Summary
When a client disregards email marketing advice, a multifaceted approach is recommended. This includes managing expectations upfront, documenting advice and potential risks, backing up recommendations with data and industry best practices, and building strong client relationships. Effective communication, clear goal alignment, providing training, and offering alternative solutions can also help. Ultimately, if the client's actions consistently harm deliverability, consider ending the business relationship. A sense of humor can also help lighten difficult situations.
Key findings
- Manage Expectations: Setting clear expectations from the start regarding the potential consequences and benefits of following or ignoring advice is crucial.
- Documentation is Key: Documenting all advice, recommendations, and the reasons behind them creates a clear record and protects you from liability.
- Data and Best Practices: Backing up advice with concrete data, analytics, and industry best practices makes recommendations more persuasive.
- Build Relationships: Strong client relationships built on trust are more likely to result in clients following your advice.
- Communication is Paramount: Clear, effective communication ensures the client understands the advice and its importance.
- Goal Alignment: Aligning your recommendations with the client's specific goals and objectives increases the likelihood of adoption.
- Alternative Solutions: Offering alternative solutions and compromises can bridge the gap between your advice and the client's hesitations.
- Risk Assessment: Conducting and presenting a risk assessment highlighting the negative consequences of ignoring advice can be effective.
- Training: Providing education and training to the client's team can improve their understanding and implementation of your advice.
- Last Resort - Termination: If the client consistently disregards advice and their actions are harming their deliverability (and potentially yours), ending the business relationship may be necessary.
Key considerations
- Client Autonomy: Remember that ultimately, the client makes the final decisions, even if you disagree.
- Business Needs: Understand that the client's decisions may be driven by specific business needs or constraints you are not fully aware of.
- Contractual Protection: Consider including a disclaimer in your contract to protect yourself if the client ignores your advice and suffers negative consequences.
- Adoption Rates: Be prepared for low adoption rates, and adjust your strategies accordingly.
- Humor as a Coping Mechanism: Recognize that sometimes, humor can be a helpful way to deal with frustrating situations.
- Impact Assessment: Carefully assess the impact of the client's choices both on their results and your business, when deciding to keep the client.
- Ethical Considerations: Ensure that the risk assessment highlights all negative impacts
What email marketers say
11 marketer opinions
When clients disregard email marketing advice, various strategies can be employed, focusing on clear communication, documentation, and relationship building. Setting expectations upfront, backing advice with data, and explaining potential consequences can help. Sometimes, accepting the client's decision is necessary, while offering alternative solutions and education can foster collaboration. Building trust and documenting recommendations provide a foundation for better client alignment.
Key opinions
- Clear Communication: Focusing on clear and effective communication ensures the client understands the advice and its importance.
- Data-Driven Recommendations: Backing up advice with data and analytics can increase client adoption by showcasing potential improvements.
- Expectation Setting: Clearly setting expectations from the beginning helps manage client understanding of the advice's value.
- Consequence Awareness: Outlining potential consequences of ignoring advice can encourage clients to reconsider their decisions.
- Documentation: Documenting advice in writing creates a record of recommendations and their rationales.
- Relationship Building: Building a strong relationship with the client fosters trust and increases the likelihood of advice being followed.
- Client Education: Providing education and training equips the client's team with the knowledge to implement recommendations.
Key considerations
- Client Autonomy: Recognize that clients ultimately make the final decisions, even if you disagree with them.
- Alternative Solutions: Offering alternative solutions and compromises can bridge gaps and address client concerns.
- Adoption Rates: Acknowledge that low adoption rates are common and adjust strategies accordingly.
- Business Needs: Consider that client decisions might be driven by specific business needs.
- Client Training: Consider if the client has the skills to effectively implement the advice. Provide training if not.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Quora suggests focusing on clear and effective communication. Make sure the client understands your advice and why it's important.
19 Sep 2022 - Quora
Marketer view
Email marketer from GrowthMentor suggests setting clear expectations from the start. Explain the potential consequences of ignoring your advice and the benefits of following it.
26 May 2022 - GrowthMentor
What the experts say
3 expert opinions
When a client disregards email marketing advice, experts suggest various approaches ranging from managing expectations and documenting potential risks, to considering ending the business relationship if the client's actions consistently harm deliverability. While some responses are humorous, the general sentiment emphasizes the importance of protecting your own reputation and resources when a client consistently ignores advice.
Key opinions
- Document Recommendations: Documenting recommendations and potential risks upfront helps manage client expectations and provides a clear record of advice given.
- Protect Reputation: If a client's actions consistently harm deliverability, consider ending the relationship to protect your own reputation and resources.
- Humor as a Response: While not always appropriate, humor can be a way to express frustration or highlight the absurdity of a situation.
Key considerations
- Contractual Disclaimer: Consider including a disclaimer in the contract to protect yourself if the client disregards advice and suffers negative consequences.
- Impact on Deliverability: Assess the impact of the client's actions on their deliverability and yours before deciding to end the relationship.
- Client's Perspective: Consider the client's perspective and reasons for disregarding advice before taking drastic action.
Expert view
Expert from SpamResource suggests that sometimes the best course of action is to 'fire' the client. If a client consistently disregards advice and their actions are harming their deliverability (and potentially yours), it may be time to end the business relationship to protect your own reputation and resources.
31 Dec 2023 - SpamResource
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks jokingly says when asked “What’s stopping us?” their answer is “Geometry.”
1 May 2025 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Email marketing documentation suggests aligning recommendations with client goals, presenting industry best practices, establishing a testing framework, and conducting risk assessments. These strategies aim to increase the likelihood of client adoption by demonstrating value and potential consequences.
Key findings
- Goal Alignment: Aligning recommendations with client goals increases the likelihood of adoption.
- Industry Best Practices: Presenting industry best practices demonstrates the validity of the recommendations.
- Testing and Optimization: Setting up a testing and optimization framework allows demonstrating the impact of recommendations.
- Risk Assessment: Conducting a risk assessment highlights potential negative consequences of not following the advice.
Key considerations
- Client's Goals: Thoroughly understand the client's goals and objectives before making recommendations.
- Realistic Benchmarks: Use realistic and relevant industry benchmarks to support recommendations.
- Test Design: Design tests that accurately measure the impact of the recommendations.
- Risk Communication: Clearly communicate the potential risks in a way that resonates with the client.
Technical article
Documentation from HubSpot advises ensuring clear understanding of the client's goals and objectives. Align your recommendations with these goals to increase the likelihood of adoption.
2 Oct 2023 - HubSpot
Technical article
Documentation from Mailchimp advises presenting industry best practices and benchmarks. Show how your recommendations align with what successful companies are doing.
13 Apr 2025 - Mailchimp
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