How can I check whether agency case studies are credible?

Read the claim before reading the result

Start with the metric. Revenue signed, ARR, funding raised, gross booking value and collected cash are not interchangeable. Ask which result is claimed and whether the timeframe and baseline make the comparison meaningful. A large total can hide a long period or a much larger existing team.

Then inspect attribution. Did the named person lead the commercial work, contribute to one stage or merely work at the organization? Did the agency deliver the result as a company, or is it discussing a founder's career? These distinctions do not make experience worthless; they make it useful without exaggerating it.

Work through the decision

Illustrative claim: 'helped build a $12m ARR sales motion.' That may describe meaningful work, but it does not mean the person personally closed $12m, the current agency produced it, or $12m was collected in cash. Ask what role the person played and which dates and supporting evidence can be disclosed.

For a vendor customer story, note that the publisher has a commercial interest. Use it to understand rollout or buying-process details; avoid treating it as independent causal proof. A provider that makes these limits visible is easier to assess than one that combines every metric into 'revenue generated.'

Logos silently change the meaning of experience

A logo row may show former employers, sources, technology vendors or customers. Its label should tell you which. If a case study implies a customer relationship that the provider cannot substantiate or disclose, do not fill the gap with an assumption.

A concrete next step

Choose the strongest claimed outcome in a proposal and rewrite it in one precise sentence: actor, organization, contribution, metric, timeframe and source. Ask the provider to correct any unsupported part.