With Transparency and Clarity, Explain Why Goals Have Not Yet Been Met

We have discussed what to do if your optimization doesn’t go as planned. But how do you convey this information to your client? Throughout this document, you should have noticed a theme: communication with your client is essential to a healthy relationship. So the best way to communicate this information is with clarity and transparency.

In general, when you need to paint a clear picture of the account’s performance, you can’t just focus on the facts of the situation. Simply explaining to your client what has transpired does not instil confidence in you. Even (and especially) if the performance of the account has not turned out as you expected, you need to speak with expertise and professionalism. The client is looking to you for guidance in understanding why the goals for the account have not been met.

You need to take in to account “why,” “when,” and “how,” as well as “what.” It’s easy enough to say, “Revenue was down this month.” But the client already knows that. Your need to conduct a root cause analysis, and you need to show direct cause and effect within the account.

In order to fully explain why the account is underperforming, you have to have a thorough understanding of the situation. Then you need to convey this information to your client using terms and in a manner they will understand. And the client needs to achieve more than an understanding of the situation. They need to understand the entire problem, and they also need to know your plan of action to get things moving in the right direction.

Next, you need to have a plan of action that will turn the performance of the account around. As we discussed in the previous section about optimizing your optimization, you need to have a contingency plan in place and ready to explain to the client.

This is your chance to prove your worth. Sure, perhaps the account is not at the level it needs to be yet, but if you have a logical plan in place to turn the performance around, the client will be put at ease knowing that you’re on top of the situation. However, now you really need to prove yourself, and the first step to proving your worth to your client is delivering clear, concise information about the campaign that is transparent and expertly conveyed.