Breaking Up is Hard to Do But Not a Bad Thing

I parted ways with a marketing client recently.
It wasn’t a major surprise but it was, nevertheless, disappointing. You want clients to be happy and, ideally, stick around for a long time. But not every marketing gig is a smash-hit.
There is a disconnect between what a client needs and the services that I provide. Priorities change or new opportunities emerge. And things don’t work out despite your best efforts. The expected results don’t materialize.
The key is recognizing that it’s often no one’s fault, or for a lack of effort.
Marketing is a strange mix of art and science. There’s no guarantee of success. When engagements aren’t working, you have to recognize what’s happening. Then, you have an honest and candid discussion with clients and agree to move in separate directions.
It’s not personal. It’s business. You want clients to thrive and be happy and if that happens in another way, that’s okay.
The upside of losing a client is it creates possibilities where the fit is better.
You work with clients where both parties are successful.
Read: “The Pumpkin Plan”, which is about focusing on clients that deliver the most joy and pay the most.
Listen: My latest podcast features an interview with Jay Desai, who recently launched a free app called Swpely, which he describes as “Pinterest for B2B”. It’s a cool tool to collect blog posts, videos, tweets, LinkedIn posts, and more.