2Bobs—with David C. Baker and Blair Enns Why Clients Come, Stay, and Leave
Apr 8, 2026
A concise look at why clients hire, continue with, or leave agencies. They contrast hiring for expertise with departures driven by service, trust, or organizational change. Conversation covers risky first-time agency clients, how retainers affect relationships, and practical tactics for handling new decision makers and long-term accounts.
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Hired For Expertise Fired For Service
- Clients hire agencies for expertise and differentiation, not for routine service alone.
- David C. Baker emphasizes you're hired for expertise but can be fired for lack of service, so expertise must be the primary pitch.
Stop Pitching As The Opposite Of Competitors
- Separate reasons why clients come from why they leave; responding to exit complaints isn't a reliable positioning strategy.
- David warns against building your sales pitch around fixing competitors' service faults because those issues differ from hiring criteria.
Never Take Clients For Granted
- Do not take client relationships for granted; earning them requires continuous effort after the sale.
- Blair and David note frequent causes of losing clients include complacency and mishandled account-contact changes.