The client relationship is an extremely important part — if not the most important part — of business. Fostering trust and a solid working relationship can be the difference between sparking great ideas and moving forward in a mutually supported productive fashion, and grinding to a halt as one or both sides aren’t on board with the plan.
While every agency would love to champion every idea their client may have, sometimes it is just not feasible. Sometimes, for whatever reason, you just know that the idea your client loves simply isn’t going to work. Yet, sharing that information can be a sensitive matter, whether due to client temperament, working relationship or a whole host of other possibilities. Whatever the case may be, you need to deal with the gap between client expectations and what you believe to be the inevitable lackluster outcome if you follow through with the proposal.
So what is the best way to handle such a situation? Here’s what members of Forbes Agency Council advise:
Members discuss some different approaches you can take when a client loves an idea — and you know it won’t work.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Offer Candid Conversation
Our clients hire us as consultants because we are experts in our field. We owe clients our candid (yet caring) point of view. Ask them: Why does this idea make sense for your business? What’s the end result that you think this will deliver? Then make recommendations on how to get the end results from a different route. – Elle Morris, HMS Design
2. Back Up With Research
I would ask the client to allow me to deploy research on the idea to ensure the idea they love has relevance and can achieve the goals desired with the target audience. While my expertise and personal experience is often a strong indicator of success, what my “gut” tells me needs to be grounded in proper research, testing and analysis of the idea. – Edward Sirianno, Creative Communication Associates
3. Lay The Groundwork For Change
I allow them to fail quickly. Let me explain. Clients hire us because of our experience, results and expertise. Often when we submit the copy for approval on a LinkedIn lead generation campaign, they usually want to change it. They change it to something I know won’t work, so I always tell them, we’ll use this for the first two weeks, when it fails I get to use the copy I think will work. – Jimena Cortes Cortes, Wizard Media
4. Focus On The End Goal
At the end of the day, most customers have the end goal in mind. Focus on that and test different ideas. Explain the reasoning behind the strategy you propose and back it up with case studies or references. If you have a lot of expertise, you may want to focus 80% of their budget on your idea and 20% on theirs. If it’s a new industry, you might want to consider a 50/50 approach. – JC Hite, Hite Digital
5. Break Down Why It Won’t Work
It is important to understand that your clients are passionate about their business and equally as passionate about the ideas that they have that will drive it. When they have an idea (and they will have many) you are certain won’t translate, break down for them why it won’t work. They are hiring you for your expertise for this exact reason. – Michael Smith, iTribe Social
Read more in Four Best Practices For Successful, Responsive Media Campaigns
6. Make Your Opinion Known
Handling tough situations with a radically candid approach often yields the best result. Very clearly telling the client “I don’t believe that idea will be successful, but these other two options likely would,” helps address the challenge while moving the conversation forward. You won’t always “win” the argument, but voicing your opinion and providing better options is healthy and productive. – Vic Drabicky, January Digital
7. Make Sure Objectives Align
Before you decide the client’s idea won’t work, check in to make sure you are aligned on the objectives. There are many ways to get home but you’ve got to have the right address. Then, see what you can do to morph, add and build on the client’s idea before rejecting it outright. Very often that type of collaboration leads to the best results! – Ilya Welfeld, Seymour Public Relations
8. Be Bold
We encourage clients to be bold in their branding and marketing. Bold to us is simple, unexpected and has a point of view. But some clients are reluctant to express a point of view, fearful of who they might alienate. So, when a client wants to play it safe, we remind them of brands like Nike, and the recognition and sales that resulted in 2018 when they expressed that strong point of view. – Patricia Rioux, ODEA Group
9. Stay Laser-Focused On The Goal
“Your opinion, while interesting, is irrelevant.” We’ve adopted this phrase from Pragmatic Institute. We push aside personal opinions and embrace the primary goal of the project and target persona. We don’t respond to, “I like …” Instead, we encourage all involved to start comments with: “The goal is. … I think this works for our persona because …” This framework keeps us laser-focused on the goal. – John Farkas, Golden Spiral
10. Guide With Best Practices
Agencies are sometimes hired for validation rather than recommendations. It’s our job to inspire clients with new ideas, but also advise against pitfalls. In the end, though, the decision rests with the client. If they are determined to move down a path against our council, we try to reach the finish line using best practices. If opinions can’t be harmonized, it’s best to part ways amicably. – Julie Gibson, SJ Consulting
