The Commercial Blind Spot Holding Your Team Back

Last week we talked about scoping, and how clarity protects your margin.

But there's something else I see just as often: agencies trying to grow with teams who don't understand or have visibility of the numbers behind that growth.

Senior leadership knows the targets. Finance knows the numbers. But the people responsible for driving client relationships and spotting opportunities? They're expected to grow accounts without really knowing what "good" looks like commercially.

And that creates a gap.

The cost of operating without context

If someone doesn't understand the financial reality of an account, they can't make strong commercial decisions inside it.

They might:

• Push for work that isn't actually profitable
• Miss opportunities that would significantly move the needle
• Not understand the repercussions of a delayed project
• Avoid commercial conversations altogether because they don't feel confident having them

Over time, that erodes margins, not because the team isn't capable, but because they're operating without context.

Stop protecting the numbers. Start sharing them.

That doesn't mean opening every spreadsheet. But it does mean giving your client services team enough visibility to understand:

• What are we trying to achieve on this account?
• What profit margins are we trying to hit?
• What are the targets, and how are we tracking against them?

When that clicks, people stop just managing the account and start thinking like someone responsible for its stability and growth.

Something small to try this week

Pick one account.

Instead of just talking about delivery, sit down with the team and walk through the commercial picture for that account.

• Where are we now?
• Where do we need to get to?
• What needs to happen to close that gap?

Then ask them: "Where do you think we can close the gap?"

Often, they'll spot opportunities you haven't, or flag that something isn't commercially viable. And more importantly, they'll start to feel ownership over the outcome.

Because growth isn't just about strategy. It's about giving the people closest to your clients the clarity and confidence to make better commercial decisions every day.

And that only happens when they understand the numbers behind it.

Jo x