Managing Increased Client Demands and Team Pressure
I am leading the content team at a small digital marketing agency. One of our clients just drastically increased their demands, and we don’t have the resources to meet their expectations within the current timeline. I’m feeling pressure from both the client and my team, who are starting to feel overwhelmed. What should I do? Please advise using 7SFS system.
1. Celebrate & Be Grateful
Acknowledge the Opportunity:
Celebrate the fact that your client sees value in your team’s work and is willing to invest more in your services. This is a reflection of the agency’s capabilities and success.
Express Gratitude:
Be grateful for having a team that is dedicated to delivering high-quality content and for the trust your client has placed in you by increasing their demands.
2. Align Your Fulfilment Vision
Clarify Your Vision for Success:
Reaffirm your team’s long-term goals of delivering excellence, even under pressure. Align the team’s efforts with a clear vision of what needs to be prioritised to meet the client’s new demands.
Set Realistic Short-Term Goals:
Break down the client’s increased demands into smaller, achievable goals. Clearly define what can realistically be accomplished within the given timeline without compromising quality.
3. Know Your Win
Define Success Under Pressure:
Success in this situation is delivering high-priority content within the timeline while managing the team’s workload effectively to avoid burnout.
Prioritize Critical Deliverables:
Identify which parts of the client’s demands are most critical to their business objectives. Focus on delivering those first and manage the rest in phases, if possible.
4. Know Your Client's Win
Understand Client Expectations:
Your client’s win is receiving high-quality content that meets their objectives, but they may not be aware of the strain their increased demands are putting on your team. Communicate clearly with the client about what can be achieved within the timeline and how you can ensure quality.
Offer Alternative Solutions:
If the client’s demands exceed your current resources, suggest alternative solutions, such as extending the deadline, adjusting the scope of the project, or outsourcing some of the tasks temporarily.
5. Sign Win-Win Agreement or No Deal
Negotiate with the Client:
Have an open conversation with the client about the increased workload. Negotiate a win-win solution, such as extending the deadline, reducing the scope of work in the short term, or securing additional resources.
Collaborate with Your Team:
Engage with your team to redistribute work based on capacity and strengths. Ensure that no one is overloaded by reassigning tasks and providing support where needed.
6. Deliver with Excellence
Focus on Quality:
Even with increased demands, it’s crucial to maintain the high quality of your work. Ensure that your team remains focused on producing content that meets the client’s expectations without sacrificing the standards that set your agency apart.
Seek Temporary Support:
If the demands are too high for your current team, consider hiring freelancers or temporary workers to help manage the workload without compromising on deadlines or quality.
7. Achieve with Joy
Celebrate Milestones:
Acknowledge the team’s hard work and celebrate each milestone as it’s reached. This helps keep morale high and encourages the team to keep pushing forward.
Reflect and Improve:
After delivering on the client’s demands, reflect on what worked and what didn’t. Use this experience to improve project management and capacity planning for future clients with similar demands. Consider adding contingency plans to deal with unexpected increases in workload.