The Only Client That Never Leaves (And Never Listens)

Missed deadlines, minimal briefs, too many people involved, vague feedback... all characteristics of the most difficult clients that you can work with, and I can almost guarantee that every agency has one of these that they work with. They are loyal, though - going nowhere, in your workflow every month, every year, always.

Two colleagues named Laura sitting on a sofa working together on a laptop.

Have you worked it out yet? Yep. That client is you. I’ve worked in a few agencies now and, without doubt, the hardest projects I’ve ever worked on are the in-house ones. They all start the same: with excitement, enthusiasm, and endless volunteers to be involved. Then, inevitably, it drags on, it becomes a chore. When you get to the end, you are pleased to have crossed the finish line, the cheer is there, but the shine is gone.

That all sounds really negative, I get it, but the reason why it happens is actually a positive one. It’s because we focus on our clients — on the new brand project, the new website build, or the social media or digital marketing client. We get excited, we like the client, and we want to do a good job, deliver it on time, and exceed their expectations. A client project will always take priority over our own. It isn’t a bad thing, and I have no idea what the answer is.

But, if you ever land on an agency site and think, “Mmm, they’ve not written an article for a while,” it isn’t out of laziness or a lack of inspiration; it’s that we’re busy focusing our time on the client. That said, this article has been written as a little nudge — a reminder to try to kick-start us doing what we love for us, as well as we do it for our clients…we’re trying!