"Bite You in the Ass": When Marketers and Agencies Ignore the Health of Their Relationship
Because neglecting regular performance appraisals always comes back to hurt.
We’ve all heard the phrase “it’ll come back to bite you in the ass.”
Usually, it’s about something you meant to deal with — but didn’t. A small problem left unattended until it grows teeth.
That’s exactly what happens when marketers and agencies ignore the health of their relationship.
The missed conversations, the unspoken frustrations, the assumptions that “things are fine” — they all add up. Until suddenly, they’re not. What was once a small issue about process, trust, or expectations turns into a full-blown review, a loss of confidence, or even a breakup.
And it didn’t have to be that way.
The Reality No One Wants to Acknowledge
Marketers spend millions on tracking the performance of campaigns, channels, and creative — but almost nothing on the performance of the relationship that makes all that work possible.
Agencies do the same. They analyze margins, utilization, and output — but rarely stop to ask, how are we actually working together?
The irony? The health of that relationship is often the single biggest predictor of whether the marketing actually performs.
What Gets Measured Gets Managed
Regular, structured appraisals between clients and agencies aren’t a “nice to have.” They’re the mechanism that keeps small issues from turning into systemic failures.
When done right, they:
Expose misalignment early — before frustration festers.
Build accountability on both sides, not just one.
Reframe “feedback” as a shared opportunity to improve.
Strengthen trust through transparency and dialogue.
In other words: they’re relationship insurance.
Skipping them might save you a few hours this quarter — but it’s guaranteed to cost you more later.
If You’re Not Reviewing, You’re Regressing
I’ve run hundreds of these appraisals. Every time, the story’s the same: both sides think they know what’s working and what’s not — until the data and discussion prove otherwise.
The good news?
You don’t need a massive enterprise system to do this.
Tools like #AgencyApprAIse were built to make it simple and affordable — especially for marketers and agencies who don’t have #Decideware-sized budgets or teams of analysts.
Because the truth is: You can’t fix what you don’t measure. And eventually, what you ignore will bite you in the ass.
Call to Action
If you’re ready to put some structure around your client-agency relationship — before it bites back — check out AgencyApprAIse.
A little accountability now beats a surprise breakup later.