Why You Should (But Can’t) Fire You’re Worst Client

The headline, ‘Why You Should Fire Your Worst Client‘ came across my desk at just the right moment.

I’ve been part of a team of people working on “the problem child” account for almost a year now. The short of it is that (a) they need more than just marketing to grow their business and (b) they blatantly ignore our recommendations and then complain that they’re not getting results.

The problem child, indeed.

But, while the thought of firing said problem child results in a deliciously evil smile, the subsequent thought of losing that monthly income wipes the smile away as fast as it had come.

The Entrepreneur article claims that the amount of energy we waste trying to satisfy an unsatisfiable client could be better spent developing new business. But I cry, au contraire, mon frère.

New business development isn’t easy. Especially in this economy. And even more so when you’re trying to drum up new clients for a small marketing agency. In different lines of business, maybe. In a B2C business, maybe. But the last I checked, new clients weren’t exactly growing on trees.

So I don’t agree that my agency should jump the gun and fire its problem child. Though I agree they need to be fired, if for no other reason than we just can’t help a company that isn’t willing to help itself.

Marketing requires a two-way dynamic. It requires ebb and flow. It requires give and take. If you aren’t offering services that are of value to your target audience, marketing cannot help you. If you aren’t differentiated from your competitors in any way – or are claiming to be differentiated when you’re really not – marketing cannot help you. If you know that blogging or social media marketing or video marketing are integral components of your marketing strategy but are too “busy” to implement them (and don’t want to hire us to manage them for you…), marketing is not going to help you.

I wish it was as easy as the article makes it look. Just fire your worst client and move on. But it doesn’t work like that. Our agency has employee’s mouths to feed. Our employees have baby’s mouths to feed. And even though we’re underwhelmed and completed demotivated by our problem child…

the show must go on.