WHY LOSING IS WINNING (SOMETIMES)
In the Marketing/Media/PR/Advertising agency world, clientele and projects work is not exactly famous for being stable. Add a global pandemic with an economic recession on top of it, and people don't exactly want to drop thousands on a fancy new website or a redesigned logo, let alone the harder to see things like brand positioning plans and strategies. Listen, I get it!
But I wanted to reflect on something that we in agency generally perceive as something incredibly negative - losing a client.
Losing clients is never fun. I'll start by getting that obvious one out of the way! However, this is the industry, and a client will rarely stick with you for life. In fact, if they do, something is probably not going right.
Let me tell you why. Marketing is an industry that is built on the concept of change. It's normal and healthy for you and brands to outgrow each other, look for other ways of doing the same thing, try different strategies. With that, there will, of course, come times where you will lose or finish up with a client. I very much believe in setting my clients up for growth, to be big enough to have their own gun in house teams; sure, I always do hope they'll keep coming back to me to sense check things or help with projects...but realistically, the goal is always growth of some kind, and I want to facilitate this...even though it comes at a cost to my bottom line.
It's not the losing that's the good bit, though; it's the recalibration AFTER. Do you know that fantastic feeling around New Year when those goals you set for yourself seem exciting and magical? That's a reset feeling - and it's needed.
When a client moves on, outgrows you or is ready to take the reigns themselves, you find yourself with some more time, maybe a little less cash flow, but always a lesson learned and some new perspectives - what could you have done better or different? What can you do with your existing clients to help them more? You might need to hustle to find work where you haven't before. You need to get creative and think differently. This is a gift that will only ever serve you well - it is the gift of change, growth and evolution! It's also a chance to reflect on the journey and ensure you are consistently delivering value!
So remember, even though plans don't always go to plan, or sometimes they go to plan a little too well! It's always going to help you come out better in the end by giving you a chance to realign with who you are and what you want. For those of you who aren't dealing with this client style transition in a literal sense, think of it as those moments when things go wrong, shit hits the proverbial fan if you will... take those moments as a chance to learn and to grow, wear the pain for a second and lean into the opportunity - its always there... sometimes you just have to dig a little to find it!
