Ad Agency Owners: Here’s How to Lose an Account

We presented three concepts to the client for a new branding campaign.

All three concepts communicated the mandatory messages.

But somewhere along the path of making sure the creative was “correct,” we forgot to make it interesting. Or exciting. Or entertaining.

And that oversight cost us dearly.

Is Your Creative Work Serviceable or Exceptional?

As the creative director, I had the responsibility to deliver exceptional work.

I knew our work wasn’t exceptional.

It was serviceable.

It checked all of the boxes.

My mind justified the work. But my heart knew better.

I ignored the truth, and we presented the concepts.

Then we waited for client feedback.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Finally, the client gave us feedback.

It wasn’t good news.

Our Client Chose Another Ad Agency

After seeing our concepts, the client had reached out to another agency and decided to go with its creative.

This hurt.

It hurt my agency financially.

It hurt my ego personally.

But knowing that I had ignored my heart hurt the most.

Always Present Your Best Creative Concepts

I asked the client for another shot at developing new concepts.

She responded, “No, we always assume you give us your best work. If that wasn’t your best, why did you present it?”

I was stunned.

Not by the directness of her question.

But by its truth.

In that moment, I woke up.

Awake to the fact that listening to my mind, while ignoring my heart, has consequences.

Not just at work.

But in every aspect in life.

How many times do we listen to our minds when it says we can skip a workout because, “We worked out yesterday?”

Or we eat another piece of cake because, “We deserve it.”

How often do we ignore our spouses or children because, “We work hard and just want to relax and watch TV”?

Our minds justify our actions. But our hearts know better.

Losing Clients is Easy

In StoryBrand, Donald Miller explains that our minds are always in survival mode, looking to conserve calories.

That’s why we so often take the path of least resistance.

But when we listen to our hearts – to the truth within us – we take our lives to a higher level.

It may not be easy.

In fact, it’s more difficult.

But it’s worth it.

Deliver the Best — In Life and in Your Agency

When we deliver great creative, our clients don’t look for other agencies.

When we work out, our energy increases and we feel better about ourselves.

When we pass on that second piece of cake, we feel healthier and have more self-respect.

When we spend more time with our family, our relationships improve.

It’s simple, really: 

If you let it, your mind will screw you over.

So don’t let it.

Listen to your heart instead.

Need to focus your attention on growing client relationships and winning new business? Let Copy Rocket handle your copywriting. Contact us today.

Photo by Renee Fisher on Unsplash