Improve Your Agency Bottom Line By Reclaiming Your Power
Far from nurturing client relationships, overly obedient agency behaviours only serve to embolden client-side bullies and hamper your commercial performance. Robin Bonn, CEO of Co:definery, has helped many agency owners and teams alter their mindset in responding to client demands, where little consideration has been given to addressing obedient behaviours that stand in the way of healthy negotiations.
If you missed Robin's keynote at our Agency Growth Summit, here's your chance. Download your free copy of The Agency Growth Book for the full article.
The 120 days Payment Terms dilemma
One of my agency clients recently received a Request For Information (RFI) from a global blue-chip company. The brand was high-profile, the brief exciting, and definitely something they have relevant experience doing. Their new business instincts kicked in, and they immediately began discussing their suitability, chances of winning, and the connection they felt with the client on their initial Q&A call.
So far, so good. Then, the client’s full Request For Proposal (RFP) arrived. It included all the usual details about submission format, key criteria, and timelines, but also additional, unwelcome criteria. Notably, it required all competing agencies to agree to 120-day payment terms, meaning they get paid nearly four months after invoicing, assuming the client pays on time.
You might shrug and accept this as typical, a classic ‘
To rock the boat or not
In this case, the agency reacted as many do: they had a pity party, complaining about the unfairness and how out-of-touch clients are in their ivory towers. To redirect the conversation constructively, I asked the agency team what they planned to do about the clause. Silence. Their answer was, essentially, ‘nothing’.
We did have a rich discussion about options: leaving the pitch, threatening to leave, insisting on 30-day terms, suggesting a 60-day compromise, or simply asking for some leeway. I recommended seeing this as a diagnostic opportunity—to find out if the agency was meaningfully different and if the client felt any risk of them dropping out.
If they asked for a concession confidently but not arrogantly and were granted, it would show that they were valued. If declined, it would indicate an inflexible client likely to have difficulty in the future, revealing which agency was favored.
“Have you ever ended a pitch by fawning ‘thank you SO much for the opportunity’ (to give you ideas for free)? Yup, me too. What about regularly fielding BAU calls at 8pm or immediately yielding when gently commanded to ‘sharpen your pencil’ on rates?”
These insights are crucial before investing heavily in the RFP. So, did they take my advice? Nope. They understood the logic but felt they didn’t have the permission to push back. This reluctance is common, born from a ‘vendor mentality’ encouraged by clients and adopted by agencies.
Why do agency leaders feel so powerless? Do all-powerful clients truly impose this limitation?
Perpetuating the imbalance
As an industry, we must understand our power dynamic with clients and how much we contribute to the imbalance. Have you ever ended a pitch with a fawning ‘thank you SO much for the opportunity’ (to give you ideas for free)? Me too. What about taking calls at 8 pm or yielding when told to ‘sharpen your pencil’ on rates?
Behaviours like these give away your power, deepening the imbalance. Endless compliance isn’t good client service—it's showing your willingness to be a subservient vendor. Clients are trained to exploit agencies' sense of powerlessness. They benefit from your fear that saying no might ruin the relationship.
Healthy boundaries, people! But we don’t question it. Our industry has developed a kind of Stockholm Syndrome. Rather than protecting themselves, agencies align with clients' priorities.
This servitude enables darker practices. Unacceptable client behavior, like bullying, is tolerated. Even minor misbehaviour is brushed off as ‘one of those things’. This is not okay.
As agency leaders deal with talent issues and changing workplace values, something’s got to give. Younger people won’t tolerate this like we did. So what can you do?
Get serious about partnership
A decisive first step is found in language. Many agencies' vague aspiration to ‘partnership’ reveals a lack of conviction. If you want to be seen as a valued partner, you must move beyond empty rhetoric. How often have you said or heard, “We’re partners to our clients”? But what does that mean?
The reality is all parties understand ‘partnership’ differently. Procurement people focus on the commercials, while clients often see it as you going ‘above and beyond’ —or ‘over-servicing’. When agencies consider what ‘partnership’ means to them, it’s often just basic courtesy, leading to codependence rather than respectful, peer-to-peer relationships.
So, how can you create real partnerships?
Beyond the fear
Real change means ignoring that internal voice insisting that saying ‘no’ will get your agency fired. This fear shows our search for certainty, from the profound to the mundane. Ever avoided trying something new because you’re sure you won’t like it? I have. Many of us stay within our comfort zone to avoid failure.
This fear limits us, as seen in our coaching work. It's resistance to change, worsened by a conditioned ‘fawn response’.
So, it's not surprising that addressing power imbalances feels intimidating. But if you’re serious about change and willing to step toward it...
Expertise is power
If you act like a commodity, you won't be treated like a partner. It's easier for clients to misuse their power if you give it to them. Believing they hold all the cards because they pay is risky.
That's not accurate. You pay pilots and surgeons but wouldn't boss them around, right?
Trusted advisors lead client conversations without compromise. You gain authority and influence when your proposition, behaviour, and language signal expertise to the right clients. If anyone tries to take advantage, your team will be empowered to push back.
This applies everywhere. When selling to clients, are you just pitching your services or exploring a fit? The former shows your agenda, and the latter prioritizes theirs.
Every day offers moments to demonstrate professionalism. Expertise, empathy, and client-centeredness prove your value. Partnerships are your reward.
This is your competitive edge: happier people, better work, and healthier profits.
