One: guaranteed results
Nobody can guarantee leads or rankings, because neither is under their control. A guarantee means either a definition loose enough to be meaningless or a refund process you will never navigate.
Ask: what exactly is guaranteed, measured how, and what is the remedy in writing?
Two: no pricing until a call
Sometimes legitimate for genuinely custom work. Usually it means pricing is set by what they think you will pay.
Ask for a range before the call. Refusal is an answer.
Three: a twelve-month minimum term
Providers confident in their work do not need to lock you in for a year. Long terms exist to protect revenue against churn caused by performance.
Ask for month to month after an initial ninety days. A flat no is informative.
Four: accounts in their name
Your ad accounts, pixels, audiences, and data should be yours. If they are not, leaving means starting over, and both parties know it.
Ask for ownership in writing, including what happens to history on exit.
Five: percentage of spend with no cap
The fee rises with your budget even when the work does not, and it quietly disincentivizes the advice to spend less.
Ask what the fee does if spend halves, and whether there is a cap.
Six: reporting built on impressions
A sample report leading with impressions, reach, and engagement is telling you what they intend to be judged on.
Ask to see a real client report with cost per outcome on the first page.
Seven: a scope you cannot read
"Comprehensive digital marketing management" is not a scope. Vague scopes are where second invoices come from.
Ask for an itemized list, including what counts as a change request.
Eight: no named humans
If nobody is named as your day-to-day contact and your after-hours contact, urgency will be interpreted generously.
Ask who builds, who watches, and who answers on a Saturday.
One flag is not disqualifying
Most proposals will trip one or two of these for defensible reasons. Three or more is a pattern, and the pattern is usually about protecting the provider rather than delivering for you.