Is Your Client About to Fire You? (Plus, How to Exit Gracefully)

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Breaking up is hard to do.

Most of us have been there. A client wants to terminate a relationship.

It may be for a particular reason (like cash flow, lack of tangible results or simply a “mis-fit.) As in all relationships, courageous, professional, and sensitive people will have “the talk” with you and get you ready for the split. They may even give you a chance to correct any issues or propose solutions.

Other times, strange things start happening in the relationship. You sense something is amiss. What are the signs?

“Talk, talk, talk…Until one day you just stop hearing from them…it’s uncanny.
And it never ever ever ever fails.”

So says Richard Laermer, CEO and Founder of RLM Public Relations The silent treatment is just one of the many ways you can tell a client is about to give you bad news. Calls and e-mails go unanswered.

Erika Kerekes, a freelance writer and PR pro, identified four tell-tale signs:

1. You send your regular invoice and get a note back asking you to detail exactly what it is you do every month.


2. Your client suddenly requests a list of all the media outlets you’ve reached out to on their behalf, with contact information. Or, in the case of graphic design projects he or she will suddenly ask for a file containing graphic assets.


3. The person who brought you in gets fired, and you don’t know her replacement at all.


4. You spot a job posting on LinkedIn at the client’s company, and it looks suspiciously like the statement of work you drafted when they hired you.

When you sense a client relationship is about to end, you may try to salvage it by asking for an opportunity to improve problem areas, change staffing, or otherwise repair the damage. But, if you sense that the end is near, break-up efficiently and professionally.

You may be tempted to tell a client about all the ways in which he contributed to the demise but try to take the high road. Although a rave review is unlikely, you don’t want combative behavior to be the last thing the client remembers.

Remember, always work on cultivating productive and honest relationships with clients, in which you’re getting regular performance feedback. Be sure to also be keeping your pipeline full of prospects so that losing a big account doesn’t mean instant financial disaster.

For tips on how to get, keep, and wow clients, be sure to check out these other insights from  “Views from the Client Side.”

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Clients look for agencies that deliver great results AND are great to work with. Make sure prospective clients can easily find you—and read glowing reviews about you. on the UpCity site.  It’ll open up a whole new stream of prospects—companies looking for the best in local and national digital savvy.

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Nancy A Shenker

Nancy A. Shenker is a marketing innovator, brand builder, writer, and speaker, with both client- and agency-side experience. Over the course of her 40-year business and marketing career, she has been a C-level marketing executive, an entrepreneur, and a mentor to hundreds of small businesses at all stages. Founder of theONswitch marketing(R), Shenker was formerly a senior executive for major consumer and business brands, including Citibank, MasterCard, and Reed Exhibitions. Shenker has written four books, and publishes a women’s entrepreneur community called sheBOOM, as well as A.I. website Embrace the Machine(R) and travel and lifestyle website BleisureLiving(R). She writes a column for Inc.com called Bots & Bodies, covering the human aspects of technology and speaks about digital marketing, transformation, and women’s career paths at national conferences.

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