"A Marketing ... PR Strategy for a Slowing Economy". Part 5

* Pay attention to the "structure" of the first meeting. Does the outsource listen to you, or are they in "sell" mode? If they don't listen, how can they understand and meet your needs?

* Location location location - NOT! A prestigious address does not make an agency do better work or increase the chances of media coverage. Are you paying for the view from your agency's conference room instead of results?

* Agencies love to drop names of media contacts, but these may not be the right reporters, editors, and analysts for your company. Experienced pros develop new press relationships as needed.

* Look at their clip book, but don't be too impressed, especially by clips for big name clients. See what they've accomplished for clients that are about your size and budget. The people showing you past results should be the same people who will do the actual work on your account.