During the PaperTube ABM strategy kickoff, Mark and Karly discussed a set of proactive client management tactics to apply to the Bluepoint account. The goal is to earn trust and demonstrate competence through disciplined preparation, agenda ownership, and mutual accountability — rather than waiting for the client to drive the relationship.
These tactics are generalizable to any account where trust is still being established.
Before each weekly call, email the client on Friday to ask for their input on the following week's agenda.
Why it works:
- Signals that you are organized and forward-thinking
- Gives the client a sense of ownership and participation
- Prevents the call from being hijacked by unplanned topics
- Allows you to prepare responses to anything the client flags in advance
Implementation: Send a brief email Friday afternoon with a draft agenda and a prompt like: "Is there anything you'd like to add or prioritize for our call next week?"
Before every client call, review all relevant data and proactively anticipate the questions the client is likely to ask.
Why it works:
- Demonstrates competence and respect for the client's time
- Prevents being caught flat-footed on performance metrics
- Builds credibility faster than any amount of relationship-building small talk
Implementation:
- Pull all relevant dashboards and reports before the call
- Identify any metrics that are underperforming and prepare an explanation or action plan
- Bring at least one "nugget" — a proactive insight or observation the client didn't ask for but will find valuable
Proactive management is not one-directional. Hold clients accountable for their own commitments and deliverables.
Why it works:
- Establishes a peer dynamic rather than a vendor dynamic
- Prevents project delays caused by client-side inaction
- Signals that you take the engagement seriously and expect the same in return
Implementation:
- Track open client commitments (e.g., asset delivery, approvals, introductions)
- Reference outstanding items on calls without being adversarial: "We're still waiting on X — can we get that by Thursday so we can hit the timeline?"
- Document commitments in meeting recaps so there's a shared record