# Demand generation agency scorecard: worked example

**Teaching example only.** Northstar Compliance, the three agencies, all URLs and all results below are fictional. They are not recommendations. The example shows how to preserve Unknowns and compare unlike partner models without turning the scorecard into a universal ranking.

## 1. Buyer decision context

| Field | Your answer |
|---|---|
| Company | Northstar Compliance, a fictional B2B SaaS company |
| What we sell | Compliance workflow software sold through demos and annual contracts |
| Ideal customer | US financial-services companies with 100–1,000 employees; compliance directors and operations leaders |
| Sales motion | Sales-led |
| Deal size and sales cycle | $24,000–$70,000 fictional annual contract value; typical cycle 60–120 days |
| What exists today | Team: one demand lead and two SDRs; channels: branded search and founder LinkedIn; creative: one contract designer; website: internal engineer can ship changes; data: basic first-party conversion data; CRM: HubSpot; sales coverage: two AEs |
| Main problem the partner must solve | Build and operate paid search and paid social testing, including the ad creative needed to learn each week |
| Primary brief type | Demand and pipeline: paid acquisition and creative testing connected to qualified-opportunity feedback |
| Decision-period goal | Establish a repeatable paid acquisition and creative-testing process that produces qualified opportunities and documents what the team learns during the next six months |
| When the work must start or show evidence | Start within 45 days; first decision review within 30 days of launch |
| Approved fee and media range | Agency fee: up to $18,000 per month; media: $35,000–$55,000 per month |
| Internal owner and available team | Demand lead owns approvals and supplies six hours per week; engineer supplies four hours per month; SDR lead supplies weekly lead feedback |
| What we will not outsource or allow | Final positioning approval, CRM administration and sales qualification stay internal; no purchased personal email lists or unsupported compliance claims |

## 2. Required ownership map

| Workstream | Priority | Desired owner | Internal input | Evidence of success | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strategy and planning | Must have | Shared | Demand lead supplies ICP, positioning and approvals | Monthly experiment backlog links each test to a buyer question | Agency owns channel plan; client owns final positioning |
| Paid media | Must have | Agency | Client grants buyer-owned account access and approves budget | Weekly change log and spend reconciliation | Search and LinkedIn are required |
| Creative production | Must have | Agency | SME interviews and brand review | At least three agreed tests ship per month under written scope | Copy, design and video coordination required |
| Content and organic demand | Optional | Client | Internal team owns editorial calendar | Not applicable to first phase | Confirmed outside agency scope |
| Landing pages, website and CRO | Should have | Shared | Engineer deploys approved work | Each priority campaign has a matched page and QA record | Agency writes and designs; client deploys |
| Tracking and analytics | Must have | Shared | Client grants analytics access | Prelaunch QA and weekly qualified-pipeline review | Attribution limits must be stated |
| CRM and revenue feedback | Should have | Client | RevOps maintains fields and routing | Rejection reasons reach campaign owner weekly | Agency must use the feedback |
| Sales handoff or SDR execution | Not applicable | Not applicable | Internal SDR team owns follow-up | Existing SLA stays in force | Outsourced SDR is explicitly outside this decision |

## 3. Partner-model checkpoint

| Partner model | Fit | Reason tied to requirements | What must be confirmed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paid-media specialist | Fits | Matches Must have media and creative ownership while Northstar retains CRM and sales | Creative volume, team and exit terms |
| Full-service demand generation | Conditional | Could cover the work, but broader content and RevOps scope is not needed | Fee, production assumptions and ability to narrow scope |
| Outbound-led partner | Does not fit | Paid media ownership is a Must have and outsourced SDR is Not applicable | No further check if lack of paid media is confirmed |
| Category specialist | Conditional | Category knowledge could help, but it does not answer ownership or production requirements | Paid media and creative delivery evidence |
| Consultant | Does not fit | Northstar needs an operating team, not advice alone | Whether the consultant supplies delivery resources |

