Without clear, single-point accountability, marketing spend will drift, and execution will suffer. Define exactly who owns the marketing outcomes on your Accountability Chart, and hold that seat owner to the same high standards of accountability as any full-time executive.