A Client Wants to Leave Your Agency. Here's Exactly What to Do.
You get the message. "Hey, we've decided to go in a different direction." Or worse. "We're not happy with the results." Your stomach drops. And now you're scrambling. Do you fight to keep them? Do you let them go? Do you offer a discount? Most agencies handle this moment wrong. Because they're reacting instead of responding. They're emotional instead of strategic. And they're trying to save a client that's already made up their mind. But what if I told you there are three different stages where a client might leave. And each one requires a completely different approach. --- Stage 3: The Red Zone (Crisis) They've made their decision. "We're leaving." This is the hardest stage. Because the emotional decision has already been made. And most of the time, it's not actually about results. It's about trust. It's about feeling heard. It's about believing you actually care. What to do: Book an exit interview immediately. This is your one shot. Here's how to frame it: "I totally understand you want to leave. No problem whatsoever. Just to help us improve our service and make sure we get you offboarded the right way, let's have a quick 30-minute call to go over everything." Pro tip: Include this in your contract from day one. Make exit interviews a requirement before clients can leave. It changes the dynamic completely. On the exit interview, do three things: 1. Listen to their feedback. Don't defend. Don't make excuses. Just listen. Most clients won't tell you the real reason they're leaving at first. You have to dig. Ask questions. Understand what went wrong. This feedback is gold. Even if you don't save this client, you'll learn what to fix for the next one. 2. Find the problem and offer a solution. Once you understand what went wrong, see if there's a solution. Maybe they're not seeing results. Offer a free trial of an upsell service. Maybe they need more support. Offer a higher-touch package for 14 days free. Maybe it's a miscommunication. Show them the evidence and clarify.