When Is It Right To Break Up With A Client?

This is probably the most dreaded part when it comes to letting go of a client, especially during these uncertain times. Every business lives and breathes its clients and that includes PR agencies. But for the sake of your sanity, time, and energy sometimes letting a client go from your roster is the right move. Does it make you a bad person? Of course not, it’s one of those hard business decisions. 

There are so many different scenarios that would require you to let go of a client but here are some non-negotiables that would require you to break a contract with them. 

1. Breaking an NDA 

NDA’s are golden in every industry it’s there to protect both parties and if there are specific clauses in the agreement that are broken then it’s definitely a breach of trust and time to go. Trust is a two way street between you and your client, so make sure both parties are operating above board. 

2. Lack of Integrity and Ethics 

Sometimes it’s hard to tell if a client has integrity or not until you end up working with them. If you find that your client lacks integrity the first thing is to have a conversation with them. Now if the same offense keeps getting repeated or worse, it’s time to move on. A note to remember, integrity and ethics applies even to online social media engagements and interactions. 

3. Refusing to Listen To Your Advice 

We’ve all had a client or two that refuse to listen to your advice even though you are the expert with tons of experience in the field. These are clients who are considered, not coachable, and spending your time and energy with a client like this will take away from other clients who really need you. 

4. No Sense of Urgency 

We all have a life but as publicists when we’re reaching out to journalists a lot of times they need sources to respond right away as they are on a deadline. If your client can not understand the importance of making themselves available for an interview and calls it’s time to drop them. 

5. Lack of Communication 

Communication is super key when it comes to the success of any publicist and client relationship. We need clients who are responsive and who will engage with us when it comes to opportunities in the pipeline. 

6. They’re Not Putting In The Work 

Publicists aren’t magicians but we do expect our clients to put in the work. We can’t be the only one’s working hard if clients aren’t willing to put in their share of the work. 

7. Legal Matters 

Sometimes legal matters arise and maybe the best way to handle it is to part ways. We’re not lawyers so you definitely want to seek legal counsel if you feel like there are legal issues at hand.

Breaking up with a client is always a hard conversation to have but if they are not meeting basic standards you definitely need to make room for clients who will. It’s definitely a hardline approach but at the end of the day, it is your name and your agency that is out there representing clients. Don’t make the mistake of picking the wrong client or even keeping a client that breaks these rules as it will cause you more problems in the long run.