A client once asked us to fix their marketing problem. We looked at their marketing. It was fine. The problem was their product.
We told them.
They didn't hire us again.
This is the servicing dilemma: do you tell the truth or keep the client?
Most agencies choose the client. They take the brief, solve the stated problem, ignore the real problem. It's safer. It's more profitable. It's also dishonest.
And dishonesty compounds. You fix the marketing. It doesn't work because the product is wrong. The client blames the marketing. You fix it again. Still doesn't work. More blame. More revisions. The relationship deteriorates while you both avoid the real issue.
I've learned that the clients worth keeping are the ones who want truth more than comfort. They might not like what you tell them. They might need time to accept it. But they respect that you said it.
Sometimes they push back. Sometimes we find middle ground. Sometimes they fire us. But I'd rather be fired for telling the truth than retained for enabling a lie.
The honest conversation loses you some clients. But it earns you the respect of the ones worth keeping.