We Lost a Client

Originally sent out: 08/05/25

T.E.A Break – 034

**Get this content earlier than it’s published on our blog via our T.E.A Break newsletter. Sign up now.**

Have you heard the phrase “you can take a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink”?

That sentiment is somewhat true regarding paid ads, and it occasionally costs us.

Yesterday, one of our clients served notice, which is very rare for us.

I have learned over the years, that is a reality of running an agency.

Here is what happened…

We had a call with this client yesterday afternoon, and they reiterated how pleased they’d been with everything we’d done in recent months.

But, in their opinion, the ads just weren’t translating into enough leads and sales right now.

I said I respected their decision; they will now serve notice, and then we’ll part ways on the best of terms, as we always do.

The conversation with this client yesterday reminded me of the horse to water phrase.

Why? Because with paid media ads, we can only do so much.

We can show ads when people are searching for what you do and where you do it.

We can keep your brand top of mind with great creative and show key messages to drive engagement, awareness, and push for conversions.

What ads can’t do is guarantee the lead or sale at the end of it all.

If your customer just isn’t buying right now.

If your customer is shopping around for the lowest possible price (and that isn’t you).

If your customer is putting their plans on ice for the time being.

If your customer is reluctant to commit.

That does not mean your marketing suddenly doesn’t work.

It generally means there is something bigger at play.

Often, the economic reality is biting.

Sometimes, it is governments causing havoc.

Or it might just be that the sheer cost of seemingly everything these days is extortionate.

This client acknowledged it was a combination of those factors that was likely causing their lack of sales, not their ads per se.

Now look, you don’t need me to tell you that it’s tough for many businesses.

I’ve run my marketing agency for 12+ years, and during that time, I’ve worked with hundreds of brands and small businesses.

When times are tough, I find businesses take one of two paths.

Blame the marketing (agency)
Work with the marketing agency

I’ve experienced more than my fair share of both scenarios, and I thought I’d share my agency-owner perspective on them both.

Blame the marketing (agency) – This client yesterday wasn’t blaming us as such, but equally, they were experiencing a tough spell and still quickly arrived at the solution being to cut and run.

They concluded that their marketing wasn’t working right now, and they would be best served by removing the ‘cost’ of agency fees and trying to muddle through by themselves.

In my opinion, this will only exacerbate their problems, as while they may save a couple of thousand in agency fees a month, they have now got to try and manage their ad accounts and produce all the creative themselves.

They’ll remove the expert paid media team working on their account and their 10,000s of hours of experience, and at a time when they need their ads to work harder than ever to get them back into the black, as it were.

That, to me, makes no sense.

Work with the marketing agency – The flip side is when Evergreen is at its absolute best. When a client raises their hand and says, “this isn’t working for us right now”, the Evergreen team rallies and does everything in its power to see them through those tough spells.

When a business owner recognises that their less-than-ideal ad performance doesn’t mean that we no longer know what we’re doing or that we’ve become useless overnight, but rather, there are likely external factors at play, it results in a much more fruitful outcome for all involved.

It’s a partnership. We’re in it together.

Every single client we’ve ever worked with has heard me preach that sentiment to them.

We want to partner with our clients.

We genuinely care. We will bend over backwards and do everything in our power to help your business.

Some of the things we’ve done in the past would genuinely blow your mind. I’ve moved mountains for some of our clients over the years.

We’ve got 1-2 clients that are having a tough time right now, but to their credit, they are sticking with it and us.

They recognise that they need marketing support to grow through this pain.

They understand that when times are tough, you need to make every £1 count, and you can only achieve that by having people who are true experts at spending those £1’s on their behalf.

We’re giving those 1-2 clients I mentioned a little extra Evergreen love at the moment with a free brand film and brochure to help diversify their marketing and ensure their brand can be omni-present, which they are incredibly grateful for.

I’m sharing this because I know there will be some of you reading this and thinking about whether to cut and run or stick with your marketing (agency).

My advice would be to look at the overall picture over a sustained period, and work with those who are tasked with growing your business; don’t work against them, or worse still, assume they are no longer capable if you have a tough spell.

___

👋 Never miss an update. Sign up to T.E.A Break, our weekly newsletter.

👉 See our case studies to discover how we grow brands online.

👉 Subscribe to our YouTube channel.

👉 Follow our Grow with Evergreen podcast on Spotify, YouTube & Apple Podcasts.

👉 Download our new Home and Garden sector paid media report