As a kid, I would eat my vegetables first.

I hated them. They were the drab, boiled, British kind.

I wanted to get them out of the way and savor those final moments of meat and gravy. But a strange thing happened. I learned to love my routine. I looked forward to the vegetables. In a way, I came to love them.

I grew up, started work in advertising, and soon found my calling, 'client guy.' But I approach things in the same way. What are the pain points? What is scary? Icky? Uncomfortable? Let's talk about those first.

Ask the question

There are some familiar culprits. Budget. ROI. Miscommunications. But often, it's less obvious. The key is to ask. I'll sometimes lead a conversation with a client by asking, 'What could have gone better?' or 'Do you have any critiques of the project or our working relationship?'

It's amazing how often a perceived negative can become a point of collaboration, transparency, and accountability. And these, I believe, are the key things a client seeks in an agency.

But it's not always so rosy. Sometimes, I have to dive on a bomb. Or put one under my team.

And then there is that cold, hard reality when a client lets you go- or you, them. But even then, you've saved time on niceties and fluff and, as they say, got down to business.

Balance the diet

Don't get me wrong. I'm all about fostering positive relationships. Lunches, Dinners, LinkedIn tags… they all have a role. But if they come before, or instead of, honest conversations, they are at best inauthentic and at worst diversionary.

Good relationships are built on trust, compatibility, and flexibility. If both sides are honest and collaborative, we can likely bend to meet each other and intertwine to form a double helix of agency-client DNA, scalable beyond our wildest dreams. Or at least do some good work and enjoy the process.

And sometimes, the best answer to a client is the hardest to give. NO. We always want a win-win, but be wary of creating a win-lose.

Think of a life of only broccoli and kale. How dreadful.

But a life of only Sundaes is, actually, a deeper hell. Balance is everything.

Listen to your team.

In the front lines of client services, it's tempting to over-cater to external wants and needs. But what about my team? How are they doing? What do they need? Where are their pain points?

This process only works if I apply the same logic to my internal meetings as my external.

Moreover, it sometimes plays that in client communication, I am, in fact, the one who needs to air a grievance up front.

There is no I in "team". But there is meat. That's because the team is the protein, the best bit (sorry, vegetarians). The enjoyable bit you play for. When client agencies form a collective team, the best work ensues. But we have to eat our vegetables first.