How To Break The Traditional Agency Model (And Build Something Better)

Forbes

3 days ago

Andriy Chumachenko is CEO and Founder of BASE, an Ukraine-based B2B-marketing agency.
Earlier this year, I launched a new agency, starting with a small team I brought over from my other agency. We intentionally chose to do things differently.
The traditional agency model, where project managers juggle 10 to 20 clients and act as intermediaries between the business and execution teams, no longer makes sense for many modern companies. What businesses actually need today is a marketing partner who can think, prioritize and act from within—not someone who simply routes tasks to freelancers or in-house teams.
That's the gap we saw. That's why we built a model around embedded marketers, not account managers. Below, I'll show you how this works, and I'll share a framework for how other agencies can shift to this approach.
Why The Traditional Model Falls Short
In most agencies, the workflow looks like this: A project manager receives requests from the client, passes them to a designer, a copywriter, or a PPC specialist, collects the deliverables, and sends them back. It's organized and convenient but often shallow.
The PM typically doesn't challenge the client's thinking, question business priorities or engage with product metrics. They manage scope, not impact. And they rarely have the context or capacity to act as a true strategic advisor.
This model was efficient in more predictable times. But in 2025, companies operate in uncertainty by default. They face budget constraints, shrinking margins, chaotic markets and internal staffing issues. In that environment, you don't need someone to 'take the task and run.' You need someone to ask, 'Why are we even doing this?'
Shifting From Coordination To Ownership
I've spent nearly two decades building marketing teams, most of that time as a co-founder of one of Eastern Europe's largest agencies. Over time, I saw a pattern: Even great execution teams fail when no one owns the strategy.
In our agency, each client works directly with a marketing lead, not a coordinator. This lead owns the marketing direction, makes strategic decisions and limits their focus to three or four clients at most. These marketers are expected to understand the client's business model, contribute to discussions with founders and proactively build plans based on business priorities, not internal agency resourcing.
For example, one marketing lead noticed that a client was spending over 70% of their budget on paid media while neglecting retention. Within two weeks, they restructured the funnel, launched a basic email sequence and improved the repeat purchase rate by 22%. In another case, a lead challenged the client's initial request for SEO and instead prioritized fixing broken analytics and revisiting the product's positioning, unlocking more valuable growth opportunities.
This approach means fewer layers, fewer misunderstandings and faster decision-making. But it also means hiring differently. You need to look for strategic marketers with real business empathy, not just execution skills.
How To Shift Your Approach
We launched our agency during wartime (we're based in Ukraine), so we couldn't afford to overplan. We used a framework I call DAR: discovery, action and reflexivity. If you're considering evolving your own model, here's how to apply it.
Talk to your past and current clients, even if the conversations feel uncomfortable. Ask them what they really expect from a marketing partner. Don't assume the brief they give is the real problem.
Look for patterns in their frustrations—like delayed responses, generic reporting or lack of business context. Create a simple matrix of 'what they get' versus 'what they need,' and use that to reassess your agency's positioning and roles.
Pick one clear problem to solve, and one clear format to test. Don't get stuck in deck-building or over-polishing your offer. Build a no-frills version of the service and launch it with your most trusted clients or network contacts. Clarity beats complexity. If you're not getting traction within two to four weeks, revise or kill it.
Block time every four to eight weeks to review how your offer is actually working. Where are clients stalling? Where is your team struggling?
Talk to clients who left or went silent. Use that feedback to tweak—not just your pricing or workflows, but your actual value proposition. Make it a habit, not a crisis response. This loop (discovery, action, reflexivity) can help you stay grounded and move fast.
Final Thoughts
Most businesses don't need more vendors. They require someone who can step in, make sense of the noise and take responsibility. That's not a job for a project manager. It's a job for marketers who think like founders. And these are the kind of partners more companies will need in the years ahead.
If you're leading an agency, the next step is simple: pick one client and go deeper. Show up not as a service provider, but as a business partner. That's where real differentiation begins.
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