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Strong client relationships can’t be built overnight; it takes time, effort, and dedication to develop them. But they’re also the cornerstone of any great agency.

Happy clients help you to:



  • Reduce churn - it’s far cheaper and easier to retain existing customers than it is to find new ones.
  • Improve loyalty - attract new clients organically through positive testimonials.
  • Reduce negative sentiment - unhappy clients are perfectly willing to share their poor experiences, and bad news travels fast.
In short, the more you put into your relationships, the more you’ll get out of them. But every client has their own unique needs, so one size never fits all. Luckily, there’s a few universal truths when it comes to strong communication. So follow these five steps to give yourself a solid foundation to build upon.
Be engaged
When you first meet with a prospective client, take the time to hear and understand what they’re hoping to achieve. Painting a complete picture of their goals and KPIs will help you offer a curated service that’s fully geared towards their needs.
Be responsive
Communicate openly, honestly, and quickly. Set an agency-wide target response time for all queries, to make sure each of your clients feels respected and valued. Avoid radio silence at all costs - even if you can’t give a detailed response immediately, get in touch to let them know you’re working on it.
Seek to understand
It’s difficult to juggle multiple clients, especially when you’re dealing with conflict. But in stressful situations, it pays to put yourself in their shoes to better understand their point of view. Ask questions about their business, and when you’re sending on reports make sure they have a strong emphasis on metrics they’ve identified as important.
Follow up
After every email exchange, phone call, or face-to-face meeting, make sure you follow up with a list of actionable points that you’ll be implementing going forward. This helps to set realistic and achievable results within an agreed-upon timeframe, and reduces the risk of crossed wires affecting your relationship. After every project, you should also follow up with a discussion on what went well, and what didn’t. These insights can then be applied to future projects to make sure you’re always delivering what your client wants.
Follow through
A missed deadline can have a severe impact on an agency / client relationship, so never make a promise you can’t keep. Push back on unrealistic asks, with valid reasons for why it can’t be done and an alternative solution. You always want to be accommodating, but work suffers when you’re in a race against the clock, and it’s important you always retain your client’s trust.

This honesty and openness can sometimes lead to short-term conflict, but the best agencies realize that conflict is forgotten quicker than disappointment. We even have stats to back it up! In a recent poll on Twitter, 39% of Google Partner agencies said that the key to strong customer relationships is to be engaged and follow up, while 32% highlighted delivering on commitments as their main priority.
We all have multiple clients, and it’s easy to forget sometimes that, very often, you’re their only agency. In giving you control of their online advertising, they’re trusting you with the keys to their business growth and development. If they’re confident in your ability to perform, that job gets an awful lot easier.

Take a look at the video below for more advice on building thriving relationships with your clients:
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Reading time: 2 minutes


The spark that starts the journey

Every business has to begin somewhere. Where do you go for inspiration, and how do you find the right way to establish a viable new venture? How will you get from those first stages, huddled around notepads with coffee and dreams, to something more tangible on the road to profit?
The answer is, you can learn from those who have gone before. We’ve crowd-sourced advice from Google Partner agencies, ‘get up and go’ entrepreneurs and online experts, who’ve gone from ideation to setting up their businesses for real. What are some of the themes they keep coming back to?



Believe in yourself and don't overthink


Take the first step and go for it. Like Colonel Sanders, you just have to keep believing, taking your own ‘chicken recipe’ around the country until you succeed. As Shanee Kirk, of Shanee Kirk Marketing, puts it: “Be brave, be fearless as often as you can. Get used to hearing “no” and keep pushing forward anyway. Don’t give up!”


Be flexible to go with the times

You do need to have a plan and stick to it and this will involve discipline and noting down your goals. However, in this digital/mobile age, businesses that succeed need to be able to change course and respond to new practices.


According to Joel Crump, via LinkedIn: “Make a plan but don’t be afraid to stray from it. These days, it’s helpful to be agile and reactive, as technology continues to change our ways of doing business.”

Quick tips that linger

Our network of supporters at Google Partners also note apparent quick wins that can make a huge difference. Like making sure you have a good accountant and researching your target market. Sweat the small things, but dream big.
Get your business online with Google My Business 
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Reading time: 2 minutes

Is it the application of science or a sprinkling of magic that helps you convert leads into bona fide new agency business? We take a look at some of the tried and tested approaches that Google Partner agencies have put to work when turning warm leads into signed-up new clients.

Here are three top takeaways that can give you an advantage:
Do your homework about potential clients

It pays to find out who the clients are and do your research. Today, every company has a footprint online, and you’ll want to discover how they portray their brand on a variety of digital channels. If they are doing social media right, the tone of their tweets will give you an insight into how they operate. Look at their website, company videos, anything they’ve published. Consider what works well. Also think about what doesn’t work, as this will give you a route into what your agency could bring to the table.

Always be closing

The sales mantra ‘always be closing’ suggests you should continually look to close a deal and check a client’s readiness to do business. With agency leads, more likely it’s the case that potential clients will let you know when they are ready. But they’ll need to understand the added value you offer first. Naturally, your agency will want to be seen as digital experts, so a tip-top landing page on your web domain is a great tool to show off your wares. Make sure your headline copy is punchy and engaging, and don’t forget to use clear and well designed case-studies to add credibility to your story.


It's not us, it's you

However you approach a prospective new client, one thing is paramount: be useful. You need to find out which area you think they could use some help in (having done your R&D), and tell them about a clear solution your agency can offer. No sales talk. They will want to hear about the most relevant things first and foremost. Then you just have to convince them that you are ones for the job.

