Your Internal Client Meetings Are Probably About the Wrong Things

Think about the last internal meeting you had with your client services team.

What did you actually talk about?

Because if it's anything like most agencies I work with, it went something like this: project status, deadlines, who's stretched, what's stuck in approval, resourcing for next week. Then someone asks "any issues with clients?", everyone says "no, all fine," and the meeting ends.

And on the surface, that feels productive. Things got covered. Boxes got ticked.

But here's the problem. That's a delivery meeting, not a client services meeting.

Nobody talked about account health. Nobody talked about growth. Nobody asked whether the relationship is actually getting stronger or quietly drifting. So the meetings that should be driving retention and growth end up being about workflow, and the strategic side of the role gets pushed to "when things are quieter". Which, as we all know, is never.

The reality is, if your internal meetings only focus on delivery, your team will only focus on delivery. You're training them on what matters through what you ask them about.

So here's how to shift it.

First, make them bring something to the table

The "any issues? No, everyone's fine" dead-end happens because you're asking a lazy question. Send the topics and questions in advance so they know exactly what they're expected to arrive with. No one gets to turn up empty-handed.

Second, anchor the meeting in their client development plans

Where accounts have them, those plans should be on the table every single session and used as the basis for the conversation. It keeps growth front and centre, and it holds the team accountable for keeping the plans updated, because they know they'll be talking through them.

Third, ask better questions

Some to work with:

• What value have you added for your client in the last two weeks? A piece of insight, spotting a downward trend in the reporting, anything beyond the deliverables.
• When did you last review the strategy with the client and actually make suggestions?
• Have you asked them about their business recently? How they're doing, any acquisitions, new product launches?
• When was the last time you did a surprise and delight for them?
• We've been with this client a year now. Are we at the point where we could ask for a case study?
• Have you seen this client face to face recently?

That last one catches more teams out than you'd think.

And finally, turn the answers into concrete, time-bound actions

Not "we should probably get in front of them at some point," but "you haven't seen this client face to face in six months, so by our next catch-up I want a meeting booked in." Or "next session, bring me a business update you've found out through an actual conversation with your client."

Then follow up each meeting with a quick contact report setting out what you expect at the next one. That way there's no ambiguity, and no one can say they didn't know what was expected.

Because your team will rise to whatever standard you consistently ask about. If you only ever ask about delivery, you'll get brilliant deliverers. If you start asking about relationships, insight and growth, that's where their attention goes.

So here's my challenge for you this week

Look at the agenda for your next client services catch-up.

How much of it is about the work, and how much of it is about the client?

Because delivery keeps clients serviced.

But it's the other conversations that keep them.

Jo x