## 4. Candidate records

### Candidate 1

#### Candidate identity and source record

| Field | Record |
|---|---|
| Agency | Harbor Demand Lab (fictional) |
| Partner model | Paid-media specialist |
| Primary service source | https://harbor-demand.example.invalid/paid-media |
| Relevant proof sources | https://harbor-demand.example.invalid/cases/fintech-workflow |
| Date checked | 2026-09-25 |
| What the sources establish | Documented facts: service page claims search, LinkedIn and creative testing; fictional case documents work and outcome. Buyer analysis: scope appears close to Northstar's Must haves. |
| Commercial relationship or placement | None known |

#### Candidate comparison record

| Field | Record |
|---|---|
| Best fit | Sales-led B2B SaaS buyer needing paid media plus creative testing. Source fact and buyer analysis. |
| Likely mismatch | Unknown; public material does not state contract length |
| Documented positioning | Paid acquisition and creative testing for sales-led B2B software |
| What our team must provide | ICP and positioning input, weekly approvals, analytics access, landing-page deployment and SDR feedback |
| Engagement shape | Six-month retainer in fictional proposal |
| Agency fee and minimums | Agency fee: $16,000 per month in fictional written proposal; media separate with no stated markup |
| Proposed team and seniority | Strategy lead, media manager and creative lead named in fictional proposal; allocation Unknown |
| How decisions and outcomes are reviewed | Weekly media review and monthly experiment review in fictional proposal; attribution limits listed |
| Most relevant proof | Claim: ran paid search, LinkedIn and creative for fictional RegulaFlow; evidence grade: Documented case study; source: fictional case URL; checked: 2026-09-25; buyer/context: US compliance SaaS; work owned: media and ad creative; period: six months, lead denominator supplied; stated outcome: fictional 18 sales-accepted opportunities; limit: landing-page development ownership not stated |
| Dependencies and handoffs | Northstar deploys pages and maintains CRM; weekly SDR feedback required |
| Category or account conflicts | No current conflict reported in fictional written disclosure; future conflict process Unknown |
| Contract and exit terms | Term: six months; notice: Unknown; renewal: Unknown; IP: client owns final creative; account ownership: client; data portability: exports stated, timing Unknown |
| Decision risks | Allocation, notice and offboarding timing remain Unknown |
| Questions still open | What is each team member's weekly allocation and what are the notice/offboarding terms? Owner: Harbor sales lead; due date: 2026-10-03 |

#### Ownership by workstream

| Workstream | Owner | Source | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strategy and planning | Shared | Written scope or contract: fictional proposal section 2 | Fits |
| Paid media | Agency | Fictional proposal section 3 | Fits |
| Creative production | Agency | Fictional proposal section 4 | Fits |
| Content and organic demand | Client | Fictional proposal exclusions | Not applicable |
| Landing pages, website and CRO | Shared | Fictional proposal section 5 | Fits |
| Tracking and analytics | Shared | Fictional proposal section 6 | Fits |
| CRM and revenue feedback | Client | Fictional proposal responsibility map | Fits |
| Sales handoff or SDR execution | Client | Fictional proposal exclusions | Not applicable |

#### Fit by requirement

| Requirement | Priority | Fit | Source pointer | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share strategy and planning with Northstar | Must have | Fits | Proposal section 2 | Agency owns the channel plan and Northstar retains final positioning approval |
| Own paid search and LinkedIn | Must have | Fits | Proposal section 3 | Written scope names both platforms |
| Own ad copy, design and video coordination | Must have | Fits | Proposal section 4 | Written scope names formats and three monthly tests |
| Share landing-page copy and design with Northstar deployment | Should have | Fits | Proposal section 5 | Agency writes and designs; Northstar's engineer deploys |
| State tracking handoff | Must have | Fits | Proposal section 6 | Agency QA and client access are assigned |
| Use Northstar's weekly CRM and sales feedback | Should have | Fits | Proposal responsibility map | Northstar owns CRM administration and the agency uses the weekly feedback |
| Keep media and fee separate | Must have | Fits | Proposal fee schedule | Separate values are shown |
| Confirm termination and offboarding | Should have | Unknown | No inspected clause | Six-month term does not answer notice or handoff timing |

**Current decision:** Shortlist  
**Why:** Written scope answers every Must have. Contract exit terms and staffing allocation still need evidence before selection.

