What 175+ Clients Taught Me About People
Over the course of my career, I have worked with more than 175 clients across different industries, countries, cultures, and stages of growth. Some were large organizations with e…
Over the course of my career, I have worked with more than 175 clients across different industries, countries, cultures, and stages of growth. Some were large organizations with established teams and sophisticated processes. Others were small businesses where a handful of people were doing everything themselves. I have worked with founders, CEOs, marketing directors, entrepreneurs, government organizations, nonprofits, artists, educators, and people launching their very first business.
On paper, those clients had very little in common. Their industries were different, their budgets were different, and what they needed from me was rarely the same. But after working with that many people, you start to notice patterns.
The biggest thing I learned is that working in marketing is rarely just about marketing.
People hire you because they want more customers, better branding, stronger campaigns, more visibility, or better results. But underneath almost every business problem is a human problem. There is uncertainty, ego, ambition, fear, pressure, insecurity, excitement, and sometimes simply the need for someone to make sense of what feels overwhelming.
That has taught me a lot about people.
People usually know more than they think they do
One of the most interesting things I have learned is that clients often already know what is wrong.
They might come to you asking for a new website, a social media strategy, a rebrand, a campaign, or a complete marketing plan. After a few conversations, however, the real issue often becomes clear. They know which product is not selling. They know which part of the customer experience is frustrating people. They know their positioning is unclear. They know their team is struggling.
They sometimes just need someone outside the organization to help them articulate it.
Being an outsider can be valuable because you are not emotionally attached to the problem. You can ask the obvious question that everyone inside the company stopped asking months ago.
I have learned not to assume that my job is always to bring the answer. Sometimes my job is to help the client arrive at the answer they already had somewhere in their head.
Confidence and competence are not the same thing
Working with so many people has also changed the way I think about confidence.
Some of the most confident people I have worked with were not necessarily the most capable. And some of the smartest people were surprisingly hesitant to trust their own judgment.
There are people who walk into a meeting completely certain that they are right, even when the evidence says otherwise. There are also people who have built successful companies but still question whether they know what they are doing.
That distinction matters.
I have become much more interested in how someone thinks than how confidently they speak. A person who is willing to ask questions, consider new information, admit when they are wrong, and change direction is usually far more valuable than someone who always has an answer.
Experience has taught me that confidence can be performed. Curiosity is much harder to fake.
Everyone wants to feel understood
Whether someone is a CEO running a large organization or a founder working from a small office, they want to feel that someone understands what they are trying to accomplish.
This sounds obvious, but it is surprisingly easy to forget.
As marketers, we can become obsessed with audiences, analytics, platforms, funnels, conversion rates, engagement, and KPIs. All of those things matter. But before any of them, there is a person sitting across from you trying to explain what they want.
Sometimes what a client needs is not another presentation. They need you to listen carefully enough to understand what they are actually saying.
I have had conversations where the brief said one thing, but the conversation revealed something completely different. The better I became at listening, the better my work became.
Most people are not difficult. They are under pressure.
This is probably one of the most useful lessons I have learned.
Over the years, I have worked with people who were demanding, impatient, indecisive, overly critical, or difficult to communicate with. Earlier in my career, I might have taken some of that personally.
I don't as much anymore.
You never really know what is happening behind someone's behavior. A client who keeps changing their mind might be dealing with pressure from their own management. A founder who is obsessing over tiny details might be terrified of wasting the money they have invested. Someone who seems dismissive might simply be overwhelmed.
This does not mean every behavior should be excused. Boundaries still matter. Professionalism still matters. But understanding the person behind the behavior makes it easier to respond rather than react.
People rarely bring only their job into a meeting. They bring everything else with them too.
People want different things from success
Working across countries and cultures taught me that there is no universal definition of success.
For one client, success might mean doubling revenue. For another, it might mean building a respected brand. Someone else might care more about having enough freedom to spend time with their family. Another person might want recognition, influence, stability, or simply the ability to keep their business alive.
It is easy to assume that everyone wants what we want.
They don't.
That realization has made me much more careful about giving advice. A strategy can be objectively effective and still be wrong for the person sitting in front of you if it does not align with what they actually value.
People remember how you made working with you feel
Results matter. They absolutely do.
But after working with so many clients, I have realized that people also remember the experience of working with you.
They remember whether you answered when they needed you. Whether you made a complicated problem easier. Whether you listened. Whether you took responsibility when something went wrong. Whether you treated them with respect when things became difficult.
They also remember how you behaved when things went well.
A successful campaign is great. A strong strategy is valuable. But relationships are built through hundreds of small interactions that have nothing to do with the final report.
Some of the clients I remember most have nothing to do with the size of the project or the amount of money involved. I remember them because we worked well together, solved problems together, or simply had a good human connection.
Not every client is the right client
This took me longer to learn.
When you are building a career, it is tempting to say yes to everything. Every project looks like an opportunity. Every client could potentially lead to another client. Every payment feels important.
But experience changes your definition of opportunity.
A project can be financially attractive and still be a terrible fit. A famous client can look impressive on your CV while being exhausting to work with. A large budget does not automatically create a good partnership.
The best client relationships I have had were not necessarily the ones with the biggest budgets. They were the ones where there was mutual trust, clear communication, realistic expectations, and respect for each other's expertise.
Eventually, you realize that saying no is also part of building a career.
People change, and so do you
When you work with someone for long enough, you sometimes get to see their evolution.
A small business becomes a larger company. A junior employee becomes a manager. A founder becomes a CEO. A struggling brand finds its identity. A person who once needed a lot of guidance becomes someone who confidently makes their own decisions.
But there is another side to that.
You change too.
Every client leaves something behind. Sometimes it is a new skill. Sometimes it is a different way of thinking. Sometimes it is a lesson about communication. Sometimes it is simply a reminder of the kind of person you want to be when you are on the other side of the table.
I started my career thinking that experience was mostly about accumulating knowledge.
I now think it is also about accumulating perspective.
The work is rarely just the work
After 175+ clients, I could probably list hundreds of lessons about marketing, branding, digital strategy, content, advertising, and business.
But the lessons I value most are the ones that have nothing to do with a marketing tactic.
People want to be heard. They want to be respected. They want to feel confident in their decisions. They want someone they can trust. They make mistakes. They change their minds. They get scared. They become ambitious. They surprise you. Sometimes they disappoint you. Sometimes they become friends.
And you do all of those things too.
That is probably what working with so many clients has taught me most. Behind every brief, every campaign, every meeting, every deadline, and every invoice is a person trying to make something work.
Once you understand that, you become better at working with people.
And, perhaps more importantly, you become better at being one.
