PPCChat | Dealing with High Maintenance Clients or Stakeholders

Posted September 9th, 2026 by Amita & filed under PPCChat.

This week’s PPCChat discussion focused on dealing with high-maintenance clients, how PPC experts explain it to clients, and how they handle challenging situations. Here’s a screencap of the discussion, hosted by Julie F. Bacchini.

Q1: How do you define a “high-maintenance” client or stakeholder?

One of the big high-maintenance behaviors for me is emailing ALL THE TIME. Also looking at performance daily. Contact attempts at all hours @NeptuneMoon

I’d say high-touch, and those who demand perfection. Typos do happen, and APIs do break/update. Clients where all your energy goes into telling them what you’re doing in pointillistic detail, rather than doing what you’re doing and reporting. @JuliaVyse

Oooh, how about ones that think they know your job better than you “but just don’t have time” to do it @NeptuneMoon

Emailing or calling all the time is the most simple version. Recently, it’s also become those who run everything we do/their accounts through ChatGPT/some other AI and then try to explain why we’re wrong and GPT is right…@revaminkoff

Oh yes, the AI double-checkers! @NeptuneMoon

High maintenance – the one who won’t fix the basics on their end and keep asking for strategy, something new, need to see visible motion to be satisfied to ensure they are getting value for the money they spend on services and come back a month later with basics still not fixed and complaining about performance @alimehdimukadam

@NeptuneMoon true fact: a client told me this to my face on a reporting call. Like, yes (client name) I know you ‘can’ click these buttons, but the fact that you don’t have time to do it is sort of the point. You hired us, let us do the stuff for you. You are admittedly busy with a pile of other things. @JuliaVyse

I have obviously had that experience as well @JuliaVyse ,and tend to respond along the lines of – would you like to take it back? Because my contract is pretty clear on responsiblity…@NeptuneMoon

Q2: Do you have anything in your project contracts or other working guidelines to help head off “high maintenance” client or stakeholder behavior?

We have SLAs, but realistically we just do what they need until it’s so much we need to charge more. Then a whole other team can get involved. …corporate is NOT #glam @JuliaVyse

I clearly layout: @NeptuneMoon

what work is included in the scope
what is not included in the scope
standard communication levels
standard turn around time
my standard working hours, including time zone
if I am working on the account, then you are not

I use the word standard a lot because it is an easy way to point out when they are exceeding that level and discuss if they wish to rein that in or pay more @NeptuneMoon

That last one is SO important! we can’t be responsible for performance if we’re not the only ones making changes. You can have read-only and ruin my life by email. @JuliaVyse

I share a live dashboard of the account metrics which also integrates GA and other things along with an automated report that goes out every Monday morning with pending action items on us and on them ‘as discussed previously from the last call’. SLAs are part of the contract and weekly or bi-weekly calls are scheduled as per the spend/dollar value. @alimehdimukadam

I do monthly calls. For me, talking weekly, unless there is something very big that just changed tends to (a) drive me nuts and (b) lead to more knee jerk directives. I think expectation setting is so important. Obviously high maintenance clients don’t listen to this as well as non high maintenance clients, but it is super important to say/establish as the desired baseline. @NeptuneMoon

Also, if you get the feeling someone will be high maintenance in the proposal phase, you are very most probably right and do with that information what you will, but don’t color yourself surprised when that behavior continues and escalates. @NeptuneMoon

We try to layout meeting and reporting cadences in the contract as well as what is and isn’t included and client expectations (like paying the engines directly). It’s not perfect, but it does help at least keep some of the basics in check. @revaminkoff

A lot of that is right in the pitch/chemistry sessions ahead of time. If they need weekly activity reports and constant calls, we can staff that. If they need monthly reporting and strategic coms, we can staff accordingly. basically tell me if I hire 3 account people or 1 based on your needs @JuliaVyse

Q3: If a client or stakeholder is being “high maintenance” how do you handle it?

I am big on the why for pretty much everything. Especially if the behavior springs up and was not always there. I try to dig into what is going on with them, the business, etc. that is making them act this way and try to find ways to calm them down and give them what they need. @NeptuneMoon

I like to approach with curiousity. Did they lose a trusted member of the team? Did they get burned somehow? Do they have high-touch execs to please? Finding the motivation tends to help. Oftentimes if it’s a new behaviour, they are feeling a pinch. I have two clients in active recovery after the Aug17 change and they need to talk a LOT. So we do. It’s what they need. @JuliaVyse

BTW – the August 17th changes one month out will be our topic next week! @NeptuneMoon

I’ve noticed it varies based on whether it’s an employee, the business owner, whether they committed some things to their investors, whether they are not still realizing that PPC is not a magic machine, and or whether they simply are relying on us for education – lots of nuances and layers. And everyone needs a tactful understanding and that’s where the human understanding and connection matters a lot more which no AI can do. @alimehdimukadam

@NeptuneMoon I’ll pour some morning tequila for that chat. @JuliaVyse

I have been doing this work independently for a LONG TIME – July was 27 years for me. I try to do my best to find clients that are good fits for me and not take on ones who show signs of mania or high maintenance as much as possible. I will also terminate with a client that destroys my peace too much @NeptuneMoon

