If you like what you hear after the initial phone call, and you ask the candidate publicist to submit a written proposal, be ready to respond to this question which every smart publicist should ask:
“Who, other than you, will be responsible for deciding which publicist to hire?”

If your boss must make the final decision based on your recommendation, be honest and say so. The candidate might want to meet with the boss before spending time writing a proposal.

Why? To make sure that the boss’s goals are your goals. To make sure that the boss’s measures of success are your measures of success. To give the publicist a chance to impress the person who holds the ultimate power to hire them. Besides, you shouldn’t be responsible for selling the publicist to your boss. That’s the publicist’s job. So put your ego aside and give the candidate a chance.

If you lie and say the final decision is up to you, you’ll look foolish later if your boss vetoes your decision. For more tips on how to not look foolish while hiring a publicist, check out How to Hire the Perfect Publicist.