If you watched Better Call Saul, there is this episode where Kim Wexler, the attorney for large fictional bank Mesa Verde, fires them as a client after they repeatedly ignore her expert legal advice.
In the full episode, Saul Goodman was great at goading the client further towards ruin by playing on their emotions, while she remained the voice of reason, but that can be an excuse for another post.
My point is that if you’re going to hire outside expertise, it’s because you don’t have the skills or bandwidth to address a problem that your organization is facing. You’re hiring agency, competence, and experience.
You as a consultant come in and gather (then challenge & refine) requirements, come up with a plan based on your expert opinion and actual experience, then execute on the plan.
If your client ignores you or second-guesses your advice at every turn, you know it’s time for both parties to take a different path.
This highly toxic behavior has a terrible effect on your self-confidence. If you were already suffering from impostor syndrome, this will only make things worse.
When you are part of a larger organization, there is a support structure to… support you with this type of situation. When you’re your own boss, however, you have to be able to manage that difficult client relationship.
You have to learn how to spot red flags and also back yourself up with facts and data. Depending on the level of corporate verbiage, here are a couple ways to provide reinforcement in communications:
- “I’ll make myself available for an in-depth review”: you’re offering time and energy to ensure your point is understood
- “How would you like me to measure whether I’ve implemented this correctly?” : let’s both agree beforehand on what success looks like
- “Help me understand where you’re coming from” : attempt to dispell misconceptions
- “Per my last email”: I’m referencing something important that was missed or ignored
- “This outcome was identified early on” : Corporate for “I told you so”
If you’re cynical, you will see the above as CYA. I for one see that as a way to establish clear work boundaries. Whenever possible, use active listening. This helps cement expectations and deliverables.
Unfortunately, despite your best efforts, there will come a time when that relationship with the client will become untenable because your advice is ignored or (worse) an adverse result can be misconstrued as failure on your part.
“It’s not me, it’s you”
This situation has happened to me a couple times as a freelance data consultant and, despite the fact that you are effectively ending a business relationship, you realize your energy and talent can be put to better use, without the toxicity and negativity you just experienced with that client.
Here are a couple ways to start broach the topic with your toxic client (apart from linking the video at the top of this post).
- “There appears to be a disconnect between the data-driven insights I’ve provided and the current strategic direction.”
- “The data strongly supports [your recommendation], and I’m concerned that deviating from this may lead to suboptimal results.”
- “My role is to provide data-backed recommendations. The current strategy seems to be operating outside of these insights.”
- “The evidence suggests a different course of action would be more beneficial. I want to ensure we are leveraging the data effectively to make informed decisions.”
“We’re done”
Once you’re at the point of no return, assuming you cannot objectively be at fault, you can use breakup phrasing such as:
- “Over the course of our engagement, it has become apparent that there is a fundamental difference in our approaches to [mention the area, e.g., data strategy, implementation]. As a result, I have decided to conclude our collaboration, effective [some date soon].”
- “While I appreciate the opportunity to have worked with [Client Company Name], it has become clear that our methodologies and priorities are not fully aligned. Therefore, I will be concluding our consulting engagement on [some date soon].”
What about you? Have you had to make tough decisions such as firing a client? Let me know in the comments.
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