Let me also say this – you also train clients as to what is acceptable behavior. If you instantly respond to a client who emails you multiple times daily all the time, you are creating that expectation. Obviously there are times when you need to be in contact like that, I am talking about those who just can’t hold on to a thought and must express/send it RIGHT AWAY ALL THE TIME. @NeptuneMoon

I’m big on understanding what their pain points are and where they’re coming from. @revaminkoff

You can control how you respond (or don’t for a bit) @NeptuneMoon

I agree there is a line and at a certain point you need to part ways, but I feel like I try to give them every chance first. Set boundaries, have “come to Jesus” meetings – make sure expectations are aligned. @revaminkoff

Auto-responders are an actual godsend for this. The client knows you have their note and you’re adding to the next agenda, but you can get on with your day. Huzzah for focus hours! The days of a blanket ‘i’m away’ are over! @JuliaVyse

Had a client freaking out about intraday performance, calling/texting THROUGHOUT THE DAY. eventually they acquiesced when we talked to their boss and figured out if/why/when there are things that are truly urgent. sometimes having a conversation above (if possible) can help all parties @Aaronlevy

Q4: What, if any, “high maintenance” client or stakeholder behaviors are deal breakers for you?

Disrespect. I’m fine with a client being sassy/salty/mad/stern/whatever, but when they get MEAN or belittling….. that’s it. @Aaronlevy

Not respecting boundaries, particularly expecting responses on weekends or late nights. I don’t care if they send things, but don’t expect me to respond regularly, etc. @revaminkoff

Personal phone number/text. Constant changing strategy. Disrespect – somehow that’s still seen as ‘powerful’ on calls or whatever. Just no respect for boundaries. @JuliaVyse

Agree totally on disrespect – of my time, boundaries, expertise, etc. Any behavior that feels like stalking. Oh and yelling. That is a hard NO for me. Screwing around with payment is one for me too. Trying to hold me responsible for things that I am not responsible for can also lead down Termination Lane @NeptuneMoon

Belittling my team / making them feel bad. Their sanity matters, a lot. @revaminkoff

Sexism is fun too (either overt or implied). had a client once who was NUTS and harassing my female account manager on the day, had a call with him and he asked me for my thoughts and I verbatim read her emails to him and he loved it. they weren’t a client much longer. @Aaronlevy

@revaminkoff I’ve never understood the “I want to be tough on my agency” clients. happy people do better work than stressed people. @Aaronlevy

My husband and I have a running joke about a time when a potential client was trying strong arm me about the contract (best of luck with that!) and he got all angry and said to me “well if you don’t have the authority…” to which I replied “I AM the authority” so we use that line from time to time about things. @NeptuneMoon

Q5: What do you wish “high maintenance” clients or stakeholders knew?

Hoo boy… That PPC is not magic. That we can’t overcome bad product fit or poor sales or customer service. Every business has some degree of seasonality. Platforms make changes that negatively impact things that worked beautifully for years. If you are on your 4th agency or consultant and still unhappy, it might be you @NeptuneMoon

I don’t work for Google. My holdco is big and influential, but can’t force Google, Microsoft, Amazon’s hand. That automated dashboards and apis work, but not 100% of the time. That time is linear. That my team can either work all day or email all day, not both… @JuliaVyse

Your total addressable market is not, in fact, EVERYONE ON EARTH. Maybe if you put your budget into a few campaigns instead of 20 with not enough money in any of them, performance might be better. I am salty today @NeptuneMoon

Stuff breaks. sometimes Google breaks. sometimes clients break their own sites and don’t tell anybody. sometimes teams goof up. screaming at people/hucking under the bus/demanding a presentation doesn’t help the situation. collaborative fixes help all. also stop dangling “unlimited budget if we can hit our metrics” carrot. it’s not real. @Aaronlevy

No-one has unlimited budget! @JuliaVyse

Oh, you updated your web site and did not include the conversion tagging and didn’t tell me this was planned or happening and performance is suffering? Huh, that’s so weird… @NeptuneMoon

Oh, you decided to change bid platforms in 30 days with no issues? Adobe and SA360 are NOT the same! time is linear…@JuliaVyse

There was a big news story about your company and it was not a flattering one? And you didn’t think I might need to know that? And performance dipped? Again, you don’t say…@NeptuneMoon

If you go in and make changes and don’t tell me, I cannot be responsible for what happens next. Give it 72 hours if data modeling is involved. You just can’t see the results much faster than that! @revaminkoff

Don’t click on your own ad unless you want to pay money for every click / mess with your conversion rates because you won’t be a buyer. Don’t click on your own ad unless you want to pay money for every click / mess with your conversion rates because you won’t be a buyer…@revaminkoff

I feel like I say to myself more frequently in the last couple of years – good lord, just let it marinate @NeptuneMoon

So don’t search for your ads + don’t click on them if you do see them. @revaminkoff

Also, why can’t you have the same costs per click or conversion you had in yesteryear? Because nothing even remotely works like it used to. @NeptuneMoon

PPCChat Participants