Want to learn more? Download this handy infographic
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Reading time: 2 minutes

If you’ve ever butted heads with someone in your office, you know what a nightmare it can be. Did everyone just hear that argument? How am I going to face them on Monday? Will we ever move on from this? It’s a veritable obstacle course of awkwardness.

As the video below shows you, there are plenty of ways to resolve conflict effectively. While conflict is often unavoidable and in some cases can even be a good thing, it’s important to know what caused it to prevent future disputes, and to ensure it isn’t a sign of deeper problems.



Sometimes personalities clash
There is no right or wrong way of working - some people like to make lists, others prefer to wing it, some like to think their points through before contributing, others speak in order to think things through. Differing personality types may conflict with one another, and in this case you may need to compromise on a work style that suits you both and plays to your strengths.



Communication can break down
Lack of communication is another very common cause of office conflict. Maybe the means to communicate weren’t available, or time didn’t allow it. It’s important to identify what led to the breakdown in communication, and find out whether there’s a way to help this in future, whether it’s allowing more time for meetings or allowing face-to-face time instead of emails or phone calls.



How's morale?
Morale can take a dip for any number of reasons, and this might present itself as conflict especially if expectations are high and deadlines are tight. Talk to those involved, and find out whether this played a role. See what you can do to help, whether it’s providing extra resources to take pressure off, or rewarding their efforts. Sometimes small gestures go a long way.

However the conflict started, it’s important to address it early on, ensure both sides are heard, and move forward without gossip or rumor. It also helps to keep this video close at hand, in case you need to resolve any conflicts of your own.

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Reading time: 2 minutes
Interviewing candidates for a position in your agency is a lot like speed dating. It can be interesting, and exciting, and a little awkward, but while you only have a few short minutes to get to know one another, when you meet the right person it can be the start of a great (working) relationship.


Preparing for those few minutes is crucial, that’s why we’ve put together some helpful advice and tips to help you get ready.

 Before the interview
Be detailed in your job description: The more specific you are, the more qualified your candidates will be. If you’re vague, you risk creating work for yourself as you sift through hundreds of unsuitable applications.

Screen with phone interviews: This is a great time-saver for you and your applicants. It gives you the chance early on to narrow down your selects and save them some disappointment as well.
On the day
Ask interesting questions: If you ask every candidate where they see themselves in five years or what three words their friends would use to describe them, you’ll be burnt out listening to answers before lunchtime. Ask questions that keep candidates on their toes so you’ll see their true self, not their rehearsed answers.


Sell yourselves: An interview is as much about a candidate deciding if they want to work for you. Make sure you discuss potential career progression, benefits, work-life balance etc. to make the position more appealing.


Be open minded: It’s important to choose someone who meshes with your company culture. Take the time to show candidates around and introduce them to some of the team to help them get a feel for the place and see if they feel at home.
Follow up
Be respectful: Even if you choose not to hire a candidate, remember they still took time out of their day to come to the interview. Let them know if they didn’t get the job and offer honest feedback. Just because they’re not right for the job now doesn’t mean they won’t be later on. And who knows? They might be interviewing you someday.


If you’d like to learn more about perfecting the interview process, check out our helpful video below:


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Reading time: 2 minutes

You might have heard the adage “there are no friends in business”. It’s a very old saying, and an even older philosophy. Times change, and in an increasingly competitive landscape one of the most powerful tools at your disposal is the ability to acknowledge your competitors’ strengths. Once you’ve done this, you can learn from them and grow.

With this in mind, competitive research helps you to make informed market decisions, discover new products, and learn from others’ successes and mistakes. It’s a straightforward process, and sometimes it really pays off to be introspective. Here’s how to do it.  


Categorize your competitors

Make a list of your competitors, both direct and indirect. Track this in a Google sheet so your whole team can create live updates. Note their name, industry, website, customer base, and their position within the marketplace. What are their Unique Selling Points (USPs) for example price, unique services etc.?




Investigate every aspect

When it comes to investigating your competitors, you need to think like a customer.
  • How does their brand/service make you feel?
  • Are you drawn to their USPs?
  • Are they easy to find?
  • Are their services easy to access?

Research their online presence and look at what you think they’re doing well and ways that they could improve. Take note of the key phrases in their SEO and see if you can follow their lead with your own. You can use Google Trends to get a jumpstart on this and see what people are researching in your industry.
Remember, while you may be competing against any number of similar businesses for clients and market share, your competitors are facing the same challenges that you are. There’s a lot you can learn from them, and who knows – they might even be researching you as well.  

Looking to learn more from your competitors? Check out this helpful infographic, and keep it nearby when you’re doing your research.
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Reading time: 1 minute

Join us on Tuesday, July 10 at 9:00 AM PT / 12 noon ET for Google Marketing Live: Extended. In this ninety minute live stream event, six Google executives will share insights and innovations—bringing the magic of Google straight to your screen. Google's senior leaders will take the stage to share new innovations that will help you stay at the forefront of the advertising industry. The keynote presentation will be followed by an expert panel, exclusive to the online event. These product and industry experts will help turn announcements into actionable takeaways for your business. Treat your top clients to a Google Marketing Live: Extended watch party. Register here and we'll provide you with everything you need to host a viewing—and bring the magic of Google Marketing Live: Extended to your team and customers. Register for Google Marketing Live: Extended today!
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