### Candidate 2

#### Candidate identity and source record

| Field | Record |
|---|---|
| Agency | Meridian Growth Works (fictional) |
| Partner model | Full-service demand generation |
| Primary service source | https://meridian-growth.example.invalid/services |
| Relevant proof sources | https://meridian-growth.example.invalid/cases/b2b-platform |
| Date checked | 2026-09-25 |
| What the sources establish | Documented facts: public page claims paid media, content, web and revenue operations; case describes a B2B platform program. Buyer analysis: breadth may exceed Northstar's first-phase needs. |
| Commercial relationship or placement | Unknown |

#### Candidate comparison record

| Field | Record |
|---|---|
| Best fit | Buyer seeking one broad partner across demand, content and revenue operations; buyer analysis based on public positioning |
| Likely mismatch | Exact creative volume, price and ability to remove unneeded RevOps work are Unknown |
| Documented positioning | Full-service demand generation across paid, content, web and RevOps |
| What our team must provide | Public page says executive sponsor and SME access; hours, approvals and developer dependency are Unknown |
| Engagement shape | Retainer claimed publicly; term Unknown |
| Agency fee and minimums | Agency fee: Unknown; media: Unknown and separate treatment unconfirmed |
| Proposed team and seniority | Public page says integrated team; names, roles, seniority and allocation Unknown |
| How decisions and outcomes are reviewed | Public page claims revenue reporting; metrics, systems, cadence and attribution limits Unknown |
| Most relevant proof | Claim: supported a fictional B2B platform across paid, content and web; evidence grade: Documented case study; source: fictional case URL; checked: 2026-09-25; buyer/context: mid-market SaaS; work owned: paid and content stated, web ownership unclear; period: nine months, denominator absent; stated outcome: fictional pipeline figure; limit: no creative volume or qualified-opportunity definition |
| Dependencies and handoffs | SME and executive sponsor stated; CRM, web and sales dependencies Unknown |
| Category or account conflicts | Unknown |
| Contract and exit terms | Term: Unknown; notice: Unknown; renewal: Unknown; IP: Unknown; account ownership: Unknown; data portability: Unknown |
| Decision risks | Broad scope may raise cost and client burden; this is analysis until proposal evidence arrives |
| Questions still open | Can Meridian provide the required paid and creative scope within the $18,000 fee cap? Owner: Meridian sales lead; due date: Unscheduled |

#### Ownership by workstream

| Workstream | Owner | Source | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strategy and planning | Agency | Public assertion: fictional service page | Conditional |
| Paid media | Agency | Public service assertion | Conditional |
| Creative production | Unknown | Public page lacks production ownership | Unknown |
| Content and organic demand | Agency | Public service assertion | Not applicable |
| Landing pages, website and CRO | Unknown | Case does not state owner | Unknown |
| Tracking and analytics | Unknown | Broad revenue-reporting claim | Conditional |
| CRM and revenue feedback | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| Sales handoff or SDR execution | Unknown | Unknown | Not applicable |

#### Fit by requirement

| Requirement | Priority | Fit | Source pointer | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share strategy and planning with Northstar | Must have | Conditional | Public service page | Strategy is named, but Northstar's approval role is not assigned in writing |
| Own paid search and LinkedIn | Must have | Conditional | Service page | Platforms and written ownership remain unconfirmed |
| Own ad copy, design and video coordination | Must have | Unknown | No inspected scope | Broad creative claim does not answer formats or volume |
| Share landing-page copy and design with Northstar deployment | Should have | Unknown | No responsibility map | The case does not state who writes, designs or deploys pages |
| State tracking handoff | Must have | Unknown | No responsibility map | Revenue reporting claim does not assign instrumentation |
| Use Northstar's weekly CRM and sales feedback | Should have | Unknown | No responsibility map | CRM and sales-feedback responsibilities are not assigned |
| Keep media and fee separate | Must have | Unknown | No pricing supplied | Unknown is not $0 and does not imply poor quality |
| Confirm termination and offboarding | Should have | Unknown | No contract supplied | All terms remain Unknown |

**Current decision:** Hold for evidence  
**Why:** The public claim is relevant but does not confirm Must have ownership, creative volume, fee cap or contract terms.

