Why check in when nothing is wrong
Setup's Marketing Relationship Survey asked more than 400 brand and agency professionals why client relationships end. Clients ranked dissatisfaction with delivery first, cited by 48% of them. Agencies ranked that same reason seventh. Agencies pointed to leadership changes and budget cuts instead.
In McKinsey's 2017 B2B buyer survey, the most common reasons buyers would look at another supplier after a sale all had to do with poor responsiveness.
We could not open Setup's own report, only a write-up of it, and the McKinsey survey is about industrial buyers. Neither shows that check-ins prevent cancellations, and we found no study that does. They show that you and your client can see the same account differently, and a regular conversation is how you find out.
The rhythm
Monthly
- A 15-minute call or video check-in, not an email
- Send results first, then ask the questions below
- Send a three-line recap the same day
Quarterly
- A 45-minute review of goals, results and the next 90 days
- Include the person who signs the invoice
After a trigger
- A missed target or a rough month
- A new contact or leader on the client side
- A change in budget, scope or the ask
- A slow reply or a skipped meeting
The questions to ask
Results
- What was the most useful thing we did this month?
- What was the least useful?
- Is there anything you expected to see that you have not seen?
The relationship
- How are our updates working for you: too much, too little, or right?
- Who on your team reads our reports?
- Is there anything we have been slow on?
Looking ahead
- Have your goals, budget or team changed?
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how sure are you that we are the right fit six months from now?
- What would make that number higher?
Ask, then stop talking. The first answer is polite. The second one is the real one.
Warning signs
These come from common sense, not from a study. Any one of them is worth a call. Two or more is worth a call today.
Signals to watch
- Replies take longer than they used to
- Fewer people join your calls
- A new person asks for 'a quick look at the numbers'
- Questions about contract terms or the notice period
- Late payments or requests for a discount
- Meetings are skipped or moved more than once
- Work starts moving in-house
- They mention what another firm is doing
What to hand to the account lead
After each check-in, send the account lead one short note. It should take five minutes to write.
The one-page note
- Client and date
- Who spoke
- Mood: green, yellow or red, with one line on why
- What they said, in their own words
- What we promised, and the due date
- Risks: any warning signs from the list above
- Chances: anything they want that we could do
Messages you can copy
Check-in request
- Subject: 15 minutes this month?
- Hi [First name], I like to check in each month on how things are going, apart from the reports. Do you have 15 minutes on [day] or [day]? I will bring two questions.
When they say 'everything is fine'
- Glad to hear it. If you could change one thing about how we work together, what would it be?
Same-day recap
- Hi [First name], thanks for the time today. What I heard: [one line]. What we will do: [action] by [date]. Tell me if I got any of that wrong.
Scouq does monthly client check-ins for agencies, asks the questions you approve, and hands notes to your account lead.
