Client listening for agencies
The biggest growth opportunities in your agency aren’t going to come from asking, “Is there anything else we can do for you?”. They’re hidden in the problems your clients have that they don’t realise you can solve.
For nearly 20 years, I was that client, and I saw firsthand how much strategic, billable work was left on the table by my agencies. They waited to be asked. Your clients are waiting for a proactive partner.
From passive feedback to proactive growth
Standard client listening is about asking, ‘How are we doing?’. That’s not enough. Real growth comes from understanding a client’s business so deeply that you can see their problems and solve them proactively—often before they even ask.
We have independent conversations with your clients to find out what they’re not telling you to drive growth, referrals and service improvements.
✔️ Find & fix hidden risks
Let's be honest, NPS is nice but it doesn't give you the full story. It doesn't capture the client who is "satisfied" but not impressed, or the one who is slowly getting fed up with a series of small frustrations they're too polite to mention. These are the clients who are starting to look elsewhere. My conversations get past the polite fiction. I provide an early-warning system that identifies the unspoken issues and underlying risks before they become reasons to leave. This isn't about saving a client who is already one foot out the door; it's about keeping your happy clients truly happy by fixing the problems you don't even know you have.
🚀 Uncover in-account growth
The laziest question in our industry is, "Is there anything else we can do for you?". The real growth opportunities aren't in what your clients ask you to do; they're in proactively solving the problems you can see they have. When I was a client, I drove platform changes and comms fixes that my agencies could have—and should have—owned and charged for. They had the data, but not the proactive insight. I find those opportunities for you. By understanding your client's evolving challenges and future plans, I deliver the insights you need to stop being a reactive service provider and start being the indispensable—and more billable—strategic partner.
💬 Build a real referral engine
Referrals don't come from just asking for them. They come from clients who feel so completely understood and well-served that they become genuine advocates for your business. You can't guess who these people are. My process identifies not only who your strongest advocates are, but the exact reasons why. This allows you to double down on what works and create the conditions for more clients to become active referrers. It's about turning referrals from a random stroke of luck into a predictable outcome of a deep, strategic partnership.
Kick off
Normally a workshop with the VIPs on your side - MD, client services, operations. We need to properly understand what your agency does and your vision so we can identify growth or referral opportunities. Then you tell us everything you know about the client, their account and their expectations. This allows us to probe into just the right places to get the most out of the conversation.
Client conversations
You intro us to your contacts at the client (not just the day to day but their manager or their top boss is also really worthwhile), we send them an info pack that explains the project and how much you value their input. We then conduct the interviews either online or in-person - it's their preference. Our 3 point framework of understanding, action and impact helps us cover all the bases.
The action plan
Insight is worth nothing if you don't do something with it. At this point we get back together to run through what we've heard, referencing the project objectives, of course. The output of this session is a tangible list of actions for you to take to improve your service, reward your team for exceptional work, grow the account or get more referrals.
You are the expert when it comes to running your agency - we work with you to craft this to do list, inspired by the things your clients are ACTUALLY thinking.
How it works
We flex our approach to fit your objectives but there tends to be three core elements to a listening project.
We support agencies on a one off basis or as an ongoing client happiness check. It’s really all up to you and what you want to achieve.
Client audit
£1.5k+
A one off project
We can focus on a specific client, or lost opportunity or take a health check of a few clients to give you a broader view of your service.
Price varies depending on the number of accounts and the number of interviews. We agree this in advance and will vary depending on the problem we’re looking to solve for you.
Client pulse
£2k+ per year
A regular, ongoing check-in
We check in with your clients every 6 or 12 months to gauge the impact of the changes you’ve made to make sure we’re getting the results we intended.
Contact Us
When you really know what your clients are thinking, everything gets better. Book a 15 min intro call by sending us a message today…