{"id":23522,"date":"2024-02-28T10:53:15","date_gmt":"2024-02-28T05:23:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.karooya.com\/blog\/?p=23522"},"modified":"2024-02-28T10:53:16","modified_gmt":"2024-02-28T05:23:16","slug":"ppcchat-telling-clients-hard-truths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.karooya.com\/blog\/ppcchat-telling-clients-hard-truths\/","title":{"rendered":"PPCChat | Telling Clients Hard Truths | 27th February 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sharing difficult truths about clients’ PPC accounts\/businesses can be tough, but it’s a necessary challenge for experts in their PPC careers. Do they find it uncomfortable to tell clients hard truths? what tips do the experts have for the inexperienced once? These and more questions were answered during this week’s PPCChat session which was hosted by Julie F Bacchini<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Q1: Do you find it uncomfortable to have to tell clients hard truths about either their PPC or their businesses? And if so why and if not, why not?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

I feel that this is an important part of my job. So telling clients things they don\u2019t want to hear doesn\u2019t really bother me. I have also been doing this for almost 25 years and I am sure that helps with my comfort level. @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don’t think anyone like to be the bearer of bad news, and it feels like delivering bad news when you say that their current offer won’t be profitable with current metrics or that they don’t have the margins to compete. @robert_brady<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If it’s about PPC – sometimes. If it was something out of my control – I make that very clear and try to communicate that I was actually quite speedy in picking up on it if it’s about their business – definitely not. Especially as those usually fall in the category of them leaving out pertinent information for me to do my job well. @TheMarketingAnu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

@robert_brady<\/a> It can depend a lot on your relationship and rapport with the client too. @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I consult to a lot of agencies and it isn’t my client so it makes the conversation more challenging for sure.  I am noticing agencies need business so they are taking on work they wouldn’t necessarily take on but everyone is trying to stay afloat in this economy. @runnerkik<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nope. You’re not doing anyone any favors by sugar coating or glossing over hard truths. At the end of the day, if they can’t accept the reality, then neither you nor them will be happy. My job isn’t to make them feel good or feel happy; it’s to give them the best possible chance at achieving their desired outcomes for their business or organization. Growth doesn’t happen when everyone is happy and content and comfortable. @DigitalSamIAm<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did hesitate initially. Now, during our discovery call I clearly mention that I will say the truth (from my perspective)Have found it to be more refreshing And some do get offended but I try to back up my view with as much data & logic as possible with a caveat that it is my opinion or my version of truth and because of this, I have clients come back again even if in that moment they may not have agreed with what I had to say. @alimehdimukadam<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No, I don’t find it hard telling clients what they don’t necessarily want to hear. Obviously, I don’t want to be the person who is always bringing bad news to them, but if it needs to be done, I’m usually the person in the company who does it. Most of the conversations that I have had with clients are mainly around them not being profitable with their ads as their margins don’t have a lot of wiggle room. A surprising amount of business owners don’t want to believe that. @adwordsgirl<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you aren’t straight with them at the beginning, the pain grows exponentially the further things go along. @DigitalSamIAm<\/a> is right on. @robert_brady<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my own business the advantage of being small, I won’t take on a client where I don’t believe I can succeed and I don’t budge here. @runnerkik<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don’t hesitate to deliver hard truths, but delicacy makes sense. You want to avoid clients feeling backed into a corner, or that something is somehow their fault. Pairing a hard truth with, “But here are XYZ viable options in the short-term and ABC options down the line” can help. Alternatively, “To unlock X, we need to address Y and Z first.” @teabeeshell<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can definitely relate with @runnerkik<\/a>. I personally don\u2019t take on a client if I know it won\u2019t work for them but have been handed over such clients by agencies where they don\u2019t necessarily care about success much but just short-term revenue. @JawadZaheerKhan<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No. Before I even sign a contract with them, part of my initial pitch is that I\u2019ll be transparent with them when things aren\u2019t working well, whether that\u2019s in PPC or another area of the business. I\u2019m not there to sugarcoat anything or use vanity metrics to make data look better. My clients appreciate the candidness and employees often come to me with issues\/challenges they\u2019re facing internally and ask for advice on how to handle those issues.  I tend to build pretty deep relationships with my clients to where my transparency leads to them reciprocating that trust. @Austin_Dillman<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Q2: What are some examples of hard truths you have had to tell clients? And how was it received?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

That their product & business model isn\u2019t sustainable and ads won\u2019t make a difference. @JawadZaheerKhan<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have to tell clients all the time that they don\u2019t have enough budget or they need to consolidate their PPC campaigns so that they do have sufficient budget to actually have a shot at success there. Sometimes they already know and just need someone to say it. And sometimes there is more resistance to the concept. @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most recently, it’s that “testing” budgets on Google have gone by the wayside. To produce meaningful results, I require clients be willing to invest an absolute minimum of $5,000 monthly, in addition to my fees. I explain the reasons why, and if it’s not a good fit, I offer to pick up the conversation at a future date when they can make that investment level work.\u00a0@teabeeshell<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had to tell a prospect that they would keep having quality issues because their portfolio of clients they were handing to PPC agencies as what they thought was a “big book of business” was actually 20 individual clients spending too little in an industry that is historically higher touch for ads management. @runnerkik<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Usually, it’s something along the lines of: @DigitalSamIAm<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n