### Candidate 3

#### Candidate identity and source record

| Field | Record |
|---|---|
| Agency | SignalRoute Partners (fictional) |
| Partner model | Outbound-led partner |
| Primary service source | https://signalroute.example.invalid/outbound |
| Relevant proof sources | https://signalroute.example.invalid/cases/target-accounts |
| Date checked | 2026-09-25 |
| What the sources establish | Documented facts: outbound strategy, list building and SDR execution; written email confirms the firm does not manage paid media. Buyer analysis: this conflicts with Northstar's core Must have. |
| Commercial relationship or placement | Referral relationship |

#### Candidate comparison record

| Field | Record |
|---|---|
| Best fit | Buyer needing outsourced account selection and SDR execution |
| Likely mismatch | Confirmed lack of paid-media ownership conflicts with Northstar's Must have |
| Documented positioning | Account research and outbound execution for narrow B2B markets |
| What our team must provide | Offer input, exclusions, domain access, sales calendars and weekly acceptance feedback |
| Engagement shape | Project plus retainer in fictional written scope |
| Agency fee and minimums | Agency fee: $12,000 per month; media: Not applicable because paid media is excluded |
| Proposed team and seniority | Strategy lead and two SDRs named; allocation in fictional scope |
| How decisions and outcomes are reviewed | Weekly reply and meeting-acceptance review; no paid attribution work |
| Most relevant proof | Claim: operated outbound for fictional AuditStack; evidence grade: Buyer-verified reference; source: fictional reference call; checked: 2026-09-24; buyer/context: compliance services; work owned: account research, messages and SDR replies; period: four months, account denominator recorded; stated outcome: fictional 11 accepted meetings; limit: no paid-media work |
| Dependencies and handoffs | Client supplies domain, exclusions, calendars and AE feedback |
| Category or account conflicts | Written disclosure says none in Northstar's category |
| Contract and exit terms | Term: three months; notice: 30 days; renewal: monthly; IP: client owns approved copy; account ownership: client; data portability: CSV export within five days |
| Decision risks | Core delivery model does not include the required channel |
| Questions still open | None that can repair the confirmed paid-media mismatch without a different subcontracted model; owner: Northstar demand lead; due date: 2026-09-26 |

#### Ownership by workstream

| Workstream | Owner | Source | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strategy and planning | Shared | Fictional written scope | Conditional |
| Paid media | Client | Fictional written email | Does not fit |
| Creative production | Agency | Fictional written scope, outbound copy only | Does not fit |
| Content and organic demand | Client | Fictional written scope | Not applicable |
| Landing pages, website and CRO | Client | Fictional written scope | Conditional |
| Tracking and analytics | Shared | Fictional written scope, outbound only | Conditional |
| CRM and revenue feedback | Shared | Fictional written scope | Fits |
| Sales handoff or SDR execution | Agency | Fictional written scope | Not applicable |

#### Fit by requirement

| Requirement | Priority | Fit | Source pointer | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share strategy and planning with Northstar | Must have | Conditional | Written scope | Strategy is shared, but only for the outbound program |
| Own paid search and LinkedIn | Must have | Does not fit | Written email dated 2026-09-25 | Candidate confirmed it does not manage paid media |
| Own ad copy, design and video coordination | Must have | Does not fit | Written scope | Scope covers outbound copy, not ad design or video |
| Share landing-page copy and design with Northstar deployment | Should have | Conditional | Written scope | Northstar owns the page; agency advice is limited to outbound conversion |
| State tracking handoff | Must have | Does not fit | Written scope | Tracking covers outbound only |
| Use Northstar's weekly CRM and sales feedback | Should have | Fits | Written scope | Weekly acceptance feedback is assigned to both teams |
| Keep media and fee separate | Must have | Not applicable | Written scope | No media is managed, but this does not fix the channel mismatch |
| Confirm termination and offboarding | Should have | Fits | Contract sections 8–9 | Notice and export timing are written |

**Current decision:** Exclude  
**Why:** The candidate confirmed it will not own paid media, which conflicts with a Must have. The exclusion is not based on weak public proof.

