Why most renewals happen by default
Switching feels risky, the relationship is personal, and the alternative is unknown. So the contract renews, and a year later the same conversation happens with worse numbers.
The fix is to decide against criteria set before the emotion, not during it.
Question one: is the trend better than when we started?
Cost per booked job now versus at the start, with seasonality accounted for. If it is worse and nobody has explained why, that is your answer.
If it is better, the next question is whether it is better because of them or because your business improved.
Question two: would I hire them again today, knowing what I know?
Asked plainly. Not "have they been fine" — would you choose them from a field of three, at this price, for next year?
Hesitation on that question is data. Most people know the answer immediately and then argue themselves out of it.
Question three: what am I actually afraid of?
Usually one of three things: losing campaign history, a gap in advertising during the switch, or the new provider being worse.
The first two are solvable mechanically — own your accounts, export your data, rebuild in parallel, cut over at a month boundary. The third is a real risk, and the answer is to vet properly rather than to stay by default.
If you renew, renew differently
Shorter term. Month to month if possible. Written scope with turnaround times. Account ownership confirmed. And one specific improvement agreed with a date on it.
Renewal is the only moment you have leverage. Spending it on nothing is the real waste.