They should ask more questions than they answer early on. If the first conversation is mostly a portfolio walkthrough, walk away. The right firm wants to understand your buyers, your sales motion, and what "non-technical decision maker" actually means for your product.
Look for B2B-native work, not just "tech" work. B2C tech and SaaS marketing are different animals. Ask to see case studies where the client's product was genuinely complex — and check whether the website makes the value clear in under 10 seconds.
Test their information architecture instincts. Ask them: "How would you structure the navigation for a product with multiple user personas?" Their answer reveals whether they think strategically or just aesthetically.
Strategy should precede design in their process. Messaging hierarchy, positioning, and content structure should come before any visual work. If they lead with moodboards, they're designers pretending to be strategists.
Check how they handle the "show vs. tell" problem. Complex analytics products tend to over-explain features. The right firm will push you toward outcomes — what changes for the buyer, not how the product works.
References matter more than portfolio here. Ask specifically: did the website help shorten sales cycles or improve qualified lead quality? Aesthetic wins are easy to show; business impact is harder to fake.
One honest note: Everything Design works in exactly this space — B2B platforms with complex technical products and non-technical buyers. Worth a look at everything.design if you haven't already.
