internal hire, agency, or something else?
Looking for some real advice from people who've been through this.
We're growing on Amazon, not massive, but the channel needs more dedicated attention than I can give it while running everything else. Trying to figure out the right next move.
Looked at hiring a Head of Amazon. The senior people I've talked to want $180-220K plus they want a team underneath them. By the time we're staffed up it's $350K+ in salary before I see anything back. Plus the headcount risk if Amazon shifts or the hire doesn't work out.
Looked at agencies. Pitches are great, but every brand operator I know who's used one tells me the same story, the senior person who pitched isn't the person running the account three months in. End up with a junior AM and they manage 10 or more accounts 🤦
Looked at fractional consultants. Most are either ex-agency people without senior level brand side experience or one-person shops who can only do strategy, not execution.
Feels like I'm picking between three least-bad options.
What did you actually do? Specifically interested in hearing from brands doing $3M+ on or off Amazon.
What worked, what didn't, what would you do differently?
Thanks for the insights!