I recently wrote an article called "4 broken promises agencies make to brands" in which I advised clients to be on the lookout for warning signs that their agencies might be jerking them around. The following article is written from the opposite perspective.
A contract, as we all know, is an agreement between two parties. So obviously both sides must honor their responsibilities or else the contract is kaput. Many digital agencies, especially the larger ones, chronically suffer from efficiency problems that stem from problematic clients. I can't tell you how many times I've heard the phrase, "We're doing 90 percent of our work for 10 percent of our clients" uttered in agency hallways.
So what's an agency to do? Fire the client, of course. It sounds like a foreign idea -- telling a client that you don't want its money anymore. But from an ROI standpoint, you might find that the arithmetic doesn't add up. If you are an agency, and you have a client that isn't compensating you at a fair hourly rate, you either have to raise your price or fire the client.
Here are some warning signs that a breakup is coming. Go get your sweatpants and The Cure albums.
