Sometimes you see it coming. Other times, you think everything is going great and you’re on your way to living happily ever after, only to have the rug pulled out from under you. Some relationships are meant to last, and at BPR we’re proud to have been working with many of our clients for more than 15 years. But sometimes, it doesn’t work out for a number of reasons. Whether the client is moving the work in-house or they’re cutting their marketing budget and can no longer afford your services – there’s no denying that breakups suck. Here are three tips to get you through a client-agency breakup.
1. Keep it professional
This is not the time to burn bridges. Thank your client for their past commitment and reiterate how much you valued working with them. You never know when an ex-client will come back into your life after realising the grass isn’t greener, so it’s always best to end things on an amicable note.
2. Conduct a post-mortem
Figure out what went wrong and think about how you can prevent it from happening again with future clients. Was there a communication issue with the client, or within the account team? Did you neglect the account because you were busy with other projects? Reflect on the relationship and try to pinpoint where things went wrong so you can learn something from the experience.
3. When one door closes, another door opens
It’s a cliché, but it’s also true. Once you’ve given yourself time to lick your wounds (ice cream is strongly recommended) try to focus on the positives. And just think, now you have more time to focus on securing other great clients.
