Ideal client fit
Define the clients, buyers, categories, budgets and business situations where your agency is most likely to succeed—as well as the work it should avoid.
Agency Assessment
Know where your marketing agency fits and where it can win.
Agency Assessment is Setup’s evidence-led evaluation of a marketing agency’s ideal-client fit, positioning, proof and opportunity readiness. It is the required onboarding step for agencies invited to join the Setup Agency Collective.
Available to agencies invited to join the Setup Agency Collective.
Why Agency Assessment Exists
Build the foundation for a better growth relationship.
A capabilities deck alone does not give Setup enough information to understand where an agency is most likely to succeed.
Agency Assessment creates an evidence-based picture of your strongest clients, best-fit opportunities, positioning, proof, readiness and potential limitations. That clarity helps your agency focus its growth efforts and helps Setup evaluate future brand opportunities more responsibly.
What the Assessment Clarifies
A clearer view of where your agency is strongest.
Positioning
Clarify how the agency should communicate its specialization, value, differentiation and relevance.
Proof
Evaluate whether case studies, outcomes, references and supporting evidence substantiate the agency’s strongest claims.
Opportunity readiness
Identify the conditions that support or weaken fit, including scope, capacity, conflicts, timing, economics and sales readiness.
How It Works
A focused, evidence-based process.
Every Assessment begins with one consolidated Intake and a review of the agency’s supporting evidence. From there, Setup determines whether targeted outside feedback would materially strengthen the findings.
Consolidated Intake
Complete one consolidated Intake.
Provide information about your services, team, clients, business goals, best-fit work, poor-fit work, wins and losses, case studies, economics, capacity and supporting evidence.
Evidence Review
Setup reviews the evidence.
Setup evaluates the Intake, supporting materials and case-study proof, identifies gaps or contradictions and determines whether the available information is sufficient.
Feedback Decision
Determine whether outside feedback would help.
Setup decides whether targeted client, staff or leadership feedback would materially strengthen the conclusions. Surveys are optional. If recommended, Setup discusses the expanded scope with your agency before gathering feedback.
Assessment Findings
Build the Assessment findings.
Setup develops your agency’s ICP, Anti-ICP, best-fit opportunity conditions, positioning and proof recommendations, readiness observations and priority actions.
Approved Summary
Review the approved Summary.
Your agency receives an approved Agency Assessment Summary and a walkthrough of the findings. Setup uses the approved conclusions to establish and maintain its internal matching guidance.
What the Agency Receives
Your approved Agency Assessment Summary.
The Summary turns the Assessment findings into practical guidance your agency can use to focus its growth efforts, strengthen its evidence and communicate where it is most likely to succeed.
The approved Agency Assessment Summary includes:
- Primary Ideal Client Profile
- Optional Secondary ICP when supported by evidence
- Anti-ICP and poor-fit conditions
- Best-fit opportunity conditions
- Positioning recommendations
- Proof and case-study recommendations
- Readiness observations
- Priority actions
- Important evidence gaps or limitations
- Guidance for using the findings in agency growth efforts
How Setup Uses the Assessment
Better information supports better opportunity fit.
Setup uses the approved Assessment findings to maintain a current understanding of the agency and compare future brand needs against its capabilities, ICP, proof, capacity, economics and fit conditions.
The Assessment does not replace Setup’s qualification of each brand opportunity. It gives Setup stronger evidence for deciding when an opportunity may be relevant enough to share with the agency.
Agency Perspective
Outside perspective your agency can act on.
When targeted external feedback is included, it can help an agency see its business through the perspective of the clients and staff who know its work best.
Perspective from an Agency Assessment that included external client and staff feedback
“The analysis into our shop and its business was very insightful. We appreciated hearing the feedback, both the good and the constructive, from our staff and clients. It gave us plenty to work on as we look to become an even more effective and impactful agency.”
Agency Assessment FAQ
Common questions about Agency Assessment.
Answers to common questions about the required onboarding process, consolidated Intake, optional external feedback, investment, approved Summary and how the findings support the Setup Agency Collective relationship.
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A: Agency Assessment is for agencies Setup has invited to join the Setup Agency Collective.
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A: Yes. It is a required onboarding step for invited Collective agencies. It is not used to determine whether the agency has been accepted.
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A: The agency completes one consolidated Intake and provides available supporting materials and case-study proof.
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A: No. Setup determines during the process whether targeted client, staff or leadership feedback would materially strengthen the findings. The expanded scope is confirmed before surveys begin.
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A: The agency receives an approved Agency Assessment Summary covering ideal client fit, Anti-ICP, best-fit opportunities, positioning, proof, readiness, priority actions and evidence gaps.
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A: The Core Agency Assessment is $7,500. When targeted external feedback is recommended and added, the total Assessment investment is $10,000.
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A: No. Agencies complete the Assessment after Setup has invited them to join the Collective. The Assessment creates the clarity and matching guidance needed to operate the relationship.
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A: The Assessment itself does not create or change an opportunity commitment. The agency’s Setup Agency Collective agreement governs opportunity expectations. The Assessment defines the ICP, proof and matching guidance used to support that work.
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A: Setup Certified is an annual credibility credential and placement in Setup’s private Certified agency database. It is not a retained growth relationship.
Agency Assessment is a one-time onboarding process required for agencies Setup has invited to join the retained Setup Agency Collective. It creates the deeper ICP, Anti-ICP, positioning, proof, readiness and matching guidance used to support that ongoing relationship.
Agencies do not need to be Setup Certified before completing Agency Assessment.
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A: The Setup Agency Collective is an ongoing, retained growth relationship governed by an agency-specific agreement.
Setup first determines that an agency is a strong potential fit and invites it to join the Collective. Agency Assessment is then completed as a required onboarding step before the relationship is activated. It is not used to determine whether the agency has been accepted.
The agency’s Collective agreement separately defines fees, opportunity expectations and how the ongoing relationship will operate.
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A: Most agencies spend approximately 60–90 minutes completing the consolidated Intake, plus the time needed to gather and upload existing supporting materials.
Once Setup receives the completed Intake and required materials:
A Core Agency Assessment without surveys is typically completed within two weeks. This includes Setup’s analysis, findings, recommendations and final Assessment presentation.
An Assessment with client, staff or leadership surveys typically takes approximately 30 days. Timing depends on how quickly participants respond and whether follow-up is needed before Setup can compile and analyze the feedback.
If surveys are recommended during the process, Setup will confirm the expanded scope and revised delivery timeline before beginning the feedback stage.
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A: The agency should provide the strongest existing evidence supporting its positioning and best-fit client profile. This typically includes:
A current capabilities or credentials deck
Three to five strong case studies or results examples
Examples of best-fit clients and poor-fit work
Recent wins, losses and available pipeline information
Current positioning or messaging materials
Services, pricing and minimum-scope guidance
Capacity and potential conflict information
Growth goals and current priorities
Existing materials are sufficient; agencies do not need to create new presentations or reports solely for the Assessment.
Confidential client names may be anonymized, reasonable ranges may be used and unavailable information should be identified rather than estimated. Agencies should not collect new client or staff feedback in advance. Setup will determine during the Assessment whether optional feedback would materially strengthen the findings.
Next Step
Ready to begin your Agency Assessment?
Confirm the scope, identify the agency Intake owner and begin the onboarding process.
Confirm Your Assessment Scope