## 5. One-page finalist table

| Requirement or material Unknown | Harbor Demand Lab | Meridian Growth Works | SignalRoute Partners | Candidate 4 | Candidate 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shared strategy and planning | Fits: proposal §2 | Conditional: public page only | Conditional: outbound scope only | Unknown | Unknown |
| Paid search and LinkedIn ownership | Fits: proposal §3 | Conditional: service page | Does not fit: written email | Unknown | Unknown |
| Ad copy, design and video coordination | Fits: proposal §4 | Unknown: no scope | Does not fit: scope | Unknown | Unknown |
| Shared landing-page copy and design | Fits: proposal §5 | Unknown: no map | Conditional: outbound advice only | Unknown | Unknown |
| Tracking handoff | Fits: proposal §6 | Unknown: no map | Does not fit: outbound only | Unknown | Unknown |
| Weekly CRM and sales-feedback use | Fits: responsibility map | Unknown: no map | Fits: written scope | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fee at or below approved cap | Fits: fee schedule | Unknown: no price | Fits: fee schedule | Unknown | Unknown |
| Exit and offboarding terms | Unknown: missing clause | Unknown: no contract | Fits: contract §§8–9 | Unknown | Unknown |

## 6. Decision log

| Candidate | Provisional disposition | Reason tied to requirement and evidence | Missing evidence | Evidence owner | Due date | Next action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harbor Demand Lab | Shortlist | Written scope answers all Must haves | Allocation, notice and offboarding timing | Harbor sales lead | 2026-10-03 | Request revised proposal and clause |
| Meridian Growth Works | Hold for evidence | Relevant public assertion and case do not confirm Must have delivery | Scope, fee, team, ownership and contract | Meridian sales lead | Unscheduled | Run interview and request redacted scope |
| SignalRoute Partners | Exclude | Confirmed paid-media mismatch with Must have | None needed for this decision | Northstar demand lead | 2026-09-26 | Close evaluation with reason recorded |
| Candidate 4 | Hold for evidence | No record created | Complete candidate record | Northstar demand lead | Unscheduled | Decide whether another finalist is needed |
| Candidate 5 | Hold for evidence | No record created | Complete candidate record | Northstar demand lead | Unscheduled | Decide whether another finalist is needed |

Decision date: `2026-09-25`

## 7. Final contract check

| Check | Written answer | Source or clause | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ownership of all eight workstreams | Harbor proposal assigns each row | Fictional proposal §§2–6 | Verified for this decision |
| Named team, seniority, allocation and day-to-day lead | Roles named; allocation Unknown | Fictional proposal team page | Partly verified |
| Relevant proof and what the agency actually owned | Media and ad creative documented; web build Unknown | Fictional case | Partly verified |
| Agency fee, media, tools, production and pass-through costs | Fee and media separate; tools and pass-through costs Unknown | Fictional fee schedule | Partly verified |
| Ad, analytics, website and CRM account access | Buyer owns ad accounts; other access details Unknown | Fictional proposal §6 | Partly verified |
| Data ownership and portability | Export right stated; timing Unknown | Fictional proposal §9 | Partly verified |
| IP ownership and reuse rights | Final creative belongs to client; working files Unknown | Fictional proposal §9 | Partly verified |
| Contract term, renewal, notice and termination | Six-month term; other fields Unknown | Fictional proposal §10 | Partly verified |
| Reporting, decision cadence and attribution limits | Weekly and monthly reviews named; limits listed | Fictional proposal §6 | Verified for this decision |
| Offboarding deliverables and access transfer | Unknown | No inspected clause | Unknown |

## 8. Three-item interview and evidence plan

1. Ask Harbor for weekly allocation by role plus notice and offboarding language. Request a revised proposal and contract clause.
2. Ask Meridian to map all eight workstreams, state creative volume and separate the fee from media and pass-through costs. Request a redacted comparable scope and itemized proposal.
3. Call Harbor's fictional client reference to confirm team continuity, creative delivery and how SDR feedback changed campaign decisions.

## 9. Provisional shortlist decision

Harbor advances to the proposal and reference stage because inspected written scope answers Northstar's Must haves.

Meridian stays on Hold for evidence. Its broad website claim is relevant, but Northstar still does not know who makes creative, what the work costs or what the contract requires.

SignalRoute is excluded because it confirmed a Must have mismatch.

No agency has been selected. Northstar should complete the three evidence actions before signing.