Your clients want to change the KPIs for marketing operations. How do you navigate this request effectively?

When a client wants to deviate from a plan, something happened that led them to that thinking. And it's your job to figure out what happened and how to help them navigate it. For instance -- are we not meeting performance goals fast enough? Or, the ultimate fail of them all, did we get the initial brief wrong? Knowing this is critical because then you can figure out your response. And PS - don't forget to be empathic through it all. It's up to you to be there for them -- and the more you are there for them, the more manageable the client will be :)

Insights take time to formulate and campaigns take time to prove out. So the question becomes -- has there been enough time to measure the KPIs effectively, or do we need more time? That becomes step #1.

Oftentimes, when you want to change KPIs, it's because there's not enough information that satisfies the client. In this case, this becomes what can you give to shed more light on the situation to help influence them in one way or another.

We collaborate on metrics with our clients, and we understand that keeping a fluid working environment for our team and our clients just the same requires change. Businesses change, and strong businesses change, grow, and need to adapt more often than those still trying to gain traction in their core focus areas. You always have to be willing to adapt and change, and adjusting KPIs over year one, year two, year three and beyond of our work with our clients is part of helping businesses grow through effective marketing, advertising, and technology...period.

When a client hires you, they do it because they want to know your expertise. So always share your opinion (in a way that makes the client feel heard and seen) and offer alternatives and a recommendation.

The biggest thing is to make sure that you have the brief right in the beginning and to set expectations about what it takes to execute the campaign. And as part of those expectations is ensuring that you have the right KPI. If that's wrong, then the whole campaign can go to crap (and cause fire drills for everyone involved).