A Beautiful Client Relationship Begins by Saying ‘No’

When entering a new agency and client relationship, saying “no” might be the last thing you want to do. After all, you want to set the tone for a strong relationship that lasts for years, so your focus immediately turns to giving the client exactly what he wants.

But the truth is that a great agency/client relationship is a partnership that should be mutually beneficial. If your agency settles for a vendor-based relationship — one in which your agency only executes on tactics, instead of serving as a strategic partner — no one wins.

Know When to Say ‘No’

Sometimes, saying “no” is a valuable and necessary option for both parties. Here’s when to draw the line with clients:

1. When they want to focus on off-strategy tactics

Pursuing tactics alone might produce appealing creative, but an off-strategy execution won’t resonate with your target audience or help the client achieve his goals. Ultimately, failing to produce results makes both your agency and the client look bad.

2. When they want to buy media that doesn’t match their customer demographic

Part of an agency’s job is to be a strategic counselor. Recognizing the importance of meeting the target audience where they are lies in our field, and it’s our job to counsel our clients to understand this element of the business.

3. When they want to abuse the agency/client relationship

We have a saying in our shop: “Good clients treat us with respect and value our insights. Bad clients need to shape up or ship out.” We coach our clientele on how they should work with us to get maximum value for their dollar, and it starts at the beginning of every new client relationship. Then, it needs to be reiterated and revisited throughout the years. A lack of respect for skill, time, or effort won’t fly.

4. When they refuse to apply discipline to their marketing/advertising programs

Being creative is one thing; refusing to be strategic or realistic is another. For instance, we recently had a new client ask us to turn around a series of video projects in a very short amount of time. When we provided him the estimates, he balked. I had to explain an advertising adage my father taught me decades ago:

“There are three variables in advertising: The client can have it fast, good, or affordable. Pick two.”

Clients must choose between fast or affordable; they cannot have both.

5. When they want creative based on their personal tastes rather than what will appeal to their target demographic

Our agency recently had the opportunity to do a rebrand of a 20-year-old financial services company. Their existing logo and collateral were very dated, but the client was emotionally attached. We had hard discussions about the company moving forward, which meant the client had to give up some of the past he was trying so desperately to cling to.

Though it’s a tough discussion to have, you can get movement from your clients if you speak the truth and keep their best interests at the forefront of all decisions.

Know How to Say ‘No’

When these situations arise, the decision to change direction—or not do the project at all—is something both sides need to agree upon. After all, in a true partnership, the focus of your working relationship should be on the end product, not differences of opinion.

Emphasize the end result. By focusing on the end result, you can turn a potential confrontation into a discussion. Talk about which strategies and tactics will be most likely to move the organization toward its desired objective. If resources are limited, revolve the discussion around how those resources can best be allocated to produce the greatest momentum.

Promote partnership. When you work for someone, he or she gets to dictate the terms of your employment. When you work with someone, both parties agree to all terms. The latter not only produces better results, but it’s also the basis of a long-term working relationship. By promoting dialogue that emphasizes positive implications for the desired outcome, you can help the client understand your role as a marketing professional and partner, rather than just a vendor.

Saying “no” can be difficult. But ultimately, setting expectations at the beginning creates a more beneficial partnership down the road. It may seem counterintuitive, but it’s a key factor in establishing the mutual respect and compromise that a true partnership should be built upon.

Matthew Owens is a partner at Owens Harkey. He can be reached at [email protected].