Trust Your Agency: Why Lead Time and Confidence Get Better Work
Scott Harris of The Many explains why marketers who trust their agencies get more interesting, unusual and effective ways to get their message out.
The Many
Oct 23, 2026 · 1 min read
The simple advice
Scott Harris of The Many has a clear answer for marketers who want the best from their agency: trust them. In his words, an agency can't do well without the marketer's trust.
What trust unlocks
When an agency is trusted, it can bring forward more interesting, unusual and effective ways to get your message out. Without that trust, the work tends to stay safe and predictable, because the agency is working to avoid pushback instead of working to find the best idea.
Give them lead time
Trust works best with time. Harris pairs the two: give the agency trust, give them a bit of lead time, and let them go. Rushed briefs leave little room to explore, while a realistic runway lets an agency develop strategies that go beyond the obvious.
Takeaways for marketers
- Choose an agency you believe in, then act like it.
- Share the goal and the constraints, then leave room for the agency to find the route.
- Build lead time into the schedule so ideas can develop.
- Expect more creative and unconventional proposals, and be ready to consider them.
Watch the video
This article is based on the video Take #2: Trusting Your Agency from The Many.
